Registration opened this week for Insight’s 16th annual Manufacturing First Expo & Conference, for which BridgeWorks CEO Phil Gwoke, a Wisconsin native, has been announced as keynote speaker. On this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, Kate Bruns of Insight Publications and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance chat with Gwoke about his planned visit to Green Bay Oct. 28 and about his extensive experience studying generational differences, which will be the topic of his keynote address at Resch Expo.
“Leading Across Generations,” Gwoke says, will be an opportunity for Manufacturing First attendees to laugh and feel good about the generation they came from, but also gain greater insight into generational differences that will help them in the workplace.
“They’re going to learn … not just what makes a generation different. You can Google that. You can ask whatever your favorite AI tool, they’ll load you up with all kinds of generational information,” Gwoke tells the co-hosts on this episode. “What I’m going to bring to bear is why. What were those unique experiences? We found [that] when you connect the why before the what, it creates a greater empathy for each other, a desire to learn from each other.
Among the topics tackled on this week’s episode and keynote preview are what Gwoke says has most surprised him about how generations view one another, how to bridge the knowledge gap, and what employers get wrong when trying to manage “across generations.” Listen to the end to hear what Gwoke considers his best leadership insight.
Listen to NEW Manufacturing Insights anywhere you get audio podcasts. NEW Manufacturing Insights is sponsored by Stoke RGA throughout 2026 and is produced by Woodward Community Media. New episodes are released on Thursdays.
Manufacturing First registration opened Monday at the early-bird rate, which runs through Aug. 3. To learn more about the event and to register, visit manufacturingfirst.com.
