LOAD IT OR LEAVE IT

In this episode of Load It or Leave It, Camp Jennings and Scott Smith take a deep dive into the future of talent acquisition in material handling and industrial automation. Drawing from a recent presentation to industry leaders in Ohio, they explore the forces reshaping the labor market and why organizations can no longer afford to approach hiring reactively. From the persistent skilled trades shortage and rising compensation expectations to automation, shifting customer demands, and increasing competition for talent, Camp and Scott explain why workforce strategy must become a central part of every company's long-term growth plan.The conversation examines how the material handling industry is evolving and what those changes mean for the people who keep it moving. Camp and Scott discuss the transition toward electric equipment, the rapid expansion of warehouse automation, and the growing influence of AI, predictive maintenance, and emerging technologies on traditional job responsibilities. They also explore generational shifts in the workforce, the impact of retiring technicians and executives, and how companies expanding beyond their core equipment offerings must rethink the skills, experience, and leadership capabilities they need to compete.Camp and Scott also challenge organizations to take a closer look at their existing hiring practices through what they call the "leaky bucket audit," an exercise designed to identify the internal obstacles preventing companies from attracting and retaining great employees. They explain why hiring managers must take ownership of talent acquisition rather than relying entirely on HR, why complacency can undermine even successful organizations, and why building a sustainable workforce requires both developing talent internally and recruiting experienced professionals from the outside.The episode concludes with ten practical recommendations for building a stronger talent acquisition strategy. From accelerating interview processes and preparing for higher technician compensation to strengthening employee referral programs, investing in better tools, and creating clear career progression opportunities, Camp and Scott offer actionable ways for leaders to improve both recruiting and retention. Their central message is that talent acquisition can no longer be treated as an occasional response to an open position. It must be an ongoing strategic priority, directly connected to where the business and the industry are headed.Chapters[00:00] Why talent acquisition can no longer be reactionary[00:40] Welcome to Load It or Leave It[01:08] Camp and Scott introduce the future of talent acquisition[02:20] Catching up and Auburn football[03:18] Lessons from an industry leadership event in Ohio[04:35] Gen Z slang trivia and generational differences[06:38] Why recruiting must be a leadership priority[07:08] What business leaders can learn from Airbnb's approach to recruiting[07:49] How great employees shape the customer experience[09:43] The biggest changes reshaping material handling[10:09] Electric equipment, automation, and evolving customer expectations[11:26] The skilled trades shortage and wage compression[13:06] Industry growth, retention, and workforce demand[14:05] Retiring baby boomers and the next generation of talent[15:32] How changing business models are creating new talent needs[16:35] Increasing competition for top performers[17:14] Mergers, acquisitions, and industry consolidation[18:16] What talent acquisition could look like over the next five years[18:59] AI, predictive maintenance, and emerging technical roles[19:45] Robots as a service and humanoid automation[20:21] Flexible staffing models and changing workforce expectations[21:26] The leaky bucket audit: identifying hiring and retention problems[22:50] Why hiring managers must own talent acquisition[23:18] A quick break from Henry North[24:06] Ten strategies for building stronger teams[24:25] Building a proactive, long-term talent acquisition strategy[25:48] Why complacency can hold organizations back[26:33] Challenging HR teams and improving leadership collaboration[28:29] Building talent internally while recruiting from the outside[29:28] Preparing for rising technician compensation[30:34] Why speed and communication win in the hiring process[31:31] Creating employee referral programs that actually work[32:51] Investing in better tools, equipment, and working conditions[33:50] Creating clear career progression and development opportunities[35:38] Expanding beyond core services and preparing for future growth[36:02] Final takeaways and connecting with Henry North[36:53] Closing thoughts and outro

