Manufacturing leadership looks different once responsibility moves beyond the role and into ownership.

In this episode of Manufacturers Make Strides, Martin speaks with Larry Dix II, President at Apex Truss, about what it means to lead a manufacturing business when decisions carry long-term weight. Larry shares perspective shaped by decades of building, running, and owning manufacturing operations through changing conditions.

Larry was invited because he has experienced the shift many manufacturing leaders face, from managing functions to being accountable for people, margins, customers, and time. His career reflects how leadership evolves as responsibility deepens and decisions extend further into the future.

In this episode, they discuss: How manufacturing leadership changes with ownership

• What responsibility looks like when payroll and margins sit with you
• Why autonomy and judgement matter on the factory floor
• How experience reshapes leadership over time
• What consistency means in long-running manufacturing businesses

Hosted by Martin Griffiths, Manufacturers Make Strides is a podcast featuring in-depth conversations with manufacturing professionals about their careers and experiences in the industry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-dix-ii-62b75312/
https://www.apextruss.com/

Many manufacturing businesses look busy, yet still feel financially exposed underneath.

Stewart Ervin has seen this pattern repeatedly inside factories where activity masks a lack of control, and where a financially healthy manufacturing business feels harder to define than it should. The conversation centres on what actually creates stability when demand, cash and operations start pulling in different directions.

Stewart draws on experience built inside the value stream, from early shop floor roles to working with businesses under real pressure. Rather than chasing growth or volume, he reflects on how discipline, intent and forward visibility shape day-to-day decision-making when leaders want more certainty about where the business is heading.

Stewart's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartervin/

Bracket Mgmt Website: https://www.bracketmgmt.com/

Available on to watch on YouTube or to listen on your preferred podcast platform.

Values-driven manufacturing shows up in who people trust when decisions matter. In this episode, Angelo D’Amico, President of Canada Rubber Group Inc, shares how a people-first approach shaped his path from lean consulting into leading a long-established manufacturing business.

Angelo talks openly about trust, succession, and why opportunities tend to flow toward those who reduce risk for others.

From choosing values over short-term wins to asking one simple question on the factory floor, this conversation explores how leadership decisions are made when people actually come first.

📍 Connect with Angelo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-d-amico-37099120/

📍 Learn more about Canada Rubber: https://canadarubbergroup.com