All Episodes - The Channel Channel
An ECIA Podcast for executives and others involved in the authorized sale of electronic components.
View Podcast Details43 Episodes
March 2023 - David Loftus speaks with Scott Shute, Conscious Business Champion
On this episode of The Channel Channel, CEO David Loftus discusses building extraordinary teams with management consultant Scott Shute. Scott's background is in the electronic components industry, but his most recent position was Head of Mindfulness and Compassion Programs at LinkedIn. He discusses the importance of acknowledging and supporting employees' spiritual sides in this very volatile and stress-filled post Pandemic work environment. Scott's book, 'The Full Body Yes, Change Your Work and Your World from the Inside Out' won the 2021 Nautilus Book Award.
September 2022 - David Loftus Speaks with FIRST® Robotics’ CEO Chris Moore
This episode is a fascinating discussion of the remarkable impact and mission of the FIRST Robotics organization. ECIA President and CEO David Loftus interviews FIRST’s CEO Chris Moore. Chris explains the mission of this inspiring organization, founded 33 years ago by inventor Dean Kamen. He shares some of the astounding statistics: FIRST currently serves over 700,000 students in more than 100 countries, supported by 320,000 adult volunteers. The goal is to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders, innovators, and problem solvers.
June 2022 - NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray discusses current trends with ECIA’s Dale Ford
This discussion features ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)’s Chief Economist, Chad Moutray. This wide-ranging discussion between two seasoned industry experts reveals a wealth of insights into the volatility that has become a permanent factor for strategic planners in the post-pandemic economy. The two discuss the impact of supply disruptions, the positive signs for manufacturers, what’s really happening behind the scenes, whether a recession is baked into the forecast, workforce challenges, how the U.S. is doing in comparison with the rest of the world and much more.
June 2022 - Executive Conference Co-Chairs Share ‘Behind the Scenes’ Look at Planning for 2022 Program
This episode features Executive Conference Chair Robert Derringer, Crouzet and Co-Chair Tobi Cornell, Kruvand Associates along with ECIA's Stephanie Tierney, as they discuss "behind the scenes" planning for the conference. Learn about how Toby inspired the theme, the importance of in-person events, the results of the survey conducted to gain insights into current member information needs, a sneak peek into the October 2022 program in Chicago and much more.
February 2022 - Manufacturing Economic Outlook Q1 2022
ECIA Chief Analyst, Dale Ford, interviews Tom Runiewicz, Senior Principal Economist for the IHS Markit Industry Service on the manufacturing economic outlook.
December 2021 - ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford and TPC Founder Glenn Hitchcock Discuss TPC's Latest Survey Results
ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford and TPC Founder Glenn Hitchcock discuss TPC's latest survey results for a look at what's ahead in 2022 for the electronic component industry.
November 2021 - The Volatile Global Economy with Dale Ford and Cliff Waldman
In this episode of the Channel Channel podcast, ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford discusses the current volatile global economy with New World Economics CEO Cliff Waldman.
October 2021 - 100 Years of the Authorized Channel
ECIA's Senior Vice President, Victor Meijers, interviews industry luminary Al Maag, about ECIA’s 100 Years of the Authorized Channel history project. This episode focuses on E-book that is being spearheaded by Maag and a team of seasoned writers and what the project entails and his charitable foundation giving back to the community.
October 2021 David Loftus hosts NAM Tax Experts
ECIA's David Loftus hosts special NAM guests Michael O’Brien, AVP Advocacy, and Christopher Netram, VP Tax and Domestic Policy. The session focuses on the impact of proposed tax increases on U.S. manufacturers, and provides tax policy perspective as well as engagement opportunities for our member companies. This podcast provides the highlights from that discussion.
August 2021 Mike Swenson
ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford interviews Mike Swenson, President of Mel Foster Company, an independent manufacturer representative. The discussion focusses on the completion of ECIA Manufacturer Representative (Mfr Rep) Council’s Business Review Best Practices research.
August 2021 Jim Kaplan
In this episode, ECIA President and CEO David Loftus speaks with Foundation President Jim Kaplan, President of Cornell-Dubilier, about the new Foundation e-learning initiative PACE, the history of the Foundation and its evolving purpose, Jim's background in the industry and much more.