Camp Jennings sits down with Katie Richards from MHEDA (the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association) to explore how the organization is evolving alongside the material handling industry and why meaningful relationships remain essential to long term success. Katie shares her journey into the industry, the career advice that taught her to trust her own judgment, and how her early years traveling the country to meet MHEDA members shaped her approach to business development, networking, and leadership.In this conversation, Katie reflects on MHEDA’s evolution from an association primarily serving forklift dealerships into a broader community connecting dealers, manufacturers, storage and handling distributors, and automation integrators. She explains how changing customer expectations are reshaping the industry and highlights several of MHEDA’s biggest trends heading into 2027, including AI adoption, open architecture, automation, and the growing importance of helping employees adapt to new technologies. Throughout the discussion, Katie emphasizes that technological progress should never come at the expense of investing in people.The conversation also tackles one of the industry's most persistent challenges: finding, developing, and retaining talent. Katie and Camp discuss why the skilled labor shortage requires more than another conversation about recruiting, how succession planning and retiring employees are creating knowledge gaps across organizations, and why businesses need practical strategies to preserve institutional expertise. They also explore what makes material handling such a uniquely connected industry and why companies hoping to establish themselves must consistently show up, contribute, and build genuine relationships rather than simply attend a trade show and expect immediate results.Chapters[00:00] Why relationships matter more than showing up at trade shows[01:05] Meet Katie Richards from MHEDA[02:05] The best career advice Katie ever received[03:30] Learning to trust yourself while seeking different perspectives[04:03] Katie's path into the material handling industry[05:52] From Yelp sales to relationship driven business development[07:10] Katie's evolving role at MHEDA[07:46] Traveling the country and connecting with members[10:50] Why face to face relationships still matter[11:38] MHEDA's evolution beyond forklift dealerships[13:43] Automation and the changing material handling landscape[14:03] MHEDA's biggest industry trends for 2027[14:46] AI adoption, open architecture, and industry specific challenges[15:27] Balancing technological progress with employee development[16:50] A quick break from Henry North[17:38] Why human connection may become more valuable in an AI driven world[19:02] Helping employees embrace AI[20:00] Addressing the industry's persistent skilled labor shortage[20:45] Succession planning and preserving institutional knowledge[22:24] Why material handling remains a relationship driven industry[23:03] Building trust by showing up and contributing[24:43] Giving back through Dress for Success[26:58] Load It or Leave It[27:21] Are traditional business cards becoming obsolete?[28:39] Trade show swag and making a lasting impression[30:14] ProMat versus MODEX[30:41] Chicago deep dish pizza and Halloween candy corn[31:48] Getting involved with MHEDA[33:04] Final thoughts and closing

Camp Jennings sits down with Ken Frith, President of ProDrivers, to explore the people, technology, and leadership behind one of the most critical parts of the supply chain. Drawing on nearly two decades at FedEx and his current role leading ProDrivers, Ken shares why professional driving is about far more than putting someone with a CDL behind the wheel and why safety, experience, customer requirements, and human connection all matter when matching the right driver with the right opportunity.  In this conversation, Ken reflects on the career lessons that shaped his approach to leadership, including the importance of staying close to the people doing the actual work. He shares how taking opportunities in difficult markets helped accelerate his own career, why leaders can learn valuable lessons from bad bosses, and why temperament and respect become increasingly important as responsibilities grow. Ken also explains why tenure alone should never determine whether someone stays or leaves an organization. The better questions are whether you are still learning, growing, and being challenged. The discussion also explores the evolving driver market and how ProDrivers is using AI to improve recruiting without removing the human element. Ken explains how technology can help match qualified drivers to highly specific customer needs faster and more accurately, while relationships, communication, and understanding the driver's day to day experience remain essential. He and Camp also discuss automation, autonomous trucking, driver loyalty, rising compensation, and why professional drivers deserve greater recognition for the skill, safety, and customer service they bring to the supply chain. Chapters[00:00] What it really means to be a professional driver[01:23] Meet Ken Frith[03:06] Staying close to the people doing the work[03:48] What bad leaders can teach you[04:26] Notre Dame football and leadership[06:13] Ken's nearly 20 year career at FedEx[08:00] Why relocation can accelerate a career[10:41] Inside ProDrivers and EmployBridge[14:14] Building staffing solutions around customer needs[16:29] Talent challenges in the driver market[16:51] Using AI to make better recruiting matches[19:20] Driver loyalty and preserving the human element[21:03] Autonomous trucking and the limits of automation[22:48] Preparing the workforce for more automation[23:41] A quick break from Henry North[24:29] Why professional driving is more than having a CDL[27:06] Knowing when it's time to make a career move[29:22] The biggest mistakes candidates make in interviews[32:11] Giving back through Le Bonheur Children's Hospital[34:44] Load It or Leave It[35:29] Driver pay and the changing labor market[36:48] Is long tenure a red flag[37:53] Why how you make people feel matters[39:17] Notre Dame and the conference debate[40:03] Final thoughts and connecting with ProDrivers

