"I Can't Screw This Up" with Mike Jablonski

"I Can't Screw This Up" with Mike Jablonski

From Empowered Owners by Empowered Owners

November 18, 2025 · 21 min · Episode 56

About this episode

Mike Jablonski shares insights on the legacy of Whitney Brothers and the evolution of American manufacturing over 121 years.

Not many people have stewarded century-old companies. We're lucky that Mike Jablonski , former owner-operator of Whitney Brothers , is one of them. He takes us through 121 years of American manufacturing—from making wooden toys with hydro-powered equipment to today's manufacturing methods. Mike shares the remarkable story of how Whitney Brothers survived the Great Depression, world wars, devastating fires, and the declaration of pine as a "strategic wartime material" that forced a permanent pivot to hardwoods. He opens up about the weight of stewarding a century-old legacy and the influence of technical tours to Germany and Italy. Mike reveals how Whitney Brothers reinvented itself from commodity toys to institutional-grade furniture, explains the company's unique "Whitney-ize it" product development process, and shares an emotional moment with a founder's descendent. Whether you're interested in manufacturing, family business succession, or what it really takes to make a company last over a century, Mike's insights on teamwork, innovation, and pride in workmanship offer timeless lessons. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

People in this episode

Guest: Mike Jablonski

Topics covered

  • manufacturing
  • family business succession
  • innovation
  • teamwork
  • American history

Keywords

  • Whitney Brothers
  • manufacturing methods
  • family business
  • Great Depression
  • innovation
  • teamwork
  • wooden toys
  • hardwoods
  • product development

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Whitney Brothers

Products: institutional-grade furniture, commodity toys

Books & works: Whitney-ize it

Places: Germany, Italy

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