Building Industry, Building People: The Apex Way with Ann Ensenbach
From Blue-Collar BS by Brad Herda and Steve Doyle
May 8, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 204
About this episode
Ann Ensenbach discusses the growth of Apex Group and the importance of company culture and employee recognition.
Ann Ensenbach is back for her second appearance to share what's happened since moving Apex Group to the Carolinas. The company now has multiple locations and three divisions - manufacturing machining, research and development, and military armor products. What started as one smaller location turned into acquiring a company that was going out of business due to tariff impacts and dependency on outsourced products. Their loss became Apex's gain, allowing them to continue jobs and bring more opportunities to the area. Ann's focus is mass manufacturing with minimum runs of 5,000 units proving that high-volume production doesn't have to be outsourced. Five percent of everything Apex makes goes into a foundation supporting tiny homes for foster kids and scholarships for veteran groups. We talk about culture transformation when acquiring talent, why recognition tied to money works better than public praise, how tribal knowledge and assumptions slowly kill industries, and why leaders need to understand that people who don't feel cared for won't care about company goals. Highlights: How acquiring a workforce from a company going out of business requires clear communication about values…
People in this episode
Hosts: Brad Herda, Steve Doyle
Guest: Ann Ensenbach
Topics covered
- manufacturing
- company culture
- employee recognition
- business growth
- community support
Keywords
- Apex Group
- manufacturing
- employee recognition
- community support
- business growth
- tariff impacts
- tribal knowledge
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Apex Group, Apex, foundation, military armor products, foster kids, veteran groups
Places: Carolinas
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