Ann and Kate take a look back at the 15th annual Manufacturing First Expo & Conference, which was held last Wednesday at Resch Expo in Green Bay, with more than 1,000 attendees and more than 200 exhibitors.

Hear interviews from the expo floor with attendees representing companies including HUI Manufacturing, GPS Education Partners, Carron Net Company, Oshkosh Corporation, Appleton Airport and many more.

Ryan Downs, president of Oh Snap! Pickling Company and formerly of the sauerkraut mega-maker GLK Foods, joins co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns on this week's episode to share his and his family's history in food manufacturing in the New North region.

Downs created Oh Snap! in 2015 following a robust product development process and now sells through most major retailers all over North America, promising "portable pickle perfection" -- healthy, mess-free snacks that can be taken anywhere, including pickled cucumbers, green beans, carrots and infused cranberries.   

"There's kind of pickle madness in the country right now," he says, adding that Oh Snap! was built off nutrition trends around gut health and an exploration of packaging pickles' popularity in a new way. And he's proud to point out that Oh Snap! has actually lifted up the entire pickling industry as opposed to taking business away from other products in the sector. 

Learn more about Oh Snap! by listening to this week's episode, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service: www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/secure/ssl/savings/business/free-consultation

Oh Snap! is online at www.ohsnappickles.com. 

Dan Haak, president, and Cheryl Fritz, business development manager, for Appleton-based Apricity join Kate and Ann on this week's episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service.

Apricity was created in 2017 when STEP Industries merged with Mooring Programs -- making the company a comprehensive source for providing treatment, employment and support services to individuals impacted by substance abuse disorder.


"It's a great combination of having a solid business with a great nonprofit mission," Fritz says. 

Learn more about Apricity, its mission and how it is working with our region's manufacturers by listening to this week's episode.

Chris Calawerts, Insight on Business' October 2025 cover subject, is the president and COO of Oshkosh Door, Edgewater Door in Neenah and Oregon Door in Winston, Oregon. On this week's episode he shares his passion for manufacturing, his admiration for Garth Brooks and his best leadership insights as co-hosts Ann Franz and Kate Bruns, the author of the October cover story, dive a little deeper into this month's Insight cover feature.

Read the cover story, "Open Hearted," online at insightonbusiness.com. 

Thank you to Wisconsin Public Service for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about how they're helping manufacturers at wisconsinpublicservice.com. 

NEW Manufacturing Insights celebrated its anniversary and the start of Manufacturing Month with a special recording in front of a live audience Oct. 2 at Schreiber Foods in Green Bay. The exclusive event was open to pre-registrants of Manufacturing First taking place Oct. 29 at Green Bay’s Resch Expo. 

On this week's episode, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service, Pat Koleske, senior vice president at Schreiber Horizon, shares this insights and talks about how the Schreiber brand is expanding and rebranding.

Over its 80 years in business, Schreiber has developed multiple solutions to scale its business, from supply chain management to innovation processes. Recently Schreiber decided to bring together these solutions marketed to outside customers under one umbrella. 

Learn more at schreiberhorizon.com. Visit our sponsor, Wisconsin Public Service, at wisconsinpublicservice.com. 

Aimee Herrick, director of events and emerging talent for the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce,
brought her past experience working as a teacher to the table when she established the Emerging
Talent Alliance. “When we started, we really wanted to focus on how we can bridge gaps between
schools and businesses,” Herrick says.

In this week’s episode, Herrick talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about the importance of building those collaborations in educating the next generation of workers and how businesses can get involved in the alliance.

Thank you to Rice Companies for sponsoring this and all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights in
September. NEW Manufacturing Insights is a joint production of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance and
Insight Publications.

Betsy Allen-Manning, company culture expert and this year’s Manufacturing First keynote speaker, says transforming your company into a ‘destination workplace’ — one with a positive brand reputatio — gives you an advantage when there is high competition for talent.

In this week’s episode, Allen-Manning talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz of NEW Manufacturing Insights about her journey to becoming an internationally recognized speaker, what she’ll be sharing at this year’s Manufacturing First Expo & Conference, and the five things companies need to do to become destination workplaces.

Thank you to Rice Companies for sponsoring this and all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights in September. NEW Manufacturing Insights is a joint production of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance and Insight Publications, available everywhere you listen to podcasts. 

Learn more about our sponsor at www.ricecompanies.com.

Josh Delforge, vice president of engineering and operations at Cruisers Yachts in Oconto and a member of the leadership team for North Coast Marine Manufacturing Alliance (NCMMA), originally intended to be a part of the space program. “Unfortunately, my senior year was the Columbia shuttle disaster,” Delforge says. “So that really changed the plan.”

In this week’s episode, Delforge talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz of NEW Manufacturing Insights about his journey to the marine industry, why the NCMMA is valuable to the next generation of STEM enthusiasts, and some of his favorite projects with Cruisers.

Thank you to Rice Companies for sponsoring this and all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights in September. Learn more at www.ricecompanies.com. 

Tim Riebau, president and CEO of VPI (formerly known as Valley Packaging Industries), says one of the best parts about his organization is the impact it can have on people with disabilities — while at the same time filling a vital co-packing niche for large companies in the community.

In this week’s episode, Riebau talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about VPI’s mission, the changes the organization has been through in recent years, and why large companies love working with the nonprofit.

Learn more at https://vpiwi.org/

Thank you to Rice Companies for sponsoring this and all episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights in September. Learn more about our sponsor at www.ricecompanies.com/

Amanda and Adam Kroener couldn’t find a low-carb ready-to-drink cocktail that they could enjoy on
their keto diet—so they created their own. On this week’s episode, Amanda and Adam talk with co-
hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about how they founded the fast-growing and popular drink brand
Carbliss and where they’re taking the company next.

“The biggest thing is knowing the right timing for scale … we want to continue to roll out methodically
because it seems to be working,” Adam Kroener says.

To learn more about Plymouth-based Carbliss,
visit https://drinkcarbliss.com/.

Dr. Patricia Terry, Chair of the Richard J. Resch School of Engineering at UW-Green Bay, and Dr. Vallari Chandna, Associate Dean of the Cofrin School of Business at UWGB, are both leading the launch of new degree programs at the university.

On this week’s episode, Chandna and Terry talk with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about why the programs are important to helping meet future workforce needs in the region.

“Software engineering until now has been an emphasis within computer science,” Dr. Terry says. “But there’s a big regional industry push toward Industry 4.0,” Terry says.

Learn more about UWGB at https://www.uwgb.edu/.

Connor O’Brien, vice president and trust investment officer at Legacy Private Trust Co., has spent his career helping clients accomplish their financial goals. On this week’s episode, O’Brien talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about how Legacy prepares its clients to manage market instability and why today’s volatility isn’t unusual from other times.

“We have tried to instill in our clients…this will happen, we need to plan for it, we need to expect it, so when it does come, we have prepared for it,” O’Brien says. “And you have a portfolio that’s built to weather this or any other storm that might come about.” Learn more about Legacy Private Trust at https:// https://www.lptrust.com/

Jeff Engelbrecht, training and development manager at Robinson, Inc., came to the company after a
long career as a police officer who led training and development programs for the Green Bay Police
Department. On this week’s episode, Engelbrecht talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about
developing the Robinson Training Academy and how manufacturers can create a similar training
program at their organizations.

“Some supervisors and managers were a little ahead of the curve,” Engelbrecht says. “They’d been
looking at this for a long time. They just needed someone to champion the cause.”

Learn more about Robinson at https://www.robinsoninc.com/

Read Kate Bruns' interview with Engelbrecht from the July 2025 issue of IOM at Anatomy of an academy | Plant News | insightonbusiness.com

Jake Schulz, vice president of production for TTX (Therma-Tron-X), is committed to helping youth find their future pathways, including through developing the Youth Apprenticeship program at the Sturgeon Bay company. On this week’s episode, Schulz talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about the company’s commitment to its YA program and how leaders build connections with local students.

“Since 2021 we’ve had 26 Youth Apprentices that have successfully come through our program, and we have been privileged to see a few of those come on board as full-time employees,” Schulz says. “But each year we’ve seen that program grow.”

