Show Me the Tungsten
Graff-Pinkert’s used machine tool business has been challenging for the last couple of years. It has always been a cyclical business that takes grit, creativity, and a willingness to pivot when times are grim. We have moved into consulting and matchmaking for machining companies and brokering expensive, sophisticated machines like

Another AI Episode (But This One’s Actually Useful)-EP 255
The last six months I’ve been using AI to help me with everything from business negotiations to dealing with my kid’s pneumonia. It’s become a

The Senator Who Came Back
John Fetterman, Senator from Pennsylvania, is 6’8”, bald, wears a Carhartt hoodie and long shorts around the Capitol. He looks like a beaten-up wrestler from

Rare Earths Aren’t Rare, with Julie Klinger-Ep. 254
“Rare earths aren’t actually rare, nor are they earths,” Julie Klinger told me. Julie is an associate professor at UW Madison and literally wrote the

Shippers Dumped Thousands of Workers, We Dumped UPS
UPS, Amazon, and FedEx are all fully engaged in their annual employee purge. UPS says it is cutting 48,000 jobs in 2025–34,000 in management and

Ep. 129 – Recruiting Long Term Shop Employees, with Bill Cox (Part 2)
In part 1 of my interview with Bill Cox, owner of Cox Manufacturing in San Antonio, Texas, Bill talked about the power of his company’s

Ep. 128 – Building a Great Apprenticeship Program, with Bill Cox
Unlike the majority of machining companies right now, struggling to find enough skilled people to fulfill demand, Cox Manufacturing in San Antonio, Texas, boasts a

