Episodes | Industrial Talk

Paula Courtney with The Verde Group

Industrial Talk is talking to Paula Courtney, President and CEO of The Verde Group about “Eliminating Strategic Blind Spots”.

Scott Mackenzie hosts Paula Courtney from the Verde Group on the Industrial Talk Podcast to discuss customer experience insights and their role in growing and protecting revenue. Paula emphasizes the importance of understanding customer pain points and avoiding vanity metrics like “how much do you love us” surveys. The Verde Group uses AI to analyze unstructured data quickly, helping clients like a large retailer gain $350 million in revenue. Paula highlights the need for effective change management and continuous monitoring to address customer issues and improve business performance. She also discusses the challenges of incentivizing customer participation in surveys and the impact of AI on market research.

Dilraj Kahai and Eric Shufelt with 21Tech

Industrial Talk is onsite at Hexagon LIVE and talking to Dilraj Kahai and Eric Shufelt with 21Tech about “Data is gold and key to success”.

Scott Mackenzie hosts an industrial podcast featuring Dilraj and Eric from 21 Tech, discussing asset management and AI solutions. They highlight the challenges of integrating AI into asset management due to incomplete and dirty data. 21 Tech’s approach involves developing AI point solutions to automate processes and clean data incrementally, making it more manageable for clients. They focus on public sector industries like transit, utilities, and public works, offering pre-built solutions to expand market reach. Eric Shufelt emphasizes the importance of understanding client needs and processes to ensure successful implementations and continuous improvement of systems.

Joe Anderson with ReliabilityX

Industrial Talk is onsite at Xcelerate 2025 and talking to Joe Anderson, Chief Operating Officer at ReliabilityX about “Reliability is all about the people”.

At the Xcelerate 2024 conference in Austin, Texas, Scott Mackenzie and Joe Anderson discussed the importance of empathy and human connection in leadership. Joe, co-founder and COO of Reliability X, emphasized the need for leaders to treat employees with respect and invest in their development. He highlighted the challenges of organizational instability and the necessity of designating a champion for sustainable success. Joe shared a case where a successful pilot line was disrupted due to lack of investment in people. They also touched on the skilled trade shortage, the need for better PR in promoting trades, and the impact of educational systems on career choices.

James Soto with Industrial Strength Marketing

Industrial Talk is talking to James Soto, CEO at Industrial Strength Marketing about “Manufacturing resources for manufacturing success”.

Scott Mackenzie hosts James Soto on the Industrial Talk Podcast to discuss the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Soto highlights the MEP’s role in supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers through resources like Lean Six Sigma and addressing skilled labor gaps. He emphasizes the MEP’s importance in reshoring and nearshoring efforts and its collaboration with universities and advanced manufacturing institutes. Soto notes funding challenges and the need for continued support to maintain the MEP’s impact. He advocates for manufacturers to engage with the MEP for efficiency, funding, and innovation, stressing the network’s irreplaceable value.

Maura Nespoli with Prysmian

Industrial Talk is onsite at DistribuTech 2025 and talking to Maura Nespoli, Vice President at Prysmian about “Cabling solution for energy transition”.

Scott Mackenzie interviews Maura Nespoli, VP of Sales and Renewable and Sustainable Solutions at Prysmian, a leading cable industry company. Maura discusses Prisma’s role in the energy transition, focusing on solar and wind farm solutions. She highlights the company’s innovative technologies, such as the eatery X technology, which can reduce energy losses by 30% and CO2 emissions by 25%. Maura emphasizes the importance of digitalization in data centers and the need for sustainable practices in cable manufacturing. She also notes the significant demand for cables in the US, particularly in the data center market, and the challenges of meeting this demand while maintaining efficiency and sustainability.

The world is changing fast! Industrial businesses are juggling every facet of business maintenance and growth, ranging from technological/digital media adaptations to cash flow management and operational efficiency challenges. How do industrial business leaders stay current while managing growth and casting vision for the future? The answers could be found in a learning environment, but never before has there been a place for continuing education in the industrial business arena. UNTIL NOW…

The INDUSTRIAL ACADEMY IS HERE. Finally there is a clearinghouse for all things industrial to assist the business leader. Course offerings provide up-to-date applicable information in business development, technology, finance, operations and leadership presented in an engaging, movement-oriented manner by those in the know. These professionals don’t just talk the talk. They walk the walk with purpose and passion for building not just the industrial business but also the people who make things happen.

The Industrial Talk Podcast family looks forward to learning and growing with you!

When I was in elementary school, our teacher would show us films of industrial professionals making our lives better. For me, these films instilled the passion for industry.

Today, industry has come along way from when I was a boy. It is innovative and focused on solving problems. In short, it’s really cool and exciting.

We need to teach children, around the world, and bring back the “Cool” and “Exciting” and why industry is a wonderful profession. That means we need industrial professionals to re-instill this industrial passion.

This is the Purpose of Industrial Pop. It is an online learning management platform (LMP) dedicated to educating our youth in the ever expanding and innovative world of industry. We also provide this LMP for our teachers to share with their class.

These are very exciting times for industry and we must begin educating our future and it starts with you. If you are interested, please contact me at: https://industrialtalk.com/contact/ and just let me know that you are interested in positively impacting our future industry leaders.