People in Production Podcast with Ryan Nelson
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People in Production Podcast with Ryan Nelson
Episode 12 - Katherine O'Toole Previews March 2025 and Beyond
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This episode brings to light the dynamic happenings within the Kansas City manufacturing community. As we discuss the future events lined up, you'll get a look into the collaborative energy driving the chapter.
• Recap of February activities, including the brew night and networking success
• Insights from the Missouri Association Manufacturers Tradeshow and Conference and shared experiences
• Announcement of the joint chapter event and its significance
• Highlights of the She Leads meeting and its focus on empowering women in manufacturing
• Encouragement for member engagement and the value of authentic connections
Check out the Webinar on "Getting the Most out of Your NTMA Membership" Live on 3/6/25 @ 3:00 PM (CST) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNmqDLn_Jp8
Register for Ryan's webinar - "Why Your Leadership Funnel Is Broken: Stop Fishing in a Pond You Never Stocked" - https://meeting.zoho.com/meeting/register?sessionId=1071061220
All right , folks , welcome to the People in Production podcast . This is episode 12 , and for this episode I have the opportunity to talk with Catherine O'Toole again . She's given us a preview of the month of March here in the Kansas City chapter of the KCNTMA , and Catherine's going to share some of what's going on in March and in April and in May and beyond , and she brings the Catherine energy . You're going to love her energy . You're going to love her energy . You're going to love the vision and I think you're going to notice her passion . She loves what she does and the people that she's doing it for . So check out this interview with Catherine on what's Coming Ahead for KCNTME . All right , catherine , we are back again . This is our March update , where we give people a look at what we've done in the past and where we're going in March . And I just want to say what a month February was .
Speaker 2I'm trying to settle my eye twitch because we got a lot going on but we accomplished a lot of good things and it was a great month for us . I feel like it was a great month of coming together at our brew night , our networking night . We got to welcome our national chapter relations manager here to the Kansas networking night . We got to welcome our national chapter relations manager here to the Kansas City area . We got to go to Branson together . Ryan , you were an amazing presenter . It was awesome . Yes , at the Midwest Manufacturer Show .
Speaker 1Well , thank you for that . It was great . Let's break this up a little bit . So let's talk about the brew night , member appreciation night . Let's be honest , I actually I have flashbacks to our very early in the month she leads meeting where we brought in an amazing speaker from the Hutchison area to address imposter syndrome .
Speaker 2We had over 50 ladies RSVP . We started with a group of eight , up to 50 . I was feeling ecstatic . And then we had this super sneaky ice storm come in and trap people on the highway for three hours , keep people stuck in their cul-de-sacs at home , schools canceled everywhere and it was such an epic disappointment because she really brought it and it was such a great presentation and I thought this is going to happen again . It's negative 12 . Nobody's going to come out . But yes , we've flown , kiernan , I mean , you can't go back on that she's already coming .
Speaker 1Her flight has landed , you know but I was shocked .
Speaker 2We had over 60 individuals come out . It was a great night , people . I didn't even know hadn't received an RSVP from . It was wonderful , the more the merrier we wanted to celebrate members , potential members , answer questions , and we were able to do that , so it was a great success .
Speaker 1I love it and I was fully . I was at a conference that week and I was coming back and I was getting back that day and then , like on the drive back , home .
Speaker 2We didn't want you to come .
Speaker 1And so I really I knew I was missing out because you had a great guest , you had a great community plan and I hated not being there .
Speaker 2but what I love about KCMTMA- if you miss one thing , just join the next thing . We're trying to plan things at all different times of the day . I get it . I have three kids . Everybody has things all the time . Maybe a breakfast works , maybe a lunch , maybe a happy hour , so hopefully there's another option for people that miss something .
Speaker 1Well , I love that . And so now let's talk about we had several people that , and so now let's talk about we had several people I think there were 10 or 11 people that went down to Branson later in the month of February . Tell us about the Missouri Association of Manufacturers trade show and conference . How did you experience that ? What did you think of that conference ?
Speaker 2So it was a brand new experience
Introduction to the March Update
Speaker 2for me and over 130 vendor booths , powerhouse breakout sessions and speakers . I felt it was phenomenal and I think it was just a great time for our group as well , and , ryan , you got to lead a board training session for us . I think that we all appreciated that and the insight that we were able to take away from it yeah , love it .