June 2021 Peter Heigis
ECIA CEO David Loftus interviews Peter Heigis about the implementation of the ETL program, initiated by the ECIA Manufacturers' Rep Council.
June 2021 ECIA's Dale Ford and Cliff Waldman
ECIA's Chief Analyst Dale Ford interviews economist Cliff Waldman CEO of New World Economics and host of “Manufacturing Matters” podcast. The two discuss the broader economy and global trends that will impact growth in the electronic components industry. Cliff will be presenting at the ECIA Executive Conference in October. “Manufacturing output plummeted in the second quarter of 2020,” Waldman explained. “Then we had a surge in the last couple of quarters of that year due to massive government spending. We saw manufacturing output falter in the first quarter of 2021, which isn’t surprising because all that spending was not sustainable. The question is whether output will continue to falter because of the severe supply shortages and disruptions, or whether we will see stabilization and a resumption of growth as the demand evens out.” The fascinating discussion ranged from technology’s role as a solution to the challenges of changing global demographics, the impact of the pandemic, his recommendations for where research funding needs to be invested, and much more.
May 2021 Paul Dosser Interviews Dean Kamen
ECIA Foundation Executive Director Debbie Conyers joins Digi-Key Electronics’ Vice President of Business Development Paul Dosser for a thought-provoking conversation with inventor Dean Kamen. He explains in detail how his wildly successful FIRST® programs have addressed the ‘demand problem’ of lack of interest in STEM careers by engaging with students early to ignite the inventor’s spirit among young people all over the globe.
May 2021 Flex Chief Supply Chain and Procurement Officer Lynn Torrel
ECIA CEO David Loftus and Flex Chief Procurement and Supply Chain Officer Lynn Torrel discuss all things supply chain from the EMS industry perspective. Ms Torrel spent most of her career in the distribution industry before moving to the other side of the negotiating table just over a year ago. Her background gives her a unique perspective on the value of distribution to a global electronics manufacturing organization. In her role at FLEX she manages the supply chains of over 1000 customers, including around 16,000 suppliers and one million SKUs. The wide ranging discussion covers Ms. Torrel’s commitment to mentoring through her activities with Women in Electronics, leadership, managing through Covid, her new understanding of the deeper complexities and challenges of manufacturing, and much more.
April 2021 Steve Cholas, Big Zeta
In this thought provoking interview, ECIA's President and CEO David Loftus interviews Steve Cholas for a discussion of digital transformation in the component supply chain. Steve Cholas is an industry media guru who has spent his career uncovering the pain points and misalignments between component manufacturers and distributors and developing brand solutions. Currently Steve is VP Global Business with Big Zeta, a B2B provider of technical products and solutions to enable better & easier digital transformation.
March 2021 interview with Tom Runiewicz
ECIA Chief Analyst discusses the post-COVID recovery and economic trends with IHS Markit Sr. Principal Economist Tom Runiewicz. They talk about supply chain disruptions, component shortages, price pressure, global acceleration of Environment, Safety, and Government (ESG) regulation and how it all impacts the electronic component industry. It's a fascinating discussion between two data experts.
March 2021 Interview with Graham Kilshaw
Graham Kilshaw, Founder of Lectrix, the newest ECIA Service Partner (ESP), speaks with David Loftus about B2B marketing. He explains the ramifications of putting 'problem before product', a concept that has gained considerable traction especially during the pandemic. The two discuss what permanent changes will likely stick for electronic components sales and marketing and remind listeners to sign up for ECIA's webinar on the topic, "How to Build a Problem-First vs Product-First Marketing Plan for a Components company. But More Importantly... Why You Should." which occurs March 19, 2021. To register, go to www.ecianow.org
February 2021 Interview with Bob Evans
ECIA President and CEO David Loftus interviews Bob Evans, Founder and Principal of Evans Strategic Communications and creator of Cloud Wars, a unique website that ranks and analyzes the most influential tech companies. The two spend some time at 30,000 feet, pondering the big questions about current and future trends in the tech industry. It's a fascinating discussion covering Cloud Wars' Top 10, the nature of innovation, and why keeping the customer first is the most important marker of success.
