What does it really take to build a safer, stronger manufacturing culture where people feel heard, valued, and motivated to improve every day? In this episode of the Clear Impact Podcast, Sherri Connor sits down with Bryan Richie and Matt Klimchak from MI Window and Door’s Hegins campus to explore how leadership, safety, continuous improvement, and team member engagement drive operational excellence.
Bryan and Matt share practical insights from the manufacturing floor, including how behavioral-based safety programs create better accountability, why listening builds credibility, and how creativity shows up in day-to-day operations. The conversation also highlights how MITER DNA and the belief that Experience Is Everything influence leadership decisions, quality systems, and the overall team member experience.
Whether you work in manufacturing leadership, operations management, quality, safety, or organizational development, this episode offers actionable ideas for building a more engaged and high-performing workplace culture.
What You’ll Learn
• How behavioral-based safety programs improve communication and accountability on the manufacturing floor
• Why Continuous Improvement goes beyond productivity metrics and impacts culture, quality, and employee experience
• How leadership credibility is built through listening, follow-up, and trust
• The role creativity plays in manufacturing, process improvement, and Product Innovation
• Why team member experience directly affects operational performance and long-term growth
Episode Highlights
01:34 – Matt Klemchak shares his background of process engineering and continuous improvement.
02:57 - Bryan Richie shares his education in chemistry and now covers a wide range of areas in manufacturing leadership.
3:56 – Matt Klimchak explains the scale and operational focus of the Hegins campus
04:46 – What a strong safety culture looks like in modern manufacturing
6:16 – How the Hegins facility evolved into a behavioral-based safety environment
9:39 – Why peer-to-peer engagement creates stronger safety outcomes
11:14 – How listening and follow-up build leadership credibility
13:26 – The connection between creativity and manufacturing problem-solving
15:05 – How the Manufacturers Leadership Institute encourages innovative thinking
18:23 – Why Continuous Improvement is about more than production metrics
22:05- Matt shares a story of partnership that was strengthened by solving problems together
23:51 – Advice for someone just starting out in a manufacturing career
28:17 – Matt’s favorite DNA point
28:45 – Brian’s favorite DNA point
Meet the Guests
Bryan Richie supports quality, training, and Continuous Improvement initiatives at the Hegins campus. His background includes chemistry, operational quality systems, and cross-functional manufacturing leadership.
Matt Klimchak serves as Operations Manager for the Hegins campus at MITER Brands. His experience includes process engineering, operational leadership, safety systems, and manufacturing excellence.
Tools, Frameworks, and Strategies Mentioned
• Continuous Improvement
• Behavioral-Based Safety Programs
• MITER DNA
• Experience Is Everything
• Manufacturers Leadership Institute (MLI)
• Standardization Processes
• Watch-and-Engage Safety Observations
• Every Detail, Every Day operational mindset
Closing Insight
“When other team members are looking out for each other, that’s when you know the safety culture is working.”
This episode is a practical conversation about leadership, safety culture, operational excellence, and creating a workplace where people can grow and succeed together.
Subscribe to the Clear Impact Podcast for more conversations about manufacturing leadership, innovation, quality, and Continuous Improvement across MITER Brands.
