The Chemical Show: Where Leaders Talk Business

Amid a dynamic global landscape, the specialty chemical industry is navigating challenges and opportunities with “pragmatic confidence”. Join host Victoria Meyer and guest Jennifer Abril, CEO of SOCMA, as they explore the thriving specialty chemical industry and SOCMA's pivotal role in fostering connections and collaboration. With a focus on domestic production, Jennifer discusses SOCMA's initiatives to streamline business interactions, advance policy advocacy, and support supply chain adjustments in a changing world. The SOCMA theme, "Adapting Supply Chains for a Changing World," highlights their commitment to advancing innovation and growth in North America.

Victoria and Jennifer discuss the current industry outlook, emphasizing the need for efficiencies and growth amidst global shifts. They discuss the intentional focus on onshoring and reshoring, reflecting the evolving supply chain dynamics. Jennifer also shares insights from SOCMA's recent survey, revealing trends of optimism tempered with pragmatism. The episode offers a comprehensive overview of how SOCMA is driving North America's positioning as a prime hub for specialty chemical manufacturing, underscoring the potential for growth and innovation in this resilient industry sector.

Join us on this week’s episode to learn more about these topics:

SOCMA's history and purpose
North American chemical industry outlook: "Pragmatic Confidence"
Purposeful localization and reshoring trends
Regulatory and administrative challenges
Industry networking and collaboration

Killer Quote: "We got to pragmatic confidence... there is confidence out there, but people are being extremely pragmatic about it. They are informed. They are watching, they are monitoring, and they know that they're going to have to be agile and keep a very close eye to make those little tacks along the way, um, to make sure that they're put, they're still in a good position." - Jennifer Abril

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Creators and Guests

Host

Victoria Meyer

Host of The Chemical Show; founder and President of Progressio Global

What is The Chemical Show: Where Leaders Talk Business?

Looking to lead, grow, and stay ahead in the trillion-dollar global chemical industry? The Chemical Show - the #1 business podcast for the chemical industry - is your go-to resource for leadership insights, business strategies, and real-world lessons from the executives shaping the future of chemicals. Grow your knowledge, your network, and your impact.

Each week, you'll hear from executives from across the industry - from Fortune 50 to midsize to startups. You’ll hear how they're tacking today's challenges and opportunities, their origin story (what got them here!), how you can take and apply these lessons and insights to your own business and career.

We talk:
- Business Transformation
- Innovation
- Digitization of business
- Strategy
- Supply Chain
- and so much more

Founder and host Victoria King Meyer is an expert interviewer - who brings out the best in each guest. She gained her industry experience at leading companies, including Shell, LyondellBasell and Clariant. Today, she is a high-performance coach and advisor to business leaders in chemicals and energy, as well as the host of The Chemical Show podcast, and founder of The Chemical Summit.

Websites:
https://www.thechemicalshow.com
https://www.thechemicalsummit.com
https://www.progressioglobal.com

Welcome to The Chemical Show, the
podcast where chemical means business.

I'm your host, Victoria Meyer,
bringing you stories and insights

from leaders, driving innovation and
growth across the chemical industry.

Each week, we explore key trends,
real world challenges, and the

strategies that make an impact.

Let's get started.

Victoria: Hi, welcome
back to the Chemical Show.

I am here today with Jennifer
Abril, who is the CEO of SOCMA.

I'm going to let her
describe that acronym.

It's been three days of great energy,
and conversations and topics about

the specialty chemical industry.

So Jennifer and I are going to
be talking about that and more.

Jennifer, thanks for joining me.

Jennifer: Victoria, it's
great to be with you.

Victoria: Absolutely.

So let's just start with
a little bit about you.

And then we're going to talk
a little bit about SOCMA.

So tell us about yourself.

Jennifer: Okay, been in and
around chemicals since 1997.

I sort of fell into this industry after
coming through more of a policy based D.

background.

But I have been Enjoying being part
of the specialty chemical sector or

any element of the broader specialty
chemical sector for all of my career.

Victoria: Yeah.

How long have you been with SOCMA?

MIC2: So this is my second
tour duty with SOCMA.

So I worked at SOCMA for three years
earlier in my career and I've been in

this role for eight and a half years.

Victoria: Awesome.

That's a long

MIC2: Yeah,

Victoria: tell us about what is SOCMA?

And, and I'm gonna proceed this with
a bit of, I attended my first SOCMA

show about three years ago, and I was
like, wow, I was not, I'm not even

aware that this existed and that all of
these companies engaged in the chemical

industry existed and did what they did.

