Manufacturing Stories: West Michigan

Tina Zellman — HR Director at Pliant Plastics & Pliant Medical

Tina Zellman is the HR Director at Pliant Plastics in Grand Haven, Michigan. Thirty years ago she fell into HR by accident - off-boarding 1,500 people from a bankrupt Baltimore company in her first two years out of college, then opening a 1,000-person facility for Saks Fifth Avenue before settling into West Michigan manufacturing. We talk about why being transparent means being vulnerable, how to roll out a costly new state law without it landing as a takeaway, the performance management rollout that made things worse and what she learned from it, how culture erodes in pockets when frontline leaders are inconsistent, the real difference between culture and engagement, and why she'd tell her 25-year-old self to choose curious over right. Manufacturing Stories: West Michigan is a podcast by The Pivot Group Network.thepivotgroup.org

Peter Hungerford — VP of Manufacturing Services, The Right Place & MMTC West - Grand Rapids, MI

Peter Hungerford is the Vice President of Manufacturing Services at The Right Place and MMTC West in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before that, he spent 25 years in a family automotive business. We talk about what it really takes to learn a family business, why partnerships have to be win-win, how he reads culture just by walking a manufacturing floor, the danger of shortcutting the next generation up the ranks, burnout and the power of a midlife gap year, and why strategy without culture just sits on a shelf.

Sami Birch — Director of Marketing & Communications, Mission Design & Automation - Holland, MI

Sami Birch is the Director of Marketing & Communications at Mission Design & Automation in Holland, Michigan. When she started, Mission had 48 people. Five years later, they're at 155. We talk about how a writing degree led to robot manuals, the mentors who saw potential she couldn't see yet, why holding back constructive feedback hurts everyone, how Mission uses Maslow's hierarchy to develop leaders, and what she'd tell young women who've never considered manufacturing.

Jeff Kunkle — Owner, Dynamic Machine - Zeeland, MI

Jeff Kunkle owns Dynamic Machine in Zeeland, Michigan - a 7-person precision machining shop he built from the ground up while raising four kids. We talk about starting part-time on a rented machine after hours, the moment he knew it was time to leave full-time employment, and what it actually takes to bet on yourself in the trades.