Manufacturing Is Not a Dirty Word: Reframing the Jobs Rural Communities Need | Chrissy Marrucci

Say the word manufacturing and a lot of people picture something old and dirty. For rural communities, Chrissy Marucci argues, it is something else entirely: jobs and the federal dollars that come with them.On this Special Episode of GovCon Unscripted, host Chelsea Roberts continues the #RoadtoHUBZone series with Chrissy Marucci, President and CEO of Elevated Consulting & Development. Chrissy lives in an entire HUBZone county in the mountains of Appalachia and has spent years connecting rural residents to real federal contracting careers. She and Chelsea talks about what HUBZone was designed to do (bring federal spending back into the communities that need it), why the program is about the place and the people rather than the owner, how the 35% employee-residency rule actually works, and why manufacturing deserves a serious rethink as a source of rural jobs. She also lays out the community development corporation she is building to keep that money at home. 2026 National HUBZone Conference, July 21 and 22 (golf outing July 20) at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and who Chrissy is01:00 Elevated Consulting and Council back-office support02:00 An entire HUBZone county in Appalachia03:00 Building the HUBZone Workforce Program05:00 What HUBZone does for rural areas06:00 Manufacturing and construction in rural HUBZones09:00 Advocacy, land use, and changing the narrative10:00 Manufacturing is not a dirty word15:30 Place-based and employee-based: the 35% rule18:00 Remote work and unlocking rural talent19:00 The community development corporation21:00 Conference mode and see you in ChantillyResources:Chrissy Marucci's LinkedIn ProfileChelsea Robert's LinkedIn ProfileElevated Consulting & Development's WebsiteOther resources:Holler to Hilltop (community development)HUBZone Contractors National Council2026 National HUBZone Conference (register) 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHyLike and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/🔹 Join our #govcon community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/