Podcasts about PDX

Send us a textIn this special episode, Aaron and Brad introduce Pipeline Media Lab (PML) — a new initiative built for engineers, by engineers.We talk about why we're creating PML: engineers don't need more ads, they need education, practical insights, and real stories from people solving hard problems. PML brings all of that into one ecosystem—podcasts, events, webinars, community, and more—to help engineers learn, grow, and stay connected to what's happening across the engineering world.We share the vision behind PML, what it means for the Being An Engineer podcast, and how it supports the broader engineering community. You'll hear how PML came from years of conversations with engineers, lessons from PDX, and the belief that engineering knowledge should be accessible, useful, and presented without hype.The episode covers:Why engineers ignore ads but engage deeply with good educationHow PML will spotlight real engineering work—projects, processes, peopleWhat new content, events, and experiences are coming for the communityHow this launch strengthens the podcast you already listen toBehind-the-scenes thinking on building something meaningful for engineersIf you're an engineer who likes learning from other engineers, seeing cool projects, or getting better at your craft, you're going to like where PML is heading. LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradhirayama/https://www.linkedin.com/in/pipelinedesign/ https://pml.engineerhttps://thewave.engineerSubscribe to the PML newsletter: https://pipelinemedialab.beehiiv.com/ Download the Essential Guide to Designing Test Fixtures: https://pipelinemedialab.beehiiv.com/test-fixtureAbout Being An Engineer The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Send us a textThe loudest voices online say will have you believing real love and commitment don't exist. We're here to prove the opposite. Newlywed Nyla joins us to share how therapy gave her the tools to self-regulate, why deep conversation beat small talk every time, and how choosing for the future—not just the moment—changed everything. From vulnerability to values, her story offers a grounded, hopeful perspective on finding and building love that will last.We talk about safety as something you can feel: patience when you're tender, kindness when you're overwhelmed, and the quiet confidence of being fully yourself without performance. Nyla gets specific about ditching her “type,” writing a values-first list, and dating with honesty across multiple connections until real commitment was clear. We unpack red flags vs. fixable friction, agreements that keep conflict from turning into punishments, and the simple discipline of never weaponizing silence. It's practical, not preachy—communication, boundaries, and mutual respect.If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a hopeful nudge, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we read every word! Click play and join the conversation!

Send us a textA kitchen can be a sanctuary, a studio, and a launchpad. That's the heartbeat of our conversation with Diane “Mama D” Jackson, the mother, wife, and entrepreneur who turned a family-nudged cookbook idea into a fast-growing, health-forward granola brand. We dive into the creative detour that changed everything: from staging a full cookbook photoshoot to discovering that flavor experiments were the real signal. Vanilla toffee with chocolate, cookie butter that won first-class taste buds, seasonal hot cocoa with roasted marshmallows, and a sweet-and-salty pretzel remix—each batch pulled her closer to a purpose she could feel. Hungry for more? Tune in and join the conversation!

