On this episode, we feature an interview with Joannie Harmon at IACMI’s annual member meeting discussing workforce education.

The U.S. is facing a crisis when it comes to workforce. Per a recent Deloitte report, US manufacturing is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030. 

The Composites Institute has made workforce education and development a pillar of its mission, along with composites R&D and commercialization.

Joannie leads national scale up workforce programs to revitalize American manufacturing. 

These include America’s Cutting Edge and Advanced Composites Career Pathways. 

You can learn more by visiting https://iacmi.org/workforce. 

On this episode, I feature an interview with Haley Marie Keith, the CEO of Mito Material Solutions. MITO’s technology is the “first and only” process to functionalize substances like graphene oxide and biomaterials—creating hybrid additives that give composites and thermoplastics lab-verified improvements in strength, durability, flexibility, and sustainability.

You can learn more about their company by visiting https://mitomaterials.com. 

It's a big task to bring a State Conference of any description as remote as Julia Creek. But hard work and determination saw the convening comittee get the 2023 ICPA QLD State Conference conference over the line. 

Today we hear from those who put in the work to bring it all together, some of the guest speakers who travelled far to deliver their message, local ICPA members who tell us what ICPA gives to them, and Julia Creek's newest Life Member. 

We also hear from those ICPA is all about - the kids. 

Find out more about the ICPA.

Find out more about Julia Creek ICPA.

You can follow More Than Mail adventures on Instagram, on Facebook, or at morethanmail.com.au 

Or, you can send me an email hello@morethanmail.com.au

On this episode, Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me to discuss the topic of industry consolidation; we'll explore the impact of some recent mergers & acquisitions. 

Like any sector in the global market, the composites & cast polymer industry isn’t immune to the forces of change. In an era defined by digital disruption, geopolitical tensions, and environmental challenges, businesses have had to adapt and reinvent themselves. The rapid rate of supplier consolidation is a testament to these forces at play.

So what does this mean for the future of our industry? Today we’ll try and dissect the nuances of these mergers and acquisitions, and assess their potential impact on our industry’s future. 

Some sources we’ll refer to are below: 

https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insightsnew/chemicals/changing-face-ma

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/de/Documents/energy-resources/gx-global-chemicals-ma-outlook-2023.pdf

Julia Creek played host the 2023 QLD ICPA State Conference. And after talking all things education advocacy in Ep. 20 | Advocating for education with Kimberley Wilson, I went along to see what it was all about.

In More Than Mail's first two part podcast, I speak to the organisers of the Conference, local ICPA members - current and past, and hear from State Concillors, as well as some special guests.

I knew very little about ICPA and so we go back to basics, and hear from a lot of passionate people. 

Isolated Children's education is in good hands.

Find out more about the ICPA.

Find out more about Julia Creek ICPA.

You can follow More Than Mail adventures on Instagram, on Facebook, or at morethanmail.com.au 

Or, you can send me an email hello@morethanmail.com.au

More Than Mail will be back on Thursday.

On this episode, Brian Fitzgerald, the CRO at Augury joins me to discuss how A.I. is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry by using their software to predict & prevent industrial machine failure.

Augury is a billion dollar tech company that is unlocking production capacity, predictability, and sustainability while transforming how manufacturing teams work. 

You can learn more about Augury by visiting https://www.augury.com. 

Justin Ohm, the director of the ICPA, kicked off the Mile High Pediatric Summit last week. He's a second-generation family chiropractor with a strong focus on perinatal and newborn care. He's the son of Jeanie Ohm, and chiropractic has been his life since birth. He has four children, all of whom were born at home. Justin is the director of the ICPA. The Ohm family has done a tremendous amount for the chiropractic profession as a whole.

Over 1,000 people attended the largest virtual pediatric summit in the history of the chiropractic profession to our knowledge, and over $4,000 was raised for the ICPA.

If you missed the Pediatric Summit or if you'd just like to revisit this segment, it's the session that kicked it off on Friday morning.

