221: "Building America" from the Heartland Featuring Nucor Vulcraft

We’re pulling up a chair in the up-and-coming downtown Norfolk area in Nebraska for this episode. Recorded at the Nucor Detailing Center, we chat with Mechanical Engineer Jayden Prauner and Detailing Center Lead Gaby Pena, about what it means to be part of the Nucor family.

Nucor Vulcraft is a company that’s not just supporting the construction of warehouses, schools and hospitals but also helping to build up the local community and the legacy of American manufacturing. We explore how it’s helping to shape the lives of the people who work there and beyond thanks to community investment and a people-first approach.

Jayden and Gaby both share their stories in this episode about working for Vulcraft and how it has evolved its technology, safety practices, and quality over the years. Places like Norfolk are hubs for manufacturing and engineering, so we look at how Vulcraft and downtown revitalization projects have been key to retaining talent in the area. 

In this episode, find out:

• How the downtown Norfolk area is on the up, thanks to local community investment  
• Jayden gives us a quick overview of what Vulcraft does and how it sits in the Nucor family of companies
• A brief history on Vulcraft and how it’s closely tied to the culture and community of Norfolk – something that continues today
• How community events, investment, and connections with local schools all make Nucor employees feel like one big family
• Why Jayden and Gaby decided to stick around in Norfolk rather than head to a bigger city for their career
• How one internship at Vulcraft was enough to make Gaby swap her chosen career path and set out into manufacturing
• What other similar small, remote communities can learn from Norfolk and Vulcraft
• Vulcraft’s commitment to improvement and investing in the right things – from people to safety innovations
• Insights into the recent safety innovations and investments Nucor Vulcraft has made to prioritize frontline staff safety  
• What the day in the life of a frontline leader looks like today vs. how it looked decades ago
• How Nucor Vulcraft invests in team development and careers with training, role swapping and internal promotions

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “It's hard to go anywhere around town without seeing Vulcraft or the Nucor name sponsoring an event or donating time. It's surprising how many events you go to and know that your company is willing to sponsor that." Jayden
• "My daughter told me, 'Mom, today at school, all the Nucor kids, like the parents work for Nucor, we all sat together.' Even the excitement that the kids get just knowing that they’re the Nucor family is really big, at least for me it is." Gaby
• "I think it starts with putting the people first. I think Nucor and Vulcraft do a great job of not only saying it but really meaning it and showing it through their actions." Jayden

Links & mentions:

• Nucor Vulcraft, part of the Nucor family, Vulcraft is the largest producer of open web steel joists and joist girders in North America.
• Nucor Detailing Center, a one-of-a-kind drafting facility designed to reduce drafting and modelling times to improve productivity and quality.
• Divots Brewery, craft brewery in Nortfolk specializing in handcrafted beers with American grown barley and hops

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.