Original Episode Transcript Follows:Stephanie Hansen:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space, a lot of cookbook authors, manufacturers, and people who are doing cool things with food. And Ashley Russell came across my desk, and she has a cookbook that's called “What's Cooking Good Looking”. And I was first of all, captured by the illustrations in the book you are working on or have. They were very. How do I describe them? They were like tattoos. They were adorable, and they are original art by @sadpuppytattoo. When Ashley describes the banana bread of her grandmas, she was generous enough to share the recipe here.Ashley Russell:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Tell me about the book and how you decided to illustrate it the way you did. And then I wanted to talk to you specifically about self publishing a book, because I think a lot of people think about it, but they're not sure how to do it. So I just wanted to get your feedback.Ashley Russell:Totally. So I started this book inspired by my grandma. She passed away in 2024, summer of 2024. And it was almost immediate, was like, we have to have all the family has to have our recipes. And so she had a really cute little vintage recipe card box, and the whole process just sort of unfolded over the past year and a half. It is definitely a lot of Southern cooking. She's from Texas, but lived the past 30 years up in northern Washington. And her and my mom and her siblings lived all over the country.So there's just a little bit of everything in there from, like, recipes she got from neighbors or things that she learned from different parts of the country. So it's a really fun, like, eclectic mix of American cooking. And it's just so much her. Like, there's sugar and everything, and it's just. I'm so happy to have all of the family favorites in one place. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Did you work with members of the family, or was it primarily. Did it fall on you to compile everything?Ashley Russell:I definitely compiled everything, but my family was there every step of the way. Like, my grandma wrote in cursive, and I couldn't always read it.Stephanie Hansen:A lot of our grandmas wrote in cursive, and it is hard to read.Ashley Russell:It's so hard to read. And so we started this text group, and I would be like, does anyone know what this says? And then also things like vegetable oil or sweet milk or, you know, polio olio. Exactly. What is that?Stephanie Hansen:It's shortening. But, I mean, nobody knew.Ashley Russell:Nobody knew. And so it was a lot of just, like, you know, there were puzzles to it, and it was funny, and it brought us together and it kept us talking about her. And then, in addition to the community that I reached out to here in Portland, all My family members helped recipe test because it's like they remembered how it was supposed to taste. So it was almost like, you know, I think that this is missing this because she didn't write everything down. Like, a lot of things lived in her head.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Did you ever done this before or anything like this? Do you. What's your background?Ashley Russell:No. So I worked for a decade in costume design. I worked on a lot of small budget indie film and tv. And so I think I'm used to like, okay, we have this big hurdle of a project ahead. But I've never, I've never written a book. I've never written a cookbook. And the whole process was such a journey, but it, it was all so much fun, I think, because I was like learning and uncovering things about my family along the way. Yeah.Ashley Russell:So.Stephanie Hansen:Well, the creative process too, I think, is. Know you talk about being a costume designer. I didn't really think about writing a cookbook or recipes or being a recipe developer as a creative endeavor until I kind of started doing it more. And then I was like, oh, yeah, this does require creativity. And this is where that, where I scratch that itch.Ashley Russell:Yes, totally. I agree with that. It is super creative. And I never realized that either. I have a few cookbooks, but in this process, it made me realize, like, what little magical creative books they are and how much, you know, there's people's dreams and they nourish us and they're little windows into different parts of history and people's lives and they're just pretty cool. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:And people talk about like, I'm, I'm in the process of. I just released a book in September, so I'm out at bookstores and grocery stores and selling the book everywhere. And a lot of people are like, oh, you know, nobody really needs cookbooks anymore. And I was like, well, actually, you can always look up a recipe on the Internet that's there, but the narrative, the piece of how that fits into their life, the memory that that recipe brings or that combination of spices that transports you to a place that is what is unique about a cookbook. It's. It's so much more than just the recipe. And if you're not jazzed by any of that, then, yeah, it's probably not for you.Ashley Russell:Totally. Yes. Like, you have to be inspired by it. Right. And like, I don't know, I get pretty annoyed with recipes online. There's a ton of pop ups and your phone, you know, has the auto timer and it has to face ID every two minutes. I. It's just when you have it in a cookbook, it's almost like the record version of like a Spotify song.I don't know, like, you sure? Yeah, yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Like, and you can get a song but you don't have it in the context of all the songs in the record and that the artist had. Yeah, it's very similar, actually.Ashley Russell:Totally. And like, people love listening to records and collecting records and I really just think it's, it's, it's a similar. Comes from a similar place.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Okay. So your book, what's Cooking Good Looking? It is a spiral bound, which I thought was an interesting choice that I want to ask you about. And it's also got these illustrations. Did you illustrate it or did someone else? They're real cute. They're like tattooed inspired and they're kind of jazzy and it kind of. It had like a hipster core vibe to it.Ashley Russell:Yes. So my boyfriend's brother's sister, so more or less my sister in law. I've known her for six years now. She's a tattoo artist and she does a lot of florals and she did like a food flash at one point. And I've always loved her art. And when I was first starting the book, I was in Canva and I was like, oh, clip art's cute. And I was like, you know, I don't know if I would ever release a book with clip art in it, you know, And I wasn't sold on doing photography. I knew how specific and it had to be.Ashley Russell:Like, people have nailed food photography. If I was going to do it, I wanted to make sure it rocked. And so I asked her one day, I was like, would you want to illustrate this book? And she was like, oh my God, yes. And her tattoos are in black and white already. So it kind of, it transferred pretty easily into print form. And so I was able to use all of her tattoo library, like things she had already drawn. And then she drew things specifically for the book as well. And I just think it looks awesome.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it really does. It's real sweet. And what about the choice of spiral bound? And can you talk, can you make that be the introduction of talking about like how you decided to self publish and did you go out and try to find agents or did you go right to self publishing?Ashley Russell:Sure. So I in the past couple years have been really inspired by Rizzo prints and graphic novels and a lot of small press publishing and super inspired by vintage cookbooks. And a lot of them are spiral bound or they're notebook bound. And it's. It's kind of like, it gives it this retro feel, and it's kind of an homage to all of, like, the women's groups and church groups that did cookbooks over the decades. But I also think it's super functional in the kitchen. And I had a graphic design friend mention to me that she loves when a spiral bound is a color that totally offsets the book. So my book is, like, very black and white and yellow, and then it has this bright red spiral binding.And I just think it makes it pop. Like, it's. It's fun and practical. So as far as self publishing. So when I started this, it was really just a project for my family. It was really just, you know, I wanted them to have all the recipes. I. I wasn't even sure if I was going to print it.And as the process unfolded more, I realized more and more that I wanted to make this a book. And I wanted to put my heart in this book. And I wanted to share who Wanda and our family is with the world. And it really was just like a flower slowly blooming. Like, every week would be like, oh, I have to put the ingredients in the order of the method. Oh, you have to do this. Oh, people like, you know, like, you want everything in a recipe on one page. You don't want to have to, like, go back and forth.And it became this really fun project puzzle for me to be like, maybe I can create a cookbook. And so I didn't reach out to agents or anything, because I think the main important part was for this book to be about my grandma and come from me. And I was worried that having an agent or a publisher might dilute that a little bit.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, they'd have feedback or input or change things. Sure.Ashley Russell:Yeah. So I was able to work with a lot of friends, family, and get a lot of feedback throughout the entire process. I hired an editor, and so there was that constructive criticism, but I didn't feel like the voice or the vision was changing for profit, per se. And so self publishing is what I stuck with. And I think that in order for me to print this book the way I wanted to and for it to look the way it does, I don't know if I could have convinced a publisher to get on board with that.Stephanie Hansen:So then you make that decision and you've got your book assembled or your PDF pages, essentially. Did you tell me about, like, did you go out and just Google, like, how to self publish? Did you figure out, like, how to print on Demand was there color considerations. Kind of walk me through that process a little bit.Ashley Russell:Sure. So I did start looking up print on demand and I started Googling, you know, how to write a cookbook. I listened to Maggie Green's podcast Cookbook Love, like, religiously. I got books on the subject, and I really just created, like, it was my own research project. And I was learning as I went. What turned me away from doing, like, on demand printing or online publishing was that I really wanted it to be spiral bound. I knew that from the beginning almost. And I really wanted to do a mixture of Rizzo printing.Ashley Russell:And I wanted the paper. I just wanted everything to be really high quality and feel like her note cards, feel like her recipe cards. And I didn't think I would get that with online printing. So I went and talked with a few print shops here in Portland, Oregon, and Brown Printing, like, got the project right away. And I've been working with them for the past several months to get it printed.Stephanie Hansen:Have you. Have you printed, like, X amount and you're kind of selling stock as you go?Ashley Russell:Yeah, So I, you know, budget has been a concern throughout this whole process. Like, anyone who's made a cookbook knows it gets very expensive between recipe testing. And I did end up doing photography. I did it myself. All of those things really add up. And so I did an initial print run of 300, which is almost gone at this point. I just picked it up in the beginning of the month. And Brown's doing another run of.Ashley Russell:Of, 300 for the 1st of December so I can have more for the holidays.Stephanie Hansen:And then do you package them up and ship them when people make an order? Can you talk a little bit about that? Because people don't think about that. But you have to buy, like, special envelopes. You have to go to the post office. There is a category for media mail that makes it a little cheaper, but it's still. It's a process.Ashley Russell:It is a process. Like, every bit of this has been such a process. And so, yeah, my. My limit, I had about 180 orders to ship out when I got all the books from recipe testers. Order, pre-orders, family, you know, you name it. And our whole. Our whole living room and kitchen was just, like, stacked with boxes and you.Stephanie Hansen:And they're bigger than you think.Ashley Russell:Like, they're bigger than you think and they're heavy.Stephanie Hansen:Yes. And a box of like, 15 books is, like, a big box. And they're everywhere.Ashley Russell:They're everywhere. Yeah. So, you know, it's kind of like if you're an Etsy shop owner, you know, kind of our pain, I guess. But, you know, you're doing. You're the manual labor and you're the author and you're the publisher, you know, so you're doing everything. And I lugged them all down to the UPS and USPS and shipped them off. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Where do you go from here with it? Like, you gotta sell through your next 300, obviously. Did this, like, create a pathway for you, or is this where you'll end this journey and just one and done. And it was great.Ashley Russell:Yeah. So when I first started, I had over 300 recipes from the family. And I reached out to my first editor contact and they were like, whoa, that's a lot of recipes. They're like, books are usually like 75 to 150. And I was like, oh. And like now seeing this printed and it's 260 pages, like, I get it. But at the time, I was like, I just wanted to have everything. And so I have at least one other book of Wanda's on the horizon.But for now, I'm really just trying to put myself in. What if I had a publisher? What if I had an agent? What would they be doing? So it's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot of reaching out to retail stores, seeing if I can get an interview on a podcast, trying to put my book out there in ways that I know of and seeing where it lands. I have. There's about seven stores in Portland that are carrying the book right now, and they're all stores I really love. And that's super exciting.Stephanie Hansen:They carry it on consignment or do you sell them to them outright?Ashley Russell:It depends. So a couple are wholesale and a couple are consignment. Wholesale obviously works better for us, but I'm just happy to have the book out there. I think it's a good time of year. You know, she made all these dishes for Thanksgiving and. And Christmas, so it's the. It's the time to have it in your kitchen.Stephanie Hansen:Do you. Can you talk about, like, how much you make per book?Ashley Russell:Sure. So if I'm talking just printing costs to do the 300 with the brown printing and the riso printing I did by hand at outlet PDX, we're looking at about $20 a book. And I have the book priced at 38. So because I'm not splitting this with any publisher or agent, that means technically $20 profit goes back into my pocket. But at this point, we're still paying off all the production costs, and it also doesn't include that dollar amount. Doesn't include, like, my labor. So when you really figure it out, it's probably. Or food.When you really figure out the numbers. This first round probably cost me about $50 a book to make, you know, and then the hope is, over the years, if continuing to sell copies here and there, you break even, or maybe you make a few dollars.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it's. It is kind of like that. As you get, like, past Wanda's story, do you see this being a journey you'll stay on, or is it really just. I'm curious if it ignited something in you because you seem like a creative person.Ashley Russell:Yeah. Like, I've always wanted to be a writer, and it's been pretty daunting. My grandma always encouraged me to be a writer. This feels like that first step. I also like the idea. I've heard a cookbook is, like, the best business card, you know, And I think that's, like, a great way to look at it, too. It's something that I've made that I can say, you know, I wrote this, I've made this. I'd like to do this project.Stephanie Hansen:And fascinating, because that is for. For me personally, I wanted to have agency in the cooking space, and I wasn't. And I wasn't a writer, so I was like, how am I going to get that? I wanted to have a television show. I wanted to do more podcasting, specifically about food. I had a radio show about food, but I needed to have more autonomy, and that's how I started.Ashley Russell:Totally. That makes sense. Did you. Do you feel like that helped achieve some of the dreams you had?Stephanie Hansen:Oh, for sure. I have a TV show now, and I wouldn't have had the TV show if I hadn't have written the cookbook, I don't think.Ashley Russell:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Because even though I'm a home chef or a home cook and not a chef at all, actually having the book gives you some credibility of why this person's gonna invest in you and put you on television station. 88 markets. I don't think they would have done that if I wouldn't have had the book.Ashley Russell:Totally. And honestly, like, I think being a home chef, you almost write a better cookbook because you can anticipate what other home chefs are going to be confused by or what they need written down.Stephanie Hansen:Well. And a lot of the best chefs, who I have much admiration and respect for, their books are really challenging or technical and. And that's great. Like, maybe that's who they're writing them for. But some of my favorite chefs, I get their books and I keep them because I love the photography and I just admire so much of the skills and what they bring to the party. But very few of them I actually ever cooked out of.Ashley Russell:Yeah, they're like these beautiful aspirations.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, they're aspirational books, for sure.Ashley Russell:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Can you talk a little bit about Wanda? Just your grandma? Like, you just have a real spirit about you that must come from her. And I'm just curious why she was so meaningful to you outside of just being your grandma.Ashley Russell:Yeah, totally. So I was raised by my mom. It was just me and my mom and I would spend a lot of time with my grandparents. I think when you're set up in that sort of one parent system, I was either going with my mom everywhere or I was spending summers at my grandparents, and those summers at my grandparents. I, I feel like as an adult, I'm sort of chasing that feeling, you know, of, of being, you know.Stephanie Hansen:Really? Yeah. Oh, that's so touching.Ashley Russell:Yeah. I mean, it's true. Whether it's cooking in the kitchen or laughing with my grandpa. You know, my grandma taught me how to sew, and later on in life, I worked in costumes and I used to bake with her, and now I'm making this cookbook. She meant a lot to me. And I know, I know both of them meant so much to our whole family that I don't want, I don't want us to lose that, and I don't want anyone that comes next in our family to not know about it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Yeah. What a beautiful sentiment. I, I just the I, the what you said, just, I've been chasing that feeling is really. I wrote my book for very similar reasons. You know, my mom had died early of breast cancer, and I wanted to document family recipes. Yeah, just the way you said that was really beautiful, so. Oh, that's so nice.Ashley Russell:I, I, whether or not we're aware of it, that we're, we're kind of doing that right. You know, where's your happy place? What makes you, what brings you happiness? And those memories really do as, as I'm sure other memories for other people do for them.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. All right. Well, I have loved hearing your story. I knew right away when the book came across my desk and you reached out to me directly, I was like, oh, yeah, I do want to talk to her. I want to figure out, like, what inspired her to take this on. Because it is a labor of love, you. Even if, I mean, I don't I've not read a statistic, but like most cookbooks and most cookbook authors are not getting rich by writing cookbooks. They're using it to parlayed into other things.So it's usually not actually a money making endeavor. It's more a creative process and something that you do as a labor of love. And I think a lot of people that love cookbooks may be listening, you know, have wanted to do this. So I wanted to like, really document, like, how did you do it and what did you think about and how did you decide to put it together? When you put your list of recipes together, was it obvious what was going to make it?Ashley Russell:Yeah, you know, it started with what are the family favorites? What, what do we have to have? And then it was with, you know, what turned out really well in recipe testing. And from there, like, you know, the, the, the baking section's over half the book. Yeah. And then it was sort of trying to round out the other sections of the book. Yeah. And they were recipes that could stand the test of time and that people would still want to make and also that my, my grandma would enjoy another favorites. Oh, yeah. So I mean, her banana bread is like, I knew I wanted to start the book with her banana bread and end it with sweet tea.That's my grandma to the core. And then in between, you know, there's so many great home cooked meals, home cooked desserts. She had a famous chocolate pie, famous pecan pie. Her Italian cream cake is to die for. It's like a coconut cake. Um, my aunt Angie, her oldest daughter, said that people used to request that she make that. So that was fun to learn and to put in the book.Stephanie Hansen:And now you know how to make all the things too, or a lot of the things.Ashley Russell:Yes. My family's like, well, I guess you're cooking for Thanksgiving now because you know all of her recipes.Stephanie Hansen:Oh, that's so great. I really enjoyed talking to you. It is Ashley Russell. The book is I wrote the what's Cooking Good Looking? Sorry. It is a really beautiful, fun, different way to approach this topic of cookbooks. And I was really. I'm impressed by what you did and I know your grandma would be, she would love it. She'd be real proud of you.And it's really nice to talk with you and share your story. I'll put a link to the book in the podcast notes and put that all together and hopefully we'll help you sell through your next 300. Ashley.Ashley Russell:Thank you, Stephanie. I really appreciate it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it was great. To hear your story and to just spend time with you. Good luck.Ashley Russell:Thanks. Have a good day.Stephanie Hansen:All right. Bye.Ashley Russell:Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Original Episode Transcript Follows:Stephanie Hansen:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space, a lot of cookbook authors, manufacturers, and people who are doing cool things with food. And Ashley Russell came across my desk, and she has a cookbook that's called “What's Cooking Good Looking”. And I was first of all, captured by the illustrations in the book you are working on or have. They were very. How do I describe them? They were like tattoos. They were adorable, and they are original art by @sadpuppytattoo. When Ashley describes the banana bread of her grandmas, she was generous enough to share the recipe here.Ashley Russell:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Tell me about the book and how you decided to illustrate it the way you did. And then I wanted to talk to you specifically about self publishing a book, because I think a lot of people think about it, but they're not sure how to do it. So I just wanted to get your feedback.Ashley Russell:Totally. So I started this book inspired by my grandma. She passed away in 2024, summer of 2024. And it was almost immediate, was like, we have to have all the family has to have our recipes. And so she had a really cute little vintage recipe card box, and the whole process just sort of unfolded over the past year and a half. It is definitely a lot of Southern cooking. She's from Texas, but lived the past 30 years up in northern Washington. And her and my mom and her siblings lived all over the country.So there's just a little bit of everything in there from, like, recipes she got from neighbors or things that she learned from different parts of the country. So it's a really fun, like, eclectic mix of American cooking. And it's just so much her. Like, there's sugar and everything, and it's just. I'm so happy to have all of the family favorites in one place. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Did you work with members of the family, or was it primarily. Did it fall on you to compile everything?Ashley Russell:I definitely compiled everything, but my family was there every step of the way. Like, my grandma wrote in cursive, and I couldn't always read it.Stephanie Hansen:A lot of our grandmas wrote in cursive, and it is hard to read.Ashley Russell:It's so hard to read. And so we started this text group, and I would be like, does anyone know what this says? And then also things like vegetable oil or sweet milk or, you know, polio olio. Exactly. What is that?Stephanie Hansen:It's shortening. But, I mean, nobody knew.Ashley Russell:Nobody knew. And so it was a lot of just, like, you know, there were puzzles to it, and it was funny, and it brought us together and it kept us talking about her. And then, in addition to the community that I reached out to here in Portland, all My family members helped recipe test because it's like they remembered how it was supposed to taste. So it was almost like, you know, I think that this is missing this because she didn't write everything down. Like, a lot of things lived in her head.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Did you ever done this before or anything like this? Do you. What's your background?Ashley Russell:No. So I worked for a decade in costume design. I worked on a lot of small budget indie film and tv. And so I think I'm used to like, okay, we have this big hurdle of a project ahead. But I've never, I've never written a book. I've never written a cookbook. And the whole process was such a journey, but it, it was all so much fun, I think, because I was like learning and uncovering things about my family along the way. Yeah.Ashley Russell:So.Stephanie Hansen:Well, the creative process too, I think, is. Know you talk about being a costume designer. I didn't really think about writing a cookbook or recipes or being a recipe developer as a creative endeavor until I kind of started doing it more. And then I was like, oh, yeah, this does require creativity. And this is where that, where I scratch that itch.Ashley Russell:Yes, totally. I agree with that. It is super creative. And I never realized that either. I have a few cookbooks, but in this process, it made me realize, like, what little magical creative books they are and how much, you know, there's people's dreams and they nourish us and they're little windows into different parts of history and people's lives and they're just pretty cool. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:And people talk about like, I'm, I'm in the process of. I just released a book in September, so I'm out at bookstores and grocery stores and selling the book everywhere. And a lot of people are like, oh, you know, nobody really needs cookbooks anymore. And I was like, well, actually, you can always look up a recipe on the Internet that's there, but the narrative, the piece of how that fits into their life, the memory that that recipe brings or that combination of spices that transports you to a place that is what is unique about a cookbook. It's. It's so much more than just the recipe. And if you're not jazzed by any of that, then, yeah, it's probably not for you.Ashley Russell:Totally. Yes. Like, you have to be inspired by it. Right. And like, I don't know, I get pretty annoyed with recipes online. There's a ton of pop ups and your phone, you know, has the auto timer and it has to face ID every two minutes. I. It's just when you have it in a cookbook, it's almost like the record version of like a Spotify song.I don't know, like, you sure? Yeah, yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Like, and you can get a song but you don't have it in the context of all the songs in the record and that the artist had. Yeah, it's very similar, actually.Ashley Russell:Totally. And like, people love listening to records and collecting records and I really just think it's, it's, it's a similar. Comes from a similar place.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Okay. So your book, what's Cooking Good Looking? It is a spiral bound, which I thought was an interesting choice that I want to ask you about. And it's also got these illustrations. Did you illustrate it or did someone else? They're real cute. They're like tattooed inspired and they're kind of jazzy and it kind of. It had like a hipster core vibe to it.Ashley Russell:Yes. So my boyfriend's brother's sister, so more or less my sister in law. I've known her for six years now. She's a tattoo artist and she does a lot of florals and she did like a food flash at one point. And I've always loved her art. And when I was first starting the book, I was in Canva and I was like, oh, clip art's cute. And I was like, you know, I don't know if I would ever release a book with clip art in it, you know, And I wasn't sold on doing photography. I knew how specific and it had to be.Ashley Russell:Like, people have nailed food photography. If I was going to do it, I wanted to make sure it rocked. And so I asked her one day, I was like, would you want to illustrate this book? And she was like, oh my God, yes. And her tattoos are in black and white already. So it kind of, it transferred pretty easily into print form. And so I was able to use all of her tattoo library, like things she had already drawn. And then she drew things specifically for the book as well. And I just think it looks awesome.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it really does. It's real sweet. And what about the choice of spiral bound? And can you talk, can you make that be the introduction of talking about like how you decided to self publish and did you go out and try to find agents or did you go right to self publishing?Ashley Russell:Sure. So I in the past couple years have been really inspired by Rizzo prints and graphic novels and a lot of small press publishing and super inspired by vintage cookbooks. And a lot of them are spiral bound or they're notebook bound. And it's. It's kind of like, it gives it this retro feel, and it's kind of an homage to all of, like, the women's groups and church groups that did cookbooks over the decades. But I also think it's super functional in the kitchen. And I had a graphic design friend mention to me that she loves when a spiral bound is a color that totally offsets the book. So my book is, like, very black and white and yellow, and then it has this bright red spiral binding.And I just think it makes it pop. Like, it's. It's fun and practical. So as far as self publishing. So when I started this, it was really just a project for my family. It was really just, you know, I wanted them to have all the recipes. I. I wasn't even sure if I was going to print it.And as the process unfolded more, I realized more and more that I wanted to make this a book. And I wanted to put my heart in this book. And I wanted to share who Wanda and our family is with the world. And it really was just like a flower slowly blooming. Like, every week would be like, oh, I have to put the ingredients in the order of the method. Oh, you have to do this. Oh, people like, you know, like, you want everything in a recipe on one page. You don't want to have to, like, go back and forth.And it became this really fun project puzzle for me to be like, maybe I can create a cookbook. And so I didn't reach out to agents or anything, because I think the main important part was for this book to be about my grandma and come from me. And I was worried that having an agent or a publisher might dilute that a little bit.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, they'd have feedback or input or change things. Sure.Ashley Russell:Yeah. So I was able to work with a lot of friends, family, and get a lot of feedback throughout the entire process. I hired an editor, and so there was that constructive criticism, but I didn't feel like the voice or the vision was changing for profit, per se. And so self publishing is what I stuck with. And I think that in order for me to print this book the way I wanted to and for it to look the way it does, I don't know if I could have convinced a publisher to get on board with that.Stephanie Hansen:So then you make that decision and you've got your book assembled or your PDF pages, essentially. Did you tell me about, like, did you go out and just Google, like, how to self publish? Did you figure out, like, how to print on Demand was there color considerations. Kind of walk me through that process a little bit.Ashley Russell:Sure. So I did start looking up print on demand and I started Googling, you know, how to write a cookbook. I listened to Maggie Green's podcast Cookbook Love, like, religiously. I got books on the subject, and I really just created, like, it was my own research project. And I was learning as I went. What turned me away from doing, like, on demand printing or online publishing was that I really wanted it to be spiral bound. I knew that from the beginning almost. And I really wanted to do a mixture of Rizzo printing.Ashley Russell:And I wanted the paper. I just wanted everything to be really high quality and feel like her note cards, feel like her recipe cards. And I didn't think I would get that with online printing. So I went and talked with a few print shops here in Portland, Oregon, and Brown Printing, like, got the project right away. And I've been working with them for the past several months to get it printed.Stephanie Hansen:Have you. Have you printed, like, X amount and you're kind of selling stock as you go?Ashley Russell:Yeah, So I, you know, budget has been a concern throughout this whole process. Like, anyone who's made a cookbook knows it gets very expensive between recipe testing. And I did end up doing photography. I did it myself. All of those things really add up. And so I did an initial print run of 300, which is almost gone at this point. I just picked it up in the beginning of the month. And Brown's doing another run of.Ashley Russell:Of, 300 for the 1st of December so I can have more for the holidays.Stephanie Hansen:And then do you package them up and ship them when people make an order? Can you talk a little bit about that? Because people don't think about that. But you have to buy, like, special envelopes. You have to go to the post office. There is a category for media mail that makes it a little cheaper, but it's still. It's a process.Ashley Russell:It is a process. Like, every bit of this has been such a process. And so, yeah, my. My limit, I had about 180 orders to ship out when I got all the books from recipe testers. Order, pre-orders, family, you know, you name it. And our whole. Our whole living room and kitchen was just, like, stacked with boxes and you.Stephanie Hansen:And they're bigger than you think.Ashley Russell:Like, they're bigger than you think and they're heavy.Stephanie Hansen:Yes. And a box of like, 15 books is, like, a big box. And they're everywhere.Ashley Russell:They're everywhere. Yeah. So, you know, it's kind of like if you're an Etsy shop owner, you know, kind of our pain, I guess. But, you know, you're doing. You're the manual labor and you're the author and you're the publisher, you know, so you're doing everything. And I lugged them all down to the UPS and USPS and shipped them off. Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Where do you go from here with it? Like, you gotta sell through your next 300, obviously. Did this, like, create a pathway for you, or is this where you'll end this journey and just one and done. And it was great.Ashley Russell:Yeah. So when I first started, I had over 300 recipes from the family. And I reached out to my first editor contact and they were like, whoa, that's a lot of recipes. They're like, books are usually like 75 to 150. And I was like, oh. And like now seeing this printed and it's 260 pages, like, I get it. But at the time, I was like, I just wanted to have everything. And so I have at least one other book of Wanda's on the horizon.But for now, I'm really just trying to put myself in. What if I had a publisher? What if I had an agent? What would they be doing? So it's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot of reaching out to retail stores, seeing if I can get an interview on a podcast, trying to put my book out there in ways that I know of and seeing where it lands. I have. There's about seven stores in Portland that are carrying the book right now, and they're all stores I really love. And that's super exciting.Stephanie Hansen:They carry it on consignment or do you sell them to them outright?Ashley Russell:It depends. So a couple are wholesale and a couple are consignment. Wholesale obviously works better for us, but I'm just happy to have the book out there. I think it's a good time of year. You know, she made all these dishes for Thanksgiving and. And Christmas, so it's the. It's the time to have it in your kitchen.Stephanie Hansen:Do you. Can you talk about, like, how much you make per book?Ashley Russell:Sure. So if I'm talking just printing costs to do the 300 with the brown printing and the riso printing I did by hand at outlet PDX, we're looking at about $20 a book. And I have the book priced at 38. So because I'm not splitting this with any publisher or agent, that means technically $20 profit goes back into my pocket. But at this point, we're still paying off all the production costs, and it also doesn't include that dollar amount. Doesn't include, like, my labor. So when you really figure it out, it's probably. Or food.When you really figure out the numbers. This first round probably cost me about $50 a book to make, you know, and then the hope is, over the years, if continuing to sell copies here and there, you break even, or maybe you make a few dollars.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it's. It is kind of like that. As you get, like, past Wanda's story, do you see this being a journey you'll stay on, or is it really just. I'm curious if it ignited something in you because you seem like a creative person.Ashley Russell:Yeah. Like, I've always wanted to be a writer, and it's been pretty daunting. My grandma always encouraged me to be a writer. This feels like that first step. I also like the idea. I've heard a cookbook is, like, the best business card, you know, And I think that's, like, a great way to look at it, too. It's something that I've made that I can say, you know, I wrote this, I've made this. I'd like to do this project.Stephanie Hansen:And fascinating, because that is for. For me personally, I wanted to have agency in the cooking space, and I wasn't. And I wasn't a writer, so I was like, how am I going to get that? I wanted to have a television show. I wanted to do more podcasting, specifically about food. I had a radio show about food, but I needed to have more autonomy, and that's how I started.Ashley Russell:Totally. That makes sense. Did you. Do you feel like that helped achieve some of the dreams you had?Stephanie Hansen:Oh, for sure. I have a TV show now, and I wouldn't have had the TV show if I hadn't have written the cookbook, I don't think.Ashley Russell:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Because even though I'm a home chef or a home cook and not a chef at all, actually having the book gives you some credibility of why this person's gonna invest in you and put you on television station. 88 markets. I don't think they would have done that if I wouldn't have had the book.Ashley Russell:Totally. And honestly, like, I think being a home chef, you almost write a better cookbook because you can anticipate what other home chefs are going to be confused by or what they need written down.Stephanie Hansen:Well. And a lot of the best chefs, who I have much admiration and respect for, their books are really challenging or technical and. And that's great. Like, maybe that's who they're writing them for. But some of my favorite chefs, I get their books and I keep them because I love the photography and I just admire so much of the skills and what they bring to the party. But very few of them I actually ever cooked out of.Ashley Russell:Yeah, they're like these beautiful aspirations.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, they're aspirational books, for sure.Ashley Russell:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:Can you talk a little bit about Wanda? Just your grandma? Like, you just have a real spirit about you that must come from her. And I'm just curious why she was so meaningful to you outside of just being your grandma.Ashley Russell:Yeah, totally. So I was raised by my mom. It was just me and my mom and I would spend a lot of time with my grandparents. I think when you're set up in that sort of one parent system, I was either going with my mom everywhere or I was spending summers at my grandparents, and those summers at my grandparents. I, I feel like as an adult, I'm sort of chasing that feeling, you know, of, of being, you know.Stephanie Hansen:Really? Yeah. Oh, that's so touching.Ashley Russell:Yeah. I mean, it's true. Whether it's cooking in the kitchen or laughing with my grandpa. You know, my grandma taught me how to sew, and later on in life, I worked in costumes and I used to bake with her, and now I'm making this cookbook. She meant a lot to me. And I know, I know both of them meant so much to our whole family that I don't want, I don't want us to lose that, and I don't want anyone that comes next in our family to not know about it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Yeah. What a beautiful sentiment. I, I just the I, the what you said, just, I've been chasing that feeling is really. I wrote my book for very similar reasons. You know, my mom had died early of breast cancer, and I wanted to document family recipes. Yeah, just the way you said that was really beautiful, so. Oh, that's so nice.Ashley Russell:I, I, whether or not we're aware of it, that we're, we're kind of doing that right. You know, where's your happy place? What makes you, what brings you happiness? And those memories really do as, as I'm sure other memories for other people do for them.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. All right. Well, I have loved hearing your story. I knew right away when the book came across my desk and you reached out to me directly, I was like, oh, yeah, I do want to talk to her. I want to figure out, like, what inspired her to take this on. Because it is a labor of love, you. Even if, I mean, I don't I've not read a statistic, but like most cookbooks and most cookbook authors are not getting rich by writing cookbooks. They're using it to parlayed into other things.So it's usually not actually a money making endeavor. It's more a creative process and something that you do as a labor of love. And I think a lot of people that love cookbooks may be listening, you know, have wanted to do this. So I wanted to like, really document, like, how did you do it and what did you think about and how did you decide to put it together? When you put your list of recipes together, was it obvious what was going to make it?Ashley Russell:Yeah, you know, it started with what are the family favorites? What, what do we have to have? And then it was with, you know, what turned out really well in recipe testing. And from there, like, you know, the, the, the baking section's over half the book. Yeah. And then it was sort of trying to round out the other sections of the book. Yeah. And they were recipes that could stand the test of time and that people would still want to make and also that my, my grandma would enjoy another favorites. Oh, yeah. So I mean, her banana bread is like, I knew I wanted to start the book with her banana bread and end it with sweet tea.That's my grandma to the core. And then in between, you know, there's so many great home cooked meals, home cooked desserts. She had a famous chocolate pie, famous pecan pie. Her Italian cream cake is to die for. It's like a coconut cake. Um, my aunt Angie, her oldest daughter, said that people used to request that she make that. So that was fun to learn and to put in the book.Stephanie Hansen:And now you know how to make all the things too, or a lot of the things.Ashley Russell:Yes. My family's like, well, I guess you're cooking for Thanksgiving now because you know all of her recipes.Stephanie Hansen:Oh, that's so great. I really enjoyed talking to you. It is Ashley Russell. The book is I wrote the what's Cooking Good Looking? Sorry. It is a really beautiful, fun, different way to approach this topic of cookbooks. And I was really. I'm impressed by what you did and I know your grandma would be, she would love it. She'd be real proud of you.And it's really nice to talk with you and share your story. I'll put a link to the book in the podcast notes and put that all together and hopefully we'll help you sell through your next 300. Ashley.Ashley Russell:Thank you, Stephanie. I really appreciate it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it was great. To hear your story and to just spend time with you. Good luck.Ashley Russell:Thanks. Have a good day.Stephanie Hansen:All right. Bye.Ashley Russell:Bye.Stephanie's Dish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Why can't Jedd Fisch convince anyone he's staying put in Seattle? Dirt is disgusted with another PDX carpet Blazers City jersey...the Homie, Mike Richman, hops on the Ticker to discuss the Blazers heartbreak in Orlando and the hope that Shaedon is about to go on a tear.

