Clocking In Podcast

Dr. Michael Walden

Dr. Walden is a retired William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and extension economist at North Carolina State University and a member of the graduate economics faculty with The Poole College of Management. His Ph.D. degree is from Cornell University and he has been at N.C. State since 1978. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Duke University. View Show Notes.

Service Thread

According to a recent Gartner study of employees from across the U.S., only 13 percent of employees are largely satisfied with their work experiences. Additionally, nearly half (46 percent of employees) are largely dissatisfied with their work experiences. With the current labor crisis, many organizations are scrambling to find ways to appeal to the modern American workforce. On this episode of “Clocking In”, we speak with a manufacturer who invests in their employees and attracts talent in an unconventional way. View Show Notes.

Elastic Therapy, Inc.

It may come as no surprise that a state with a rich textile history also has deep roots in the hosiery industry. According to IBIS World, North Carolina leads the nation in the state with the most hosiery manufacturing mills with 64 mills as of 2021. On this episode of Clocking In, we’re sitting down with a hosiery manufacturer in Randolph county that is paving the way in compression wear. View Show Notes.

NC State University Wilson College of Textiles

What does the healthcare, fashion, defense and advanced material industry have in common? They all utilize textiles as a way to invent. Long gone are the days where the word “textile” exclusively refers to woven fabric. Heart valves, cells and organs and vein grafts are now being created with the use of textiles. Institutions like the NC State University Wilson College of Textiles use cutting-edge technologies to discover innovative uses for textiles. View Show Notes.

North Carolina A&T State University

Industrial engineers are professional problem solvers. Their role in manufacturing is to find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. In this episode of Clocking In, we sit down with a North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership partner working to connect promising industrial engineering students with NC manufacturers. View Show Notes.

Tropical Foods

Family businesses are great. They can help transfer family values, grow leaders, strengthen inter-generational bonds and they’re also a large part of the American economy. According to the Family Business Alliance, family enterprises employ 63% of the U.S. workforce. In addition, 75% of all new jobs are generated by family businesses. In this episode of Clocking In, we’re highlighting a second-generation family business that shows no signs of slowing down. View Show Notes.

Custom Contract Furnishings

According to AARP, the leisure and hospitality industry was the hardest hit by the pandemic. Our guest, whose business has been focused on supplying a booming hospitality industry, saw three months’ worth of orders dry up—virtually—overnight in March 2020. In this episode, we speak with a leader from Custom Contract Furnishings about how they discovered how to utilize their talents and technology to create a competitive protective gown solution for the healthcare industry. View Show Notes.

Cardinal Tissue

The pandemic caused a sudden surge in hoarding. As a result of people buying tissue in bulk and manufacturers not being able to keep up with the demand, toilet paper became one of the many products that was hard to find during the pandemic. Today I’m talking to a North Carolina tissue manufacturer that rose to the challenge to get tissue back on grocery store shelves. View Show Notes.

Southern Distilling Company

Baking flour, paper towels, bicycles and canning jars. What do all these things have in common? They were all scarce at one point during the pandemic. Another item that was really hard to find on market shelves early in the pandemic and came recommended as a means to slow down the spread of COVID-19 was hand sanitizer. In this interview, I talk to one of the hundreds of distilleries who answered the call to assist with the extreme hand sanitizer shortage of 2020. View Show Notes.

UNC Charlotte Industrial Solutions Lab

No one likes to waste time, especially manufacturers. If there is a more efficient and faster way to conduct operations, manufacturers want in. This is why the Industrial Solutions Lab at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte works hand-in-hand with NC manufacturers to create processes that make them more productive. View Show Notes.

Hangar6

Dr. Michael Walden

Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions

Electroswitch Electronic Products

Core Technology Molding Corporation

NC State’s Office of External Affairs, Partnerships and Economic Development

Mertek Solutions

Business North Carolina (BNC)

2 Hounds Design

Equilibar

VX Aerospace

Hoffer Flow Controls

Package Craft

E-S-03A: Economic Development Partnership Of North Carolina (EDPNC)

E-S-03B: Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC)

E-S-03C: Polymers Center Of Excellence (PCE)

E-S-03D: North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS)

E-S-03E: Industry Expansion Solutions (IES)

E-S-02A: Fairystone Fabrics

E-S-02B: SylvanSport

E-S-02C: Carolina Growler

Cashion Fishing Rods

Tri-County Industries

Dr. Michael Walden

ATI Laminates