US Industrial Production Moderate but Growing July 2026 (A Good Entrepreneurial Idea and the Tommyknockers)

 Manufacturing is the ability of a country to develop and foster economic growth through its manufacturing sector. Ideas are invented and products are developed, often through significant research and development. Other times, innovation can happen much more simply. Someone might be working in their kitchen, experimenting with something, and suddenly come up with a great idea. That is part of how innovation works.

(Illustrative Only)

Tovo heads to
start his mining
robot business
where he creates prototypes
on mainstreet. He figured
that if are some
restrictions on foreign 
robots he could 
build them and scale
locally at the industry
center using many
locally sourced materials. 

He is not neglectful
of giving back
to the Tommnyknockers.
(Can you see them in the woods?)
😟😏

As a side note: I should
try and create stories within
stories to sort of increase
cognitive reach.

The next challenge is taking that idea and scaling it. This is where manufacturing becomes important. Once a product has been developed and tested, the country needs the capacity to manufacture it efficiently and at scale. Having that manufacturing capacity is an important component of economic development.

The current manufacturing report is not bad. Manufacturing is growing, although not particularly quickly. Business equipment is an especially important area because producing business equipment places a country in the center of supply chains and can create significant economic value.

Capacity utilization has also increased, but it remains below its long-term average. This generally indicates that there is excess manufacturing capacity available. In other words, manufacturers could potentially produce more if there were sufficient demand for their products.

That leads to a broader question: How do we get other countries and customers to purchase our products? Cost and manufacturing capacity are only part of the equation. Geopolitical relationships, international trade policies, product quality, and brand reputation also influence whether customers will buy those products.

Overall, the manufacturing picture appears relatively stable. The issue is not necessarily whether we have the capacity to manufacture products. The larger challenge is whether we can manufacture them competitively and develop new customers and markets willing to buy them.

U.S. Industrial Production Shows Continued Moderate Growth

• U.S. industrial production increased 0.2% in July 2026, following a 0.3% increase in June. Total industrial production was 1.1% higher than in July 2025.
• Manufacturing production also increased 0.2% in July. Manufacturing excluding motor vehicles and parts performed somewhat better, increasing 0.4%.
• Business equipment production was a strong area of growth, rising 0.8% in July and 6.6% over the previous year, suggesting continued investment in productive capacity.
• Capacity utilization edged up to 76.3% for total industry and 76.0% for manufacturing. However, both remained below their long-run averages, indicating that substantial productive capacity remains available.
• The results present a mixed but generally stable manufacturing picture. Durable-goods production increased 0.7%, while nondurable-goods production declined 0.4%; mining and utilities also posted modest increases.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. (2026, August 18). Industrial production and capacity utilization—G.17. https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g17/current/default.htm

The Most Talented (Best & Brightest) vs. The Self Oriented (Most Connected) in Hiring (We Love to Judge)

People love to judge. They love to judge each other, judge themselves, and judge society. We are essentially designed to evaluate our environment and determine what is helpful versus unhelpful, who we can trust, and which situations are beneficial or harmful. We live in a socially constructed world, so people are constantly evaluating one another.

(Illustrative Only)

The board can't figure out
why they are losing money
and non competitive. 

They decided the solution was to hire
their friends John and Sally
from their expensive golf club to
right size the company. 
(btw I like golf but being funny.
I just suck at it.🙃)

John and Lucy
were rejected because
they were not the
"right fit" for 
the organization.
They took a few
of their ideas though.😉

Even after the VIP fast pass to
the top the company
still is losing money. 
Go figure! 🤷

The problem arises when we apply these judgments to management, leadership selection, government officials, political candidates, nonprofit leaders, or virtually any organization. We often associate assertiveness with a higher position in the social hierarchy. We assume that someone who is more assertive must somehow have greater value, competence, or leadership ability.

There are situations where assertiveness is valuable, particularly when someone has a clear mission or purpose that benefits the organization or the broader community. But more often than we might like to admit, assertiveness can simply reflect self-interest. Some people are demanding because they are primarily focused on getting what they want, and they have little concern for how their behavior affects everyone else. They have little reflection of the consequences of their decisions or the authority entrusted in them.

When we put people like that into positions of authority, they can have a corrosive effect on decision-making and organizational outcomes. We have all seen situations where the wrong person was promoted because they were well connected, knew the right people, or were simply demanding enough to get noticed. A few years later, the organization discovers that this person has created chaos, damaged morale, and driven away some of its best and brightest performers for an organization.