Few things generate more civic pride than our beloved airport PDX. Earlier this year, the Washington Post ranked Portland International Airport the best airport in America. Today, we're rounding up our favorite hacks that make any trip to PDX a breeze, from where to eat and drink, to ways you can chill out before boarding during the hectic upcoming holiday travel season. Become a member of City Cast Portland today! Get all the details and sign up here.  Who would you like to hear on City Cast Portland? Shoot us an email at portland@citycast.fm, or leave us a voicemail at 503-208-5448. Want more Portland news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Portland, and be sure to follow us on Instagram.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Portland? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about the sponsors of this November 4th episode: Portland PGE Portland Art Museum Allport PBOT DUER - Mention code CCPDX for 15% off

Send us a textWe are joined by Portland's very own, DJ O.G. ONE! We talk about everything from community, leadership, and culture to music, balancing a family, and entrepreneurship. Tune in and join the conversation!

Send us a textThis episode is a rerun.In this fascinating episode of Being an Engineer, our host Aaron Moncur sits down with Greg Mark, a visionary entrepreneur who revolutionized 3D printing with Markforged and is now transforming design workflows with his AI company, Backflip. Greg shares insights into his entrepreneurial journey, technological innovations, and the power of persistence.Main Topics:The origin story of Markforged and carbon fiber 3D printingInnovative design principles in manufacturingBackflip's AI-driven approach to converting 3D scans to CAD modelsEntrepreneurship, product development, and market strategyThe importance of reliability and focusing on core product featuresAbout the guest: Greg Mark is a trailblazer in engineering and entrepreneurship, renowned for pioneering innovations that push the boundaries of technology. Currently serving as the Founder and CEO of Backflip, Greg is transforming how we create beautiful, functional objects using AI in a world that is inherently 3D. His latest venture follows a series of impactful contributions to engineering and manufacturing, most notably as the founder of Markforged. There, he invented carbon fiber and mixed metal 3D printing, a technology now deployed globally, including on the International Space Station and by major players like BMW and Tesla.An MIT-trained engineer with both bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautics and astronautics, Greg's journey started with bold ventures such as Aeromotions, a company that brought high-performance aerodynamics to the fastest cars on the track. His leadership at Genasun redefined off-grid solar power with advanced electronics, and as an advisor to startups like Genesis Therapeutics and Rotor Technologies, Greg continues to mentor innovators tackling the toughest challenges in industries from drug discovery to remote flight.Links:Greg Mark - LInkedInMarkforged WebsiteBackflip.ai Website Click here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textRamzi Marjaba is a seasoned Solution Engineer and consultant currently with Veeam Software, working remotely from Ottawa since March 2025. Prior to this, he spent nearly four years as a Senior Solution Specialist at Keysight Technologies, managing Eastern Canada accounts and mentoring both SEs and account executives. Earlier in his career, he held technical roles at Spirent Communications, Alcatel‑Lucent, and Nortel, starting as an embedded software tester and evolving into a network design engineer and systems engineer.In 2018, Ramzi founded We the Sales Engineers, a coaching platform and podcast designed to help sales engineers grow through thoughtful conversation, expert mentorship, and practice‑based learning. With hundreds of episodes and written content to his name, he's built a global community for pre‑sales professionals seeking to sharpen their craft.Ramzi emphasizes the difference between treating symptoms versus diagnosing root business needs—with a heavy focus on discovery, customer context, and vision building. He often compares SEs to business athletes: they don't get to practice outside the field, and must deliver under pressure with clarity and impact. He also explores the evolution of presales roles in a shifting job market, noting the increasing competitiveness and need for strategic, value‑centered hiring.Outside of client work, Ramzi mentors aspiring SEs, runs podcast and written series, and leads workshops—from quick discovery techniques to advanced whiteboarding and objection management.  LINKS:Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramzimarjaba/?originalSubdomain=caGuest website: https://wethesalesengineers.com/ Aaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textThis is your final call to join us at PDX 2025 – The Product Development Expo, happening October 21–22 in Phoenix, Arizona. PDX is not your typical conference—it's a hands-on training experience built specifically for engineers who design and develop physical products.Learn directly from industry experts in areas like GD&T, DFM, automation, additive manufacturing, motion control, project management, and more. With 50+ sessions and 35+ exhibitors offering real-time consulting, you'll walk away with practical tools, insights, and connections to accelerate your career. 

Pebble in your shoe Tuesday calls, Former Sen. Baertschiger talks the Trump Deal, Emergency Naked Bike Ride and other nonsense in PDX.

Send us a textJames Davis, widely recognized as FluxBench, has built a following by making electronics approachable, fun, and practical. With a mission to “keep the magic smoke inside the components where it belongs,” James is passionate about teaching engineers, makers, and hobbyists how to move beyond simple projects and start creating production-ready designs.On his YouTube channel, FluxBench, James shares tutorials and experiments ranging from ESP32-driven LED displays to embedded development strategies and Proxmox-based Flux Node setups. His videos blend clear explanations with hands-on demonstrations, making them accessible to beginners while still offering technical depth for experienced engineers. Whether it's wiring up microcontrollers, troubleshooting circuits, or scaling a one-off build into something robust, James shows how to translate curiosity into capability.With a background in embedded systems and a gift for teaching, James Davis represents the spirit of engineering as both an art and a craft. His work encourages others not just to build projects but to create real products that solve problems, delight users, and push the boundaries of what's possible with accessible electronics.Guest website:  Flux BenchAaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textMatt Puchalski is a roboticist and entrepreneur shaping the future of automation in manufacturing. As the founder and CEO of Bucket Roboticshttps://www.bucket.bot/—part of Y Combinator's Summer 2024 batch—Matt is building next-generation 3D vision systems designed to supercharge flexible manufacturing environments. His company combines high-quality monocular cameras with edge computing to enable real-time 3D perception, simplify integration, and generate meaningful metrics across production workflows.Before founding Bucket Robotics, Matt spent over half a decade developing and deploying Level 4 autonomous vehicles at Argo AI, which was acquired by Ford to form Latitude AI. His journey in autonomy continued at Latitude and then Stack AV, where he served as a foundational engineer during the company's stealth phase. From leading test track operations to engineering vehicle reliability processes, Matt played key roles in launching multiple AV platforms on public roads.He's also an inventor, credited with patents ranging from indoor localization to dynamic data mining for autonomous systems. Alongside his startup leadership, Matt is a venture partner at Pioneer Fund, helping other early-stage founders navigate the startup ecosystem.Matt holds a B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Georgia Tech and brings a unique blend of hardware expertise, startup grit, and large-scale system thinking. Whether deploying AVs in Munich or building user-friendly tools for manufacturers, Matt is passionate about making robotics practical, accessible, and powerful.LINKS:Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-puchalski/Guest website: https://www.bucket.bot/ Aaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Play No Games is a pop culture podcast that delivers genuine conversations, humor,& Reflection. _____________________________

Trump released a grotesque, AI-manufactured video on Truth Social in which Chuck Schumer is made to utter vile, fabricated slurs. Has Donald Trump lost his mind? And if he hasn't, what has he become? Trump & Hegseth: They're re-awakening the warrior spirit and saying good-bye to woke... What is woke? Senator Ron Wyden on Trump's threat to send troops to PDX, OR & Epstein financial discovery. Immigrants are begging for help and clean water in detention facilities - Is this who we are? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listener calls then right to State rep. Dwayne Yunker, his take on PDX, can the Dems face the truth? Joel Skousen, World Affairs Brief publisher joins the show. The Kirk murder is still murky, we discuss and judge the various theories.