Camp Jennings and Scott Smith sit down with Jason Watson, Regional Vice President at GNCO, to explore what it takes to lead and grow in a material handling industry that looks very different than it did even a decade ago. Drawing on roughly 15 years in the industry, Jason shares his perspective on leadership, culture, talent, and why adaptability has become essential as automation, electrification, and changing workforce expectations challenge the traditional ways of doing business. In this conversation, Jason reflects on his unconventional path into material handling and the career advice that has shaped his approach to leadership. He explains why perception shapes reality, why leaders must understand how they are experienced by the people around them, and why communication, self awareness, and trust become increasingly important as responsibilities grow. The conversation also looks inside GNCO's aggressive growth strategy and its model of building a broader material handling organization through acquisitions while allowing individual businesses and leadership teams to maintain autonomy.The discussion also explores two of the industry's biggest challenges: technology and talent. Jason explains why electrification and automation are forcing dealerships to develop new expertise in both selling and servicing equipment, while a shrinking pool of experienced technicians and intense competition for top salespeople are changing how companies recruit, compensate, develop, and retain their teams. He shares why leaders need to recruit personally, create opportunities for technicians to expand their skills, and rethink traditional sales structures as the market evolves.Chapters[00:00] Why adaptability matters more than ever[01:14] Meet Jason Watson[04:03] The best career advice Jason ever received[04:24] Why perception shapes reality[07:09] Leadership, personal brand, and internal perception[09:30] Jason's path into material handling[11:58] Inside GNCO and its family of companies[14:08] Growing through acquisition[15:35] How GNCO structures its businesses[17:47] The biggest challenges facing material handling[18:10] Electrification and automation are already here[19:29] The battle for technicians and sales talent[21:05] Why leaders need to recruit personally[22:08] Technician shortages, wages, and competition for talent[24:00] Developing technicians for an electric future[26:01] Specialists versus the single sales rep model[26:44] Building a blended sales organization[28:25] A quick break from Henry North[29:13] Rethinking sales structures and compensation[30:51] Why the old material handling playbook is changing[31:13] Adaptability, compensation, and following the market[32:19] Lessons from the worst hires[36:36] Hiring for culture and fit[37:19] Personal favorites and recent purchases[40:04] Productivity habits and the 10-before-10 approach[41:22] Using daily outreach to stay connected with employees[42:46] Giving back through adoption and fostering[44:43] Load It or Leave It[45:09] Building teams with A players[46:47] Radical candor and honest leadership[47:40] Why pay and culture both matter for retention[48:30] Promoting top performers before they're ready[49:52] Entertaining counteroffers[50:27] Final thoughts and closing

