The ReForge Podcast: Automation, AI, and the American Worker w/Matthew Chang

The 2026 Manufacturing Boom Nobody's Talking About

In this special episode of The ReForge Podcast, PR expert Cheryl Snapp Conner turns the tables and interviews host Matthew Chang about the year ahead for American manufacturing, faith-based entrepreneurship, and what it takes to write an Amazon bestseller. If you're looking for business advice on building a company with purpose while positioning for the coming capex wave, this conversation delivers the blueprint for leading with both conviction and strategy. Matthew Chang is the founder of Chang Robotics, a Christian engineering company at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and collaborative robotics. Founded in 2017, the company has grown to four locations nationwide and was named one of Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators 2024 and Inc.'s Best in Business. Matthew has led engineering projects across 20 disciplines in multiple countries, including designing the first autonomous mass transit system for a municipality—pioneering four of the world's firsts in autonomous systems. In 2025, he launched the $50M Chang Robotics Fund, a seed-stage VC firm that deployed capital into nine portfolio companies in its first year, with seven being first VC investments. His Amazon bestselling book "Risk-Taking is Biblical" hit #1 on release and has been adopted by companies for leadership training. Matthew is an EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 finalist, TEDx Jacksonville speaker, columnist for Inc. and Fast Company, and serves on the boards of Jacksonville University and Lifework Leadership. Cheryl Snapp Conner is the founder and CEO of SnappConner PR and a nationally recognized columnist for Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal. Named one of the Top 20 Business Thought Leaders globally, she specializes in crisis PR, reputation management, and thought leadership with 32+ years of experience. She is the author of "Beyond PR: Communicate Like a Champ in the Digital Age." Chapters: 0:00 - The Story Behind "Risk-Taking is Biblical" 8:00 - How Amazon Publishing Actually Works 15:00 - Faith-Based Business in Today's Media Climate 18:00 - The 2026 Manufacturing Capex Wave 25:00 - Chang Robotics Fund: Year One Results 32:00 - Scaling Culture Without Losing Soul Connect with Matthew Chang: 🔗 Website: changrobotics.ai [http://changrobotics.ai] 🔗 Fund: cr.fund [http://cr.fund] 🔗 Book: "Risk-Taking is Biblical" on Amazon 🔗 LinkedIn: Matthew Chang Connect with Cheryl Snapp Conner: 🔗 Website: snappconner.com [http://snappconner.com] 🔗 LinkedIn: Cheryl Snapp Conner About The ReForge Podcast: The ReForge Podcast explores the intersection of advanced manufacturing, technology innovation, and the entrepreneurs reshaping American industry. ⚡ Powered by NXC Podcast Network #thenxcpodcastnetwork #thereforgecast #entrepreneurship

What's REALLY Hidden in Private Equity Investments?

In this episode of The ReForge Podcast, Matthew Chang sits down with Paul Swaney, founder of The Swaney Group and Navy submarine veteran, for real talk on what private equity actually looks like when you're not just flipping companies—you're building them. If you're looking for business advice on the coming capex wave and why manufacturing is about to boom, this conversation delivers the blueprint from two operators who see the deals others don't. Paul W. Swaney III is the founder of The Swaney Group and creator of the Swaney Group Operating System (SGOS), a methodology he has applied to over 30 companies ranging from Fortune 100 enterprises to private equity-backed ventures. A Navy veteran who served as an electrician on submarines from 1998-2005, Paul grew up in a machine shop where his father was a tool maker—learning to read a micrometer at age four. His career spans Amazon, Total SA, McKinsey & Company, and Partners Group before launching The Swaney Group in 2022. He landed his first piece of diligence work within seven hours of updating his LinkedIn profile on Thanksgiving 2022. Paul also founded LeverUp, a community and podcast dedicated to demystifying banking, consulting, and private equity for young professionals—with a core philosophy of educating without gatekeeping. His thesis: the fear of failure is easier to digest than the fear of regret. Chapters: 0:00 - Why Private Equity Has a Dirty Name 3:00 - The McKinsey Advice That Changed Everything 6:00 - Launching The Swaney Group 13:00 - Understanding Fund Vintages 20:00 - Walking Away From Deals at the Finish Line 33:00 - The 2026 Manufacturing Capex Explosion 39:00 - Why Veterans Make Great PE Operators Connect with Paul Swaney: 🔗 Website: paulswaney.com [http://paulswaney.com] 🔗 X/Twitter: @privateinequity 🔗 LinkedIn: paulwswaneyiii 🔗 Podcast: LeverUp Connect with Matthew Chang: 🔗 Website: changrobotics.ai [http://changrobotics.ai] 🔗 LinkedIn: Matthew Chang About The ReForge Podcast: The ReForge Podcast explores the intersection of advanced manufacturing, technology innovation, and the entrepreneurs reshaping American industry. ⚡ Powered by NXC Podcast Network #thenxcpodcastnetwork #thereforgepodcast #entrepreneurship