The Wagons circle as Pres. Trump sends troops to PDX, Ian from Do No Harm Medicine - ranking medical schools, OHSE badly rated, why?

Send us a textSam Holland is a mechanical and product design engineer whose journey threads through influential design labs and breakthrough products—from MakerBot's pioneering 3D printers to livestream hardware at Vimeo, and now forging his own path through Informal.cc. At MakerBot, he served as Technical Lead on the Method 3D printer and spearheaded subsystems for the Replicator Z18, work that included patent‑winning innovations in gantry mechanics and extruder design. His move to Livestream and Vimeo saw him shaping products like Mevo Plus and Studio One, integrating sleek form and functionality for the live‑streaming era.In late 2018, Sam co‑founded Informal.cc in Brooklyn—a freelance collective dedicated to helping startups design, manufacture, and market hardware effectively. There, he blends expertise in CAD (OnShape, SolidWorks), design for manufacturing and assembly, vendor sourcing, and team staffing. Under his leadership, Informal has also launched the Informal Hardware Handbook, a community‑driven guide that chronicles best practices across ideation, manufacturing, and go‑to‑market strategy—rooted in real‑world experience navigating constraints like chip shortages and shifting product timelines.Beyond the drafting table, Sam brings products to life—some have reached audiences through QVC, CVS, Best Buy, and even Shark Tank. He couples doing with teaching, from presenting hands‑on hardware workshops at schools like Rock Point in Vermont to authoring product teardowns and insights on Informal's blog—most recently a teardown of a SimpliSafe Keypad and a love letter to OnShape as his “ride‑or‑die” CAD tool. Outside of engineering, he balances his design drive with drumming, cooking, and Vermont explorations.Here's a conversation with Sam Holland, where we'll dive into accelerating hardware careers, cracking the design‑to‑manufacturing code, and even that hilarious “Donut Hole‑Der” open letter to Dunkin'—because sometimes even frameworks for product engineering aren't spared a sense of humor.  LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/samholland-engineering/Click here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textOn this episode we are joined by Dancer, Choreographer, Artist Developer, Mentor, Producer, Durante Lambert. We are talking about his recent Legends Award as well as his journey as a creative and the endeavors that are ahead. Tune in and join the conversation!

Send us a textJason “Wally” Waldron is the founder and CEO of Exitology, a company dedicated to helping custom manufacturers, industrial services, and supply chain firms scale their businesses rapidly and exit with maximum value—on their own terms. With nearly two decades of experience advising business owners and engineering-driven teams, Wally specializes in accelerating company growth—up to 33% per year—and unlocking $10M+ in trapped business value in as little as three years.He's not just talking theory. Wally's background in marketing strategy, business development, and organizational systems spans work as a fractional CMO, partner in marketing and equity firms, and years of hands-on growth consulting. His methodology blends actionable frameworks with a deep understanding of the unique needs of technical founders and engineering-driven companies.In his book, Exitology: Unlock Your Profits, Unlock Your Potential, Wally outlines how business owners can break free from the day-to-day grind, regain their time, and create companies that grow without them. Whether owners are looking to sell, hand down the business as a legacy, or simply step away with confidence, Exitology provides the playbook.Wally's mission is to help founders create both financial freedom and personal fulfillment—without compromising their engineering integrity. He currently works with $10M to $200M privately owned firms in sectors like custom manufacturing, commercial construction, and industrial services, and has built a reputation for helping leaders transition from “success” to “significance.”Connect with Wally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wallywaldron/Visit the Exitology website: https://exitology.com/ Aaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textDuann Scott is a globally recognized leader in computational design, additive manufacturing, and the emerging intersection of software and fabrication. With a background in industrial design and a PhD research foundation from the University of South Australia, Duann launched BITS to ATOMS in 2009 to explore how digital tools would revolutionize product design and manufacturing. What started as an academic pursuit quickly transformed into a dynamic industry journey through some of the most innovative companies in the space.At Shapeways, he helped build one of the first online 3D printing communities. At Autodesk, he shaped the strategy for the $100M Spark investment fund and led the acquisition of Netfabb, now integral to Autodesk's digital manufacturing suite. At nTopology, Duann served in multiple executive roles, driving growth and expanding the company's software integrations for advanced manufacturing applications.In 2021, he relaunched BITS to ATOMS as a consultancy and launched CDFAM, the Computational Design Symposium Series. CDFAM now brings together cutting-edge thinkers across engineering, software, and architecture at events in NYC, Berlin, and Brooklyn. Whether supporting MIT xPRO students, contributing to the Wohlers Report, or guiding the 3MF Consortium as Executive Director, Duann is committed to building better tools, workflows, and communities around computational manufacturing.Beyond his professional pursuits, Duann brings a creative edge from his past life as a musician and designer, continually pushing the boundary between art and engineering. His mission? To create a better digital thread from bits to atoms.LINKS:Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duann/Guest website: https://cdfam.com/Click here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textTessa Axsom blends deep mechanical engineering know‑how with the craft of product marketing. Today she serves as Product Marketing Manager – CNC at Fictiv, the on‑demand manufacturing partner known for its robust CNC resources and design guides. In this role, she translates shop‑floor realities into crisp messages, actionable guidance, and programs that help engineers build better parts faster. Before moving into marketing, Tessa wrote extensively for Fictiv's Resource Center, authoring practical articles on topics like drawing best practices, corrosion vs. oxidation, and developing people skills as an engineer.Her path began at Purdue University in mechanical engineering and wound through metallurgy and aerospace, including design of aluminum plate‑and‑fin heat exchangers and quality leadership in chemical analysis labs. That blend of materials, design, and operations experience anchors her marketing perspective in real constraints: tolerances, surface finish, manufacturability, and supplier capability—especially in CNC machining.Beyond the written word, Tessa shows up as an educator and voice in the community. Fictiv has featured her in webinars and industry conversations, from manufacturing complex designs to commentary on timely topics. She also runs Precision Pen & Quality, where she applies engineering rigor to technical communication and consulting.Across all of it, Tessa advocates for a simple idea: engineers who can communicate—who can frame tradeoffs, tell a crisp story, and align stakeholders—ship better products. That's why her work on people skills for engineers resonates so strongly with our audience of builders and problem‑solvers. LINKS:Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-axsom/Guest website: https://www.fictiv.com/Email: tessa.axsom@fictiv.comAaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textSpencer Jones began his healthcare career as a registered nurse in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he witnessed firsthand the clinical need that sparked his first device: SafeBreak® Vascular, a patented solution to prevent IV line dislodgement. As a nursing alumnus of the University of Arkansas, Spencer led SafeBreak from idea to FDA approval in 2022, drawing on early mentorship from Innovate Arkansas and a successful accelerator experience with ZeroTo510.In 2015 he founded Lineus Medical as co‑founder and CTO, securing multiple U.S. and international patents while raising seed and Series A funding. In 2020 he began consulting with Lapovations, the University of Arkansas‑spawned medtech startup behind AbGrab®, a suction‑based tool enabling safer and more consistent abdominal entry in laparoscopy.Since officially joining Lapovations in October 2022, Spencer has served as CTO, VP of Sales and now CEO, leading efforts like a national sales rollout, Series A financing, SBIR IIB grant, and the Class I FDA launch of AbGrab across 18 states. Beyond product development, he's an active mentor and ecosystem builder through XO Medtech, ComboSpine, and educational partnerships.Spencer is passionate about democratizing clinical innovation—especially for nurses, physicians, and students—and now leverages AI tools to accelerate medtech startup growth. Recognized by Nurse.org as “Nurse Innovator of the Year,” he is a powerhouse blending clinical insight, technical execution, fundraising prowess, and ecosystem leadership. LINKS:Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-jones-5a008672/Guest website: https://xomedtech.com/ Aaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textJoin us for an in-depth conversation with John Lembke, a manufacturing engineering manager with over a decade of experience in factory digitization, lean manufacturing, and ERP integrations. John shares his proven strategies for hiring high-performing engineering teams, scaling production rapidly, and building effective manufacturing processes. From his early days around ice-making machinery to leading 60% capacity increases, John offers practical insights that engineering managers and job seekers alike will find invaluable.Main Topics:Hiring Best Practices: Use skill histograms to identify team gaps and write focused, targeted job descriptions.Interview Strategies: Ask questions that evaluate both technical skills and cultural fit.Common Hiring Mistakes: Avoid hiring people just like yourself and using vague or generic job descriptions.Candidate Advice: Use the STAR method to structure responses and present your experience clearly.ERP & MES Systems: Understand the role of enterprise resource planning and manufacturing execution systems in operations.Production Scaling: Apply practical strategies to rapidly increase production capacity.Manufacturing KPIs: Track key performance indicators to monitor quality and efficiency.Leadership Philosophy: Leverage lessons from endurance sports to build mental resilience and lead with intensity.About the guest: John Lembke is a manufacturing and operations leader with a track record of scaling production and driving process excellence. At Scythe Robotics, he boosted production capacity by 60% in 16 months and led ERP implementation to streamline operations. Previously, as Director of Manufacturing and Scaling at Phantom Auto, he built prototype production systems and integrated advanced hardware into partner vehicles. His earlier experience at Seagate, Ensign-Bickford, and GE honed his expertise in process engineering, KPI development, and cross-functional leadership. With degrees from CU Boulder and RPI, John is committed to continuous learning, mentoring, and applying innovative approaches—balanced by a passion for backpacking and enduClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Plus, a ray of hope for MLB to PDX

Send us a textJoin us for an in-depth conversation with Bryant Foster, a human factors expert who's worked with industry giants like Google to make complex products simpler and safer. With a background in cognitive psychology, Bryant shares insights on designing user-friendly products, from surgical systems to smart thermostats, all while keeping the end user at the center of the design process.Main Topics:What drew Bryant into human factors and user experience designHow to define and achieve simplicity in product designAdvanced usability testing tools: eye tracking, pupilometry, and facial emotion analysisWhy users don't always give honest feedback and how to work around itProviding critical design feedback without demoralizing teamsCost-effective approaches to human factors testingSafety considerations in medical device designUse-related risk analysis and task analysis methodologiesLessons learned from working at Google XBuilding successful human factors consulting teamsAbout the guest: Bryant Foster is the Vice President of Human Factors and User Experience at Research Collective, a user-centered research consultancy serving clients from startups to major companies like GE Healthcare, Microsoft, and Medtronic. With over a decade of experience in applied psychology and usability research, he specializes in ensuring products are safe, intuitive, and user-focused.He holds a Master's in Applied Psychology (Human Factors) from Arizona State University and began his career at the Cognitive Engineering Research Institute, later working at Google X as a UX researcher. At Research Collective in Tempe, Arizona, he leads a team that uses methods like ethnography, eye tracking, and biometric analysis.In addition to his consulting work, Bryant mentors students and supports local entrepreneurs through programs like LEAP, blending scientific rigor with empathy in fields from medical devices to consumer tech.Links:Bryant Foster LinkedInResearch Collective WebsiteClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Dr. Carole Lieberman digs into the latest Trump executive order telling the homeless to move out of DC, Richard Emmons at Oregon Eagle Dot Com has more on homeless, article in the latest issue indicates homeless funding is big biz in PDX.

Send us a textIn this engaging episode of Being An Engineer, Josh Zarecky shares his unique journey of running an engineering business while traveling across the United States in an RV. He discusses his background in mechanical engineering, the challenges and joys of remote work, and his innovative approach to developing industrial automation solutions.Main Topics:Transitioning from traditional engineering roles to entrepreneurshipTraveling and working remotely with a familyDeveloping the Flexrail: A modular industrial automation platformChallenges of managing a remote engineering teamStrategies for finding a niche in engineering servicesAbout the guest: Josh Zarecky is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in scientific instrumentation and lab automation. After earning his degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, he worked at Beckman Coulter and Prosolia, leading hardware design and system automation projects. In 2019, he founded ZEDion, a company in Indiana specializing in hybrid instrumentation that integrates mechanical, electrical, and software systems for life sciences and diagnostics. Josh is also a remote work advocate, managing his company while traveling the U.S. with his family for over a year. Now based in Southern California, he continues to innovate, most recently developing the ZEDion Rail, a modular embedded control board for lab automation.Links:Josh Zarecky LinkedInZEDion WebsiteClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