If you'd like to gain access to all of the tremendous sessions from the Pediatric Summit and all of the presentations from previous years on the philosophy, science, art, and business of chiropractic, you can gain a ton of value simply by clicking HERE and making a donation to the ICPA. You'll get immediate access to all four of the Mile High virtual Summits, which will help you start your Mile High experience now.

If you haven't reserved your seats for Mile High yet, now's the time to do it. You can register right now at RiseUpToMileHigh.com.

You can also save a ton of money when you register before June 30th because the registration investment will increase that night. Also, Southwest Airlines has dramatically cut their airfares to Denver temporarily. There's no telling how long that will last, so registering today and getting your plane tickets right away will leave some significant dollars in your bank account that you can use to have fun while you're in Colorado this fall!

Enjoy the video, support ICPA, get all the great Summit presentations, register for Mile High, and get your plane tickets.

This week, Jesus Zozaya and James Pickard of Voltera join me on the show to discuss the future of additive electronics and how it is revolutionizing so many industries. 

Their company Votera, makes rapid prototyping platforms for printed electronics — from traditional circuit boards to the flexible, stretchable, conformable, and biocompatible electronics of tomorrow. The best and brightest minds are using Voltera’s NOVA platform to push the boundaries of innovation – boundaries that are only limited by your imagination. 

On this episode, they’ll be sharing some of the applications their printing technology is being used for – from simple solutions like an induction coffee mug heater to self-heating carbon fiber composites for UAV Wings. 

You can learn more about their technology, as well as connect with their experts for questions by visiting https://voltera.io/cw. 

On this episode, I welcome best-selling author Mark Mears to the show. He is the author of the new book The Purposeful Growth Revolution. 

In this book, Mark brings together 30 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies using scientific studies to create practical strategies for how leadership needs to evolve to help employees and businesses thrive in the new economy and beyond.

Today we are facing “The Great Resignation.” 

People are resigning from the workforce or, possibly worse, resigning themselves to an unsatisfying status quo and being disengaged at work. They’ve quit…but stayed. Neither outcome is “great.”

On the podcast, Mark will share how to apply 4 holistic and revolutionary processes found in nature to help individuals, teams, and organizations find purpose, fulfill their true growth potential, and leave a living legacy―what Mears calls "paying it backward". 

You can learn more about Mark and take his free assessment on fulfilling your purposeful growth potential as both a leader and legacy builder at https://www.markamears.com. 

This week I welcome Nick Castelucci to the show. Nick is the managing partner at Prestige Tooling, one of the newest members of the ICPA based out of Elkhart, IN. 

Nick and his team have over 25 years of experience in mold making with over 6,000 completed molds. 

Nick will share some of the history of their company, as well as some of their specialties that include bathtub molds, shower pans, drop-in bowls, floating bowls, undermount bowls, modular molds, and wall paneling molds.

You can learn more about their company by visiting https://prestigetooling.com. 

Educating kids in regional and rural Australia requires policy makers to understand the different and specific needs of the children learning.

From maintaining teacher accommodation to internet accessibility, education can look very different in the country. And that's where the Isolated Children's Parents' Association (ICPA) comes in. 

Kimberley Wilson from Rutchillo Station is the current Julia Creek ICPA President, and a passionate advocate for education across the board.

When I caught up with Kimberley she was busy working on the upcoming ICPA State Conference, to be hosted in Julia Creek. 

We talked about education, wet season shenanigans, heading to boarding school in year one, volunteering, the importance of art and craft and living with loss.

Find out more about the ICPA.

Find out more about Julia Creek ICPA.

You can follow More Than Mail adventures on Instagram, on Facebook, or at morethanmail.com.au 

Or, you can send me an email hello@morethanmail.com.au

On this episode, we'll be discussing how to use ai platforms like ChatGPT to create better story brands. The interview is with Brian Hennessy, CEO and Co-founder of Talkoot, a system that helps brands create deeper connections with customers on every product page through deeper product storytelling.

On this episode, Genilee Parente, the executive editor of Cast Polymer Connection joins me to discuss the upcoming spring issue of Cast Polymer Connection. We'll be discussing her profile story of Coni Marble as well as design trends from this year's Kitchen and Bath Show. 

