Leaders In Industry

How to Build a Manufacturing ESG Strategy: Lessons From Velosity CEO Dave Hemink

Manufacturing Connected — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Can manufacturers advance environmental, social and governance goals without slowing growth? Dave Hemink, CEO of contract manufacturer Velosity, says yes. In this episode of Leaders in Industry, he tells host Christina Fuges how Velosity has made ESG part of everyday decision-making. Topics include:

Employee buy-in: Hemink's "self-directed ESG" approach encourages floor employees to suggest and lead improvements.
Certification as a business advantage: Velosity's EcoVadis rating has helped the company win new work.
Measurable wins: On-site recycling recovered 33,000 pounds of metal and 5,000 gallons of cutting oil in one year.
A practical roadmap: The SASB framework helps Velosity decide where to focus.

Hemink also explains how ESG helps attract and keep employees, and he offers advice for leaders just getting started: start small, measure results, and build momentum.

Manufacturing Connected, a platform from Gardner Business Media, produces leaders in Industry. Subscribe wherever you listen, and visit mfgconnected.com to sign up for the newsletter.

Atomic Industries CEO: AI Tooling, Tariffs, U.S. Manufacturing

Manufacturing Connected — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:30:00 -0400

Atomic Industries CEO Aaron Slodov joins Leaders in Industry to break down how AI-powered tooling is helping U.S. manufacturers outcompete low-cost rivals — plus a firsthand account of U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Greer's visit to Atomic's factory floor, why durable trade policy matters more than any single administration, and how the Reindustrialize Summit and New American Industrial Alliance are pushing to rebuild American manufacturing capacity.

Manufacturing Connected, a platform from Gardner Business Media, produces leaders in Industry. Subscribe wherever you listen, and visit mfgconnected.com to sign up for the newsletter.

Stop Complaining, Start Building: Accumold's CEO on Manufacturing & Government Policy

Manufacturing Connected — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Roger Hargens has a rule: don't complain about something you're not willing to help fix. He's followed it long enough to rack up two decades on Iowa's Innovation Council, a board seat on the Association of Business and Industry, and eventually a call asking if Accumold would host a vice presidential site visit.

Christina Fuges sits down with Hargens, CEO and President of Accumold, to talk about how that visit came together, the R&D tax credit and other state policies he points to as proof advocacy pays off, and how Accumold's high school senior apprenticeship program gets kids real shop floor experience alongside college credit. Accumold builds precision micro-molded components in Ankeny, Iowa — nearly 350 employees, pushing 40 years in business.

They get into:

What pushed Hargens to start showing up at the statehouse instead of just complaining about it
The tax and workforce policies he credits with Iowa's manufacturing growth
How Accumold's senior apprenticeship program pairs shop floor work with high school and college credit
Why the company also reaches kids as early as junior high, just to make manufacturing look like a real option
The full story behind the VP site visit and how Accumold ended up hosting it
How manufacturing leaders can get started with policy advocacy

CMMC or Bust: One Precision Shop's Compliance Journey

Manufacturing Connected — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:49:00 -0400

Cybersecurity is a critical challenge for manufacturing leaders. On this episode of Leaders In Industry, Michael Tamasi, President & CEO of AccuRounds, a precision machining firm in Avon, Massachusetts, digs into the complexities of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), noting the organization’s progress after a three-to-four-year journey. What is the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification? CMMC is a verification program that the US Department of Defense uses to confirm defense contractors and their subcontractors have actually implemented the cybersecurity measures required to protect two types of sensitive information: FCI (Federal Contract Information) — information about the government contract itself CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) — unclassified but sensitive government data By adopting the required standards and technologies, businesses can enhance their competitiveness and resilience in the evolving manufacturing landscape. Leaders In Industry — Powered by Manufacturing Connected mfgconnected.com

Leaders In Industry (Trailer)

Manufacturing Connected — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:15:00 -0400

Dive into the heart of manufacturing success with Leaders in Industry, where business leaders reveal big-picture strategies and hands-on tactics that drive real results. Join host Christina Fuges as she spotlights the trailblazers transforming the shop floor and C-suite, one game-changing discussion at a time.