Lake County, IL | Peer Community for Manufacturing Leaders

Executive SME Manufacturing Exchange

Dirk Tussing
Michael Grubich
Patti Ouzounian
Kevin Adams

The Executive SME Manufacturing Exchange is a peer community for leaders from Small- and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).


For this exchange, SME manufacturers typically range from privately held companies and regional manufacturers to mid-market organizations that do not have large internal consulting teams or AI departments.


It brings together plant leaders, operations leaders, supply chain leaders, HR leaders, and business owners to exchange ideas about improving operations and building workforce capability.

SME Manufacturing Community FAQs

What to expect from the SME community, who leads it, and how local connection extends into broader ELE value.

What is the Executive SME Manufacturing Exchange?
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The Executive SME Manufacturing Exchange is a peer community for leaders of Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

It brings together plant leaders, operations leaders, supply chain leaders, HR leaders, and business owners to exchange ideas about improving operations and building workforce capability.

Rather than presentations or consulting pitches, the focus is on peer dialogue and practical insight from leaders facing similar realities.

How do SME meetups work?
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Local meetups bring together a small group of manufacturing leaders for open dialogue around shared operational and workforce challenges.

The format is intentionally simple:

  • brief framing of a real business question
  • peer discussion and idea exchange
  • practical insights leaders can explore inside their organization

These meetups are designed for open conversation among peers — without formal presentations or vendor sales pitches.

To facilitate robust dialogue, self-promotion and product promotion are not permitted.

Participants are encouraged to bring a colleague or two from their organization, which often enriches the discussion and helps teams reflect on how ideas might apply inside their own operations.

Who should participate?
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The exchange is designed for leaders from small and mid-sized manufacturing companies, including:

  • plant managers
  • operations leaders
  • supply chain leaders
  • HR and talent leaders
  • manufacturing executives and business owners

Participants typically come from manufacturers navigating technology adoption, workforce capability, and operational improvement.

What kinds of topics are discussed?
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Discussions often focus on practical operational and workforce questions, such as:
  • Applying AI and automation in real manufacturing workflows
  • Improving productivity across operations and the supply chain
  • Building workforce capability and technical skills
  • Leadership alignment around technology adoption
  • Identifying practical starting points for AI inside existing teams
Each experience typically begins by framing the “why” and business value for real business challenges contributed locally.  
Where can we exchange ideas before and after meetups?
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Many conversations continue before and after local meetups.

Leaders can exchange ideas 24x7 through the Idea Exchange, provided by our ELE partner community.

You can:

  • contribute to an existing discussion
  • share a challenge you are exploring
  • learn how other leaders are approaching similar issues

Visit the Idea Exchange:

https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange

The current featured business challenge is:

SME Manufacturers: How are you bringing AI capability into operations on a limited budget?

https://community.ele.llc/t/sme-manufacturers-how-are-you-bringing-ai-capability-into-operations-on-a-limited-budget/5830

Many of the business questions explored in local meetups begin as conversations in the Idea Exchange.

How do I find upcoming SME meetups?
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Local exchanges are currently being organized across several Midwest regions, including:
  • Lake County
  • Kenosha
  • Milwaukee
  • Appleton / Oshkosh
Contact an SME Community Director or contact ELE, here.  

Upcoming Lake County SME Events

Join upcoming live discussions and in-person exchanges with the Lake Count SME Manufacturer executive community.

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Manufacturing Idea Exchange Pre-Chat | Framing the “Why” for AI Leadership

Join the SME Manufacturer Idea Exchange Pre-Chat and help shape a future meetup.

 

What leadership, talent, or workforce challenge feels most urgent right now? Where is the “why” behind AI still unclear? What business value are leaders still struggling to frame? Add your perspective and help guide the conversation.

 
Join the Idea Exchange SME Pre-Chat

Meet Local Leaders in the Lake County SME Community

Get to know a few of the ELE members helping build practical peer exchange for SME Manufacturers

Mike Grubich

Mike Grubich

Mike Grubich is a strategic advisor to Midwest manufacturing leaders, specializing in the "people side" of operational excellence. He partners with SME leadership to transform human capital into a primary driver of scalable growth by aligning organizational beliefs with business goals. Mike's expertise in strategic hiring, leadership development, and modernizing employee relations helps firms build resilient, high-engagement cultures while significantly reducing litigation risk.  
Read Mike's ELE Contributions
Newt Moore

Newt Moore

Engineer, Designer, and Human-Centered Practitioner

Newt Moore designs human performance experiences at the intersection of technology and human potential. With a focus on "people over machines," he specializes in developing the next generation of technical talent in AI, cybersecurity, and UX design. Newton bridges the gap between technical mastery and human-centered leadership to ensure the future industrial workforce is both innovative and resilient.

 
Read Newt's ELE Contributions
Patti Ouzounian

Patti Ouzounian

Patti partners with business leaders, senior executives, and HR teams to align talent priorities with business strategy—translating complex needs into scalable solutions that strengthen leadership capability, improve performance outcomes, and enable organizational effectiveness.
Explore Patti’s Contributions
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