Authority can legitimize dysfunction. Once someone is given a position of power, they have the ability to make decisions that affect other people and, unfortunately, spread their own dysfunction throughout the organization. A self-oriented and pushy person who is in a position of authority will certainly misuse that authority to get what they want even if that runs counter to the purpoe of that position or the mission of the organization. 

That brings us to the difference between the most connected or most demanding person and the best and brightest. The best and brightest often have talent, ability, and sound judgment. They are thoughtful. They don't necessarily need to force their opinions on everyone else. They can be clear about their positions, confident in their decisions, and willing to explain their reasoning without resorting to intimidation or bullying.

Of course, there will always be people who resist good conscious and helpful outcomes. Sometimes leaders have to make difficult decisions and move forward. But organizations are generally better served when they gravitate toward thoughtful, capable people rather than simply rewarding the loudest, most aggressive, or most demanding individuals.

If you consistently gravitate toward narcissistic or highly dysfunctional personalities simply because they are assertive, you should expect additional chaos. Leadership selection isn't just about the person being selected. It is also about the people doing the selecting. Further it is about the people in the organization and the stakeholders.

People who elect leaders, hire managers, or place individuals into positions of authority have a responsibility for those decisions. They have responsibilities to the organization, to the people who work there, and, in many cases, to society. If they are careless about who they put into positions of power—or allow ideology, personal connections, or aggressive personalities to override sound judgment—the consequences can affect everyone.

So be wise about who you put in positions of authority. Be wise about who you elect. Be thoughtful about how you make decisions. The most demanding, the most ability to create narratives, the most ability to deflect responsibility may look good on sound bits but often weaken an organization over time.

Don't mistake aggression for leadership or rudeness for strength. Some people are simply selfish and demanding, and if they are consistently rewarded with positions of authority, they can create chaos wherever they go. Are you sure that is the type you want running your organization? Managing your money or resources? Fulfilling a mission or working with customers?

Ultimately, the people we choose to lead us matter. And those responsible for making those choices need to understand that they are not simply selecting an individual—they are shaping the culture, decisions, and outcomes of the organization or society that follows.

 Social Hierarchy, Status, and the Evaluation of Assertiveness and Ability

• Social evaluation is often organized around two broad dimensions: how well people get along with others and how effectively they pursue goals. This study focuses on the vertical dimension, particularly assertiveness and ability.
• The researchers examined whether a person’s position in a social hierarchy affects how they evaluate others, using legitimacy beliefs and relative status as indicators of hierarchical position.
• Across four studies, higher-legitimacy and higher-status judges tended to see greater overlap between assertiveness and ability when evaluating social targets.
• Lower-status or lower-legitimacy judges differentiated more strongly between being assertive and being capable, suggesting that social position can influence how people interpret the characteristics of others.
• The findings demonstrate that judgments of competence and status are not completely objective; they can be shaped by the evaluator’s own position within a hierarchy. This has implications for understanding leadership, workplace evaluations, stereotyping, and organizational power relationships.

Yzerbyt, V., Barbedor, J., Carrier, A., & Rohmer, O. (2022). The facets of social hierarchy: How judges’ legitimacy beliefs and relative status shape their evaluation of assertiveness and ability. International Review of Social Psychology, 35(1), Article 18, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5334/irsp.695

My Boat Beef and Chicken Sliders

Boat-camp cooking takes a little effort. The other day, I made some sliders. There were some beef ribs at the store, along with some chicken legs that I had, so I cooked them up on the grill, seasoned them, and made my own buns with yeast, salt, flour, water, and a little sugar to get the yeast moving. Pretty simple, but they turned out really well. I added some lettuce, cheese, tomato, and onions. I made about four and saved a couple for later.

My sliders

What I like about cooking is that it's enjoyable, and you get to eat what you make. You don't always have the time to cook, but when you do, you get to see tangible results. You're also not eating out as much because, when I cook, I usually make extra. I mostly cook for myself, although occasionally I'll cook for a friend. I always save one meal for later, so there's usually something sitting in the cooler in case I get hungry or need a meal for the next day.

Once you learn the basics of different types of food—how bread works, how tortillas work, how to make soups and pies, or even how to make sausage—everything else is really just practice and taking your time.

I'm still working on making tortilla chips. I think I might finally have a good batch figured out. I want them to look more like the store-bought ones because mine tend to come out too thick. So I'm experimenting. I learned that baking them a little first seems to help, and then frying them afterward makes a big difference.

It's really just a matter of continuing to learn and keep working at it. And, of course, there's something satisfying about eating fresh food every day and knowing exactly what went into it.