Camp Jennings sits down with Colin Stroud, founder of Go Somewhere, for a change of pace from the usual material handling conversation and a practical look at how business owners can get more value from the money they are already spending. After turning his own obsession with travel and credit card rewards into a business, Colin now helps clients build smarter card strategies and turn accumulated points into memorable travel experiences.In this conversation, Colin breaks down some of the most common mistakes people make with credit cards, including assuming that the most expensive card is automatically the best. He explains how spending habits, lifestyle, and personal goals should determine which cards make sense and why a card with a high annual fee or premium perks may still be a poor choice if it does not generate meaningful rewards from the purchases you make most often.The discussion also explores cash back versus travel rewards and why Colin generally prefers flexible points that can be transferred across multiple airlines and hotel programs. He explains the math behind maximizing travel points and how the same spending that might generate a few thousand dollars in cash back can potentially create significantly more value when points are redeemed strategically for travel.Chapters[00:00] Choosing between cash back and travel rewards[00:50] Introducing Colin Stroud and Go Somewhere[02:29] A different kind of Load It or Leave It conversation[03:03] Turning a passion for credit card rewards into a business[04:16] Colin's lifelong love of travel[05:06] Discovering unexpected travel destinations[05:40] The biggest credit card mistakes people make[06:01] Why the most expensive card is not always the best[07:22] Credit cards worth considering[07:35] Chase, Bilt, and maximizing everyday spending[09:15] Cash back versus airline and hotel points[09:53] The simplest credit card strategy[10:10] Why flexible travel points offer more options[11:30] Understanding what points are really worth[12:17] How travel rewards can outperform cash back[13:31] Getting more value from hotel points[14:16] Load It or Leave It[16:00] Who can benefit most from a rewards strategy[16:54] Final thoughts and connecting with Colin

Camp Jennings and Scott Smith sit down for a conversation about the growth of Henry North and the launch of American Automation Techs and American Forklift Techs, two new divisions focused on one of the material handling industry's most pressing challenges: finding the skilled technical talent required to keep increasingly complex equipment running. As Henry North has grown from a small startup into a team of more than a dozen people, Camp and Scott reflect on what they have learned about scaling a business, building culture, and experiencing firsthand many of the same talent challenges their clients face. In this conversation, Camp and Scott discuss why technician recruiting has become one of the fastest growing parts of Henry North's business and why the shortage of skilled tradespeople is creating challenges throughout material handling and industrial automation. With experienced technicians retiring, fewer young people entering the trades, and equipment becoming more technologically advanced, companies are increasingly competing for a limited pool of people who possess both mechanical ability and sophisticated technical expertise. The discussion also explores how American Automation Techs and American Forklift Techs are designed to connect employers with the specialized talent they need. Camp and Scott explain why aftermarket service and support are essential to the success of equipment manufacturers, dealers, integrators, and end users, and why technician shortages can directly limit growth, customer service, and revenue. They also discuss the expanding role of automation technicians, who increasingly need to combine hands on mechanical skills with advanced knowledge of controls, software, and complex automated systems. Along the way, Camp and Scott reflect candidly on the challenges of entrepreneurship, hiring, and scaling Henry North while outlining their ambition to build dedicated communities for the technicians, engineers, installers, and other skilled professionals who will keep the next generation of material handling technology moving. Chapters[00:00] Catching up with Camp and Scott[03:09] Growth, family, and life as entrepreneurs[04:08] Building Henry North in public[06:02] What is driving Henry North's growth[07:23] Building culture while scaling the team[08:01] The challenge of hiring at the right pace[09:14] Finding and retaining great talent[10:22] Introducing American Forklift Techs and American Automation Techs[11:07] How technician recruiting became a major part of the business[12:05] Why technicians are the lifeblood of material handling[12:50] The skilled trades labor shortage[14:10] Connecting technicians with the right employers[16:04] The growing demand for automation technicians[17:58] Building technician staffing at scale[18:38] American Forklift Techs and the service workforce[20:32] The business impact of unfilled technician positions[21:21] Why Henry North is going all in on skilled trades[22:09] Who American Automation Techs and American Forklift Techs serve[23:21] Opportunities for technicians, engineers, and industry talent[23:42] Final thoughts on the next chapter of Henry North

