Episode 200. Seven years ago this podcast started as Mindfulness Manufacturing, with co-host Mike Hillman. Two hundred episodes later, Trevor looks back on a Manufacturing Month spent at Made in Kentucky in Louisville and the Kentucky Industry Conference in Lexington, and on what senior leaders kept telling him: the investment in technology is creating more jobs, and those jobs need people with technical skills.
The skills gap isn’t a machine problem. The more we automate, the more we need people to run the equipment, lead it and fix it. Trevor shares Andrew Parker’s Be Pro Be Proud, trailers of simulators that let students weld, drive a semi and run heavy equipment, and why manufacturing is the best kept secret in our schools. From his panel with Shawn Herbig of IQS Research: in the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers’ 2026 Wage and Workforce Study, 92% of companies use referrals from existing employees. Your current team is your strongest recruitment voice.
Trevor also shares what’s next: more guests from manufacturers, and his book, Manufacturing Greatness, coming May 11, 2027. Thank you for listening, whether this is your first episode or your 200th.
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Connect with Trevor:
LinkedIn 👉 linkedin.com/in/trevorblondeel
Website 👉 manufacturinggreatness.com
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