I also have a fitness trainer's license and a yoga instructor's license. I've never really used either professionally; they've mostly been hobbies. But I'd love the opportunity to put them to use. If you're interested in virtual help, send me a message to the right.

New York Manufacturing Activity Fairly Strong in August 2026

Think about how manufacturing grows and develops. This was a recent economic release that I’ve been watching as new economic data comes out. It’s actually fairly positive. Even though the data is specific to New York, it provides an interesting snapshot of manufacturing conditions.

New orders are continuing to rise, employment is improving modestly, and manufacturers remain somewhat optimistic about the future. Inflation is still an issue, particularly with input costs, and supply availability continues to be a concern. Overall, though, the report is pretty good and certainly not negative.

The survey doesn’t really explain why these changes are happening or what factors are driving them, but it still provides some useful information about current manufacturing conditions. It’s worth keeping an eye on as we look at the broader economy.

New York Manufacturing Activity Strengthens in August 2026

• Manufacturing activity in New York State grew strongly in August, with the Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s general business conditions index rising five points to 20.6, its highest level in more than four years.
• New orders and shipments continued to increase, while unfilled orders rose substantially and delivery times lengthened, suggesting stronger demand but increasing pressure on production and logistics.
• Employment conditions improved modestly. The employee index was 9.3 and the average workweek index increased to 6.9, indicating gains in employment and hours worked.
• Inflationary pressures remained significant. The prices-paid index increased to 58.6, while the prices-received index declined to 22.7, indicating that input costs were rising faster than manufacturers’ selling prices.
• Manufacturers remained optimistic about the next six months, with the future business conditions index increasing to 32.1. Firms expected stronger orders, shipments, and employment, although supply availability and elevated prices remained concerns.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (2026, August). Empire State Manufacturing Survey: August 2026. https://www.newyorkfed.org/survey/empire/empiresurvey_overview.html

Small Business and Downtown Revitalization

Small towns are important to the long-term health of our communities and society in general. Over the years, many economic policies have been geared toward big money and large corporations. Of course, those organizations often have greater access to policymakers and the resources to influence economic development decisions. But small downtowns could be vitally important to our long-term economic health because they can encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and local development.

Entrepreneurs and small investors can enter these communities and develop startups without requiring the enormous amounts of capital needed to compete in larger markets. We’ve talked about micro-manufacturing and other small businesses that can grow within a community. A micro-manufacturer, for example, can operate a storefront where local residents can purchase products while also selling those products online and exporting them to other markets.

Of course, most startups are not going to become major companies. Some will grow, some will struggle, and many will simply remain small businesses that support their owners and employees. But a community doesn't need dozens of businesses to become wildly successful. Even one or two businesses that really take off can transform an area. Eventually, a successful company may move into a larger facility where it can scale production, creating jobs and potentially becoming an anchor business for the community.

That's why I think local entrepreneurship deserves more attention. We like to focus on the big names but that has led to overconcentration. Nothing wrong with large companies but there should be a balance. Local money tends to circulate within the community, benefiting people and businesses we actually know. That can have a significant economic impact. Successful businesses can also attract tourism, outside investment, and additional entrepreneurs.

I think about Delta County and Escanaba in particular. With improvements happening downtown, there are opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch new businesses, develop innovative products, and potentially export those products to customers outside the region while simultaneously attracting tourists to the community. Tourism has grown significantly in recent years, and that can become another component of the broader economic development process.

It would be interesting to see what could happen if more investors looked at small communities through this lens. If I were an investor with $100,000 or $200,000 and had a great business idea, I might not automatically look toward a major metropolitan area. I might look for a community where I could have a good quality of life, live close to nature, work alongside other entrepreneurs, operate in a quaint downtown, and still have the opportunity to grow and scale the business.

That means communities need to think about what makes them attractive to that kind of entrepreneur and investor. What infrastructure do they offer? What downtown spaces are available? Can entrepreneurs afford to get started? Is there a network of other businesses and investors? Can a company grow locally before eventually expanding?

To me, Escanaba seems ripe for this kind of downtown development. The opportunity isn't simply about filling vacant storefronts. It's about creating an environment where entrepreneurs can start small, experiment, grow, and eventually become the anchor businesses that help transform the entire community.