Mitch Carlson on What's Really Happening to Truck Drivers

In this episode of The ReForge Podcast, Matthew Chang sits down with Mitch Carlson (CEO of Green Corridors) for a leadership and executive interview about entrepreneurship in autonomous freight technology. If you are looking for business advice on how to start a business in logistics or success stories about scaling a business with robotics, this business podcast reveals the truth about innovation in American manufacturing. Chapters: 0:00 - Presidential Permit for Autonomous Freight Technology 05:30 - Green Corridors Solving Border Congestion Problem 12:45 - Autonomous Shuttle Design and Manufacturing Strategy 20:15 - American Truckers and Workforce Impact Solutions 26:40 - Supply Chain Innovation Lowering Logistics Costs 31:20 - Future Plans for Port of Houston Project About Mitch Carlson: Mitch Carlson is CEO and founder of Green Corridors, a Texas-based autonomous freight technology company that received a rare presidential permit from the White House to build elevated freight corridors between Monterrey, Mexico and Laredo, Texas. As an exited technology entrepreneur from the oil and gas industry, Mitch is pioneering the fusion of civil engineering and robotics to solve freight corridor congestion with autonomous shuttles and 100% cargo scanning at the US-Mexico border. Connect with Mitch Carlson: 🔗 Company: Green Corridors 🔗 LinkedIn: Mitch Carlson Connect with Matthew Chang: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/] X/Twitter: https://x.com/matthewachang [https://x.com/matthewachang] Chang Robotics: https://www.changrobotics.ai/ [https://www.changrobotics.ai/] Chang Robotics Fund: https://www.cr.fund/ [https://www.cr.fund/] About The ReForge Podcast: The ReForge Podcast explores robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and American manufacturing with forward-thinking entrepreneurs and business leaders. Host Matthew Chang delivers insights on Industry 4.0, the future of work, and how technology will reshape the American economy while creating opportunities for innovation and growth. ⚡ Powered by NXC Podcast Network #nxcnetwork #autonomousfreight #entrepreneurship #deeptech

Business Expert Reveals Secrets to Success in the AI Revolution | The NXC Podcast Network

