Seventy-five percent of the journey from “Add to Cart” to your front door can run through conveyor and material handling systems built in Arkansas, and that single fact opens up a much bigger conversation about jobs, skills, and the future of advanced manufacturing. We talk with Phillip Poston, Chief Development Officer at Hytrol, about how Hytrol’s work connects to global logistics and why long-term leadership means investing in capacity, culture, and people even when the payoff takes years.

We also get personal about what shapes a career. Phillip shares how Arkansas State University mentors pushed him toward professionalism, how campus involvement built real leadership reps, and why relationships with professors and alumni still matter decades later. From there, we dig into workforce development through Hytrol’s DRIVE Academy and the CREST partnership (Career Readiness Education and Skills Training), including stackable credentials, technical certificates, associate degrees, and micro-credentials that can evolve as fast as technology does.

The hardest part of preparing talent in 2026 isn’t just teaching technical skills; it’s building durable skills like problem solving, critical thinking, and communication while automation and AI tools keep changing the rules. We also cover internship strategy, why early applications matter, and why cybersecurity now touches everything from phishing emails to internet-connected building systems.

If you care about manufacturing careers, higher education innovation, and economic growth in Northeast Arkansas, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review with the one skill you think every graduate should have. Make sure to follow socials @arkansasstatemedianetwork.

A university can hand you a diploma, but can it hand you a future? From a brand new podcast studio at Arkansas State University, we talk with Chancellor Todd Shields about a builder’s approach to higher education and why he believes students deserve a direct line from learning to a real career.

We get into the engine behind that promise: industry partnerships that tell the truth about today’s skills gap. Shields explains how A-State listens to employers, pressure-tests what students still need, and then updates programs without losing the rigor of accreditation. That can mean reworking curriculum, adding hands-on experiences, or embedding micro-credentials and industry certifications, such as IBM or Microsoft certificates so graduates stand out in hiring.

Along the way, we explore what makes A-State and Northeast Arkansas bigger than most people realize, including major regional industries and distinctive pathways that connect students to advanced health careers. If you care about workforce development, career-ready education, and talent pipelines that actually work, this conversation lays out a practical blueprint built around feedback, flexibility, and outcomes.

Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping Arkansas State, share this with someone choosing a college or hiring grads, and leave a review. What’s one skill you wish every graduate had on day one?