Exploring Indiana's Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics with Ryan Henderson from Conexus Indiana

In this episode, host Casey Harrison interviews Ryan Henderson, the Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Conexus Indiana. They delve into the significance of Indiana's advanced manufacturing and logistics industries, shedding light on the diverse career opportunities within these sectors. From networking tips to the impact of these industries on the state's economy, this conversation uncovers the untapped potential of advanced industries in Indiana.

Key Takeaways:

• Indiana's Economic Backbone: Indiana boasts a robust manufacturing and logistics sector, with one in five Hoosiers employed in advanced manufacturing and logistics, contributing significantly to the state's GDP.
  
  
• Diverse Career Pathways: While traditional roles in manufacturing and logistics are well-known, there are also opportunities in IT, data analytics, human resources, supply chain, and finance, making it a diverse field with various entry points.
  
  
• Networking Matters: Building and maintaining a strong network is crucial for finding career opportunities in these industries. Platforms like LinkedIn can be valuable tools for networking.
  
  
• Manufacturing in Innovation: Manufacturing plays a pivotal role in supporting innovation in sectors like life sciences, ag biosciences, and technology. New products often require advanced manufacturing capabilities.
  
  
• Logistics Powerhouse: Indiana's logistics sector is equally vital, with key players like the FedEx hub and third-party logistics providers ensuring efficient supply chains for manufacturers.

Connect with Ryan Henderson
For more resources on the jobs, companies, and opportunities in Indiana, visit
https://www.cicpindiana.com/syi/  

Transcript

Casey Harrison: Welcome to today's episode of See Yourself In, where you'll learn about cool jobs, people, and companies in Indiana. Today you'll hear about skills that will help you find success, and most importantly, we hope to inspire you to dream big. I'm Kasey Harrison, your host. On today's show, we're going to dive into Indiana's advanced industries and why they're important.

We'll talk about skills that are transferable across jobs and industries, and determine some of the best ways to start exploring these great opportunities. I'm here with Ryan Henderson, who has a pretty cool title. Ryan is the Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation with Conexus Indiana.

Conexus is a non profit advanced industry initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership that helps grow the advanced manufacturing and logistics sectors in Indiana. Did you know that Indiana is the most manufacturing intensive state in the nation? It's true, we make all kinds of things here and then we move those things across the globe.

Ryan knows something about being from the other side of the globe. He's actually a Hoosier transplant from Auckland, New Zealand, who came to Conexus by way of the Heritage Group Accelerator, powered by TechStars, a venture capital firm that runs startup accelerators across the globe. We'll dive into all of this today.

Ryan, we're so excited you could join us. So let's start at the beginning. You didn't grow up in Indiana. So share with us where you're from.

Ryan Henderson: Yeah, it's a pleasure to be here, Casey. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I grew up. a long way away across, the Pacific ocean in Auckland, New Zealand, and made my way over to the United States when I was 18.

That's always the first question I get asked, right? What brought you here? How did you end up here? how did you end up in the Midwest? That's always the first question that comes to mind. And it's actually a pretty simple answer. college athletics brought me to the U S most. Most Americans don't realize that college athletics only happens the way it does here in the United States.

So a lot of international, students that want to continue playing in a competitive way, seek out that opportunity in the U. S. 

Casey Harrison: So you came over for which sport? 

Ryan Henderson: So yeah, I played tennis for four years at Eastern Illinois University and traveled around the Midwest, played Purdue, played Indiana University, played University of Indianapolis, have good memories of driving through seeing Gainbridge Fieldhouse and in the Colts Stadium late at night after either a tough Loss or a good win?

Casey Harrison: We love a good win. Right. So you came, you came over for tennis, but as it related to your studies, did you come over with your eyes focused on what you wanted to study in college and maybe do after? 

Ryan Henderson: I generally knew I was going to study something in business, but it took, it took about one year, maybe one and a half years in college to decide on management and accounting.

There wasn't any one thing that made me, made me lean into those, beyond just a few professors that encouraged that field and my, I guess my skills.

Casey Harrison: I think one of the consistent themes we're hearing from our guests is that many have really discovered what they want to be doing through networking and just getting exposure to different fields. And I guess I'm curious, you know, having come through. From a completely different country. How did you approach networking in the United States without I mean you didn't have family here 

Ryan Henderson: No, yeah, I did not have any family network or any any family friend network to leverage here It is cliche, but it's true.

I mean you have to build a strong network That's how I found every job I've ever had in fact through some Some network through a colleague through a past colleague, so it's very important, and I would absolutely encourage folks to treat it like a serious thing, like a skill that you develop and build and maintain.

It's something that you have to maintain, you know, check in with. people make sure you're, you're continuing those connections, otherwise you'll lose it. 

Casey Harrison: When you were in college, were there specific ways that you went about networking? I mean, how did you approach that? 

Ryan Henderson: Well, that, yeah, there are events, I mean, there are the, the usual ways, right?

you want to be involved in the community that you live in, attend events, make sure folks know who you are, but. at the time that I was in college, LinkedIn and other, you know, social platforms were really up and coming and there's a, there's a lot of powerful things to do on LinkedIn. I definitely use it, to the best of my ability just to stay in touch, find cool jobs, find cool people, and connect.

