PODCAST · business
Cliff's Notes
by Cliff Nance
Born and raised in Madisonville, Kentucky, Cliff Nance grew up in the tungsten trade — learning the business from the plant floor up to the CEO’s chair. As a second-generation “scrapie” with a global perspective, Cliff brings curiosity, candor, and decades of experience in tungsten reclamation and recycling to every conversation. On Cliff’s Notes, Cliff sits down with innovators, industry leaders, and thinkers from around the world to talk about the forces shaping manufacturing, metals, and modern business. From technology and sustainability to leadership and legacy, every episode explores what it means to build something that lasts. Whether it’s a deep dive into the recycling industry or a story about grit, family, and the future — Cliff’s Notes is where real conversations happen with the people moving the world forward. Theme song written and performed by Adam Howell.
Episodes
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Episode 403: Jerilyn Bristow of MI2 Kentucky
Recorded live at Churchill Downs during Scrap Expo in Louisville, Cliff sits down with Jerilyn Bristow, executive director of MI2 — the Metals Industry Innovation Initiative of Kentucky. Here's a number that should stop you in your tracks: Kentucky's metals industry is three times the size of its...
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Episode 402: Evan Nance of Tungco
Tungco CEO Cliff Nance turns the mic on his son Evan Nance, recorded live at the ITIA conference in Berlin — Evan's first. Fresh out of Belmont University with a finance degree, he’s moved out fo the house, owns his own place with two roommates paying rent, and now working full time at Tungco. In...
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Episode 401: Ioannis Kallinikos of Traxys
Season 4 opens in Berlin, recorded live at the ITIA conference — which sold out for the first time in its history, turning people away at the door. Cliff sits down with Ioannis Kallinikos, a Greek-born metals veteran now based in Dubai, who heads tungsten trading at Traxys — one of the world's...
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Episode 306: Steve Nance, Founder of Tungco
Cliff sits down with the man who started it all — his father, Steve Nance, founder of Tungco. It's one of the most personal and wide-ranging conversations on the podcast: the story of how Steve met his wife Nan at Tungco's trade show booth in 2005 (a wine glass full of tungsten pellets, a…
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Episode 305: Phil Rafle of 21st Century Programming
Cliff sits down with Phil Rafle of 21st Century Programming — makers of ROM, the Recycling Operations Manager software that Tungco has relied on for over 20 years. Phil has been with the company for 22 of its 26 years, and this episode is equal parts software deep-dive and long-term partnership...
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Episode 304: Niki Spies of Stainless Steel Midwest
Cliff sits down with Niki Spies of Stainless Steel Midwest — a longtime industry friend and 19-year veteran of the stainless and nickel alloys space — for a conversation that puts two very different metals businesses side by side. SSM moves about 16,000 tons of bulk steel a month. The entire…
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Episode 303: Debbie West | Tungco COO
Cliff sits down with Tungco's COO Debbie West for an inside look at what it means to step into one of the most demanding seats in a nearly 60-year-old business. Debbie has almost three decades in the tungsten industry and she breaks down the difference between being a director of operations and...
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Episode 302: Phil Rosenberg of ICD Group
Cliff sits down with a longtime friend and one of the most respected names in the scrap recycling industry — Phil Rosenberg, Senior Executive and commercial director of the metals and alloy division at ICD Group. Phil is fifth generation in a family scrap business that traces back to the late...
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Episode 208: Cody Mecham of Vermeer Corporation
Cliff sits down with Cody Mecham, cutting edge product manager at Vermeer Corporation, for a deep look at what it means to engineer tungsten into ground-engaging tools when the price of that tungsten is hitting levels nobody planned for. Cody oversees all of Vermeer's cutting and digging tooling...
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Episode 207: Andrew Patterson of Villager Asphalt
Cliff sits down with Andrew Patterson, milling department manager for Villager Asphalt, to get into the weeds — literally — on how tungsten carbide performs in one of its most demanding real-world applications: asphalt milling. Andrew runs a massive milling operation across the Southeast…
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Episode 206: Josh McKnight | Lineage Metallurgical & Cuda Grit
Cliff turns the mic on one of his own — Josh McKnight (Lineage Metallurgical and Cuda Grit). They've shoveled gravel together, worked every corner of the Tungco operation, and now Josh is navigating what might be the strangest sales environment in the company's history: tungsten prices going...
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Episode 205: Bryan Mills of CP Carbide
Cliff sits down with Bryan Mills of CP Carbide — a California-based, three-generation family business that has been privately sourcing and supplying tungsten carbide wear parts since 1995. Bryan breaks down how his dad's 1988 trip to China started it all, why CP Carbide's private-label model…
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Episode 204: Matthew Keske of Vermeer Corporation
Cliff sits down with Matt Keske, commodity manager for Wear Tools at Vermeer Corporation — one of the most diversified heavy equipment manufacturers in the world — to talk tungsten, supply chain strategy, and what 30 years inside a company that's a mile long actually looks like. Matt breaks down...
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Episode 203: Ashley Hunsaker of HTS Coatings
Cliff sits down with Ashley Hunsaker, co-founder and CEO of HTS Coatings, for one of the most candid conversations about building a business from scratch — eight months pregnant, living in an 800-square-foot house, and saying yes when everyone else was saying no. Ashley breaks down what thermal...