Learn more about TTX at https://www.ttxinc.com/


Thank you to Werner Electric Supply for sponsoring this episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, and all July episodes of the podcast. Learn more at wernerelectric.com. 

Lori Sealock, recently named president of Eagle Performance Plastics, has been with the custom job
shop for going on 24 years. On this week’s episode, Sealock talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann
Franz about the company’s succession planning, her role and making the company’s vision come to
life.

“We’re focused on setting the next generation up for success, which means making sure they have the
right people, the right tools, the right environment to do that,” Sealock says. “They need a strong
foundation to keep building on Eagle’s values and the growth strategy that we have.”

Learn more about Eagle Performance Plastics at https://eagle-plastics.com/.

Thank you to Werner Electric Supply for sponsoring this episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, and
all July episodes of the podcast. Learn more at wernerelectric.com.

Jennifer Clement is one of six Wisconsin experts sharing their perspectives on the shifting global trade climate in the July issue of IOM. This week Clement, client relationship leader at CLA, talks with co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz about her essay “Ten Steps to Reduce Tariff Exposure for Mid-Market Manufacturers,” and about how she and the team at CLA are helping companies to navigate the volatility in the global trade market.

Learn more about Clement and her work: https://www.claconnect.com/en/directory/c/clement-
jennifer

Thank you to Werner Electric Supply for sponsoring this episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, and
all July episodes of the podcast. Learn more at wernerelectric.com.

Howard Hauser and Mike Berns wrote the new book Value Creation is Everything -- the first book for each of the co-authors, who have been consulting and coaching together for the last 23 years in Northeast Wisconsin. 

Howard tells co-hosts Kate Bruns and Ann Franz on this week's episode that the pair felt the time was right to distill 40 years of industry experience into "something that was simple and easy for people to understand." He and Mike use the book, as well as this week's podcast, to share their wisdom about how to become a value creation company -- and why that's important to businesses everywhere.

Learn more about the book and order online at https://valuecreationiseverything.com/

Thank you to Werner Electric Supply for sponsoring this episode of NEW Manufacturing Insights, and all July episodes of the podcast. Learn more at wernerelectric.com. 

Lindsay Blumer is the president and CEO of WRTP | BIG STEP, a Milwaukee-based organization that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is currently working under its sectoral partnership model to expand its mission into Northeast Wisconsin. 

BIG STEP, which was created in the 1970s, merged with the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) after it was created in the 1990s. Today it works on the ground to help create and sustain pathways to family-supporting careers like manufacturing. 

Lindsay joins Kate and Ann on today's show to dive deeper into WRTP | BIG STEP's mission and vision, as well as share her best leadership insight.

Steve Trautman of The Steve Trautman Co. has decades of experience in the fields of talent risk and knowledge transfer, which he shares with listeners on this week's episode. And the timing for this advice is right for Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers, according to podcast co-host Ann Franz: At the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance's May 2 "Future of Work" Summit, it was revealed that a full three-quarters of companies in our region are concerned about succession planning but only 37% say they have a plan in place to address it.

On this episode, Steve dives deeper into the knowledge transfer process he created through his consulting business and explains some of the roadblocks that exist in executing successful knowledge transfer.

You can learn more about his work at stevetrautman.com. 

Terry Brei, president and owner of Sure Controls in Greenville, joins Kate and Ann on this week's podcast to talk about digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing technology.

Automation and artificial intelligence are hot topics in the manufacturing world, and Sure Controls' work is at the forefront of these technologies. Terry says the mission at Sure Controls is to "keep manufacturers running, growing and smiling in the Midwest." This includes helping to understand the impact, necessity and residual effects of the technologies -- not just the seemingly limitless possibilities, but the solutions that match your business and the time and effort it takes to implement them.

"You have to understand that you're improving operations -- it doesn't always mean that you're simplifying," Terry tells the co-hosts on episode 80. "You can fully automate something, but there's a lot of work involved when you make changes to a fully automated process or if you're automating something that's not fully understood how the process is done."

Listen to all of Terry Brei's insights, including what's next for Industry 4.0 and what he considers his best leadership insight, by listening to the full episode.