Culture Over Spreadsheets | Mark Hillenburg on Building Manufacturing Businesses That Last

Culture Over Spreadsheets | Mark Hillenburg on Building Manufacturing Businesses That Last

From Rapid Fire Manufacturing by RapidFireManufacturing

December 23, 2025 · 26 min

About this episode

Mark Hillenburg discusses the importance of culture in manufacturing and leadership.

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing , I sit down with Mark Hillenburg, co-founder of Collective Manufacturing Group. Mark’s manufacturing journey started the hard way. A garage. Manual machines. A Bridgeport mill. Learning firsthand how difficult machining really is. Since then, he’s been a machinist, a CEO, and now a long-term owner focused on building manufacturing businesses meant to last decades, not flip in a few years. We talk about: Why culture matters more than spreadsheets What real leadership looks like on the shop floor How vulnerability builds trust in manufacturing teams Succession, stewardship, and long-term thinking The question every leader should ask: Would I want my kids to work here? This is an honest conversation about people, leadership, and creating environments where manufacturing can thrive for generations.

People in this episode

Host: I

Guest: Mark Hillenburg

Topics covered

  • manufacturing culture
  • leadership
  • trust in teams
  • long-term business strategy
  • succession planning

Keywords

  • manufacturing
  • leadership
  • culture
  • trust
  • long-term thinking
  • succession
  • machining

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Collective Manufacturing Group

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