On part 1 of this 2 part episode, we have a conversation with Bill Strauss. Bill is a senior economist and economic advisor in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. His research papers include analysis of the manufacturing sector, the automotive sector, the Midwest regional economy, the trade-weighted dollar, business cycles and Federal Reserve payments operations. Bill shares his experience working with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and how it relates to manufacturing. We also discuss the highly anticipated MakingChips Mastermind and Workshop series, Jim shares his experience working with SkillScout,  and we discuss the future of automation in Manufacturing News. Episode Structure: [03:20] - Manufacturing News [06:10] - MakingChips Events [07:30] - MakingChips Workshop [08:28] - IMTS 2016 Registration [10:22] - SkillScout at CARR Machine [13:45] - Introducing Bill Strauss [15:30] - Bill’s Role at the Federal Reserve [17:58] - The Rust Belt [19:15] - The 12 Cities [20:33] - Specializing in Manufacturing [21:20] - Explaining the Federal Reserve [24:15] - Board of Directors / Advisory Council [26:25] - The Media [28:30] - Investing in Performance [31:15] - Foreseeing the Future of Manufacturing [32:25] - Conclusion of Episode Mentioned in this Episode: Jim & Jason's Favorite Chicago Restaurants Manufacturing News IMTS 2016 Bill Strauss | LinkedIn We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation: jim@makingchips.com jason@makingchips.com ryan@makingchips.com Telephone: (312) 725-0245