Retired economics professor Howie Baetjer, who was the instructor for an online class your host Jim Vinoski took way back when, joined us to discuss how free markets, private ownership, and decentralized decision-making are the strongest foundations for productive and resilient manufacturing. Howie described his path from psychology and English teaching to political philosophy and economics at Towson University. He discussed how his books, including Free Our Markets, explore market processes, private ownership, and the knowledge problem. Jim and Howie discussed the strength of U.S. manufacturing, including high worker productivity and output that ranks second globally behind China. Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction 02:26 - Background And Books 09:37 - Free Markets And Manufacturing 13:13 - Government Intervention 24:44 - Regulation And Capture 34:32 - Ownership And Knowledge This was such a rich and wide-ranging discussion! Tune in for the whole thing! A couple of Howie's books: - Software as Capital - https://tinyurl.com/c47zk8bs - Free Our Markets - https://tinyurl.com/3dwapp83

Rick Graber, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation, joined us to explain the mission and activities of his organization, which was founded based on the free enterprise, limited government, and human dignity principles of the brothers who founded Allen Bradley. Far too many foundations are founded on the wealth of those who built American industry through adherence to free markets and American principles, then stray badly from those very principles and espouse radical big-government policies. It's refreshing to learn that the Bradley Foundation has stayed true to its founders' vision and values. In this short clip, host Jim Vinoski waxes poetic about the enormous opportunities AI brings to advanced manufacturing economies like ours: reducing operational friction and making us even more productive. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/Gt_dpNF5Dwc

Rick Graber, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation, joined us to explain the mission and activities of his organization, which was founded based on the free enterprise, limited government, and human dignity principles of the brothers who founded Allen Bradley. Far too many foundations are founded on the wealth of those who built American industry through adherence to free markets and American principles, then stray badly from those very principles and espouse radical big-government policies. It's refreshing to learn that the Bradley Foundation has stayed true to its founders' vision and values. In this short clip, Rick and host Jim Vinoski share their views about the growing self-censorship in our colleges and corporations, driven by intolerant campus leftists (faculty and students) and DEI dogma. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/Gt_dpNF5Dwc

Rick Graber, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation, joined us to explain the mission and activities of his organization, which was founded based on the free enterprise, limited government, and human dignity principles of the brothers who founded Allen Bradley. Far too many foundations are founded on the wealth of those who built American industry through adherence to free markets and American principles, then stray badly from those very principles and espouse radical big-government policies. It's refreshing to learn that the Bradley Foundation has stayed true to its founders' vision and values. In this short clip, Rick details some of the challenges the founders of Allen-Bradley faced in the early days of the company. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/Gt_dpNF5Dwc

Rick Graber, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation, joined us to explain the mission and activities of his organization, which was founded based on the free enterprise, limited government, and human dignity principles of the brothers who founded Allen Bradley. Far too many foundations are founded on the wealth of those who built American industry through adherence to free markets and American principles, then stray badly from those very principles and espouse radical big-government policies. It's refreshing to learn that the Bradley Foundation has stayed true to its founders' vision and values. In this short clip, Rick explains why those founding American values are so very important: providing the best fertile ground for opportunity. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/Gt_dpNF5Dwc

Rick Graber, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation, joined us to explain the mission and activities of his organization, which was founded based on the free enterprise, limited government, and human dignity principles of the brothers who founded Allen Bradley. Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction and Rick's Background 04:03 - Allen-Bradley History 10:11 - Foundation Principles 14:43 - Grant-Making Areas 24:52 - Long-Term Strategy 32:08 - Emerging Issues Far too many foundations are founded on the wealth of those who built American industry through adherence to free markets and American principles, then stray badly from those very principles and espouse radical big-government policies. It's refreshing to learn that the Bradley Foundation has stayed true to its founders' vision and values. Resources: The Bradley Foundation: https://www.bradleyfdn.org/ The Bradley Impact Fund: https://www.bradleyimpactfund.org/ Allen-Bradley/Rockwell Automation: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/products/hardware/allen-bradley.html Book: *The Bradley Legacy:* https://tinyurl.com/ppmkvbax CROWE: https://crowe.wisc.edu/ SFOF: https://sfof.com/ Snow Institute: https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/capitalism/sisc/ American Institute for Economic Research: https://aier.org/ Network of Enlightened Women: https://enlightenedwomen.org/ Advancing American Freedom: https://advancingamericanfreedom.com/ Mackinac Center for Public Policy: https://www.mackinac.org/

Your host Jim Vinoski goes solo this week and explains why Victaulic is featured in Chapter Three of his book *American Manufacturing: 22 Tales of Integrity, Ingenuity, and the Modest Heroes Who Built a Nation.* In this short clip, Jim gives a bit of the background of how Victaulic got its start. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/XQXYYWYmmjM

Your host Jim Vinoski goes solo this week and explains why Victaulic is featured in Chapter Three of his book *American Manufacturing: 22 Tales of Integrity, Ingenuity, and the Modest Heroes Who Built a Nation.* In this short clip, Jim reminisces about first learning about Victaulic in his first job out of college, running a project that included new firewater lines in the office of a chemical plant down in Mississippi. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/XQXYYWYmmjM

Your host Jim Vinoski goes solo this week and explains why Victaulic is featured in Chapter Three of his book *American Manufacturing: 22 Tales of Integrity, Ingenuity, and the Modest Heroes Who Built a Nation.* 01:15 - Victaulic Origins Victaulic began in England in the 1800s with pipe couplings and later established itself in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Its couplings join pipes with little or no preparation, reducing the need for welding and specialized labor. The company has expanded through acquisitions, including fire-protection companies and foundries, while retaining its core coupling business. 01:45 - Career Connection Jim first encountered Victaulic couplings while working as a mechanical engineer at Vista Chemical’s PVC plant in Little Aberdeen, Mississippi. He encountered them on firewater lines, where they support systems used to protect buildings and keep people safe. His later Forbes reporting included interviews with the company’s CEO and executives, including Eric Luftig. 06:05 - History And Culture Victaulic supported World War II fuel logistics through pipeline-related efforts, including Project Pluto and Pharos. The company’s Lehigh Valley connection overlaps with Jim’s interest in cycling, the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, and Rodale Press. Its couplings are also associated anecdotally with the steampunk aesthetic of some craft breweries and distilleries. 11:15 - Next Episode The next episode will feature Rick Graber of the Bradley Foundation and will focus on its free-market tradition and mission. Link to where to buy Jim's book: https://www.manufacturingtalks.com/american-manufacturing-book