Small Maker Businesses as a Catalyst for Downtown Revitalization

• Small-scale “maker businesses” can help revitalize downtowns by occupying vacant storefronts while producing goods for both consumers and other businesses.
• The Main Street America survey examined 284 maker businesses and 979 other small businesses across 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
• Maker businesses are more integrated into local economies: 41% supply goods to other local businesses, compared with 13% of non-makers, while 69% use local vendors versus 53% of other businesses.
• These businesses can create destinations that attract residents and visitors. Forty-six percent identified themselves as landmark or destination businesses, compared with 35% of non-makers.
• Maker businesses also combine physical storefronts with e-commerce, creating opportunities to bring outside revenue into the community. The findings suggest that cities should consider affordable space, programs, and incentives for small-scale manufacturing as part of downtown economic development.

Preuss, I. (2026, April 10). New data proves small ‘maker businesses’ can revitalize downtowns. Next City. https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/new-data-proves-small-maker-businesses-can-revitalize-downtowns

Ethics, Accountability, and the Health of an Organization (Allegory of the Clan)

Let’s talk about workplace misconduct and the environments that either encourage or discourage ethical behavior and reporting. This applies to businesses, nonprofits, government organizations, and other institutions. The basic dynamics are often the same.

(Illustrative Only).
Sam encourages
young leaders to 
take ethics and their
roles seriously.
Being in charge comes
with greater responsibilities.
Even in business.

We-economics
Collective effort.

We’ve all worked in places that were a little unscrupulous. Eventually, many people move on. Organizations that tolerate unethical behavior often struggle to attract and retain their best people. I’ve seen this firsthand in human resources, where people in leadership positions can become so removed from day-to-day operations that they don’t see—or don’t want to see—what is happening.

Keep in mind that when an organization struggles to recruit or retain people, there is usually an underlying issue. It could involve pay, organizational culture, location, equipment, leadership, working conditions, or something else that makes the organization less attractive.

The same idea applies to the Allegory of the Clan we’ve been discussing. It is a philosophical, theoretical thought experiment designed for learning and understanding how corruption, hate, discrimination, and misconduct can become protected by people within a system. If wrongdoing is known for years and nobody acts, the problem becomes institutional. A single actor whose behavior is identified and corrected may represent a mistake. However, when multiple actors engage in similar misconduct over an extended period and those behaviors are repeatedly left uncorrected, the situation moves beyond an isolated mistake and begins to suggest intentionality or systemic dysfunction. That is an indication that meaningful changes and reforms may be necessary.

Ultimately, it comes down to organizational culture, which is shaped by values as well as the technical details of policies and procedures. Most people in organizations are probably trying to do the right thing, but there will always be some who don’t. That is why organizations need checks and balances, accountability, and safe ways to report misconduct. Maintaining the health and mission of an institution is more important than the benefits gained by individuals who misuse company or institutional resources—whether those resources are financial, social, ideological, or reputational.

If leadership continually protects wrongdoing instead of correcting it, trust declines. If you cannot correct misconduct, then you are effectively protecting it. You cannot simply get around that reality; it is part of what we observe in functioning organizational systems. Over time, the organization can lose its best employees, institutional knowledge, business relationships, and ultimately its competitiveness. These are called natural systems.

Those who knowingly allow misconduct to continue are neglecting the stakeholders who work for, participate in, donate to, invest in, or place their trust in an organization. At its root, this can reflect a dysfunctional lens through which ethics, corruption, and bias are viewed.

Those who challenge misconduct are standing up for organizational integrity. Leaders have a responsibility to make sure the organization actually follows its mission and ethical obligations. Some companies even conduct audits, hire devil’s advocates, or intentionally bring in people whose job is to identify weaknesses and challenge existing assumptions. That is not necessarily a bad idea. In the Allegory of the Clan, for example, a devil’s advocate who does not subscribe to hate or corruption could help uncover those problems.

However, identifying a problem is only the first step. The organization must be willing to correct legitimate problems if it is truly committed to its mission. If leadership is no longer committed to that mission—or does not genuinely believe in it—little or no meaningful correction will occur. The organization consequently becomes weaker. Its focus has changed and if it is willful and official that is ok but if it is through poor acting then it represents a corrosive influence. 

Policies and procedures matter, but they aren’t enough. The culture has to support them. If an organization creates or maintains policies that allow misconduct to continue, then the organization itself is enabling that misconduct. The formal rules and the unwritten “rules” are often different. In many cases, the unwritten rules provide a more accurate representation of how the organization actually operates.

Long-term success depends on whether leadership, policies, procedures, and culture genuinely support the organization’s stated mission. Bring unofficial more into alignment with official to create synergy and higher collective performance.

The good news is that the vast majority of people do the right thing. If you encounter workplace, institutional, or organizational misconduct, reporting it can serve the greater benefit of everyone else. If you experience retaliation, targeting, or a lack of reasonable corrective action, understand where those responses are coming from and make your decisions accordingly.