This week in Portland startup news, a PDX startup returns to the limelight, deadlines for both Bend Venture Conference and SXSW, some new startups, and Silicon Florist is old enough to vote. Let's get into it.PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- AI News https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7177357348489900032/- Oregon startup folks https://sflo.me/oregonstartupfolks- Tellagence https://www.tellagence.ai/- PBJ on Tellagence https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2025/08/06/tellagence-ai-context-youtube.html- BVC applications https://bendvc.com/apply- SXSW Pitch applications https://www.sxsw.com/pitch/- RallyCrew http://rallycrew.com/PORTLAND STARTUP STORIES00:00 Portland startup news intro00:20 OpenAI releases GPT 501:05 Meet Quang Truong of UrbanForm02:49 Tellagence re-emerges  ⁨@TellagenceInc⁩  05:43 Upcoming startup pitch applications at  ⁨@BendVC⁩  and  ⁨@SXSW⁩  09:30 RallyCrew10:45 Secrets12:35 Silicon Florist is 18 years oldFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Portland startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Portland startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457- The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Shawn Tierney meets up with Aaron Moncur of Pipeline Design and Engineering to discuss “The Most Underrated Skill in Automation,” as well as the upcoming Product Design Expo, and the “Being An Engineer” podcast, all in this episode of The Automation Podcast. For any links related to this episode, check out the “Show Notes” located below the video. Watch The Automation Podcast from The Automation Blog: Listen to The Automation Podcast from The Automation Blog: The Automation Podcast, Episode 243 Show Notes: Special thanks to Pipeline for sponsoring this episode so we could release it ad free on all platforms! To learn more about Pipeline, the PDExpo, and Aaron’s Podcast, see the below links: PDX: Product Design Expo, Registration Link (use coupon IIA50 to save $50!) Being An Engineer podcast The Wave (engineering community website) Aaron’s LinkedIn profile Pipeline company website Read the transcript on The Automation Blog: (automatically generated) Shawn Tierney (Host): Hey, everybody. Thank you for tuning back in to the automation podcast. This week, I meet up with Aaron Moncur from Pipeline Design and Engineering to talk about what he thinks is the most important skill to have in industrial automation. And we also talk about his upcoming event, PDX, which is, coming up just in a few weeks, and we even have a coupon if you wanna go to save you $50 off the admission price. And we also talk about his podcast. He has over 300 interviews with engineers from all kinds of backgrounds, and, I think you guys will find that interesting as well. And, we just had a great time just talking and chatting about different strategies and different challenges we’ve had over the years in the automation world. So with that said, let’s go ahead and jump right into our interview with Aaron Moncur of Pipeline Design and Engineering. I wanna welcome to the show for the first time, Aaron. And, we have a very exciting topic to talk about today. Should be very interesting to all you controls engineers and you high end electricians and technicians out there do automation. But, before we jump into the discussion, Aaron, please, tell the people a little bit about yourself. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Alright. Well, Shawn, thank you so much for the introduction and having me on the podcast. I’ve been excited to talk with you. I have my own podcast as well, actually. I’ll I’ll touch on that a little bit, but, I love talking about engineering and, business and automation. My company, Pipeline Design and Engineering, we’ve been around for about fifteen years now, and our focus is, industrial automation. We’re integrators. We also do a lot of, just test fixtures, you know, smaller, not necessarily automated, but manual fixtures, things like that, machine building. We even do we actually started fifteen years ago in in general, product design. And so we did a lot of medical device design, consumer products, things like that. And then about three, four years in, one of our customers asked us if we could design a test fixture for them. And we said, what’s a test fixture? Yes. And so, we figured out, you know, what that was all about and delivered it and they really liked it. And they said, this is great. We need more of this kind of thing. And so ever since then, slowly but surely, we we’ve, been moving more and more into that area of, like, fixtures. And then at some point, we started adding a little bit of motion, a motor, and a pneumatic actuator. And then at some point, we started doing full automation. And and at this point, that’s that’s kind of our focus is automation machine building, and we still do test fixtures and, a little bit of of product design as well. But I I have a degree in mechanical engineering, and I’ve been doing this, for a little over twenty years. Interesting story of getting laid off and then starting my company and, just living the dream here with a wonderful, wonderful group of people doing engineering and automation work. Shawn Tierney (Host): You know, I’ve worked with a lot of custom machine builders over the years, and a lot of what they do is test stands. And a lot of them are automated, and some of the most interesting ones I’ve seen were a lot for medical devices and whatnot. A lot of them are for things that we use every day, like the pieces that go in your door, like the door switch and the windows, you know, that send them up and down. Those things need to be not only assembled, a lot of time, pick and place type of, systems, but they have to be tested. And they’re gonna be tested a lot, like, millions of times. A lot of times, if the prototypes, they gotta go through some very rigorous testing, and there’s a lot sometimes lots of data collection that goes along with that. So I got an idea for for what you’re saying and some, you know, test stands and actually, you know, manual assemblies. Sometimes you just need a bunch of jigs and different layouts so you can put something together quickly and, you know, in manufacturing, some of that has to be done by hand as well. So very interesting stuff. And so, with that said, I know we wanted to jump into a go a couple different ways here, but I do know I before we get too far in, you do have a upcoming event. So I wanted to make sure we get the talk about that a little bit before we jump into the topic of what would, you know, the meat of what we’re gonna discuss today. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. Thank you. Something that’s really big for me, important for me is, building community around engineering. And, we have a few ways that we’ve done this. We have our podcast, Being an Engineer. We also have an online community called The Wave. It’s thewave. Engineer, free resources and tools, education for for engineers. And then we also have an event called PDX, and PDX stands for the Product Development Expo. It is, inclusive of all things hardware. So that includes, you know, product designers. It includes metrology folks. It includes automation experts. Basically, anyone who touches hardware developing, hard goods products would be a good fit for for this event. The, the PDX event is happening this October. That’s a Tuesday and a Wednesday just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. And, kind of the unique innovative format of this event is that it’s it’s not just like a trade show where you show up and and, you know, you get a flyer or a brochure from a vendor. The focus of this event is is training and education. It’s kind of like a two day boot camp for hardware professionals, whether they’re mechanical engineers, automation engineers, manufacturing engineers. And so we have about about 35 experts in the industry who are are gonna be there as instructors training on different topics. These include AI tools for engineering workflows, GD and T, tolerance stack, modular extrusion for machine frames, robot programming, linear motor, motion control, precision fluid dispensing, CAD data management, FEA, engineering documentation, simulation, DIY, PCB design and prototyping, three d scanning, reverse engineering. So it’s pretty extensive. There’s something for everyone there. Again, it’s a two day e event, a training boot camp, October, just outside, Phoenix, Arizona. You can go to pdexpo.engineer to learn more about the event and sign up. The cost is $295 and that’s inclusive of all the different training topics that you can choose to sign up for at the event. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. That sounds like a pretty good deal too. If you have somebody junior on your staff or if you’re changed roles in your company and you’re getting more into this kind of type of product design and engineering, then, definitely check that out. You typically can’t go anywhere for two ninety five. Right? So Right. Just a walk in the door for a day is typically it’s not and and I know that the people out there, they’re probably gonna have some services that they can offer as well that some of you guys may wanna take, take advantage of. But for you folks, especially if you’re in the area or if you have a need at work for one of these things, please check it out. And, if I get it correct, it’s pdexpo.engineer? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): That’s right. P d e x p o dot engineer. Shawn Tierney (Host): Excellent. And speaking about engineering, of course, you’re a mechanical engineer. We see a lot of mechanical engineers in automation as automation engineers when especially when it comes to, systems that have servos on them, systems that are very, you know, a lot of acceleration, a lot of mass, systems that require more than just, you know, very sequential type of logic that, you know, we have lots of parts moving around that have to be in certain places at certain times. And so, can you tell us a little bit about, you know, your journey as, the owner of a company? And I know how you came came to this conclusion about the most valuable resource in automation. We’re not gonna give the answer away yet, because then we would never show. But, in any case, can you talk a little bit about that, your journey and what you’ve gone through and the different things you ran into and learned? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. I I think there is a a very underrated skill in automation, and it’s not something that people talk about very often. But over twenty years in the industry, I’ve definitely seen this over and over and over. And so we’re we’re gonna talk about that today. In terms of my journey, how I got here, I worked at an engineering company twenty years ago and great company, very smart people. And in the beginning, I loved it. I got to do all the things that I enjoyed, right? CAD design and prototyping and, you know, working on a mill and a lathe to to make some parts and assembly is wonderful. Then the economy slowed down. Right? This is back in 02/1989. Mhmm. And the I’ll just call it the the fun work, the quote, unquote fun work, kind of dried up. And what our company had left was kind of a lot of documentation and and paperwork, not fun work, at least by most engineers’ standards. And, I was young and and probably, immature, and I kind of checked out mentally. You know, I’d show up every day and I’d put in the the hours, but, my heart wasn’t in it and and my mind wasn’t really in it. And the owners of the company, they were, you know, intelligent people. They could tell that my heart wasn’t really in it. And they pulled me in one day and said, hey, Aaron. Unfortunately, we we need to let some people go. And, we can tell that you’re just not very engaged right now. So you are one of the people that we’re gonna let go. And it was a a shock. It shouldn’t have been. Right? Like, looking back, hindsight is twenty twenty. I should have seen it coming, but, again, young, naive, immature, I didn’t. So it was a shock. My wife and I had, just bought our first home. We had a new child. Right? Our first kid had just been born, and so it was it was a gut punch for me, and I remember feeling physically ill for several days after that. But eventually, I I got my feet back underneath me and decided, okay. I need to figure out what’s next. You know, what am I gonna do? And the the the first thought was, well, I’ll just go out and find another engineering job. But I started thinking, and, it was true. What the statement that the owners of this company had made saying you weren’t very engaged. And I thought, you know what? They’re they’re right. I I wasn’t very engaged. Why is that? What what happened to make me disengaged? And I I thought that maybe I had fallen out of love with engineering. And so I was I had actually been doing some side hustles, but I was still employed at the company. I had started a photography company with a buddy of mine. I’d started a little web design company on my own. I was even exploring commercial real estate. So kind of very different things, right, than engineering and thinking to myself, I I I don’t know if I like engineering anymore. I think I I might just wanna do something completely different. Well, a few months into that, my father-in-law, he pulls me aside and he says, hey, what’s the plan here? Like, what what are you gonna do to he he didn’t come out and say it this way, but support my daughter and my grandchild. Right? And, he suggested that maybe I did still like engineering, and and maybe it was just the way I was doing engineering that had turned me off. And I thought, that’s that’s pretty sage advice. I’m I’m gonna take that. And so I jumped back into engineering only the way I did it differently this time was instead of going out and looking for another job, I just started doing it myself as a a freelance engineer. And I would just call companies up and say, hey. I’m I’m Aaron. I’ve got some good engineering skills. These are the things I can help with. And lo and behold, I I got a few jobs, you know, some small things. Didn’t pay well. I remember working sixty, seventy hour weeks and getting paid like $35 an hour back in the beginning. What was so interesting was that I loved it. It was so fun. You know, all of a sudden I loved engineering again. I was back in it and I, what I learned about myself back then was I really thrive on high level autonomy. When I’m given, responsibility over kind of the the entire machine as opposed to just being a cog in the machine, That’s what really lights me up and and gets me excited. So that was the start of my company, Pipeline Design and Engineering. We did, largely consumer product design back then, medical devices, things like that. And then we talked a little bit about the the test fixtures and that led into machine design and automation. And these days that is our focus. Everything from kind of desktop to standalone, you know, maybe five by five by seven, eight feet tall, something like that. That’s our sweet spot for automation and engineering. Along the way, I decided, the company where I worked before, great company, good people for sure. Right? Very grateful for the experiences I had there. Nevertheless, there were some things that I didn’t love about the culture at that company. And so I decided when I started Pipeline, I really wanted to focus on developing, a wonderful culture where people just they liked being here. They enjoyed, the camaraderie with the different team members. They enjoyed the work. They enjoyed the environment. And so, building a successful culture was really important to me. And, you might be thinking right now, okay, culture, that’s the underrated skill. Well, it is one of them, but it’s not the underrated skill that we’re going to arrive at. So so stay tuned. But but, that became a a big focus for me. And, it is to this day. And there have been a variety of things that we’ve done to to cultivate a culture where people really love being. Shawn Tierney (Host): You know, I was thinking about what you were just saying and and, you know, I was always surprised. I’m I’m thinking about it. I’m like, you know, as a parent, I was surprised how different the personalities of my children were. And I still I’m thinking as you’re talking, I’m like, man, they’re they’re they’re so different. And then when I started visiting customers after I got my college degree and got into this crazy industry and I was visiting helping customers with their PLCs and other products, I was amazed how different company cultures were. And and and some of them were definitely toxic. I mean, it came to the point where you’d be like, yeah. I’m not going there. I don’t care if they never buy anything from us again. You know? They’re just so toxic. Right? And the salesman, we used I’m the I was always a technical guy, so the salesman would have heartburn of that, but I’m like and then some places you just didn’t wanna leave. They had such camaraderie, such they worked so well together. They were they were just they you know, nobody was out trying to prove that they’re better than everybody else. They were just trying to make the customer, get them the machine or the service or, you know, make the product as good as possible. And it’s just such a a a range. And I you know, I’m sitting here. I’m thinking, why why are the cultures so vastly different than the cost leadership at each facility? You know, gen you know, promotes different types of cultures, and there’s such a age gap from boomers to, you know, now Gen z. Right? In the in in the, you know, in these facilities that you don’t even know what you’re gonna get. You could have something that feels like you’re out of the sixties or something that feels like you’re out of the twenty second century. You know? But, yes. So it it is amazing how many different cultures in, and I I guess not a lot you know, a lot of people maybe they have four or five different jobs. So they’ve probably been through four or five different cultures, and they can relate to what we’re saying there about how how how, you know, cultures can really affect not just the efficiency and the effectiveness, but also just the the the satisfaction of the employee. And I think I think in today’s world, especially in The US where people change jobs every three to five years, if you’re investing in a high-tech person, if you’re gonna invest in training, invest in education and mentoring, you you know, having a good coach is so important. Are you gonna you gonna keep having turn I and I’ve met a lot of people that are like, we just can’t keep somebody in this position. Well, it’s because you guys are a bunch of jerks. It’s not your pay. Absolutely. It’s not what they have to work on. It’s just that you guys are unpleasant to be around. I wouldn’t wanna work here. You know? And so just some random thoughts about culture as you were talking about that, but that’s that was what’s going through my head. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. People need a certain amount of money, right, to to Shawn Tierney (Host): pay their Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): bills and live. But but beyond that baseline, money isn’t much of a motivator. But good culture is enjoying where you work, enjoying the people with whom you work. Even though I didn’t I haven’t worked at a lot of places. I had a few internships and I had even after I started pipeline and it was just me, I worked at a a few places contract, right, for three months, six months, things like that. There’s this one place I work. It was an an automation, place here locally. I won’t say the name. Actually, I think they’re they’re gone at this point anyway. Anyway, the the owner, I think I think maybe he was bipolar is my guess. Sometimes he would be super nice. In fact, I remember, when my wife and I had our our second child, he gave me I was a contractor. Right? So I didn’t have any PTO or anything like that. He he gave me two days pay while I was, you know, just out at the hospital with my wife and son. I thought that was so kind and and generous. So he had these moments when he was just very thoughtful and then other moments where he was a tyrant. He would just he’d walk into the office, just start yelling at people, literally yelling at people. Shawn Tierney (Host): Mhmm. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): I had never been in an environment like that before, a work environment like that. And so it was it was a shock to me. And you could see the effect on culture. You know? People were scared of him. They were not performing at their best because they didn’t know what to expect when they showed up at work. So when I started Pipeline, I I decided that I wanted to have a strong purpose and and core values. Now people talk about purpose and core values, and and I think oftentimes they end up as as platitudes on a wall that don’t really mean much. You know, they’re they’re corporate marketing bullet points, basically. I like to think that our purpose and core values are are things that have actually meaningfully contributed to the culture that we have. And and that shows up in comments from team members. I’ve been approached by team members. We do one on ones where we just, you know, create an open forum for people to talk and and share. If they have questions or concerns, they can talk to me directly. And in these one on ones, I can’t tell you the number of times where an engineer has said to me, I didn’t know it could be this way at a company. This is the best place I have ever worked. I’m not afraid to tell you what I actually think. You know? And these these comments go on and on. So the purpose that we have at Pipeline is to promote joy in the lives of our team members. Now be before you, stop listening because you’re thinking this is way too woo woo for me and and hippie dippie, I I’m telling you that a happy employee, a happy engineer is a productive and effective engineer. This this leads directly to productivity and taught in fact, one of our core values is focused on productivity. But if you ask why enough times, you know, you look at what you’re doing day to day and ask why am I doing this? Well, here’s the reason. Okay. What’s the reason for that? Why? Keep asking why. In my opinion, you ultimately end up at joy. You know? The that’s really why we do anything because we want to experience joy in our lives. I won’t get too philosophical about that, but in the doctrine of Aaron, that’s why we do pretty much everything we do to experience joy. So, that’s our purpose is to promote joy in the lives of our team members. And then we have our our four core values. We have, number one is treat the customer well, but treat your team members better. Number two is governed by productivity, not bureaucracy. Number three is suffocate chaos, promote order. And number four is prevent surprises. And we use these core values to to make decisions and to manage and govern the company. There was one example. We moved into a new building years ago. And, in this building, we had a warehouse where we’d build, you know, machines and and, automation and and things like that. And one day, an an engineer had, I can’t remember what, a drink or or maybe it was even, you know, some food or something like that in in the build area. And our our director of engineering walks in and he says, hey. You can’t have food in here. Like, we’re we’re building machines. Right? Totally reasonable statement to make. Like, it’s it’s not safe for you to have food in here. Either you’re gonna contaminate the machines or the machines are gonna contaminate your food. Either way, it’s not good for anyone. And, so we had a conversation as a team about this because while the the sentiment I agreed with wholeheartedly, it it creating a policy and just flat out saying no food in the warehouse didn’t feel like the pipeline way to me. It didn’t quite sit right with me. And I I asked myself, why is that? It’s a very reasonable request. Right? No food where you’re building machines. And, it just just the idea of adding, like, layers of policy doesn’t sit well with me. So we sat down as a team and said, hey. Core value number one is treat our customers well, but treat our team members better. How how how do we treat our team members better, in this particular situation? And what we came up with was instead of just adding a policy, we’re gonna we we do we do something called governing principles and supporting behaviors. And so the the, the governing principle is the high level, like, why. Right? Why are we doing this? Why does it matter? And then some people do like having actual rules to follow, and that’s fine. So the supporting behaviors are are kind of those rules. And we empower our team members to circumvent those supporting behaviors if it’s in support of the governing principles, which is ultimately all we care about. So for this particular situation, our governing principles are we wanna keep the human safe. We wanna keep the machines clean. We want an area that we can be proud of when our customers walk in. Right? And they’re not seeing, you know, food wrappers or things. These are the things that we actually care about. And then we have some supporting behaviors that are things like don’t keep, open beverages in the you know, that we have a perimeter where the this is the designated build area. Clean up clean up after yourself after you’re finished working in an area, things like that. And, we found that the the team really appreciated the fact that management didn’t just layer on another policy. Right? We had an open conversation about this core value number one, how can we treat the team better, and, that’s that’s worked out really well. And we use that same philosophy, the governing principles and supporting behaviors in other areas of the company as well. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. You know, I yeah. As you’re as you were saying that I think back to I think it was the seven habits, by Stephen Covey. And and one of the things that he he through his research, he found was that, you know, you can’t be efficient with the people. You can only be effective with the people. And what brought my mind to that was the fact that, like you said, some people want a bunch of rigid rules, some people don’t. And in fact, every person is different. And so, you know, there are some people who you need to have meetings with often to touch base with them. And there’s other people who you don’t have to have meetings with as much because they’re much more in tune with your what you’re thinking, the way you’re doing things, and it’s kinda like you end up just having the same conversation over and over again. But there are other people who maybe not know as much as, may maybe don’t feel as in tune to this to the, to the to the system. Maybe they’re a new employee, and it can be very helpful. I it’s amazing the misunderstandings as both as a father and it being in this business that I’ve seen other people have. You know, you try to choose your language, your words, the extra words you use. I’m trying to be aware of the connotations you to attach those words with different age groups even in different areas of the country, and still people can get. And a lot of times, it’s not because of what you’re saying. It was because of something else they were thinking about when you started talking to them. And so it’s it’s very easy for people to misunderstand, and that’s why I have an open communications. You You know, those companies that have open communications like your company, I think, do very well as far as employee satisfaction because then then, you know, somebody’s not going around with a ruler in a in a pad trying to get people in trouble. People are talking to each other. They’re sharing with their ideas. They’re sharing the thoughts and and the things they’re running into. And, they get to talk through, like, you just gave in this example. They get to talk through different situations. The other thing I you know, when you as you were talking, I was thinking about too is, you know, it it’s it’s, you know, what do people want? And and a lot of people have said this a lot of different ways. You you say people want joy. I think people want to feel like they’re part of a team. That that that team and that team has a purpose, a good purpose, a purpose that they can sign up for, they can believe in. So I wanna create test stands that help my customer test their products quickly and efficiently so they’re selling products that work to their customers. And they can’t build a test stand themselves, so we build it for them. We wanna do the best job we can for them, but we don’t wanna we don’t wanna become slaves to them. We wanna we wanna be able to enjoy, you know, a a good pay, a clean work environment, you know, a happy work environment as we do this very valuable and important thing. And I think most people and I think a lot of times and, again, I you know, with my my youngest son is still in his, late twenties, but some of the jobs he’s worked at and the stories he’s told me, it’s like he’s definitely not feeling like part of a team. You know? You get a college degree. You go work as an engineer somewhere. And when you don’t feel like a part of the team, there’s really something wrong. Like, he’s had peace jobs during the summer, you know, during college where he he just worked either at a UPS facility or at a at a injection molding place just doing piece work. Right? And you really weren’t there wasn’t a big team. It was like you had to move so many boxes from here to there. Right? So it was very goal orientated and but, when you’re in an engineering role or a higher level role, management role, you’re working with the sales team or whatever it is, something above just, you know, digging a ditch or moving boxes, something where you’re doing a lot of self work. That team, they feel like you’re all pulling together on the same row. I think for most people is very important, and and that’s what I thought of when you’re talking about joy. Right? The the joy of work. Right? Is that you guys you’re all pulling for the common for a common goal, and you wanna achieve it, but you also don’t there’s no slavery involved. There’s no, we’re just gonna have to work eighty hours a week, and we’re gonna just gonna have to pay ourselves half as much as the other guy so our customer would be happy. Of course, that would be ridiculous. But in any case, so that I guess that’s kinda my reaction to what you’re saying. Do you see any of that in, in your facility, in in your business? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Every single day. Yeah. In fact, we had a customer walked in. This is a few years ago. Right in in the front of our office, as soon as you walk in, there’s a large mural with our core values. Right? Treat the customer well, treat the team members better, governed by productivity, not bureaucracy, etcetera, etcetera. Mhmm. And as this customer walks in and and he looks at core value number one, treat your customers well, treat your team members better. Mhmm. And he kind of cocks his head and looks at me and he says, I think you had that backwards. Shouldn’t you be treating your customers the best and then your employees? And I thought it was such an an interesting, statement to make, you know, and I explained my reasoning, which was, ultimately, we of course, we have to treat our customers exceptionally well. We need to bring, profound value to them or or they’re not gonna come back, and we understand that. The best way to accomplish that goal of of treating our customers well and getting them what they want is to treat our team members so well that they are overjoyed to be here doing this work. I mean, would you if you’re paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to have this custom machine developed, who do you want working on it? The guy who’s just showing up for a paycheck or the guy who loves being there, who who enjoys working with his team members, who feels fulfilled by the work that he does. So it it might sound backwards to some people, but, I mean, if if you flip it and think about who’s gonna be the most effective at at producing value for the end customer, it’s it’s the team members who are being treated really well and are happy there. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. And I think a lot of times, we we they we’d people do think that that’s backwards because they think that, you know, this is your job, so you should be, miserable doing it. And and you should wait on your customer like they are the second coming. And it’s like, no. A better situation is the customer is overjoyed to do work with you because they know you’re gonna give them a great product, and they know your staff is exceptional and top top of the top of the industry. And so they would expect that if you wanna keep your highly talented staff that produces these phenomenal machines, then you’re gonna have to treat them extremely well. You’re gonna have to treat them more than just a customer who’s you know, buy something every once in a while. You gotta treat them like the true members of your team, your family, and that they are the they are the they’re the golden they’re the golden, they’re the goose that lays the golden egg. Right? You can have customers can come and go, but if you don’t have these people producing these awesome pieces of equipment, then what’s left for the company? And I think we I’ve seen a lot of companies over the years kinda really go down in the tubes because they were treating their people so horribly. They couldn’t get anybody good to stay with them. And that in the in the short run, the the lower price you may be charging may help business. But I think in the long run, you know, if you have just so many different issues with your production, eventually, you’re just not gonna get any more orders. And, yeah, that that’s just what I’ve seen from my experience. So we’ve talked a lot about these different topics. Right? How how does this or or does this segue us into what you think the most important thing in in in automation is? Like, what is like, if if people are looking at, like, whether you’re an OEM, an integrator, or an end user, I mean, when as we’re focusing on, you know, trying to trying to answer the question we put in the title of the podcast, Have we gotten close to that? Are we ready to talk about what you what you and your company say that is? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): I think so. Yeah. We’re ready for the grand reveal. This is not gonna be a shock to anyone after we’ve danced around the the topic of culture. The the most underrated skill in automation, in my opinion, is is people, is making people happy and, the the soft skills. Right? It’s a lot of people you can learn the technical skills at college, but there’s there’s not really or on the job. There are not many places where you can learn the people skills. Right? How to communicate, how to get along, the soft skills of engineering, I like to call them. There’s a book called Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. And, he cites three pillars of building great culture that ultimately the purpose of culture, right? If we go back to our governing principles and supporting behavior, why do we care about culture? Who cares, right, good culture, bad culture? Well, the reason, the why is because culture leads to good people. And and that’s ultimately the objective here is is to build wonderful people who are happy about what they do and and understand, you know, how to communicate, how to get along with others. And, in in this book Culture Code, he he talks about three principles that are are most effective for establishing environments, cultures in which people can thrive. And the first one is is build safety. The second one is share vulnerability. And then the third one is establish person purpose. We’ve talked about, pipelines purpose already. By the way, on the topic of purpose, you know, again, companies some companies will have these just kind of generic, like, platitudes that don’t really mean much. Right? I think the purpose needs to be it needs to be like a just cause, I think is what Simon Sinek calls it. He’s got a couple wonderful books, The Infinite Game and and Start With Why, but he refers to purpose as as a just cause. It needs to be something that is, transcends just, you know, the the the technical side of work. And so ours promote joy in the lives of our team members. People hear that, and they’re motivated by it. I I’ve I’ve received so many applicants for jobs here who say, hey. I I read about your culture, and I I love it. I love what you’re doing there. I would love to work there. Like, it means something to people on a deep human level. It’s not just let’s go out and make money. Of course, making money is important too, but, there has to be purpose behind it. Anyway, I I had a, an example of that first principle, build safety. Right? People need to feel safe in in order to develop their their skills. And unfortunately, there was a time in the past at Pipeline, our company, where, we weren’t doing so hot. You know, there were a few reasons for this, but work was pretty slow. And, I could see the writing on the wall that, unfortunately, we’re gonna have to let some people go. And, I, this was another another kind of pivotal moment for me as, as a business owner as a because I hadn’t had to do this ever before. Right? And I thought, okay, How how do I do this? How do we do this in a a humane way for our team? And so the first thing I did was I I told the team what was happening. I said, hey. Everyone was probably aware that we’ve been slow for a while. Here are our financials. Like, I actually show them the the full p and l. Right? Like, here’s what’s going on. Unfortunately, we’re we’re we’re gonna have to we started with a few furloughs, and I said, we’re gonna have to furlough some people if this doesn’t change in the next thirty days. Mhmm. And I was really reluctant to say that because I didn’t wanna scare people. Right? I didn’t want people to think, oh, shoot. I’m gonna lose my job. I better just bail right now and go look for something new. I was really worried that that would happen. I I certainly didn’t wanna lose any of our, like, our our best core team members. But I thought, you know, core value number one, I think the right thing to do is to tell people where we are and what might happen. And, and and sure enough, things did not turn around. And we did have to furlough some people and eventually let some people go. But not a single person was upset with me when they were furloughed or or let go. In fact, I had so many people on the team contact me and say, hey. I’ve never been at a company where they were this upfront and, like, told us what’s going on. Thank you. None of the core team members left, and, you know, it it sucked that we had to lose some people. But in the end, we were we were stronger for it, and, everyone just really appreciated that that openness. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. Yeah. And I I can think back to some of the great people I worked with who, you know, went through at our monthly meetings and talked about earnings before interest and taxes and, you know, revenues and, you know, really helps you I think it’s easy for somebody to just assume that this is a big company. They just make lots of money, and I just come show up eight to five, and everything’s gonna be great. And and in most cases, that’s not the case. Now the bigger the company, the less visibility you’ll have into that. But, you know, the smaller company, the more visibility you have into that. And I think that’s important. And, you know, a lot of times, you know, this this cycles to the economy. Things go up and those goes down, and people have you know? Most companies I’ve worked with, they’ve been layoffs over time. So it’s not it’s never pleasant, but it’s part of it’s part of the cyclic economy that, we’re we’re we’ve been through this this last last many decades. That said, I feel like we’ve left something out. Is there anything else you wanted to bring up before we wrap up and talk about I wanna talk about your podcast again. I wanna talk about the expo again. But, what are the things as far as, you know, people? And that that really it’s people and culture that are the most important things in in our industry today. Do you wanna Yeah. Can you expand on that at at all? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. Yeah. There are a couple of specific, topics or or principles that I’ve noticed, a pattern over the years with with engineers, when it comes to their nontechnical skills, right, their communication skills. One is that engineers generally don’t love asking for help. And it’s not because they’re prideful. It’s because as technical professionals, what we love doing is solving problems. Shawn Tierney (Host): Mhmm. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): So it’s fun for us to sit and, like, work through a problem and just, you know, spend whatever time we need to solving that problem. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work so well on the commercial side of things. Right? So a skill that I try to cultivate here at Pipeline and with engineering groups that I I I speak at is, the skill of asking for help early. There there’s a a non engineering example I have. I have engineering examples as well, but, I don’t wanna throw anyone under the bus. So I’ll share a non engineering example. My team and myself, we were at a a large trade show a couple years ago, And, I had recently purchased a, a Rivian R1T truck, and I I love the Rivian. I won’t I’m not afraid to admit it. I’m a fanboy. I love the company. I love the product. I love everything about it. But it was my first EV. And, I I wasn’t super familiar with it yet. So here we are at, the hotel in the morning getting ready to leave to go to the trade show, and I could not get the charger out of the port. We’re, you know, we didn’t wanna pull too hard, of course. Yeah. And, you know, we’re engineers who are like, okay. There’s a latch in there and the mechanism’s not disengaging. How do we get it off? And, I mean, we we were starting to get to the point where, like, we’re getting flashlights and tools out. We’re about to take things apart. Right? And we probably spent, like, ten minutes trying to figure this out and and didn’t figure it out. And when I saw the toolbox come out and I was like, alright. Hold hold on, guys. Let’s let’s not do that. We just called Rivian support and we said, this is what’s happening. How do we get it out? And in five seconds, they told us how to get that charge charger out of the port. It was so simple. It was just something that I had neglected to do because I wasn’t super familiar with it. But the point is spend some time trying to figure it out on your own. Build that muscle because that is important, but don’t spend an obscene amount of time trying to figure it out yourself. Ask someone who knows how to do it. Try for whatever a reasonable period of time is, and that depends on the scope of the task. Right? Might be thirty minutes. It might be a few hours. May might be a few days, but but ask for help soon. It’s it’s okay to do that. And it it will be so much better for you and your business if you can learn to do that. Another one of these soft skills is apologizing when you’re wrong. You know, we all make mistakes. It’s understandable. It’s expected. We’re human. We make mistakes. That’s fine. Just apologize when you’ve made a mistake. Another non engineering example of this long time ago, probably twenty years ago, I was driving down the road, came to a stoplight, and it was turning red. And so I I, I I changed lanes probably kind of abruptly. I can’t remember why I didn’t change lanes, but I did. And then I stopped at the light. And all of a sudden, I see this motorcyclist come up on the side of me. And he’s yelling and he’s gesticulating and and I realize he’s he’s looking at me. Right? He’s this big dude tattooed up, like, not the kind of guy I would wanna mess with. I’m not a a big guy myself. I was like, oh, crap. What have I done? And I rolled my window down. He said, you cut me off. You almost, you know, side swiped me out of my motorcycle. You could have caused an accident here. And I realized that he was right. I I I didn’t, like, check before, not well enough. And I just said first thing I said was, I’m so sorry. You’re totally right. It’s my fault. I’m in the bad. Are are you okay? And it was amazing how this guy went from a level 10 of of anger and fury down to zero just like that. He said, I’m okay. Don’t worry about it. And that was it. Right? A simple apology. These things, they seem small, but the soft skills, they matter so so much. The last one I wanna talk about is being a a principle that that, I teach here at Pipeline called being respectfully aggressive. Now time is a big deal in our industry. We need to get things done fast. And it seems like the the the more the years march by, the the faster, our customers’ expectations are that that we can get things done. And this partially goes back to asking for help. Right? There there there’s a way to ask for things to be done more quickly and a way to to not I’m gonna go back to Rivian here, my my fanboy. So they have, mobile servicing that they’ll do for your vehicle if something’s wrong. There was something wrong with my vehicle, and I called up and said, hey. I’d love for your mobile, servicing to come out. And they said, great. We’re about a month out right now. I was like, ugh, a month. I don’t It wasn’t a critical item, so I said, okay. Fine. I’ll I’ll wait for a month. But then I thought, you know, I’d really love to get this taken care of sooner than a month. And I I called them back the next day, and I said, hey. I’m scheduled for a month from now, but is there any way we could do it, like, next week? And I was super nice about this. Right? Respectfully aggressive. And, they said, you know what? Not the mobile, but I think we might be able to get you in, like, in the shop if if you could do that. I said, that’s not ideal, but sure. I’ll do that so I can get in earlier. And, then I thought, you know, we scheduled it for, like, the the following Thursday or something. They said, next Thursday is a lot better than a a month from now, but, yeah, I sure would like to get it taken care of even earlier than that. So I I I think this time I may have texted them or something. I was like, hey. I’m scheduled for next Thursday. There’s probably no way you can do this, and I totally understand. You’ve got, you know, plenty of customers that you’re supporting. Is there any way that I could maybe get in Monday instead? And they said, you know what? We’re not sure if we can get you in Monday, but give us a few hours to look into it, and and we’ll get back to you. So this was on a, a, a Thursday that I had sent this last message. The next morning, Friday, a mobile tech shows up at my house. And he says, we had a cancellation. We saw your notes, and I’m here. So it went from a month out to next Thursday to requesting next Monday to the very next day, Friday. And so this this principle of re being respectfully aggressive, it can dramatically move the needle in your projects. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had vendors say, it’s gonna take us three weeks to get this part to you. And I’ll be like, guys, respectfully aggressive. Call them up. Be nice about it, but let them know what we want, what we need, and and ask them not can this be done, but how can we get this part by, you know, two days from now or or or whatever it is. And it it has moved mountains, that principle being respectfully aggressive. So those are a few of the common themes that I’ve seen when it comes to, like, the soft skills of engineering and and people development. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. You know, and I I would add to that too. A lot of times, it’s it’s so easy to assume the other person knows your state of mind or knows your urgency, but that’s not always true. And I’ve I’ve I know in just in my history of people upset they needed a PLC quickly, but when they called and they said, do you have that PLC? It’s like, no. They’re back ordered for a month. They just said, oh, okay. And they hung up, and then they get all mad with their with their staff. And it was like, woah. If you told me this is emergency, I mean, there’s several different things we can do. If you just want a plain Jane one off the shelf, you don’t wanna pay any special shipping or yeah. Then, yeah, they’re backed up a month. But if you have an emergency, let’s say you have to you have to bill it this week or you have to install it this weekend or, you know, you’re in a down situation. There’s like, look. You have to tell us if you’re down. If you’re down, we do anything. We’ll take it out of our out of the showroom. We’ll we’ll go to another customer who has spears and buy one back. I mean, don’t assume that the the person you talked to knows again, maybe they just get off the phone with a a family member. Maybe there’s some hardship going on in the family. Maybe somebody got hurt. Maybe somebody’s in an accident. Don’t assume that they’re a 100% dialed in. You know, if you have an urgent need, you know, be respectful like you said, but be aggressive too. Don’t settle for no right away. And, and and, you know, sometimes, no matter how how forceful you are, it doesn’t change it doesn’t change the situation. But, in any case, I agree with that. The you know, another thing too is, asking for help and then sharing sharing what you learn. Right? I think these are very important things. So I used to love going to the factory, talking to the product managers, and then coming back and sharing that with the engineers, saying, oh, there’s this new thing you could do here. You like, you’re Arabian. You may not this isn’t obvious, but you’re gonna love it because it’s gonna save you tons of time. So you go here, you do this, and then look at what that gives you. Right? And so you can always have insight into why the software is designed a certain way. But if you know of a trick or a feature or something that you can do to to make lives easier, then share it. And I know there were so many cultures that I got the experience where sharing information you know, The people always thought that I can’t share any of my secrets because when it comes time for the layoffs, you know, I gotta be show that I have value and that I know things other people don’t. And, you know, god bless you if that’s what you think, but that’s not I’ve never been that way. Share everything. Save people pain. Save people agony. Help them be more efficient. You know? Be be a true team member. Nobody wants a ball hog. I played basketball as a kid. Nobody wants a ball hog. They want people who are gonna pass it to whoever’s open. Right? That’s right. Absolutely. Attitude. But, also, you know, I have this, issue with my car. I have a I’m a Dodge Charger owner, and the damper wasn’t closing. So in the summer, it’s only 95 here in the summer, not a hundred hundred and ten. But in any case, the dampers weren’t closing, and it’s been this way for a while. And I’m like, ugh. I don’t wanna take apart all the different now I’m thinking that one of the the the the ducks is stuck and there’s maybe some leaves or something in there. And I’m like, this is gonna be nightmarish. You know, should I get one of those telescock telescoping, cameras to go through all the ducks if I could find it? And so I was really just dreading it. And then I said, I’m gonna research this. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Right? Maybe it’s in in in this in researching, I found it was a $30 part. It was actually a humidity sensor that’s mounted right on the side of my my mirror on my dashboard that stops that from closing. And I’m like, really? In literally ten minutes, I had it off and back on, And now I have cool air conditioning again. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Beautiful. Shawn Tierney (Host): And it’s like, if I hadn’t if I hadn’t I just imagine I could dismantle all the ducks, taking apart the dashboard. I could have done so many things. You know, wasted so much time just to find out, you know, just with the you know, hey. I and then a lot of times, you don’t have luck when you search on these things. You don’t find the answer you’re looking for. I know it’s frustrating, but, you know, if you know somebody, you can call them and ask them. I think that’s when humans are best is when we’re working with each other, helping each other, and and also educating each other on these type of things. So just a couple stories to add to what you are talking about. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): I love it. Thank you for adding, though, Shawn. Yeah. Shawn Tierney (Host): Now I wanna make sure as we come to the end of the show, I do wanna make sure we cover, the expo again. So let’s go through that, and then we’ll talk a little bit about your podcast before we close out. So, give us all the details again. If somebody just tuned in or maybe didn’t have a pen when we talked about it earlier, now they’re they’re ready to text themselves, so they got a pen to write this down on. Tell us the details about the expo one more time. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Yeah. The the innovative format that we’re doing here is, again, you’re not showing up and just getting a a brochure or, a flyer from a vendor. You’re receiving meaningful training on technical topics. Right? So I talked a little bit about there’s like FEA and, PCB design and programming robots and motion control, linear motors, GD and T, all these different things. We we have we have, I think, 35 instructors, and some of these instructors are actually teaching two topics. So there are, call it, I don’t know, 35 plus, maybe 40 ish different, training topics that you can sign up for. There’s a event website. And once you register for the event, you have access to the event website where you can see all of the different training sessions. You can see the training sessions even before you register, of course, but you can see the time slots where all those different training sessions are scheduled. You sign up for as many as you want. Conceivably, you could do up to a dozen. It’s a two day event, six hours per day, and each of these training sessions is thirty to sixty minutes. So it’s kind of a crash course. Some of them are are more basic one zero one type courses. Others are more advanced, you know, graduate level, call it, courses for the, academic analogy. And and and that’s it. So, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, October, that’s a Tuesday and a Wednesday, show up, and and we’re gonna have a good time in person. It’s all about learning and education, connecting with other like minded engineers. The focus is really on on really truly practical information and knowledge that that you can go back to work and start using right away and sharing with with your team members. Many of the, exhibitors are are gonna be giving away, tools or materials that you can take back and and share with your team so that you’re not the only one who benefits from this training. Shawn Tierney (Host): Yeah. And so, give us the website again. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Pdexpo.engineer. So pdexp0.engineer. Shawn Tierney (Host): And, guys, I will try to get that in the show notes. So wherever you’re watching or listening, whether it be YouTube or Spotify, iTunes, the automation blog, you’ll have access to those links so you don’t have to write all that down. But I did want you to go through it. A lot of people do listen or they’re walking the dog or mowing the grass or whatever. And so I wanted to make sure we gave that out. Very easy to remember, folks. But please check that out. So valuable training. I think you said it was, $2.95. It’s very difficult to find at that price point. And check out the website and see if there’s something either for yourself or maybe for one of your junior people that would make sense, especially if you’re in driving distance. But even for that price, it’s, and, typically, the hotels in that area are fairly reasonable because of where it’s located. It sound like you’re, you know, New York City. Right? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Or Right. Shawn Tierney (Host): You know, downtown. Right? So in any case, check it out and, let if you do attend or you have somebody attend, let us know. We want your feedback. I know we got a several weeks here before it actually takes, takes off, but I will remember that we had this podcast. So please feel free to come back to the show on any platform and leave your comments. Let me know what you think. And, you know, if I was in the area, I’d definitely be checking it out. With that said, let’s talk a little bit about your podcast before we end here. So you you mentioned it earlier. What is it’s an engineering podcast. So tell us a little bit about what is the podcast, what’s it called, what do you cover, and where can people tune in? Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): It’s called being an engineer, and you can find it on all the major podcast platforms, Apple, Spotify, etcetera, etcetera. And this this whole thing started, over five years ago. So we’re in season six right now. We have over 300 episodes that are out there. We release a new episode every week, and we just interview engineers, largely senior level engineers, but sometimes we’ll have newer engineers in there as well. And we ask them about how they do their work. You know, what are some pro tips, some insights that you can share with us to help us work better, to help us become better at, this this profession of engineering. And, there’s some some really cool episodes out there. There’s, we have the the founder of SolidWorks, John Hirschdick. He was a guest. We had, the, the flight director for the Mars Curiosity Mission, David Oh, from, JPL, the Jet Propulsion Lab. He had some really cool stories about, you know, being the first person to see this, rover land on on Mars and living on Martian time for, like, six weeks as as the, rocket flew up there. Yeah. So, anyway, lots of episodes out there. We don’t we don’t get super technical. Occasionally, we will go into a a technical topic and talk about it a little bit, but it’s it’s it’s more along the lines of, how do you do your work and and what are some pro tips that you can share with the rest of us. Shawn Tierney (Host): That’s awesome. That’s great. So, guys, check that out. I know I only do a podcast. We we don’t we don’t do one every day of the week. So, I love having other podcasters on to talk about what they have because I know most of us have 10 commutes per week we need to fill up with a podcast or 10 you know, five days or seven days a week we had to walk the dog or whatever you do when you do your podcast. But in any case, Aaron, I wanna thank you so much for coming on, and I wanna wish you a lot of, success with the event. And I would love to have you back on in the future to talk about, you know, what you’ve learned over the coming months and what happened at the event and also, talk more about your podcast and maybe start go over some of your favorite episodes with other different engineers. But for now, I think we’re gonna wrap it up. I’m looking at the time. Aaron, thank you again for coming on the automation podcast. Aaron Moncur (Pipeline): Thank you so much, Shawn. I appreciate you having me on. Shawn Tierney (Host): Well, I hope you guys enjoyed our conversation. I know I enjoyed talking to Aaron about all those different topics. And I also wanna thank Pipeline for sponsoring this episode so we could release it to you completely ad free. Thank you, Pipeline. We really appreciate your support. Also, don’t forget there’s a $50 off coupon on your screen now. If you wanna go to the PDXpo, check it out. You don’t find many, two day training sessions that cost just $295. Also, don’t forget to check out Aaron’s podcast and tell him we sent you. He has a lot of great guests that have been on. He has over 300 episodes. And, it may be something you guys enjoy watching or listening to. And with that, I just wanna thank you guys again for tuning in. I wanna wish you all good health and happiness. And until next time, my friends, peace. Until next time, Peace ✌️  If you enjoyed this content, please give it a Like, and consider Sharing a link to it as that is the best way for us to grow our audience, which in turn allows us to produce more content

