Andrew Geiser – Wooster – Friday, October, 3, 2025 – Arden Shisler Conference Center
Adam Letera – Cleveland – Friday, October 10, 2025 – Holiday Inn Cleveland S Independence by IHG
Manufacturers across Ohio gathered in Wooster on October 3 and Cleveland on October 10 for Rea’s Manufacturing Days—two full-day events designed to address the most pressing challenges facing the industry today. From tariff strategy to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, the sessions delivered practical frameworks manufacturers can implement immediately.
The recurring theme across both events was clear: the manufacturers thriving in 2025 aren’t waiting for conditions to improve. They’re actively managing complexity through better data, stronger security postures, strategic capital planning, and intentional leadership development.
Tariff Strategy: Stop Overpaying on Imports
Tyler Potter from BDO USA delivered sobering news about the 2025 tariff landscape. China imports now face 59-75% effective duty rates through tariff stacking. But Potter outlined four immediate mitigation strategies that most manufacturers aren’t fully leveraging:
Duty Drawback returns 99% of duties paid on goods that are re-exported. Foreign Trade Zones allow duty deferral until goods enter commerce. First Sale valuation can reduce dutiable values by 16%. Transfer Pricing optimization ensures you’re not overstating import values.
The reality: manufacturers not actively managing customs strategy are overpaying by 30-50% on import duties. Even more concerning, most have refund opportunities sitting in their past five years of customs data that expire if not claimed. This isn’t speculative savings—it’s money already paid that can be recovered through proper claims processes.
Data Analytics: Real-World Lessons from the Factory Floor
Andrew James from Rea moderated a panel bringing together finance leaders from manufacturing companies at different stages of their data journeys: John Fox (VP of Finance at ProVia), Chris Holmes (Rea Principal, Data Analytics), Tom Theis (Director of Revenue Growth Management at The J.M. Smucker Company), and Mike Swartzentruber (VP of Finance at Flextur).
The panel challenged the common assumption that better analytics requires buying more software. Their collective framework starts with “People, Process, Technology” in that specific order. One panelist shared how Robotic Process Automation reduced invoice keying by 75%—but only after fixing the underlying processes first.
The bigger insight from these practitioners: calculating return on investment is now table stakes, not competitive advantage. Competitors with better analytics are making faster, smarter decisions while manufacturers drowning in manual reporting and spreadsheet chaos lose ground daily.
The fix starts with master data quality and process documentation. Technology amplifies what you build, but it can’t fix broken foundations. Hearing this from finance leaders actively managing manufacturing operations—not software vendors—gave the message credibility.
Capital Planning: The OBBBA Tax Opportunity
Kaitlyn Robison‘s analysis of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act revealed significant opportunities for manufacturers planning capital investments. A case study showed a manufacturer planning $7.7 million in spending saves an additional $1.17 million in first-year taxes under the new law versus old rules.
Key provisions: Bonus depreciation restored to 100%, Section 179 raised to a $2.5 million limit, R&D expensing restored, and a new Qualified Production Property provision that could potentially allow for immediate facility expensing.
Manufacturers should reassess 2025-2026 capital plans immediately. Accelerating equipment purchases or facility construction started before year-end could generate six or seven-figure tax savings. Waiting until 2026 leaves money on the table.
Cybersecurity: The IT and OT Gap
Travis Strong from Rea Information Services explained why manufacturers face 25% of global cyberattacks despite representing a much smaller portion of the economy. The core issue: IT environments operate on 3-5 year lifecycles with regular patching, while Operational Technology on the shop floor runs on 15-30 year lifecycles where patching requires production shutdowns.
Modern connectivity bridged these networks, but security collaboration lagged behind. The result: a ransomware attack starting in office systems can shut down production lines because IT and operations teams aren’t coordinating security.
An audience poll revealed 50% of attendees are only “somewhat confident” they could detect an active attack. Most manufacturers are one phishing email away from a multi-day production shutdown.
Change Management: Lessons from Leaders Who’ve Lived It
Andrew Geiser from Rea moderated a panel that attendees cited as the event highlight, bringing together three manufacturing leaders who’ve navigated significant growth and transformation: Clayton Newman from Stirling Ultracold, Randy Kitzmiller (retired from Ventrac), and Julian Coblentz from Walnut Creek Foods.
Clayton Newman presented a five-element change model: Vision, Incentive, Action Plan, Skills, Resources. Missing any single element causes failure. The framework resonated because it came from someone who’s actually implemented major organizational changes, not a consultant selling a methodology.
The panel’s consensus: most change initiatives fail because leaders skip the “why” and rush to implementation without building skills or allocating resources. Fast-growing manufacturers must be willing to make hard people decisions—employees who’ve been outgrown by the company’s evolution become bottlenecks.
Julian Coblentz shared practical communication tactics he uses at Walnut Creek Foods, including weekly CEO emails to all staff and skip-level lunches with mid-level managers. Randy Kitzmiller emphasized that culture creates positive peer pressure, but change must be paced to system capacity.
These weren’t theoretical frameworks—they were battle-tested approaches from leaders who’ve built and scaled manufacturing organizations through periods of rapid change.
Global Economic Context: Uneven Growth Ahead
Michael Weidokal from International Strategic Analysis provided the macro perspective. While the global economy has recovered to pre-COVID growth rates around 3.5% annually, growth is unevenly distributed and primarily driven by the United States, concentrated in AI, tech, and healthcare sectors.
Critical risks include geopolitical tensions between the US and China, rapid technological change through AI disrupting labor markets, and demographic shifts with aging populations and declining birth rates. Future economic success depends on productivity—doing more with less—and identifying growth opportunities in emerging sectors.
The US is positioned to remain the fastest-growing large developed economy, but businesses must proactively prepare for complex, interconnected challenges.
Leadership Development: The 70% Factor
Scott J. Allen from SMU’s Cox School of Business Executive Education emphasized that supervisors impact 70-86% of employee experience. Leadership effectiveness goes beyond technical skills, requiring emotional intelligence, the ability to inspire teams, and willingness to experiment and learn.
The workshop explored fixed versus growth mindsets and the importance of personal character in leadership. Key takeaway: effective leadership requires self-awareness, adaptability, and creating organizational cultures that encourage growth, curiosity, and engagement.
Moving Forward
The manufacturers attending these events didn’t come looking for theory—they came for actionable frameworks they could implement Monday morning. From reviewing five years of customs data for refund opportunities to initiating IT and OT security coordination meetings to reassessing capital spending timelines, the path forward is clear.
The question isn’t whether your competitors are taking these steps. The question is how quickly you’ll close the gap.
Rea advisors work alongside manufacturers navigating tariff strategy, data analytics implementation, tax planning, cybersecurity, and leadership development. Connect with our team to discuss how these insights apply to your specific operations.