Camp Jennings and Scott Smith sit down with John Santagate, founder of EMP Advisors, to explore how companies can cut through the noise surrounding warehouse automation and make smarter technology investments. Drawing on years of experience researching, designing, deploying, and supporting automation systems around the world, John shares what end users, OEMs, and integrators need to understand as robotics becomes an increasingly important part of material handling.John reflects on his path from management consulting and industry research to building a global mobile robotics business and eventually launching EMP Advisors. He explains why successful automation starts with clearly defining the problem rather than simply choosing the latest technology, and why buyers need to consider everything from software and support infrastructure to scalability, flexibility, and return on investment when evaluating potential solutions.The discussion also explores what John saw at MODEX, including the continued growth of mobile robotics, the increasing importance of software, and why humanoid robots may take longer to reach widespread warehouse adoption than the current hype suggests. John breaks down the considerations behind CapEx and robotics as a service models and shares his vision for the next generation of goods to person systems, where robotic picking, sorting, and multi agent orchestration could create increasingly connected and touchless warehouse operations.John Santagate on LinkedinChapters[00:00] Incremental innovation in warehouse automation[00:55] Meet John Santagate[02:24] The opportunity in multi agent orchestration[05:00] EMP Advisors and making better automation decisions[10:03] John's path from industry analyst to entrepreneur[14:58] Key takeaways from MODEX[17:09] Why software matters more than the robot[17:34] Humanoid robots and the automation hype cycle[19:02] The challenge of supporting robotics after deployment[23:26] CapEx versus robotics as a service[31:21] The future of goods to person automation[35:04] Connecting automation into a system of systems[39:03] Giving back through youth sports[41:20] Load It or Leave It[43:47] Final thoughts and connecting with John

Scott Smith sits down with Bill Pedriana, President of Noblelift North America, to explore why the future of material handling will be shaped less by technology alone and more by the leaders who know how to empower people through it. A third generation material handling professional, Bill shares how decades of experience across dealerships, manufacturing, and executive leadership have shaped a philosophy centered on service, culture, and long term thinking.In this conversation, Bill reflects on his journey from cold calling warehouse doors as a teenager to leading two of the industry's most recognizable manufacturers. He explains why genuine curiosity, solving customer problems, and developing people have been the constants throughout his career, and why organizations that focus only on KPIs ultimately miss the bigger opportunity to create lasting value.The discussion also explores leadership during a time of rapid technological change, the evolving relationship between manufacturers and independent dealers, and why empowering people should always come before replacing them. Bill shares his perspective on building cultures rooted in accountability, mentoring future leaders, and creating organizations where employees take responsibility for one another's success.Bill on LinkedinChapters[00:00] Leadership through service[01:02] Meet Bill Pedriana[01:57] AI, automation, and empowering people[06:08] Growing up in material handling[11:27] From Big Joe to Noblelift[17:18] Leading culture as a president[20:32] Balancing accountability and people first leadership[26:01] Coaching, mentoring, and developing talent[30:18] Hiring for character over resumes[32:11] The future of independent dealers[37:05] Giving back by serving personally[39:39] Load It or Leave It[45:05] Final leadership advice

Camp Jennings and Scott Smith sit down with Andrew McIntosh, Vice President of Sales at ProLift Toyota Material Handling, to explore what it really takes to build a successful career in material handling and grow from frontline sales into executive leadership. Drawing on more than a decade with ProLift, Andrew shares the mindset, habits, and relationships that helped accelerate his career while remaining grounded in continuous learning.In this conversation, Andrew reflects on his path from copier sales to leading one of the industry's largest Toyota dealerships, explaining why hard work, timing, and surrounding yourself with great mentors all play an essential role in long term success. He shares practical advice for sales professionals looking to advance into leadership, from protecting your time and staying disciplined to embracing the discomfort that comes with every new opportunity and overcoming the imposter syndrome that many leaders quietly experience.The discussion also explores where the material handling industry is heading, including AI driven fleet optimization, Toyota's expanding automation ecosystem, and the growing collaboration across the Toyota family of companies. Along the way, Camp and Scott compare leadership lessons from their own careers, discuss the strengths of different dealership models, and challenge common assumptions about what makes great sales leaders.Andrew on LinkedinChapters[00:00] Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable[01:01] Meet Andrew McIntosh[02:11] AI and the future of warehouse operations[06:25] Andrew's path into material handling[09:39] What accelerated Andrew's career[11:44] Stepping into sales leadership[13:11] Inside the VP of Sales role[17:10] Time management and career advice[18:48] Imposter syndrome and leadership growth[21:59] Toyota, Raymond, and the future of automation[26:13] Dealer models and serving customers[30:40] Giving back through Impacting Tomorrow[35:49] Load It or Leave It[41:02] Final thoughts and connecting with Andrew