So I'd say LinkedIn is kind of my go to way to, to maintain that network. 

Casey Harrison: I love that you're really drawing out. It's not about creating. It's about creating the network and then nurturing the network. And I think you're right. LinkedIn is, is an awesome place to start doing that. Okay. So you get to the United States, you're in the Chicagoland area.

Correct? 

Ryan Henderson: Ish. Yeah. Charleston, Illinois, three, about three hours South of Chicago. So, I would say in the cornfields. 

Casey Harrison: Oh my gosh. Okay. And then you decided to go deeper into the cornfields and you came to Indiana. So talk to us about how that path paved. 

Ryan Henderson: Yeah. So there's a little bit before that I was working. in accounting. so I was, I started work at PWC, which is financial consulting and advisory worked there for a couple of years, but just didn't see myself continuing in that way. So I enrolled in a sustainability master's program, and that's where I was, I guess, thrust into the world of economic development.

So I was working in Chicago for a very similar organization to Canaxis. I was actually focused on water technology development and entrepreneurship in the city of Chicago. And it went, I was interning while I was doing my master's program. So that's how I kind of found the world of economic development.

And then through that, eventually TechStars and the Heritage Group down here in Indianapolis. 

Casey Harrison: So for those who aren't familiar, introduce us to TechStars and the 

Ryan Henderson: Heritage Group. Techstars is a venture capital firm that runs startup accelerator programs across the globe. I believe they have about 54 programs that they run and they run them in all sorts of industries.

So the Heritage Group accelerator program that I was part of, was focused on hard tech entrepreneurship. So you can think of that as a combination of hardware, software, and manufacturing. and specifically for the Heritage Group, they're interested in new materials. Batteries, next generation transportation, construction technology, and other industrial applications.

But Techstars more generally runs advanced mobility, energy technology, fintech, mark marketing technology, all sorts. And the whole goal is to put these entrepreneurs through, about three months of intense programming. to accelerate these companies.

Casey Harrison: I just want to go back because I think it's incredible.

You started the last response by saying, I was at a financial company and then you went straight into a tech accelerator. I mean, those couldn't appear more different and yet I'm sure that your skill set enabled you to do both. So could you talk a little bit about the transferable skills that made you super credentialed in the financial space, but that actually proved to be equally as valuable in This high, high growth tech startup space.

Ryan Henderson: Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, part of my, my big plan was get the master's degree to help pivot, my career, and learn a little bit about public policy and corporate sustainability and tie them into a new role. But there were a lot of skills that I had from my undergraduate degree. right. Data analysis, understanding how companies disclose financial information and go about running their day to day business operations definitely helped me, yeah, move, move careers.

Casey Harrison: Yeah. I think it's fascinating because I, I know I'm really bad at and guilty of when I think about a finance company, I think of. I think of bankers and I think of lenders, and I don't often think about all the other jobs in the financial space that enable banking and lending, right? So I'm sure that's similar.

So what year did you come to Indiana? 2020. 2020. So you've been here three, almost four. what's kept you here? 

Ryan Henderson: Well, yeah, a lot of things, you know, moving from Chicago, I was able to certainly save a lot on living, rent just about halved, all the other, you know, miscellaneous expenses like insurance and things like that also.

Yeah. Yeah. the wallet was very, very happy, moving from Chicago to Indianapolis. And just, I mean. Having studied at Eastern Illinois, a lot of friends and now family are located in the Midwest, and India is centrally located. It's easy to visit Cincinnati. It's easy to visit St. Louis. It's easy to go back up to Chicago and visit folks.

So, those are two of the main things, and then, you know, career wise as well. 

Casey Harrison: Sure. Well, we're going to get into that in a minute, but I'm, I'm really curious, like, when you moved to Indy, how did you start? Because once again, you were cultivating a whole new network. So what were some of the things that you deployed at that time?

Ryan Henderson: Well, I was used to it at that point, but, I will say, I think, and maybe, maybe it's a little bit underappreciated, but roles like tech stars and roles. And companies like Conexus and CICP, they just thrust you into the community and make you engage with industry, make you engage with economic development firms, make you engage with entrepreneurs, make you engage with universities, so you really start to build a network pretty quick.

Casey Harrison: After TechStars, you joined Conexus Indiana. For more than a decade, Conexus has been positioning Indiana as the best place for advanced manufacturing and logistic industries to innovate, invest, employ, and succeed. This includes 444 billion in economic impact with over 530, 000 jobs in advanced manufacturing and a respective 167, 000 jobs in logistics.

So can you help us, I mean, those numbers are incredibly, incredibly significant, but put those into perspective for us. What does that mean? 

Ryan Henderson: Yeah, it's one of the things that drew me into the role, working on these big opportunities and challenges, but Manufacturing and logistics mean a lot to Indiana and it drives the economy.

So one in five Hoosiers are employed in advanced manufacturing and logistics and about one third of the state's GDP is attributed to advanced manufacturing and logistics. So one stat we like to throw out is Indiana is the most manufacturing intensive state in the U.S. and. Advanced manufacturing and logistics is more important than tourism is to Hawaii.

