Make It: Frank Conversations on the Future of Manufacturing

MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network
  • 4.3 (3)
  • MANAGEMENT

Frank, unfiltered, and fascinating conversations about the future of manufacturing, what it's really like to be in the CEO seat, and how leaders approach everything from innovation to mistakes, from ego to Industry 4.0. Hosted by Ethan Karp, CEO & President of MAGNET.

  1. 08/20/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank Behind the Scenes (Again)

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank Behind the Scenes (Again) In this second behind-the-scenes episode of Make It, Ethan is joined once again by producer Margaret Kashmir to reflect on conversations with three remarkable founders: Harvey Nelson (Main Street Gourmet), Steve Peplin (Talan Products), and Amy Mucha (Daisy Pops & Daisy Makes). From muffins to metal stamping to cake pops, these stories are wildly different—but each one is packed with lessons in grit, reinvention, and Northeast Ohio ingenuity. We talk about what surprised us most, the moments that didn't make the final cut, and how these leaders are building the future of manufacturing—with purpose, creativity, and joy. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    25 min

  2. 07/31/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Steve Peplin

    Today's guest has been a cowboy, a logger, a sailor, a chef—and for nearly 40 years, a manufacturing entrepreneur. Steve Peplin is the founder and CEO of Talan Products, a Cleveland-based metal stamper that ships hundreds of millions of components annually for high-growth industries like defense, solar, EV, and commercial roofing. Ethan and Steve talk about scaling a high-productivity operation with just 70 employees, building a culture rooted in collaboration and planning for succession while still playing the long game of growth. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    20 min

  3. 07/17/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Amy Mucha

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Amy Mucha What started as a side hustle to her teaching career became an innovative manufacturing business. Amy Mucha is the founder of Daisy Pops and Daisy Makes—two companies revolutionizing cake pop production through 3D-printed tools and joyful entrepreneurship. On today's episode, Ethan and Amy talk about invention through necessity, scaling with purpose, and how a former math teacher ended up running 40 3Dprinters and shipping to customers worldwide—all from a cake pop shop in Northeast Ohio. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    18 min

  4. 07/15/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank Behind the Scenes

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank Behind the Scenes On this special episode of Make It, I sit down with producer Margaret Kashmir to go behind the scenes of our conversations with Trina Bediako (New Horizons Baking Company), Frank "Sully" Sullivan (DayGlo), and Miguel Lugo (E.C. Kitzel & Sons). Three very different companies—food manufacturing, fluorescent pigments, and precision tools. But a surprising common thread: people-first leadership and deep pride in making things that matter. We talk about what didn't make the final cut, why radical transparency matters, and how the next generation of manufacturing leaders is shaping the future of Northeast Ohio. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    20 min

  5. 06/20/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Harvey Nelson

    It started with a muffin shop in a crumbling building in downtown Akron. It grew into a national custom bakery supplier serving chains like McDonald's. Harvey Nelson is the co-founder of Main Street Gourmet, a manufacturing entrepreneur who's reinvented his company more than once—including buying it back after a venture capital sale went sideways. On today's episode, Ethan and Harvey talk about creative grit, betting on people, and the leadership philosophy that helped grow a startup bakery into a multimillion-dollar powerhouse. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    16 min

  6. 06/04/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Frank "Sully" Sullivan

    Today's guest is Frank "Sully" Sullivan—CEO of DayGlo Color Corp, the Cleveland company that invented fluorescent color. Ethan and Sully talk about what it's like to lead a company where most of the workforce is older than you are, how radical transparency helps rebuild trust, and why sometimes the best operations fix is to simply "turn the dials up to 11." They also talk about the future of Industry 4.0, what makes Northeast Ohio competitive, and what's on the horizon for manufacturing. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    19 min

  7. 05/09/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Miguel Lugo

    Today's guest has had one dream since joining manufacturing as a teenager—to own a factory. After two decades, that dream is finally within reach. Miguel Lugo is Chief Operating Officer at E.C. Kitzel & Sons, a family-owned tool manufacturer in Parma, Ohio, and he's set to take over the business. They talk about how manufacturing changed Miguel's life, the million-dollar machines reshaping the shop floor, and how he's built a workforce that's 50 percent women. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org.  Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    19 min

  8. 05/02/2025

    Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Trina Bediako

    On today's episode, Ethan sits down with Trina Bediako, second-generation CEO of family-owned New Horizons Baking Company. If you've eaten buns or English muffins at McDonald's or Starbucks, you've tasted their products. At their state-of-the-art Columbus plant, which produces 96,000 buns an hour, Trina discusses the joys and challenges of a family business, her father's legacy, and how she's used technology to kickstart growth since taking the CEO seat. Send comments and ideas to ekarp@manufacturingsuccess.org. Make It is brought to you by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, a nonprofit consulting group on a mission to make manufacturing better. Since 1984, MAGNET has been proudly helping manufacturers in Northeast Ohio grow with effective workforce programs, advanced technology consulting, and innovation services. MAGNET also catalyzes bigger change by rallying companies, community leaders, governments, and educators to tackle the massive, systemic problems that hold the region back. MAGNET's work is made possible by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Ohio MEP. Learn more: www.manufacturingsuccess.org

    19 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Frank, unfiltered, and fascinating conversations about the future of manufacturing, what it's really like to be in the CEO seat, and how leaders approach everything from innovation to mistakes, from ego to Industry 4.0. Hosted by Ethan Karp, CEO & President of MAGNET.

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