December 2020 Interview of Michael Knight
ECIA President and CEO David Loftus interviews always thought-provoking Michael Knight, President TTI Semiconductor Group in this insightful discussion about the personal benefits of being an active member of ECIA, where the industry is headed post-Covid and beyond, his personal journey through the crisis, and much more.
October 2020 Dale Ford interviews Tony Uphoff, President and CEO of Thomas
ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford interviews Tony Uphoff, President and CEO of Thomas about the current state of industrial manufacturing. These two self-described 'data geeks' discuss the shape the recovery seems to be taking, Thomas' latest business Thomas Industrial Data, reshoring trends, and much more. Thomas.net logs 1.5 million sourcing events every month in the MRO and industrial market giving the company a ringside seat to see trends in near real time. This 'big picture' discussion will be enlightening to any electronic components industry executive trying to navigate through the murkiness of the current crisis.
October 2020 Carla Mahrt
ECIA's President and CEO David Loftus interviews Carla Mahrt, Founder of JJM Search, an executive recruitment firm focused on the electronics industry. In this episode of The Channel Channel podcast, the two discuss workplace disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and what skills are required to work from home successfully; what the industry needs to do to attract a more diverse workforce, the importance of mentoring and much more.
September 2020 Dale Ford Interviews Cliff Waldman
ECIA's Chief Analyst Dale Ford welcomes Cliff Waldman, CEO of New World Economics, for this insightful podcast on the continuing economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the manufacturing economy. The two compare notes on the most recent U.S. and global forecast data. Cliff goes through his analysis to explain why he recently has become more pessimistic than his peers. They discuss trade tensions between the U.S. and China; the need for another stimulus to address food insecurity and real hardship in the U.S.; the difficult timing of the UK/EU negotiations and the risks to the outcome post-Brexit and much more.
August 2020 Interview Monica Highfill
ECIA CEO David Loftus interviews Monica Highfill, co-founder of Women in Electronics and Vice President of Sales, Americas at Kemet. They discuss WE's robust mentoring program to support women's careers in the electronic components industry. David learns more about Monica's background and mentoring experiences, the importance of mentoring, how WE's program was developed and much more.
July 2020 Interview with Alan Ahern Independent Rep Council Chair
ECIA CEO David Loftus chats with Alan Ahern, Crowley Associates and Independent Rep Council Chair about this quarter's activities, including developing best practices for distributor training, improving the extract, transfer and load (ETL) process, Alan's company response to COVID-19 and the benefits of active engagement in ECIA.
July 2020 Interview with Rob Kirch, ECIA Manufacturers' Council Chair
Vishay's Rob Kirch and ECIA CEO David Loftus update the industry on the ECIA Manufacturers' Council activities during this past quarter. In spite of COVID-19, the Council has accomplished quite a bit - adding new members, expanding market share data collection, advancing the modernization of the design registration process and much more. Listen to this latest podcast to learn more about Rob on a personal and professional level, his endorsement of association work and the importance of being 'in the room where it happens.'
June 2020 with Louise Forrest, Sr Content Project Manager at Compliance & Risks
ECIA's Don Elario interviews Louise Forrest, who led the Global Regulatory Compliance team, for the last 5 years, at ECIA's newest Service Partner, Compliance & Risk. This valuable discussion covers how regulatory deadlines are impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, the new SCIP database requirements for the electronics industry; data protection regulations for the billions of connected IoT devices; how Brexit will impact the EU REACH rules and much more.
June 2020 with Tom Runiewicz, Senior Principal Economist, IHS Markit
ECIA's Chief Analyst Dale Ford interviews Tom Runiewicz, Senior Principal Economist with IHS Markit about what the data is saying on how soon the global economy will recover from the Covid-19 crisis. In his sobering analysis of key datapoints, he explains how and what he's tracking to understand the impact of the global pandemic.
May 2020 TrustedParts.com Launch
ECIA Senior Vice President Victor Meijers and Dave Doherty of Digi-Key discuss the rebranding of ECIA's component search engine, www.TrustedParts.com. Victor and Dave explain why the ECIA Board decided to rename ECIAauthorized.com and how customers and members gain value from a source for 100% authorized components.