Speaker 1You know , at that session what I did was I do an assessment tool with something called AccuMax Index and people take this and then we can see how they show up in their workplace and what that means to the board .
Speaker 2See where all the dots played out on the chart there and who was a leader in what area .
Speaker 1Yeah , and see where are our strengths as an organization and that type of thing . It was a lot of fun to go through that and I appreciated that opportunity . And then , yeah , as you mentioned , I got to do a workshop for the conference and just talk about developing that mid-level leadership how do we turn a technician into someone that's a supervisor and talked about some of the tools that organizations can use for that . So that was a blast .
Speaker 2I really loved it , but we are jointly going to be hosting a manufacturing expo here in Kansas City in October with Ma'am , and we could not be more excited to welcome that group of individuals who are very strong in Central and Southern Missouri , into our greater Kansas City community and showing off what our members do really , and that's what that event is all about to look at the capabilities of our member shops , to look at who does what best and who they can do business with to help them as well and so this is really an event for you as a manufacturer , to come and brag on yourself .
Speaker 1This is a quality for you , and this is what we do .
Speaker 2I know some people are like I'm not setting up next to my competitor . No , that's not what this is about . This year is about breaking down the barrier of competition , focusing on individual company strengths and playing to those . And we want to bring in the OEMs , we want to bring in the industry partners , but what we really want to focus on is our manufacturers and their capabilities . We want everybody to know what Kansas City manufacturing facilities can do . You know , Fred and I were talking about this a little bit .
Speaker 1And again , this is coming out next fall . So not to be confused yeah , this coming fall , out next fall . Um , so not to be confused or yeah , yep , this coming fall , excuse me . And not to be confused with this event we're going to talk about in a little bit in april . But um , one of the things fred and I talked about um at the conference is listen , this is an event for you to show your stuff so that we can draw more business here . If you want to have someone from your team to see the other businesses in the area , make sure you bring multiple people so that one of you can staff your exhibit .
Speaker 2Absolutely , and I would say not just for this event but for all of our events Don't just bring one . Ntma is not limited to one individual . You should have quality there , you should have an estimator there , you should have a sales manager there . You should bring the people so that they can develop their networks , develop themselves as a leader and benefit your company .
Speaker 1That's awesome , catherine . I love the energy you're bringing to it . We talked about what happened in February . We talked about what's happening this coming fall . Let's arrow in right now , for those people that are listening . Let's talk about the month of March .
Speaker 1I know that we are doing a joint thing in March . On March 6th at three o'clock that's just in a couple of days we are having a conversation with the chapter executive director in St Louis and with you and with some members , and we're just going to talk about how to get the most out of your NTMA membership . So that's just going to be a casual conversation just to offer some perspective to our members about what's going on and what they can do . So I'm going to be hosting that event . It's just going to be an online thing and if you can't be there for the live thing at three o'clock , no stress , that's okay . It's going to be hosted at my Circle of Five YouTube page . So if someone wants to go to Circle of Five coaching on YouTube , check that out . But that's just going to be a fun conversation . What are you excited about ?
Speaker 2Well , st Louis is a very dynamic chapter and they're a long-standing chapter . They have a few more regular members metal manufacturers than we do , and they this year I just heard Shelly report today on a chapter executive call . They're doing an event plus every month also . So she is bringing people together and they are turning up and they are hopefully going to turn out for our joint chapter event here in April . And we are going to prep CaseyC members for that joint chapter event with a leaders luncheon on March the 28th that's a Friday and we are going to talk about how to network for success . So not just showing up , but showing up with a purpose when you come to these networking events . Like I said , st Louis has it going on . We need to find out who these members are , what they're doing and how we can part to get and how we can partner together . There's really no reason to be sending things to the coast or out of our region if there's somebody here that can do it and do it well . So let's start with St Louis .
Speaker 1Yeah , I love it . So many of our people are like , man , I want to give it to local business here in Kansas City . But if Kansas City can't do it , who's close to me that it's going to be . It's going to be a good , long term partnership that we can develop right here in the Midwest so that we develop a reputation .
