Manufacturing Growth Club
What began in early 2021 as panel discussions with manufacturing leaders on the social audio app, Clubhouse, will take on a new life in 2022.
In short, we’ll be hosting Zoom-based conversations with passionate manufacturing leaders about the topics that matter right now – from the labor shortage to supply chain challenges and from industry 4.0 technology to business development.
We’ll open up these conversations to a live audience and encourage participation from those in attendance. If you’re interested in learning more or have ideas for a panel topics please message our Co-Founder, Joe Sullivan.
Here’s an overview of the panels we’ve moderated to date:
The New ROI of MFG Automation
Let’s redefine ROI as “Real Opportunity Investment”. From combating the labor shortage to improving safety and employee satisfaction, we discussed how investing in automation impacts more than your PNL.
Panelists:
- Lou Finazzo (VP of Sales, FANUC America Corporation)
- Erik Nieves (Founder, Plus One Robotics)
- Brent Barcey (VP of Business Development, Plus One Robotics)
- Scot Lindemann (CEO, Mission Design & Automation)
- Ryan Lillibridge (Director of Business Development, Mission Design & Automation)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
Creating Scalability Through Process
Many business owners started as experts in their craft – not experts at running a business. But scaling up requires removing themselves from the daily grind and creating processes their teams can execute. We discussed how to start taking off your many hats one by one so you can work on rather than in the business.
Panelists:
- Paul Van Metre (Co-Founder, ProShop ERP)
- Chris Luecke (Podcast Host & Community Builder, Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- Sam Gupta (Podcast Host & Community Builder, WBSRocks)
- Damon Pistulka (Co-Founder & Managing Director, Exit Your Way)
- Jared Warrick (Principal Consultant & Founder, OPSQC INC)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
Building an Online Manufacturing Community:
From AI and robotics to welding and fabrication, you’ll find a variety of niche manufacturing communities online. We discussed how to engage your audience in this way and platforms for doing it.
Panelists:
- Martin Cloake (CEO, Raven.ai)
- Sam Gupta (Podcast Host & Community Builder, WBSRocks)
- Todd Clouser (Global Growth Marketing Manager, CustomerGauge)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
CAD Model as Marketing Tool
Blog posts, case studies, white papers, webinars. They all have their place in a B2B company’s marketing strategy. But here’s one that’s unique to manufacturers: The CAD Model. We discussed how to put it to work.
Panelists:
- Nick Goellner (VP Sales & Marketing, AME and Hennig)
- Adam Beck (Director of Marketing, CADENAS PARTsolutions)
- Andrew Hood (Manager, Business Development | PLM Solutions, CADENAS PARTsolutions)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
Combating the Manufacturing Labor Shortage:
Perception: “Robots are gonna take our jobs!” Reality: “We can’t find people to do the jobs.” We talked about where manufacturers are going wrong on the hiring front and what they can do differently.
Panelists:
- Patrick O’Rahilly (Founder, FactoryFix)
- Mike Schaefer (VP, Sales & Customer Success, FactoryFix)
- Jay Veniard (Founder, Ventech Search Group)
- Jon Franko (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
The Power of Customer Interviews
How often do we make assumptions about what our prospects care about? In this session, we broke down methodology for replacing assumptions with insights – right from the mouths of your customers.
Panelists:
- Dave Loomis (Marketing Consultant, Loomis Marketing)
- Matthew Sciannella (Thinker & Strategy Director, Gorilla 76)
- Grace Wright (Thinker & Strategist, Gorilla 76)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
How Manufacturers Can Leverage Video
With trade shows sidelined and in-person meetings limited, there’s no better time than now for manufacturers to humanize their brands with video. We talked through a handful of ways to do it.
Panelists:
- Jake Hall (Founder and Influencer, The Manufacturing Millennial)
- Danny Gonzales (CEO, IndustrialSage)
- Todd Clouser (Global Growth Marketing Manager, CustomerGauge)
- Nick Tacony (Thinker & Videographer, Gorilla 76)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)
A 3-step Manufacturing Marketing Framework
Here’s an actionable plan for filling your sales funnel in 2021 – another year where trade shows and in-person meetings will be largely sidelined
Panelists:
- Chris Luecke (Podcast Host & Community Builder, Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- Matthew Sciannella (Thinker & Strategy Director, Gorilla 76)
- Joe Sullivan (Thinker & Founder, Gorilla 76)