Kellie Johnson: ACE Clearwater

The Art of Manufacturing

Through true grit and teamwork, this welder’s granddaughter overcame intimidation and stereotypes to turn ACE Clearwater from a third-generation business into a high-tech aerospace powerhouse. It’s one thing to work for the family business, but President and CEO Kellie Johnson really took it up two notches. She’s been a huge advocate for the manufacturing industry in Washington and deals first-hand with the struggles and opportunities at the cutting edge of manufacturing.

In this episode we hear how she has driven the frontiers of metalworking to evolve her company from a little welding workshop into a specialty contract manufacturer with clients like NASA and Boeing. She shares thoughts about policy and her recent meeting with Vice President Pence. We also learn about how Industry 4.0 is impacting her workforce, and how she decides where and when to invest in new technologies as a smaller company. And we hear about her early years, as a psychology masters drop-out to trying to follow in her father’s footsteps, struggling to build credibility with her team and their global aerospace clients one step at a time.

For more information, photos, and links, check out the show notes at http://makeitinla.org/podcast/kelliejohnson