Chocolate. Solar. Art Supplies. Electric Cars. Organic Greens.

Bay Area manufacturers either make these products or comprise an integral part of their supply chain. Last week, the San Francisco Business Times hosted its first-ever manufacturing forum in Oakland in partnership with Sensiba San Filippo LLP.
Five CEOs shared valuable insights on the changing nature of
manufacturing and the Bay Area’s unique role in the U.S. manufacturing
renaissance. Here’s what we learned.

Claudia Wentworth is CEO of Quickmount PV,
a rooftop solar manufacturer in Walnut Creek. The company is
experiencing tremendous growth based on the quality of its products and
customer service. Wentworth believes the key to its success in finding a
full spectrum of talent in the Bay Area – ranging from floor personnel
to the executive level – is hiring critical thinkers.

Kevin Kelly is CEO of Emerald Packaging
and a second-generation Bay Area manufacturer based in Union City that
creates sustainable packaging for produce companies like Fresh Express.
What keeps him up at night is figuring out how to grow profitably
through increased productivity and cutting costs. Kelly is currently
exploring automation as an alternative to overseas production.

Aaron Leventhal, CEO of Hero Arts,
creates products for “crafters” – rubber stamps and other paper-arts
supplies in Richmond and Oakland. Keeping customers close is a prime
consideration for Leventhal who boasts that “there’s no waiting for the
slow boat”. He uses social media, including Instagram, to show his
customers what’s happening on the factory floor.

Jane Metcalfe is CEO of TCHO Chocolates,
a producer of artisan chocolate in San Francisco with a focus on
innovation. That includes being a leader in driving fair trade across
the industry and only using the highest quality, organically grown cocoa
beans. She supplements workforce training by conducting her own “TCHO
University”. The other CEOs provide extensive training as well –
everything from ESL to workplace culture.

Stan Sutton is CEO of Inland Metal Technologies,
a precision sheet metal fabricator in Hayward. One place you’ll find
his product is inside the Model S Tesla. Sutton noted that manufacturing
has changed – “It’s no longer the black sheep”. He counts three
must-have ingredients for manufacturing success: innovators, makers, and
users – all of which are located in the Bay Area.

Attracting a
solid workforce dominated the morning discussion. All agreed that great
talent is available, but it costs more. They also cited several
important attributes for new hires: creativity, eagerness to learn,
nimbleness, and business acumen.

Finally, all companies expressed
that their continued Bay Area presence depends on many things, including
access to customers, time to market, a local supply chain, incentives
and an emphasis on sustainability to maintain a competitive edge.

If these companies are any indication, the future of Bay Area manufacturing is looking extremely positive.