Entries by Bart Taylor

Next steps: Two inaugural events seek to connect manufacturers and business

If you’ve wondered about the mission of CompanyWeek, two events we’re supporting align perfectly with one aspiration, to connect companies in a community that wants to know each other. But largely doesn’t. In most every goods-producing sector the plan is to make more stuff here, in the U.S. And this time, manufacturing growth means more […]

Celebrate America this week – and the possibility of an apparel maker revival

As we celebrate this most American of holidays it’s appropriate to consider a manufacturing sector that’s largely been written off by business and consumers, shipped offshore, primarily to Asia. It’s been decades since we collectively valued a thriving apparel manufacturing sector. Today we like our shoes and suits from Italy and everything else from We […]

Rockies owner offers false choice to fans, business supporters

Most business owners have little in common with Charlie Monfort of the Colorado Rockies. For one, owners rarely fail in major league baseball, or in the NFL, NBA, or NHL. No one loses money. It’s fantasy-business. Real companies often fail and those that succeed do so in conditions that are at times impossibly hard. Sure, […]

Stage is set for manufacturers to advance their interests

As we’ve chronicled the past ten months, manufacturers have begun to take important steps to organize to advance their interests. Not only must industry see these through, more is needed to address challenges like workforce development, local procurement, and public policy support that vex the manufacturing economy. Think about health care, technology, law, banking and […]

Why the effort to rebrand manufacturing continues to miss the mark

A Washington Post business article published last week, headlined, “There are some jobs now in manufacturing. Kids just aren’t interested in taking them”, was noteworthy on two counts. For one it summed up the workforce challenge in manufacturing without losing sight of the sector’s albatross: a more qualified workforce may be slow to materialize unless […]

State of the Coors brand: Craft brewers lead the market sector Coors once invented

It’s been decades since Coors was Colorado’s most influential beer brand, but coattails from earlier times are long. Last week IndustryWeek published an infographic entitled the ‘Corporate States of America’, depicting each state’s ‘archetypal’ business brand, and Coors was picked as the brand that ‘best represented’ the state. Over half were manufacturers. If beer drinkers […]

CompanyWeek turns 100. What’s been learned – and what role maker-media?

CompanyWeek began reporting on regional makers and manufacturers last September. We’ve profiled 100 companies since then – writing about their products, leadership, business strategy, challenges, needs, and more. What’s been learned, and importantly, has the hype of CompanyWeek been warranted? Does the market need maker-economy media? It’s clear the factors driving a manufacturing surge are […]