So it really drives economic activity in the state. But there's a lot of things that are, that is impacting it. It's changing technology, new technologies, emerging industries, and a lot of workforce opportunities and challenges as well. Just to highlight The breadth of the economy and, and the amount of goods that are made and moved in the state of Indiana.

We have automotive companies represented here like Subaru and Honda. I actually own a Subaru Crosstrek that was made, in the Lafayette, Indiana plant. so it's nice like driving that around knowing that it was. It's made 65 miles north of like where I live. I mean, that's just so unique, but there's also RVs and food and beverage companies all the way to vaccine manufacturers and life saving medicines.

So the manufacturing industry in Indiana is truly diverse, in the industries that operate here. 

Casey Harrison: It's pretty incredible to think about how much is made here, but then we often don't follow that up with how much is moved out of here. Like, how much is our advanced manufacturing and logistic industries, how much are they moving product across the globe? I mean, I don't think we paused to reflect on the impact of that enough. 

Ryan Henderson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, they're, they're right. They're touching everywhere in the world for sure. 

Casey Harrison: Well, so traditionally when we think about advanced manufacturing and logistics, we think about assembly lines, but there's so much more that these industries have to offer as career trajectories.

So what are some of the skills and career opportunities that, you know, our listeners might not immediately think of, but maybe they should. 

Ryan Henderson: There are a lot of traditional roles that folks would probably immediately think about in manufacturing and logistics, so, you know, roles on the production line, on the production floor, welding, maintenance technicians, production managers, there are a lot of pathways into those roles, you don't necessarily need a college degree, but there are also You know, and these are sometimes forgotten.

There are also needs at all manufacturing and logistics companies for IT and data analytics and human resources all the way through to supply chain and, and finance. So those are great opportunities at our manufacturing logistics companies as well. 

Casey Harrison: Yeah. Well, we have some recent data that employees earn an average compensation of 90, 000 in advanced manufacturing and 68, 000 in logistics.

So to me, it says that there's, there's good opportunity to make a living wage and to create opportunities for yourself. But how do people actually find entry points into the industries? 

Ryan Henderson: there are a few ways to do it. Of course, I'll go back to, you know, the networking piece. Building and maintaining a network, getting those introductions and listening to professionals that are in the industry to understand the opportunities is always good.

But Conexus, we have a make and move campaign that helps to educate Generation Z talent on the opportunities in advanced manufacturing and logistics. And unless you're on TikTok and Instagram and, you know, all the social channels that they, they're on day to day, you won't see those marketing campaigns, but those are aimed to highlight.

the high tech, high paying jobs in manufacturing and logistics. 

Casey Harrison: So, Ryan, I know Indiana is really strong in ag biosciences, life sciences, and technology. How does manufacturing and logistics work within those sectors? 

Ryan Henderson: Well, a lot of them require production of a physical product. so, of course, they need manufacturing capabilities and a lot of that just happens to be in Indiana and in the Midwest.

And if you think of some of the emerging Spaces like electric vehicles and batteries, semiconductors and chips and bio manufacturing, a lot of the innovation within life sciences and ag biosciences happens in that manufacturing space because quite simply new products have to be made somehow. So all the new innovation and technology can support these companies.

With new market entry and new product launches. 

Casey Harrison: And how do all those products get around the world? 

Ryan Henderson: Yeah. So that's, that's something I haven't touched on too much in this podcast, but, logistics in Indiana is also a bit of a powerhouse sector. A lot of storage, warehousing, delivery. We have a great network in the state of logistics firms that support our manufacturing base, moving products around the state and around the world.

We wouldn't be able to do it without, you know, the FedEx hub. And other third party logistics providers that enable efficient supply chains for, for our manufacturers. 

Casey Harrison: Well, before we let you go, Ryan, it, it feels like the right time to ask, what exactly does a Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation do?

Ryan Henderson: I think the answer that I like the most is every day is pretty different. But you can certainly find me doing a lot of project management and engaging with different stakeholders. You know, just for example, we do research projects with Purdue University and Indiana University. So work with professors and graduate students on technology adoption trends, work a lot with our industry partners to help educate them and grow awareness on all the different technologies.

that's part of the fourth industrial revolution. So you can think 3d printing, cobots, robotics, AI, machine learning, things like that. we do a lot of events and pull together expertise on those topics. And then I do a lot of writing, talk to a lot of companies to learn about the challenges that they face day to day and technology adoption.

And, write case studies and, disseminate those in the general public to, to learn about what's working and what's not. 

Casey Harrison: Ryan, I'm so glad you could hang out with us today. I mean, I feel like the, the industry of advanced manufacturing and logistics is so untapped. And so shedding some light on it, I just, I think people are going to really take a lot away from this conversation.

Thank you so much. Yeah, of course. Pleasure. We're so glad you were able to join us today to learn about Indiana's advanced industries and how you can start or enhance your career journey. Until next time, we hope that you'll be able to see yourself in the unlimited opportunities in Indiana.