On this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Stoke RGA, Insight on Manufacturing Editor Kate Bruns and Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) Executive Director Ann Franz chat with longtime Northeast Wisconsin manufacturing advocate Brandon Beard, who this year is serving as NEWMA board chair.
On the episode, Beard talks about his long history with NEWMA, going back to first learning about All Stars through a friend and being disappointed that he was “too old” to be eligible, his role in shaping NEWMA’s Internship Draft Day into the event it is today, and his work today as president of DuxxBak Composite Decking in Green Bay, one of the region’s Fastest Growing Companies.
Beard said chairing the alliance was an easy “yes” for him. He says the organization is meaningful and its active participants are a testament to its power and utility.
“People are willing to take the time to do it. People show up. They show up, because it means something to them,” he tells the co-hosts on this week’s show. “That to me is what makes the Alliance unique.”
Learn more, including about Beard’s original career aspiration (Hint: It wasn’t manufacturing) by listening to this week’s full episode on Spreaker or anywhere you get audio podcasts — including Apple and Spotify. NEW Manufacturing Insights is produced by Woodward Community Media and will be sponsored throughout 2026 by Stoke RGA. New episodes are released every Thursday.