Those doing the right thing are not necessarily the silent ones. Often, they are the people who care enough about their organization and society to say something and stand behind it. Yes, there can be consequences for doing the right thing, but ultimately that is a personal choice. This is what defines a man/woman's soul and character. 

Challenge what is wrong. Support what is right. Hire the best and brightest—not simply the most connected.

*The Allegory of the Clan is a philosphical theoretical thought experiment on how hate and corruption could potentially work within an institution. There is no right or wrong conclusion so take with a grain of salt as long as you thought about it. 

This study relates to the topic of ethics, 

Organizational Justice and Reporting Workplace Misconduct

• Organizational justice refers to the consistent application of workplace standards and employees’ confidence that reporting and investigative processes are fair and trustworthy. LRN identifies it as a critical factor in encouraging ethical behavior and reporting misconduct.
• Nearly 40% of employees surveyed reported witnessing misconduct or unethical behavior during the previous year. More than 80% of those employees reported what they observed, but nearly 20% did not, creating potential legal, reputational, and organizational risks.
• Organizational culture significantly influences reporting behavior. Employees in organizations with stronger ethical cultures reported misconduct at substantially higher rates—93% compared with 67% in organizations with weaker cultures.
• Fear of retaliation, lack of confidence that management will take action, and concerns about confidentiality were major reasons employees in weaker cultures chose not to report misconduct. Trust in leadership and fair processes therefore plays an important role in creating a speak-up culture.
• LRN recommends clearly communicating ethical standards, simplifying reporting procedures, training managers to listen and respond appropriately, increasing transparency, and regularly assessing employee perceptions of organizational culture. These practices can strengthen fairness, accountability, and ethical performance.

Miner, E. (2022, January 13). Why organizational justice and reporting workplace misconduct matters. LRN. https://lrn.com/blog/why-organizational-justice-and-reporting-workplace-misconduct-matters

Is it Easy to Cook on a Boat? Depends

 You think it's easy cooking on a boat? I guess if you're rich and your boat has a full-sized kitchen with everything you could possibly want, then yeah, it's probably pretty easy. But if you have a reasonable boat like the kind most average people have, with a little kitchenette, things get more difficult (The boat that took sweat and labor to get where it is at today.).

(Illustrative Only)

Cooking on a boat
has its own challenges.

Over the years, I've kind of narrowed things down to the necessities. I have a grill, an oven, an air fryer, and the basics, including a gas stove. So I can cook, but it takes a little effort. You have to move around, work in a smaller space, and basically learn how to do camp cooking. The air fryer isn't exactly camp cooking, but the rest of it is pretty close.

This morning, after going boogie boarding, I went back to the boat and started cooking. I made some homemade tortillas, along with these little corn pancakes. I had some grilled chicken left over from last night, and I'm going to make some homemade French fries. I'll also eat some salad and use up the rest of the cucumbers and chicken.

That's one of the tricks I've learned: double-cooking. I'll cook chicken for dinner, and then use the leftovers for something else the next day. Last night, I had grilled chicken with supper and grilled cucumbers. Today, that same chicken becomes chicken sandwiches with my homemade tortillas. I've got some potatoes, so I'll cut those up and make some really nice French fries, then finish off the rest of the cucumber and chicken.

So, it is possible to cook pretty well on a boat. You just have to be a little creative and make the most of the space you have.

The one thing I haven't figured out—and it doesn't really matter whether I'm in a full-sized kitchen or on a boat—is how the heck they make tortilla chips.

I can make a flour tortilla. I can make a corn tortilla. That part is pretty simple. But when you buy a package of tortilla chips, how do they get them to look and turn out like that? I'm not quite sure. I might have to research it. See below. 

My suspicion is that they're using some kind of corn mixture or batter, shaping it into chips, and then cooking it. But I don't know. I tried to do something similar, and instead of tortilla chips, I ended up with corn pancakes.

(It looks like they make the it just like I do except they bake a little and then fry. So I was thinking of that for the next batch but then found this and thought it was interesting. So we will see how the next one's turn out. How They Make Tortilla Chips)

That's fine, though. The corn pancakes were actually pretty darn good.

So I guess I invented something new to eat today: the corn pancake. It's mostly corn, with a little bit of flour, salt and some water. That's it. No milk, nothing fancy. And it actually turned out really well. Ok probably someone has done it before but for me it's new. 

I'd definitely make those corn pancakes again for breakfast.