The Manufacturing Report

Andy Liebner couldn't find ski poles that could keep up with his performance as a professional athlete, but he knew that it was possible to make the poles right and make them in America. So, he made his own and founded the United States Ski Pole Company. Here's how Liebner went from backcountry to manufacturing and why ski poles just might be the most important ski equipment you can buy. * Photo courtesy of Andy Liebner; photo by German Madrazo

28 Jan 201916min

Ben and Erin Napier, the stars of HGTV’s hit show Home Town, are passionate about revitalizing America’s manufacturing and small towns. Thus, when it came time to produce their furniture lines, Laurel Mercantile Co. Home and Scotsman Co. American Heritage, they turned to the legendary Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co. of Galax, Va. Listen in for why the Napiers sought Vaughan-Bassett out and what American manufacturing means to them. * Photo courtesy of Laurel Mercantile Co. and Vaughan-Bassett Media

14 Jan 201923min

Since we featured THIS NIGHT in early 2018, the Reading, Pa., knitting mill that manufactured the company's socks closed, leaving THIS NIGHT owner and designer Kate Williamson devastated but as determined as ever to keep her products made in America. In this re-airing of Scott Paul's interview with Williamson, we share an update on THIS NIGHT since the recording. * Photo courtesy of THIS NIGHT.

31 Des 201816min

When Chris McMaster had the opportunity to make his hiking habit a profitable business by purchasing ULA, a small Utah business that made hiking backpacks, he jumped at the opportunity though he knew nothing of the production process other than that ULA backpacks were truly excellent. Several years later, McMaster has expanded the business and sells ULA’s products internationally -- all while keeping the company’s manufacturing in Utah, earning it a place in the Alliance for American Manufacturing’s 2018 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide. Here’s how McMaster did it. *Photo courtesy of ULA.

17 Des 201816min

The latest gadget or tech toy may get splashy headlines in the news, particularly around the holidays, but it's the goods that are lovingly handcrafted that remain in our memories and are passed down from generation to generation. In this episode, host Scott Paul speaks with the owners of two companies featured in the Alliance for American Manufacturing's 2018 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide, holiday ornament maker Hampshire Pewter, based in Somersworth, N.H., and wooden block maker Uncle Goose, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., to discuss how they came to master their crafts and how they've adapted decades-old production processes for today. * Photo courtesy of Hampshire Pewter

3 Des 201827min

With nearly 100 great options on the Alliance for American Manufacturing's 2018 Holiday Gift Guide, there's a present for everyone on your list! Nonetheless, we thought we'd make this hectic shopping season even easier by highlighting top gift picks from Team AAM and some very special guests to the podcast.

19 Nov 201821min

America has lost 3.4 million jobs in the U.S. since 2001, contributing to ever-widening income inequality, according to a recent Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report. Robert E. Scott, EPI's Senior Economist and Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Research, returns to The Manufacturing Report to discuss the study and what the government can do to help. * Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy

5 Nov 201825min

Alice Globus began her career in astrophysics, then went on to work on Wall Street, and now leads Winky&Dutch, a jewelry and accessories manufacturing company in upstate New York. In this episode, find out what brought Globus to the factory and how she has reinvented the button. *Photo courtesy of Winky&Dutch

22 Okt 201822min