Description

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator, hosted by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and powered by Evergy.  On this episode hosts Don Sherman and Ebony Clemons-Ajibolade are joined by Sheryl Wohlford, owner of Automation-Plus to discuss how their company has operated in the midst of a pandemic and how they create the family feel in their small business.  On this episode we discuss:

• The purpose behind creating this podcast
• How Automation-Plus was started at the time of the Andover Tornado
• Why their current size of 20 employees is the sweet spot
• Trying to pivot quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic
• How they identified an underserved niche in aerospace manufacturing and moved to set a new standard
• Diversifying from the aerospace industry
• Dealing with the uncertainty in manufacturing
• How LinkedIn is tailored for connecting with others on a professional level
• How the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce has provided opportunities for connection with other small businesses
• The family feel they created in their business
• Doing business plans as a small business
• Why doing business in Wichita has been great
• The local importance of focusing on keeping jobs and young talent in Wichita
• How Sheryl thinks about eventually transitioning out of the business when retiring
• The key tenets of integrity and accountability in business
• The difficulty of saying "no" and balancing community involvement with business resonsibilities
• How the world is being changed by Zoom and Microsoft Teams

Learn more about Automation-Plus:

AutomationPlus.net

316-946-9988

LinkedIn Profile

Founded in 1987, Automation-Plus provides both direct part mark and  label marking services using ink, laser, chemical and mechanical  systems.

Other Resources:

A Quick Pivot: Joining the Fight Against a Pandemic (article)

StartUp Grind (video)

Chung Report (article/video)

Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce - 2019 Uncommon Citizen (video)

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org.

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net