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Episode 202: Chris Capps of Tungco Procurement
Cliff sits down with one of Tungco's own — procurement specialist Chris Capps — to talk tungsten markets, trust in volatile times, and what 16-plus years inside a carbide recycling operation actually teaches you. From sorting bits to strategic buying, Chris breaks down why the current tungsten...
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Episode 201: Austin Hargett of weld.com
Cliff sits down with Austin Hargett of weld.com to swap stories, talk high-pressure pipe welding for power plants and refineries, and revisit a legendary night on the Sunset Strip that ended at Whisky a Go Go. Austin breaks down what makes weld.com a go-to resource for welders working in the most...
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Project 74 Announcement Cliff's Notes — Special Edition | Recorded Live at ReMA 2026, Las Vegas
Recorded live on the floor at ReMA 2026 in Las Vegas, this special edition of Cliff's Notes officially announces Project 74 — Tungco's Urban Mining Initiative and a landmark partnership with Victor Fox of the Chem-Met Company and Furkhat Faizulla of Syram Corporation, built on one powerful…
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Episode 107: Brice Littlepage, Managing Director, North America at Tungco
(00:00:00) Introduction from Helsinki (00:01:58) Discussing paternity leave and supporting new parents (00:04:51) Navigating misinformation and building confidence (00:08:00) Brice's career journey: From Florida State to Tungco (00:17:00) NCAA regulations and intentional touchpoints (00:25:02)...
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Episode 106: Jonathan Goodrum, President of Basic Carbide Corp
(00:00:00) Introduction (00:03:05) Misfit Social Podcast & Evan's Respect (00:03:31) Basic Carbide: 44 Years of Excellence (00:05:49) The February 2024 Acquisition Story (00:07:53) Sintering Process: From Chalk to Diamond-Hard (00:09:09) Quality Control & Microscopy (00:10:07) Mirror Polish &...
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Episode 105: William Parry-Jones, Founder of Wolfram Advisory
(00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:23) Launching Wolfram Advisory (00:01:17) Current Market Conditions & Supply Challenges (00:01:53) Understanding the Global Tungsten Market (00:02:55) China's Export Controls & Import Surge (00:03:33) Three Theories on Supply Reduction (00:04:31) End-of-Life Mines…
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Episode 104: Adam Rubin, Director of Global Sales & Procurement at Tungco
Join Cliff Nance as he sits down with Adam Rubin, Tungco's newly promoted Director of Global Sales & Procurement, for a candid conversation about a birthday milestone, building a career in the tungsten industry, and taking on new leadership challenges.In this episode, Adam opens up about...
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Episode 103: Tatiana Hainzl, Expert Strategic Raw Materials Purchasing at Wolfram Bergbau und Hütten AG
(00:00:00) Introduction & Birthday Celebrations (00:01:59) First Introduction to Tungsten (00:04:37) The Transition from Finance to Purchasing (00:06:27) Why Purchasing Over Finance (00:08:09) Coolest Thing About Tungsten (00:10:50) Closing Thoughts In this episode of Cliff's Notes, Cliff sits…
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Episode 102: "Easy" — Ran Maimon, Metal-Tech LTD President
Tungco CEO and Owner, Cliff Nance, welcomes industry specialists from across the globe and shares noteworthy insight into the world of everything tungsten. In this episode, Cliff sits down with Ran Maimon, President of Metal-Tech LTD and a master relationship builder with over 30 years in the...
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Episode 101: Ryan Sizemore, CFO at Tungco
(00:00:00) The Bucket List and the Boardroom (00:04:45) Between Numbers and Nature (00:08:30) Brotherhood and Banter Tungco CEO and Owner, Cliff Nance, welcomes industry specialists from across the globe and shares noteworthy insight into the world of everything tungsten. Tungco’s own – newly...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Born and raised in Madisonville, Kentucky, Cliff Nance grew up in the tungsten trade — learning the business from the plant floor up to the CEO’s chair. As a second-generation “scrapie” with a global perspective, Cliff brings curiosity, candor, and decades of experience in tungsten reclamation and recycling to every conversation.
On Cliff’s Notes, Cliff sits down with innovators, industry leaders, and thinkers from around the world to talk about the forces shaping manufacturing, metals, and modern business. From technology and sustainability to leadership and legacy, every episode explores what it means to build something that lasts.
Whether it’s a deep dive into the recycling industry or a story about grit, family, and the future — Cliff’s Notes is where real conversations happen with the people moving the world forward.
Theme song written and performed by Adam Howell.
HOSTED BY
Cliff Nance
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Cliff's Notes have?
Cliff's Notes currently has 24 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Cliff's Notes about?
Born and raised in Madisonville, Kentucky, Cliff Nance grew up in the tungsten trade — learning the business from the plant floor up to the CEO’s chair. As a second-generation “scrapie” with a global perspective, Cliff brings curiosity, candor, and decades of experience in tungsten reclamation and...
How often does Cliff's Notes release new episodes?
Cliff's Notes has 24 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Cliff's Notes?
You can listen to Cliff's Notes on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Cliff's Notes?
Cliff's Notes is created and hosted by Cliff Nance.
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