May 2020 Interview with Penny Heyes The Trust Bridge
ECIA's Vice President of Industry Practices Don Elario talks with Penny Heyes, of The Trust Bridge about how her organization came to be and how it is broadening its mandate; why it's more important than ever for companies to manage data security, and the value to members of the ECIA Service Partnership.
April 2020 Interview with Jackie Mattox, Founder of Women in Electronics
ECIA CEO David Loftus discusses gender parity in the electronic components industry with Jackie Mattox, Founder of WE. The conversation covers the reasons why the organization came into being, its history and structure, the positive industry response, and how people can get involved.
March 2020 Interview with Cliff Waldman, New World Economics
In this timely interview, ECIA's Dale Ford discusses the impact of COVID-19 on electronics manufacturing and the electronics components industry with Cliff Waldman, CEO of New World Economics, an economic research and consulting firm. Cliff tells Dale what managers should look for as the crisis unfolds and what the data are telling economists about the long term effects.
March 2020 Interview with David Loftus, ECIA's new President and CEO
Bill Bradford interviews David Loftus, who has assumed the mantle of ECIA's President and CEO. As Bill passes the baton, we learn more about David's stellar background and his vision for the future of our industry and the Association.
February 2020 Interview with Chad Moutray, Chief Economist with NAM
Dale Ford, ECIA's Chief Analyst hosts this episode of The Channel Channel. He welcomes Chad Moutray, who is Chief Economist with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). They discuss the economic impact of Covid-19 on the 2020 forecast.
February 2020 Interview with Christophe Begue, Director Solution Strategy and Business Development, IBM
ECIA's Vice President of Industry Practices Don Elario discusses IBM's blockchain solutions for the electronics industry. Christophe Begue provides an update on how the industry is adopting IBM's TradeLens and Trust Your Supplier, as well as some insights into how some companies are leveraging Blockchain to create new business offerings.
February 2020 Interview with Michael Knight, President of the TTI Semiconductor Group and Senior Vice President of Corporate Business Development
Bill Bradford and Michael Knight discuss what's in store for the electronic components industry in the next decade: headwinds and tailwinds as well as disruptive forces that offer new opportunities.
January 2020 Interview with Ed Smith, President and CEO of SMTC
Listen in as Ed Smith gives his perspectives on the industry, and some of the challenges the electronic component supply chain is facing.
January 2020 Interview with Don Elario, ECIA VP of Industry Practices
Listen in as Don Elario shares the latest updates on the Global Industry Practices Committee and some of the improvements in the structure going forward in 2020.
December 2019 Interview with Alan Ahern, President of Crowley and Associates
Get to know the chairman of the ECIA Manufacturers Representative Council, Alan Ahern as he discusses the activities of the Rep Council in 2019, and the priorities going forward into the new year.
December 2019 Interview with Robert Kirch, VP of Distribution for Vishay
This episode consists of an interview with Vishay VP of Distribution, Robert Kirch. Rob currently serves as the chairman of the ECIA Manufacturer Council. Listen in to hear about Rob's start in the industry, and how he outlines the activities and priorities of the Manufacturer Council.
November 2019 Interview with Dale Ford, ECIA Chief Analyst
Dale Ford shares his insights on the state of the electronic components market and explains how members can take advantage of the rich market data set provided by the ECIA.
October 2019 Interview with Dave Doherty, Winner of the ECIA North Star Award
Join Podcast Host, ECIA President Bill Bradford as he gives a recap of the recent Executive Conference, followed by a conversation with Dave Doherty, Digi-Key Electronics President & CEO and Distribution Council Chair. Dave shares his experiences with ECIA and outlines the work of the Distribution Council.
October 2019 Interview with Jeff Thomson, ECIA Board Chair
Jeff Thomson is the Vice President of Global Channel Sales for ON Semiconductor. Tune in to get to know Jeff, and to hear what he has to say about the ECIA and how it can help its members navigate the dynamic electronic components industry. For more information visit us at www.ecianow.org.