So tell us about SOCMA and its members.

MIC2: Yeah.

I mean, we're, we're an older association.

I mean, we're 104 years old.

Wow.

Yeah.

We've been around for
a very, very long time.

I think one of the fun things that
we leaned into when we celebrated

our hundredth anniversary, which
unfortunately was during COVID.

Was the history of the organization.

And so fun fact is that our very
first meeting was at the Hotel

Washington in Washington, D.

And our dinner speaker was Herbert
Hoover when he was the secretary of

commerce and his pitch to us was we
need to build a specially chemical

sector here to feed our wartime efforts.

And, we need a single point of contact.

So if you all could get yourselves
organized around a trade group, that

would be really helpful to the U.

government.

And so hence trade associations were born.

Victoria: That makes a lot of sense,
because I know that as an industry

group, you're doing a lot to pull
together the various points of view, be

a single point of contact when it comes
to policy and regulation and, and helping

navigate the complex world that we're in.

MIC2: Yes, we're doing all of that.

And I think it's so interesting that
the that the impetus for that for the

organization was actually a call by the
government to please organize yourselves.

I have too many conversations
with individual companies.

Can you please get together and, you know,
give us your collective point of view?

And that ask is has been
prevalent all the way through?

Victoria: Yeah, that's awesome.

And, you know, for a
hundred years, as you say.

Of course, here we are in 2025 and the
government's view on, Maybe everything at

the moment is a little different, so we're
going to get into that a little bit later.

Um, yeah, so, you know, we're
sitting here at the SOCMA show,

just wrapping up what appears to
be a really successful conference.

So, talk to me about the SOCMA show
and what it is and how this manifests.

Yeah,

Jennifer: so for a long time, SOCMA
has been involved in, helping

businesses find each other, right?

So in the contract and toll space and the
custom chemical space, there's a lot of

finding a needle in a haystack, right?

I need just the right partner who
can do just the right work for me

on just the right time schedule.

Our aim at SOCMA is to help bring
down the number of Google searches

that happen out there and to help
people find each other faster.

And we try to do that with curated
services and We have a number

of business services that help
people do that on a regular basis.

But it's important that we also have an
event where we can get together, have the

industry come together and, especially
it helps at the beginning of the year,

when you're really trying to make sure
that you've got your, your projects

lined up, and you're, you're trying
Trying to work on on shoring up sourcing.

That's really important.

So we really like having a Q one event.

So it is a trade show, but we're
injecting conference like elements

so we can bring the rest of what
SOCMA works on, which advocacy and

safety performance and best practice
sharing and business intelligence.

All of that we're trying
to infuse into the event.

Victoria: Right.

And 1, 300 people this year?

Is that what I heard?

MIC2: 1300 people.

Yeah.

It's been terrific.

We had a lot of growth this year.

I think a lot of that has to do with
interest in domestic production.

And our goal, our aim as the organization
is to grow the north american, especially

chemical environment, the sector.

Victoria: Yeah.

MIC2: what we've we've
attempted to do here.

Victoria: Yeah.

And you talked a little
bit about the matchmaking.

And I think one of the things that happens
here and for, for people that may or may

not know, is a lot of the SOCMA members.

Many of them are custom
manufacturers, toll manufacturers.

I've noticed a lot of, uh, engineering and
instrumentation and other groups as well.

But so many people that I talk to
can't, they're like, Oh, we're here

looking for somebody that can help make.

A product that we want to make,
or they're here finding somebody

that helps fill up their assets.

So it's a really unique in a
different way, because I think a

lot of industry conferences is a lot
about speed dating and, you know,

securing business for the future.

But this happens in such a unique way.

MIC2: Yeah.

And for noticing that.

I mean, I was really, touched by somebody
who who pulled me aside yesterday morning.

The first time she had been to this event.

She's been in and around the
sector for 30 years, she told me.

But what she she complimented us on was
the ability to have genuine conversations.

She was saying that a lot of events
she goes to, especially trade shows are

very much A sales energy in the room,
but this is a lot of collaboration, and

it's a lot of, genuine conversation.

And we've worked really hard to
put that part into, um, into this

environment and to inject that.

So it's really less about the show,
and it's really about creating an

environment where we can We can make
sure those partnerships get done, and

I just wanted to interject that, um,
for the first time, we've actually,

rallied around a theme for this year.

Victoria: Oh, okay.