Send us a textIn this episode, Camden Shuman discusses his experiences as a co-op student at Siemens Healthineers, where he has gained valuable hands-on experience in mechanical design work. He also shares insights about his entrepreneurial venture, "The Engineering Way" newsletter, which aims to help engineering students and professionals develop their soft skills and network.Main Topics:Engineering education and the challenges of transitioning from high school to collegeThe difference between internships and co-ops, and the benefits of gaining real-world experienceCamden's work at Siemens Healthineers, including his projects in mechanical design and use of CAD softwareThe creation and growth of "The Engineering Way" newsletter, including marketing strategies and the importance of providing value to the communityTime management techniques, such as using calendars, lists, and the concept of "building a second brain"Advice for engineering students interested in entrepreneurship and building their professional networkAbout the guest: Camden Shuman is a senior in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Camden has gained real world engineering experience through his co-op at Siemens Healthineers, working on pioneering molecular imaging technologies. He is also the founder of “The Engineering Way,” a newsletter dedicated to providing valuable tips and advice to engineering students and professionals. Camden's achievements include winning third place in the Vol Court pitch competition and contributing to innovative projects in medical technology and drone applications.Links:Camden Shuman - LinkedInThe Engineering WayClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textJake shares his engineering journey, insights into technical interviews, and strategies for young engineers to succeed in the hardware industry. He discusses his experiences at companies like Tesla and Relativity Space and how he created Hardware is Hard to help mechanical engineers land top-tier jobs.Main Topics:Importance of internships in engineering career developmentTechnical interview preparation strategiesEmerging trends in hardware engineering (AR/VR, robotics, US manufacturing)Balancing productivity and personal growthBuilding engineering resources for students and early-career professionalsAbout the guest: Jake Whinnery is a mechanical engineer and hardware leader at Apple, driving innovation and empowering fellow engineers. A UC Berkeley graduate (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, minor in EECS, 2023), he has contributed to cutting-edge hardware at Tesla, Meta, Relativity Space, and NASA Ames. In 2022, he co-founded Hardware Is Hard with Wilder Buchanan, a platform supporting 13,000+ engineers with tools like interview guides and technical resources. At Apple since August 2023, Jake works on camera hardware, integrating optics, design, and manufacturing. His blend of technical excellence and community leadership makes him a rising force in hardware engineering.LINKS:Jake Whinnery LinkedInJackson Wilder Buchanan LinkedInHardware Is Hard Website Aaron Moncur, host Click here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textSign up for a free account at https://www.thewave.engineer/ Then, access your 50% discount code for PDX 2025 here: https://www.thewave.engineer/product-development-expo/dfm-days/  About Being An Engineer The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Send us a textJoshua Tarbutton shares his journey from military service to engineering entrepreneurship, discussing how military discipline and leadership principles can transform engineering culture and workplace dynamics.Main Topics:Military influence on engineering leadershipRestoring dignity in engineering workplacesCreating psychological safety for engineersScaling a design and fabrication companyNavigating business challenges during COVID-19About the guest: Joshua Tarbutton, a former U.S. Army Reserve Platoon Sergeant, transitioned from military leadership to academia, earning a PhD from Clemson and teaching engineering for nine years before founding Bravo Team in 2018. His goal: to combine technical expertise with strategic leadership and restore dignity to the engineering profession.Bravo Team is a full-service product development firm that supports clients from idea to production, partnering with top-tier companies such as Siemens and Stanley Black & Decker. Known for rapid iteration and a maker-friendly culture, the company has grown quickly, ranking #2 on Charlotte's Fast 50 and #489 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list with 904% growth.Still veteran-owned and transitioning toward employee ownership, Bravo Team is recognized for innovations such as the Bravo Walk dog collar and its production of medical shields during the COVID-19 era. Joshua promotes community and team growth through events, EOS, and mentoring. He's a licensed professional engineer and certified ScrumMaster.Links:Joshua Tarbutton LinkedInBravo Team WebsiteAaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textIn today's episode, Paul will explore how he scales hardware teams, builds for manufacturability, navigates supply chain complexity, mentors engineers, and embraces community‑driven innovation. Get ready for insights on leadership, prototyping, and bringing hardware to life from idea to market.Main Topics:Proteus Motion's V1 and V2 machine developmentEngineering career progressionHardware product design and manufacturingConsulting and entrepreneurshipNew York Hardware Meetup community buildingAbout the guest: Paul Vizzio is a seasoned mechanical engineer and hardware leader with a diverse background spanning consumer electronics, cleantech, and defense. Starting as a product management intern at SolidWorks, he later managed undersea vehicle projects at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. As the first mechanical engineer at goTenna, he developed both consumer and military-spec products from concept to production in under a year.In 2017, he founded Vizeng, providing end-to-end mechanical and supply-chain consulting to NYC hardware startups. He also led product development for RoadPower's regenerative road systems.Since 2019, Paul has led hardware efforts at Proteus Motion, overseeing team growth, R&D, and supply chain. His work includes redesigning the V1 system and launching the V2 within a year—contributing to Proteus's adoption by 400+ pro sports teams and clinics. He also co-organizes the NY Hardware Meetup and founded the D2C pet brand RemieDog, reflecting his passion for innovation and community-building.Links:Paul Vizzio - LinkedInVizeng WebsiteAaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