On this episode, I share an interview with Robert Bly, author of the book The Big Book of Words That Sell: 1200 Words and Phrases That Every Salesperson and Marketer Should Know and Use.

Bob is a professional writer, speaker, and marketing consultant with over 3 decades of experience in business-to-business, high-tech, and direct-response marketing.

He became a self-made multi-millionaire while still in his 30s. Bob is the author of more than 90 published books including Careers for Writers (McGraw-Hill/VGM), Secrets of a Freelance Writer (Henry Holt), The Copywriter's Handbook (Henry Holt), and The Elements of Business Writing (Alyn & Bacon). McGraw-Hill calls Bob Bly "America's top copywriter," and he was named 2007 Copywriter of the Year by American Writers and Artists, Inc. 

In this recent book, he draws back the curtain to reveal hundreds of proven words and phrases that can help you:

• Grab the reader’s attention.
• Convey a sense of urgency.
• Communicate what’s special, different, and unique about your product.
• Boost response with proven time-tested offers.
• Arouse the reader’s curiosity.
• Overcome buyer objections.
• Announce something new.
• Move the reader emotionally.
• Create a perception of the superior product value.
• And much more.

You can learn more, by visiting bly.com.

On this episode, Derek Hill of Syn-Mar Products joins me to share his experience attending the ACMA's Fly-In last week up in Washington DC. He and some other ICPA board members attended to make sure Washington knows what issues are important for our businesses and the cast polymer industry through engagement with members of Congress, and agency leaders. 

On this episode, Ajay Goel joins me to discuss how AI can be used to help create email marketing campaigns. Ajay is the founder of GMass, an established and innovative solution that seamlessly integrates into GMail, creating mass email, mail merge, and follow-up email services possible within the world’s most popular email service. 

Ajay has been creating software to improve the email-sending process for over 20 years.

He recently published a blog on how he and his colleagues recently put ChatGPT to the test to see how well the technology could craft cold emails and reviewed its capabilities. 

You can read about it here - https://www.gmass.co/blog/chatgpt-cold-email-copywriting/

You can learn more about GMass by visiting https://www.gmass.co. 

On this episode, Dennis Fink of AKPA Chemical joins me to share some tips on how to troubleshoot gelcoat & resin curing problems related to the below-freezing cold weather we've all experienced recently. 

His diverse experience runs the gamut - from production supervision and management, research and development, to field technical service in polyester resins and gel coats, with companies such as Freeman Chemical, Interplastics, Coatings and Plastics, Sherex Chemical, and Cargill/McWhorter.

Denny’s passion for his work and desire to give back to the community have driven his involvement in numerous industry organizations that further polymer science, applications, and acceptance. He is active in several ACMA committees and boards.

He is also a proud contributor to the CCT program, helping write many of the modules, and maintaining his CCT-I status. He has published several industry research articles over the years, and in 2007 earned a “Best Paper” award from the ACMA.

This week I welcome Jen and Chris Hudak to the show. This couple started a business back in 2016 out of a garage and now have over 70 employees on staff. 

Their company was just listed as America's 9th fastest growing manufacturing company in the recent Inc. 5000 list. 

On this episode, you'll hear them share their story of starting a manufacturing company with no experience at all. 

This week Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me on the podcast again this month to tackle some common problems in your manufacturing process that can lead to quality issues. 

This week, I welcome Kevin Donlin to the podcast. Kevin is the author of Marketing Multipliers: 11 Simple Tools to Grow Your Business. 

Kevin has been in marketing since 1994, when he sold one of the first ebooks -- on Usenet, for $10, payable by check.

From 1995 to 1998, he was Webmaster for FedEx.com, where he worked with the pioneers of online marketing.

Since 1998, he's been a copywriter and marketing advisor for clients big and small, delivering sales gains of more than $1 million on multiple occasions with online marketing and direct mail.

He's been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, ABC-TV in Detroit, Fox and NBC News in Minneapolis, CBS Radio in Los Angeles and New York, and too many others to list here.

You can find his copywriting services at www.ClientCloningSystems.com