Speaker 2And I'll tell you , brian , I filled in an email this week about well , in the past , this was my experience with NTMA . Well , you know what ? What happened in the past isn't what's happening today . Our NTMA members want to support other NTMA members .
Speaker 1We want to work together and we want to see each other succeed . So I think that this joint event is the skeptic for that person who's just not sure . I know MTMA has some policies about how can a person just come visit and see what it's like before they put money down and be a member . Can you tell a little bit about that ? Can you tell a little bit about that ?
Speaker 2Or an event and check us out . I feel like you can put into an email a blurb that states what you do and what your goals are , but I think that you really do have to come and experience our network to really develop an understanding of that . And then , several times throughout the year , we're gonna offer events for non-members , just like this Joint Chapter Business Summit April 24th and 25th . There's a member rate and a non-member rate ,
Catherine's Excitement for March Events
Speaker 2and then we also have our very fun golf tournament which is coming up May the 8th and that is open to everybody . You can register a foursome and come out and play with us , or as a single also .
Speaker 1Yeah , and you know what's interesting , uh , Catherine , is when people here come and network , it is not coming to sell . This is not a selling environment . It's come and be curious . I will tell you . I have that awkward conversation with all of our industry partners and associates .
Speaker 2This is not a time to pass out your business card . It's not a time to solicit . It's a time to build relationships and that needs to be authentic . And if your service is needed in the future , I would love to provide your information on behalf of you to a regular member . But let's keep that aside and let's have a great time at the event and focus on whatever the purpose of that event is .
Speaker 1Yes , Yep , I love to promote just this idea of curiosity Learn about the people Ask questions . You don't have to be a super high , charismatic person just to sit next to someone and say , tell me about your company and what's your ideal client and do you have capacity for more business , and just learn about them like that and it gives you the opportunity to help your neighbor , and some of those conversations come a little easier when we're foaling or we're doing shuffleboard or bowling or doing one of the great events that we have planned this year as well .
Speaker 1Really , we've got our call coming up and then we have that leadership luncheon .
Speaker 2I would love for all of our KC members to attend and get focused and get ready for that joint chapter business summit in April . So it's really kind of a precursor for again networking with a purpose and I think it will be very beneficial .
Speaker 1Love it . Yes , I'm very excited to talk about this one .
Speaker 2Ryan , april the 17th is our next she Leads meeting , and that she Leads meeting is a she Leads meeting , but it's going to run simultaneously with a half-day female youth manufacturing immersive . That's a lot of words to say . We're doing a female youth event and we are inviting all of the high school students ladies to come out and join us . So they'll join us for our regular she Leads meeting , which is going to have a leadership training session . We're going to tour Hutamaki , we're going to have a Q&A panel with industry front runners , we're going to have a large freight truck come through and we're going to do a truck tour in the parking lot . Then we're going to head over to CNR manufacturing , which is a small , family owned business , and we're going to be able to compare and contrast different types of enterprises , being large and small , and the different job opportunities and supports that are available for females that are interested in engineering , robotics and any metalworking career in engineering , robotics and any metalworking career Outstanding .
Speaker 1I love this . And , catherine , one thing that's so important you have been an administrator for a lot of this stuff , but that event isn't happening because Catherine's making it happen . That event is happening because you put together a team of people who want to see traction and I will say Ryan , it is .
Speaker 2So it's amazingly unique when you sit with women on the she Leads executive board or you talk to women that attend meetings . They all have their own reason for attending , and mine is very different and it's very personal , as are the other ladies , and I think it's great that we all have a shared vision for wanting to educate and empower females in the manufacturing sector , and especially those that are the younger age females . We want to be those role models that we might not have had ourselves .
Speaker 1Love that and you know , catherine . The other thing that I've got to point out is , if you are listening to this podcast and you're part of the Kansas City chapter of MTMA or the St Louis chapter or any other chapter , if you want to be involved , there are ways for you to step in and benefit the industry . It's not . Yes , there's opportunities on the board , potentially , but there's other ways that you can make a difference . And if you want to say hey , I'd love to help set up an event or I'd love to help make some contacts , if you need someone to help facilitate .