NVIDIA hits a $4 trillion market cap, new Portland startups to watch, Pitch Black tickets, apply to Bend Venture Conference, attend a bunch of PDX startup events, and more in Oregon startup news, this week.OREGON STARTUP LINKS- Oregon startup folks https://sflo.me/oregonstartupfolks- Submit your profile https://sflo.me/oregonstartups-add- Pitch Black Showcase 2025 tickets https://www.pitchblack.org/pitch-black-showcase- Apply to BVC https://bendvc.com/apply- How to connect to the startup community https://siliconflorist.com/2025/07/08/how-to-connect-with-the-startup-community/- Portland startup events https://lu.ma/PortlandStartupEvents- Portland tech events https://calagator.orgOREGON STARTUP STORIES00:00 Oregon startup news intro00:55 Oregon startup community profile03:04 NVIDIA $4 trillion market cap and…04:52 Portland startups to watch08:26 Pitch Black Showcase tickets on sale09:33 Bend Venture Conference 2025 applications are open11:45 If you've been laid off, here's how to connect with startups13:18 Upcoming Portland startup events14:55 Most Portland-y vibe coding event18:03 SecretsFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Portland startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Portland startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457- The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#nvidia #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Send us a textSign up for a free account at https://www.thewave.engineer/ Then, access your 50% discount code for PDX 2025 here: https://www.thewave.engineer/product-development-expo/dfm-days/  About Being An Engineer The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Send us a textStephen W. Hinch is a distinguished voice in the world of innovation and high-tech management. With decades of experience across R&D, marketing, and executive leadership, Steve has led at the highest levels of industry giants like Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. He also served as President and CEO of TeamLogic IT in the San Francisco Bay Area, applying innovation strategies to the dynamic world of IT support for small and medium-sized businesses.An engineer by training, Steve holds degrees from Harvey Mudd College and Claremont Graduate University. His work has left a tangible impact on the electronics industry—he was instrumental in advancing surface mount technology and fiber optic standards, earning accolades such as the IPC President's Award. His insights have shaped not just internal company strategies, but also industry-wide standards and practices.Steve is also a prolific author. In addition to technical works and guidebooks, his 2025 title Winning Through Innovation offers a no-nonsense, case-driven framework for making innovation a practical, team-oriented endeavor. The book draws directly from his management experiences and includes hard-earned lessons from both triumphs and setbacks.What sets Steve apart is his ability to bridge the worlds of theory and practice. Whether he's rescuing an HP product line from obsolescence or guiding leaders through the traps of the corporate business model, he teaches how to institutionalize innovation across all levels of an organization.Today, Steve serves as a consultant, helping senior leaders navigate the complexities of innovation in a fast-changing digital world.LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinch/https://www.stephen-w-hinch.com/ Aaron Moncur, hostClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

