The Manufacturing Employer

The Manufacturing Employer is a podcast built for the hiring managers, HR pros and culture builders at industrial companies. It’s hosted by Gorilla 76 Co-Founder Jon Franko.You’ll hear from those designing great workplaces. Employee engagement, benefits, onboarding - we’ll be talking about the working experience from top to bottom.

The Manufacturing Employer is a management podcast hosted by Jon Franko, Gorilla 76, with 106 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jon Franko, Gorilla 76 hosts The Manufacturing Employer, a management show with 106 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #107

  Leading AI change by having a people-first policy, with Grace Wright of Gorilla 76

  Aug 18, 202637 min

  Grace Wright, VP of Innovation at Gorilla 76, joins The Manufacturing Employer to discuss leading teams through AI-driven change with a focus on people and process. Drawing from her own career journey, Grace discusses the importance of adapting to uncertainty, building trust around new technology and keeping human expertise at the core of transformation. She shares the thinking behind Gorilla’s "People Policy", her approach to scaling AI adoption across teams and why the winning companies will be those that prioritize learning, transparency and empowering employees to drive innovation.

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  Episode #106

  Rethinking manufacturing process training, with Amanda Aschinger of Solstice Productions

  Aug 4, 202631 min

  Amanda Aschinger, co-founder and CEO of Solstice Productions, joins The Manufacturing Employer to discuss how manufacturers can revamp process documentation to improve onboarding, training and retention. Amanda discusses why traditional, text-heavy manuals fall short and how modular, video-based systems offer a more accessible and engaging approach. The conversation explores practical steps for getting started, keeping documentation up-to-date and embedding company culture into training for long-term success.

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  Episode #105

  Equipping your workforce for AI transformation, with Ben Tasker

  Jul 21, 202632 min

  Ben Tasker, a nationally recognized leader in AI education and workforce transformation, discusses how manufacturers can move from anxiety about AI to measurable impact. Ben shares strategies for building AI fluency, rethinking upskilling and taking a systems-based approach rather than chasing tools. The conversation covers practical use cases for AI on the manufacturing floor, why responsible change management is critical and how human skills remain invaluable in this new era.

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  Episode #104

  The business case for employer-supported childcare, with Nicole Riehl of EPIC

  Jul 7, 2026—

  Nicole Riehl, President and CEO of Executive Partnerships to Invest in Children (EPIC), joins The Manufacturing Employer to reframe childcare as a critical workforce infrastructure issue, not just an employee perk. She discusses the hidden costs of childcare challenges, and how manufacturers can address absenteeism and turnover linked to them. She shares actionable strategies including flexible scheduling, stipends and community resources, and explains how even incremental changes can yield strong ROI in recruitment, retention and productivity.

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  Episode #103

  Uncovering the hidden costs of your 401(k), with forensic 401(k) consultant Paul Sippil

  Jun 23, 2026—

  Paul Sippil, a forensic 401k consultant, joins The Manufacturing Employer to reveal the hidden costs and pitfalls lurking in many manufacturers’ retirement plans. Drawing on decades of auditing and advisory experience, Paul explains how excessive and undisclosed fees quietly erode employee savings and trust. He breaks down common misconceptions, the risks of undetected conflicts of interest, and why transparency and detailed invoicing are essential for both owners and employees.

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Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.