Speaker 2And that's where Sheely started . It started with an idea and I'll tell you what . Do I feel qualified to have that idea or lead an organization ? No , I do not , but I found when I presented that idea , other people recognized the need for it and got behind it . So I would say that any idea or suggestion that somebody needs that is valid is going to find support and we are going to roll with it .
Speaker 1I love it , catherine , you're doing a great job . I'm going to mention one other thing as part of MTMA membership . We've invited anyone that's interested in being a part of our peer advisory group . It's a free peer advisory group for manufacturers , and our next session is actually going to be on March 10th .
Speaker 2You got it . I had it on the next page here .
Speaker 1So March 10th from . You got it . I had it on the next page here . So March 10th , from two to three , if you're interested . That's just going to be a conversation where I'm sharing some insights and then we create a conversation within the community about what we do with these things . I sent an email about this , really looking forward to that next session , and I'm so glad that we're doing this call today because I feel like hate to say it .
Speaker 2I send a lot of emails but they are not meant to be burdensome . I understand and recognize how busy all of our members are , but I don't know the best way to reach them with all of the great things that we have going on . Yes , we can post that on our website . How many people are just going to electively jump on that ? I'm going to go with maybe 10 out of 200 . So I think email we're trying . We're trying this podcast . So if you are watching today , thank you for those that do read the emails , and if you don't , breakdown of the events one more time Leadership Luncheon , march the 28th . She Leads Event April 17th . Joint Chapter Business Summit , the 24th and the 25th . And Golf , may the 8th . We are currently doing registrations for all of these . Then we throw in our peer coaching call , which is the 10th , and then this coming Thursday , our joint do we call it a podcast ? What do we call that , ryan , with the St Louis chapter Live webinar ? It sounds very fancy and I like it .
Speaker 1It's actually a live webinar , so I mean , there's just so much . How do we communicate it ? I don't know , but it's all for the members right .
Speaker 1Yep , and we're having a blast doing it . And I'll throw out one other thing I'm actually going to do . After the Manufacturing Association of Missouri , or Missouri Association of Manufacturers Conference , we just saw such a demand . I'm actually doing a webinar on March 18th called why your leadership funnel is broken . Stop fishing in a pond . You never stopped . That's what we're talking about at that event , and so , if anyone interested , that's something that I'm doing with circle of five just to help people rethink how are we shaping our leaders for the future ?
Speaker 2And I'm excited about that .
Speaker 1Catherine , dynamite job with what's happening . Yep , it's going to be great . It's going to be a lot of fun and I want to thank everyone for listening and if there is something that you're excited about , leave a comment . Whether you're listening on YouTube or you're listening on Spotify or Apple Music , you're listening to this . Leave a comment , let us know what you appreciated about this , and we are so grateful to be , I'll bring two .
Speaker 2Oh boy , let's see it . They wanted to come say hi , oh wow , I did . Yes , yes , it did .
Speaker 1You said you were going to get these . I didn't realize it had already happened .
Speaker 2No , I didn't go that far . We're just trying to make it through night one .
Speaker 1We'll see you tomorrow All right . Hey Catherine .
Speaker 2Okay , that's awesome .
Speaker 1Hey , I love it . Thank you for being on the podcast .
Speaker 2Absolutely . Thank you , Ryan .
Speaker 1Thank you everyone for being a part of the KCMTMA community . Like I saidatherine brings the energy . I have no doubt that you are just excited , fired up about it . You can see yourself involved in things in the future . Listen , if you are not a part of kcntma yet , as katherine said , check it out . Come visit an event , experience what we're about , experience a community and see if it's a right fit for you . We are a growing community of people and they really value their partners , so come be a part of it .
Speaker 1And if you want to know more about what's going on , on March 6th we're going to be doing a live webinar and I'm going to keep that online . After that , you'll be able to hear more about what we're doing as part of being NTMA , which is a national organization . How do you get the most out of your benefits ? So check that out as well . Thank you for being here . I love that you're a part of the People in Production podcast . If there's something that you're going to be a part of at a future event that Catherine talked about , leave it in the comments . Let us know what you can't wait for , and let's keep being the community . That is so great . I'm proud of you guys Proud to be a part of it . Take care no-transcript .