The Gen Z COO Who Actually Gets It with Sam Goldberg

Sam Goldberg swore he'd never work at the family business. A high school internship building packaging machines at Econocorp proved him wrong. What started as a summer job on the assembly floor turned into a passion that led him from intern to COO of the 60-year-old company his dad owns.The intern-to-COO path wasn't handed to him despite being the owner's son. Sam's dad made it clear: "I can get you in the door, but I can't help you once I get you in the door." That shop floor time earned him credibility.Family businesses come with unique challenges. Sam and his dad learned to filter feedback through other leaders to keep professional conflicts from bleeding into their personal relationship and avoid creating awkward workplace dynamics.Since becoming COO, Sam tackled the outdated facility that looked time-warped into the 1980s. He implemented 5S to clean up a production floor where you couldn't walk without running into something, renovated office spaces, and brought in EOS implementation. Now they hold quarterly town halls where everyone on the team has a voice - including assembly workers telling engineers their designs are a nightmare to build.Sam noticed the average employee age was 55-60, which would create a serious problem when those workers retired. He pushed to bring in younger talent, but the team was skeptical about Gen Zs' work ethic. Sam brought in summer interns who proved everyone wrong they showed up ready to work hard. Now the company runs ongoing internship programs.Sam chairs PMMI's future workforce committee, supporting high school robotics and packaging competitions. His message challenges the idea that college is the only option several leadership team members started on the assembly floor without degrees. Manufacturing isn't dark, dirty, and dingy anymore. It's well-lit, clean, safe, and full of exciting technology.Highlights:Sometimes you have to accept that people will leave when big changes are made.Sam's open-door policy means anyone can share ideas or feedback - from assembly workers to leadership.Sam says people being honest, even if it's hard to hear, is how things actually get resolved quicker.The reason it appears Gen Z doesn't want to work is because they don't see downtime as beneficial.Engineers must build their own complex designs to understand how their decisions impact the assembly team.Are you trying to bridge generational gaps in your manufacturing facility or family business? Sam's story proves credibility comes from doing the work, not the title.Make sure to subscribe to Blue Collar BS for more conversations with young leaders actually solving workforce problems instead of complaining about them. Share this with anyone who thinks Gen Z doesn't want to work hard.Get in touch with Sam:WebsiteLinkedInGet in touch with us:Check out the Blue Collar BS website.Steve Doyle:WebsiteLinkedInEmailBrad Herda:WebsiteLinkedInEmailThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrpOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy