One of our favorite things is the impact of great employers on individuals, small towns, and the overall culture of the communities they operate within, and this episode is all about what happens when an amazing work culture fosters amazing things outside of the workplace.
Amanda Gregory and Joe House both work for a manufacturing company called Design Ready Controls and co-founded MAKE (Manufacturing, a Kid’s Experience) in 2023 as a way to foster awareness about and interest in manufacturing in a way kids can understand. MAKE is about showing kids what kinds of possibilities exist in the manufacturing space and helping parents who work in manufacturing share what they do with their days in a kid-friendly way.
Although entirely separate from their “day job,” the collaborative, open culture of Design Ready Controls directly influenced Amanda and Joe’s efforts and takes workforce development and passion to a whole new level, and we’re here for it.
About MAKE:
MAKE was founded in 2023 by Amanda Gregory and Joe House to educate children about manufacturing. The MAKE platform began with sharing stories about manufacturing through Blake Explores Manufacturing. Now with a monthly newsletter, Future Makers, they continue to inspire through building activities and manufacturing tours & experiences.
About Joe:
Joe started with Design Ready Controls in 2022 as Chief Commercial Officer, working alongside sales, marketing, and supply chain teams to strengthen our industry-leading customer and supplier partnerships. Prior to joining the team, Joe spent 9 years in sales leadership at an electrical distributor, where he worked as both a supplier and customer of Design Ready Controls. Joe graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in 2013 with degrees in Mathematical Economics and Business Management.
About Joe:
Amanda joined the Design Ready Controls team in 2015, starting in office management and 5S initiatives. She quickly advanced to take on leadership roles in marketing and now leads marketing, sales development, internal communications, and office management. Amanda earned a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication with a minor in Marketing from Winona State University. Her professional background includes account and project management,
as well as marketing experience in the produce and manufacturing industries.
In this episode, we cover:
What MAKE is and how it started
The culture at Design Ready Controls and how it relates to MAKE
Why supporting passion is so important in cultivating the next generation
How a company’s culture can completely change the perception of its industry
Links and Resources Mentioned:
MAKE Website where you can learn more, subscribe to Future Makers or purchase Blake Explores Manufacturing: www.makepublishing.com
MAKE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makepublishingllc
MAKE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/make_publishing
MAKE on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-publishing/
Community Venture Network: https://brookshireco.com/services/community-venture-network/
New Segment Alert!
We think some of the best parts about radio shows and podcasts are listener call-ins, so we’ve decided to make those a part of the Growing Small Towns Podcast. We really, really want to hear from you! We’re introducing two new parts to the show:
“Small town humblebrags”: Call in and tell us about something amazing you did in your small town so we can celebrate with you. No win is too small—we want to hear it all, and we will be excessively enthusiastic about whatever it is! You can call in for your friends, too, because giving shout-outs is one of our favorite things.
“Solving Your Small-Town People Challenges”: Have a tough issue in your community? We want to help. Call in and tell us about your problem, and we’ll solve it on an episode of the podcast. Want to remain anonymous? Totally cool, we can be all secretive and stuff. We’re suave like that.
If you’ve got a humblebrag or a tricky people problem, call 701-203-3337 and leave a message with the deets. We really can’t wait to hear from you!
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