Roboticist Chronicles
It doesn’t matter how innovative your product is if your potential customers don’t know about it or understand why they should buy it. Johnny Tyler, Marketing and Design Specialist at Arc Specialties, has seen many companies adopt an unambitious marketing strategy – or, worse, not even draw out a strategy at all – rather…
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Engineering & Construction
The Roboticist Chronicles: Robots Aren’t Stealing Your Jobs, They’re Creating Them
As technology advances at an exponential rate, a common fearful sentiment among Americans is that robots are stealing human jobs. But, this long standing rumor couldn’t be farther from the truth. Robots actually create jobs, save humans from harm, and open up opportunities for new industry growth. The Roboticist Chronicles unpacks how robots are…
Articles Engineering & Construction
Why Collaboration is King at Fabtech 2019 with Dan Allford
It takes multiple companies to make robot automation come to life in metal forming, fabricating, welding or finishing. At Fabtech 2019, Dan Allford of Arc Specialties provided a picture of why collaboration and cooperation between companies in different segments of the industry is so important. “People that come to this show typically come with…
Engineering & Construction
The Roboticist Chronicles: Talking Tariffs, Subsidies, and Free Market Capitalism
Tariffs and subsidies are a hot topic at the moment, with global trade affecting the market each day. But who exactly are tariffs hurting and helping? Dan Allford, president and founder of ARC Specialties, delivers his perspective on this episode of The Roboticist Chronicles. Allford, a proponent of a global free market, described how…
Engineering & Construction
The Roboticist Chronicles: Lockheed’s “Skunk Works” Business Philosophy in Practice
Every business approaches how they work in a unique way. Each has a philosophy and culture, and each unique approach has its wins; some successful than others. But why? On this episode of The Roboticist Chronicles, we spoke business philosophy with Dan Allford, president of ARC Specialties. ARC Specialties has sound technology, but they…
AEC
From a Small Garage to Big Success: The Story of Arc Specialties
From its inception in 1983 to now, ARC Specialties has become a case study in the growth of an American entrepreneurial endeavor. Company President Dan Allford took the business out of a garage and has since turned the automated manufacturing systems provider into an international enterprise. On the first episode of The Roboticist Chronicles,…
AEC
Should We Tax Robots on the Factory Floor?
Have you heard of the concept of robot taxation? It’s an idea that pushes for more taxes on companies that use robots over human labor, and supporters have a fierce advocate in their corner: Bill Gates. But does it make sense in the modern world, one in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution…
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Continuous Improvement in Education: If You Want Different Outcomes, Change the System
School systems across the country are under mounting pressure to improve student outcomes while navigating shifting standards, staffing shortages, and rising expectations around accountability. Yet many reform efforts fall short because they are fragmented and short-term. According to Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning, sustained and job-embedded professional learning is linked to improved educator…
Get Vertical! Growing with Sales for Success
Buying behavior has shifted dramatically. Today’s B2B customers do most of their research before ever speaking with a salesperson. In fact, 61% of B2B buyers say they prefer a rep-free buying experience, according to a 2025 Gartner survey. At the same time, U.S. retail e-commerce sales exceeded $1.192 trillion in 2024. Growth still depends…
Standards, Identity, and Legacy: Leadership Lessons from the All Blacks and Other Elite Teams with James Kerr
Dynasties are rare. Most teams rise, win for a season, and fade. A superstar retires. A coach leaves. The chemistry shifts. What once felt inevitable suddenly looks fragile. Sustained excellence is far harder than a single championship run — it requires standards that survive ego, systems that outlast individuals, and a culture strong enough to…
Exploring the Intersection of Board Governance, Community Engagement and Creativity with Ann Margolin
Behind every city vote, hospital budget or zoning decision is a leader navigating tough, often conflicting priorities. Right now, public leaders are operating in an environment of rising healthcare costs, workforce shortages and heightened community expectations—especially within safety-net systems that collectively provide billions in uncompensated care each year. The stakes are real—they affect patients…