What if a mouse could help shape the future of cancer treatment? In this episode of Sounds of Science, host Mary Parker speaks with Julia Schüler, DVM, PhD, Research Director and Therapeutic Area Lead for Oncology at Charles River. Julia shares how patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models—often described as “avatars” of human tumors—are transforming preclinical oncology research. From preserving tumor heterogeneity to improving translational relevance, PDX models are accelerating the discovery of more effective, personalized therapies. Tune in as we explore how these advanced models are driving innovation across the drug development pipeline—from target discovery to clinical trial design.Show NotesPDX Tumor Organoids : A New Tool in Drug Discovery Testing Realm Organoids: Some Assembly Required Patient-Derived Xenografts- PDX Models 3D Tumor Models In Vitro PDX Assays 

Send us a textIn this episode of the Being an Engineer podcast, host Aaron Moncur interviews Katie Karmelek, a mechanical engineer and co-founder of Chamfr. Katie shares her journey from engineering to entrepreneurship, discussing her passion for medical device innovation and how Chamfr is revolutionizing component sourcing for medical device engineers.Main Topics:Katie's engineering background and family influencesThe founding of Chamfr and its mission to accelerate medical device developmentChallenges of creating an online marketplace for medical componentsPersonal experiences that highlight the importance of medical device innovationAdvice for young engineers and entrepreneursAbout the guest: Katie Karmelek is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. She is the co-founder of Chamfr, an online marketplace that simplifies sourcing components and tools for medical device development by connecting engineers with qualified suppliers.Before launching Chamfr in 2017, Katie held roles in product development and business management at companies like Olympus, Vention Medical, and TDC Medical. She also founded Karmelek Engineering, Inc., applying her technical expertise to further innovation in the field.Katie holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. She is committed to mentoring young engineers and frequently shares insights on materials and design trends through the Chamfr blog.Links:Katie Karmelek LinkedInChamfr - Website Click here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textSign up for a free account at https://www.thewave.engineer/ Then, access your 50% discount code for PDX 2025 here: https://www.thewave.engineer/product-development-expo/dfm-days/  About Being An Engineer The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Send us a textIn this episode, Andy Thompson discussed his journey from machinist to expert in GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing). He highlighted the importance of understanding GD&T for effective design, manufacturing, and quality control. Thompson shared examples of how GD&T improved manufacturing processes, such as aerospace parts and defense contracts. He emphasized the need for early identification of manufacturing processes and the benefits of collaborative design. Thompson also discussed the value of networking and continuous learning in the engineering field, advocating for more engagement and communication within the engineering community.Main Topics:Transition from machinist to engineering professionalFundamentals of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)Practical applications of GD&T in manufacturingCollaborative design processesImportance of communication in engineeringAbout the guest: Andy Thompson, P.E., is a seasoned mechanical and manufacturing engineer with over 20 years of experience, beginning as a CNC operator and advancing to manager of structural engineering at Northrop Grumman. He is an expert in GD&T, holding ASME Y14.5 Senior Level certification, and emphasizes design for manufacturability, assembly, and inspection. Andy is also an active mentor and contributor to the engineering community, combining hands-on expertise with strategic leadership to drive innovation and quality across the field.Links:Andy Thompson LinkedInClick here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textDr. James Bryant shares his transformative approach to helping engineers achieve professional excellence without sacrificing personal fulfillment. He discusses his unique methodology for balancing work and home life, developing leadership skills, and creating meaningful success.Main Topics:Transitioning from engineering to coachingThe "Engineer Your Success" methodologyDeveloping emotional intelligenceStrategic time managementLeadership skills for technical professionalsIdentifying and living core personal valuesAbout the guest: Dr. James Bryant, Ph.D., P.E., is a seasoned civil engineer and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience managing major transportation projects and contributing to national technical committees. Formerly with the Transportation Research Board, he provided executive oversight for more than 22 volunteer committees. Now the founder of Engineer Your Success LLC, James helps engineers and business owners align professional goals with personal well-being. A certified John Maxwell speaker and Master Certified Professional Coach, he emphasizes achieving success without sacrificing fulfillment. His free resource, "The Engineer's Blueprint for a Balanced Life," offers practical guidance for work-life harmony. James also hosts the Engineer Your Success podcast, where he shares leadership insights and interviews industry experts. His coaching and speaking engagements are known for their engaging, value-driven approach to achieving sustainable success in both career and life. LINKS:Dr. James Bryant - LinkedInEngineer Your Success LLC Website Click here to learn more about simulation solutions from Simutech Group.

Send us a textIn this episode, Aaron Moncur interviews Mihir Shah, an engineer-turned-entrepreneur who shares insights from his diverse career spanning Tesla, Inspect AR, and now Tomai Engineering. Mihir discusses his journey through engineering, startup growth, investment strategies, and the importance of first principles thinking.Main Topics:Engineering career pathFirst principles thinking in businessDesign for manufacturability (DFM)Startup and acquisition experiencesHardware FYI newsletterInvestment strategies with Shaw VenturesAbout the guest: Mihir Shah is an engineer and entrepreneur with a diverse background in hardware design, startup leadership, and industrial investment. He holds electrical engineering degrees from Santa Clara University and the University of Pennsylvania. His early work included roles at Tesla and Axon. In 2018, he co-founded inspectAR, an AR tool for PCB debugging, acquired by Cadence in 2020.He currently serves as President of TOMI Engineering, a CNC machining and assembly company serving the aerospace, defense, and medical industries, where he drives growth through investments in talent and technology. Mihir is also a Principal at Shah Capital Ventures, a family investment firm with holdings in industrial businesses like Summit Interconnect and Royal Circuits.Additionally, he co-founded Hardware FYI, a growing platform with over 12,000 subscribers that supports hardware engineers through resources like newsletters, job boards, and interview guides. His broad expertise makes him well-suited to speak on engineering leadership, startups, and the future of hardware.Links:Mihir Shah - LinkedInTOMI Engineering WebsiteHardware FYI Website 

In episode 213, host Galit Friedlander and guest, Gerran Reese (Beyoncé, Kaytranda, Dancing With the Stars, Nike, Monsters of Hip-Hop), deconstruct the topic of virality in the dance world, Gerran's journey from a young working dancer in PDX to becoming a sought-after teacher in LA/globally, and the deeper work of staying true to yourself in an industry that doesn't always make it easy. Follow Galit: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gogalit Website - https://www.gogalit.com/ On-Demand Workout Programs -https://galit-s-school-0397.thinkific.com/collections You can connect with Gerran Reese on Instagram. Listen to DanceSpeak on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Send us a textAaron Moncur sits down with Dean Odell, a distinguished mechanical engineering instructor and YouTube educator, to explore the fascinating world of Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T). Dean shares his journey from a welder to an engineering instructor, discusses the importance of GD&T in manufacturing, and reveals insights from his popular YouTube channel, dedicated to technical education.Main Topics:Origins and evolution of GD&TCommon misconceptions about geometric tolerancingPractical applications in engineering and manufacturingDean's approach to teaching technical conceptsThe importance of understanding design intentInspection techniques and measurement toolsAbout the guest: R. Dean Odell is a distinguished mechanical engineering educator and consultant, specializing in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) and Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) technologies. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and an A.A.S. from Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), where he currently teaches courses in GD&T, CAD, CMM, metallurgy, and robotics as an assistant professor.Dean is also a prominent online educator with over 32,000 YouTube subscribers, offering tutorials on GD&T, CMM operation, print reading, and metallurgy. Beyond academia, he conducts in-person training across the United States, particularly in GD&T and Zeiss CMM, known for his clear and hands-on teaching style. His work reflects a strong dedication to advancing precision manufacturing and engineering education.Links:Dean Odell - LinkedInWebsiteYouTube

Send us a textRon Higgs shares insights on transforming engineers into effective executive leaders, drawing from his extensive experience in military aviation, aerospace, and consulting. He discusses the critical skills engineers need to advance into leadership roles, emphasizing people skills, systems thinking, and continuous improvement.Main Topics:Journey from Naval Flight Officer to Executive CoachDeveloping People Skills in Technical ProfessionsSystems Thinking in LeadershipOvercoming Communication and Leadership ChallengesStrategies for Engineers Transitioning to Leadership RolesAbout the guest: Ron Higgs is an experienced executive coach and operational strategist with a strong background in both military and corporate leadership. A U.S. Naval Academy and Naval Postgraduate School graduate, he began his career as a Naval Flight Officer, developing key leadership skills in adaptability and mission execution. With over 20 years in engineering and operations roles at companies like Boeing and L3 Technologies, Ron has successfully led initiatives that enhanced performance and increased company valuations.He now leads Wolf Management Solutions and serves as a Scale Architect using the Predictable Success model, helping technical leaders grow into visionary executives. Ron also acts as a Fractional COO and board member, emphasizing emotional intelligence, systems thinking, and sustainable team development. His human-centered approach to leadership is rooted in the belief that great leaders are made and that engineers have the potential to become exceptional leaders.Links:Ron Higgs LinkedInWolf Management Solutions Website 

Send us a textJohn Martell is a multifaceted mechanical engineer whose career bridges the worlds of aerospace, product development, and geospatial drone services. With over 14 years of industry experience, John has worn many hats—from designing guided-parafoil airdrop systems and reverse-engineering medical devices to leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams on complex automation and packaging systems. He currently serves as the Director of Data Management at Aero Velocity, where he combines his technical acumen with data tools like QGIS, Python, and LP360 to manage large-scale geospatial projects.Prior to his current role, John was a Lead Mechanical Engineer at Workhorse Aero, where he contributed significantly to drone and aerospace innovations. Earlier in his career, he spent several years at Pipeline Design & Engineering, where his talent for building repeatable test fixtures and automation for medical device applications set new benchmarks in performance and reliability. His work there earned him a reputation as one of the company's best engineers—a sentiment echoed by Pipeline's leadership.What sets John apart isn't just his technical expertise but also his passion for creative problem-solving and his continuous drive to learn. He's a tinkerer at heart with a flair for optimization, whether it's improving internal engineering processes through custom macros or exploring new technologies in CAD and product testing. He's also the musical mind behind the intro and outro of the Being an Engineer podcast, creating music under the name “Olivund.”With his unique combination of technical depth, leadership, and artistic creativity, John Martell exemplifies what it means to be a modern, versatile engineer.LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-martell/https://507movements.com/ Aaron Moncur, host

In this special edition of the Haute Garbage Podcast, Drew sits down 1-on-1 with the newly minted CHAMPION of the Harry Mack Anomaly Cypher freestyle competition, A'Revolution! A'Rev is a renaissance woman: poet, performer, cybersecurity guru, MC, and founder of Sypher Saturdays (the premiere gathering of DJs and Freestylers here in PDX—and, yeah, she knows how it's spelled!). We talk about sharing the stage with a freestyle legend, the evolution of her artistic life, and what it means to go off the top and drop bars.