Timestamp Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Brittain's Track Record: Predicting Amazon & Whole Foods 10:00 - Tesla FSD vs Waymo: The Robotaxi Revolution 18:35 - OpenAI is the New BlackBerry - Google Wins 22:20 - The Buggy Whip Moment: AI Replacing Jobs 26:00 - Reshoring American Manufacturing Strategy 35:30 - The Future of AI: Local Computing vs Data Centers In this AI podcast, host Matthew Chang sits down with Brittain Ladd, the futurist who predicted Amazon acquiring Whole Foods years before it happened. Brittain shares his bold predictions for 2026 including why OpenAI will fail, how Google's Gemini will dominate, and why 12-15% of American jobs will be replaced by AI agents. This entrepreneur podcast explores business success in the age of AI disruption, featuring insights on Tesla's full self-driving technology reaching parity with Waymo, Uber's future in autonomous delivery, and the secrets to success for reshoring American manufacturing. Learn about innovative solutions including taxing AI agents as employees, creating manufacturing enterprise zones, and why the future of AI computing is local rather than massive data centers. Brittain reveals his entrepreneurial mindset on business strategy, discusses the future of work, and explains how AI tools will transform every industry while exploring what happens when automation makes traditional jobs obsolete. 🔗 Connect with Brittain Ladd: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittainladd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittainladd/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bcladd [https://www.facebook.com/bcladd] Website: https://brittainladd.com/ [https://brittainladd.com/] 🔗 Connect with Jason Engelhardt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonengelhardt/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonengelhardt/] Website: https://xzactly.ai/ [https://xzactly.ai/] 🔗 Connect with Matthew Chang: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/] X/Twitter: https://x.com/matthewachang [https://x.com/matthewachang] Chang Robotics: https://www.changrobotics.ai/ [https://www.changrobotics.ai/] Chang Robotics Fund: https://www.cr.fund/ [https://www.cr.fund/] #AIPodcast #EntrepreneurPodcast #BusinessSuccess #AITools #FutureOfWork #TeslaFSD #EntrepreneurAdvice #CEOInterview #Manufacturing #Automation ℹ️ About The ReForge Podcast: The ReForge Podcast explores robotics, automation, AI, American manufacturing, and workforce development. Host Matthew Chang delivers forward-thinking insights on Industry 4.0, featuring business experts and entrepreneurs who discuss the future of work, AI innovation, and how technology will reshape the American economy while creating new opportunities for growth and success. ⚡ Powered by NXC Podcast Network

AI in Health: How A Surgeon Is Revolutionizing Robotic Surgery Efficiency | The NXC Podcast Network

In this entrepreneur podcast, host Matthew Chang sits down with Dr. S.P. Bowers, robotic surgeon and founder of Suture Shield Inc., for real talk about jumping from a 20+ year surgical career into medical device innovation. This CEO interview delivers inspiring success story lessons on how one surgeon's frustration with losing needles during robotic surgery (3% non-retrieval rate = 40 minutes of searching) led to inventing a platform-independent device that saves 45 minutes per surgery and eliminates anxiety for 30,000+ surgeons. Dr. Bowers shares entrepreneur advice on the rapid adoption of robotic surgery (50%+ penetration in abdominal surgery, 2027 inflection point when robotics surpasses traditional laparoscopy), mastering new technology in months instead of years (10 proctored cases to expertise vs 18 years of laparoscopy experience), and why AI in healthcare and automation are enabling technologies that make surgeons better faster. Learn business expert secrets on scaling medical innovation from prototype to FDA approval, building clinical advisory boards of influential surgeons, and why manufacturing in the USA (currently North Carolina) protects against supply chain disruptions. Get business tips on the startup journey from idea to commercialization, raising capital through venture competitions (won Jacksonville 2025), and how cycle time analysis reveals massive efficiency gains (1.5 minutes per needle x 10 needles x 3 surgeries = time to have dinner with your kids). This mindset for success conversation proves that the best innovations come from domain experts who experience problems firsthand and have the audacity to solve them at scale—turning 400 patients helped per year into millions through scalable technology. 🔗 Connect with Dr. S.P. Bowers & Suture Shield: Website: www.suture-shield.com [http://www.suture-shield.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sp-bowers/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sp-bowers/] 🔗 Connect with Matthew Chang: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/] X/Twitter: https://x.com/matthewachang [https://x.com/matthewachang] Chang Robotics: https://www.changrobotics.ai/ [https://www.changrobotics.ai/] Chang Robotics Fund: https://www.cr.fund/ [https://www.cr.fund/] ℹ️ About The ReForge Podcast: Join Matthew Chang for conversations about automation, AI, and the American worker. Explore how technology like robotics and artificial intelligence are reshaping American manufacturing, healthcare, and creating new opportunities for skilled workers. Get entrepreneur advice, innovation strategies, and real talk about building the future of American industry. ⚡ Powered by NXC Podcast Network