MIC2: Usually trade shows don't carry
themes, but we're trying to inject

a lot of what SOCMA does into this
event as well, so that we can make

it more additive and value added.

And so, um, the theme that we chose,
and it is, uh, appropriate, is adapting

supply chains for a changing world.

Victoria: Mmm.

MIC2: then we had three
different sub themes underneath.

One was around trying to understand new
innovations and how is AI driving those.

Another one is around policy changes.

A lot of those

Victoria: Yeah, a lot of those.

MIC2: And the third one is about
regionalization, localization, what

are the changing dynamics there?

All of those things are top of mind and
it turned out to be really on target.

Victoria: And I think that piece
around localization is so critical.

And it ties to that chain story, because
I think as across the chemical industry,

as supply chains have gotten more
expensive, have gotten longer, we've

got all the uncertainties around what
the tariff picture is, that creating

resilient local supply chains, business
opportunities becomes really critical.

MIC2: Absolutely.

So one of the things that we have been
tracking for the last few years is

asking what part of your new inquiries or
existing inquiries do you believe have to

do with on shoring or reshoring efforts?

And it's been really interesting because
we haven't had we've had anecdotal

data, but we just did a survey going
into this conference and asked again.

And this is the first time
we've really seen a lot of

Victoria: more.

MIC2: The theme is very heavy on
intentionality around localization.

I know the last time we asked about
this, there were some anecdotes

that said, I think I'm getting new
projects because of localization, but

it might be that they just aren't.

My customers aren't telling
me that's the driver.

It might be a new project that in other
years they might have shopped it to other

geographies, but maybe they're shopping
it inside of North America now first.

But this year, when we asked again, we saw
a jump in more purposeful localization.

And that has a lot to do with this
changing supply chain and all the

global dynamics that are happening.

Victoria: Absolutely.

And I think what's been interesting
as well is when you look at the

global chemical market, the U.

continues to be a bright spot, um,
in terms of innovation and growth.

I saw something, in the Wall Street
Journal this morning that just was talking

about Germany, which Germany was really,
in many ways, the European powerhouse

for so many years for chemicals.

And yet what we've seen Over the past
year and more is continuous announcements

of Asset shutdowns and closures and
so in you know, and I also think in

the chemical industry a lot of stuff's
coming from China but I think you know

what you talk about this intentionality
of on shoring and reshoring and

localization is a reflection of a global
dynamic shift in chemical manufacturing

MIC2: That's exactly right.

So we were looking at, you know, we're
looking at a changing world, right?

Everything is in transition.

And if you go back 10 years ago, the
world had been pretty stable, right?

So we knew where the supply
chains were just in time was fine.

The logistics for the
most part were working.

We were starting to see.

Pre covid, the idea of plus one, right?

China plus one dual sourcing.

Then everybody panicked during covid.

Then we had the inventory build up
and then the inventory drawdowns

Victoria: been a rough few

MIC2: it has.

We always try to try to pull on what's
the outlook for the year and coming into

this year, you know, interestingly, the
especially chemical sector, at least

The people that we pull, they just have
this underlying perennial optimism going

on, and I love that, because each year
you come out of the, out of the gate

thinking it's going to be a good year
or we're at least going to be able to,

um, to see some, some pickup, and I
think that has a lot to do with, SOCMA

members being so diversified too, you
know, that, that really helps when

you're, when you have, you know, a
variety of customers in lots of markets

that are, able to offset each other.

Yeah.

Victoria: Yeah.

And you, and you shared earlier
that you had coined a phrase

coming out of your survey.

Yeah.

Can you share it with us?

MIC2: Okay.

So, the, the punchline
is pragmatic confidence.

So I'm going to back into how we got

Victoria: How does, yeah.

What does that mean?

MIC2: right.

So I mentioned, so each year before we
come to the show, we do a state of the

industry report or an outlook report.

And, that's the part that I deliver.

So I deliver that on the, on the first
morning of the event, we ask all of

the people that are in our, our show
network as well as all of our members

and other contacts that we have to
participate in this outlook survey.

And then I package that up and
I send it, I deliver that in

the beginning of the event.

It looks good this year.

And ultimately, like I said, you
know, some of those, those things

we've been tracking for a while
are all very much pointed in growth

mode, efficiencies and growth are
really two trends that came through.

We got to pragmatic confidence
is at the end of the survey, I

asked an open ended question.

And we said, okay, last year's phrase was.

Cautious optimism.

So if cautious optimism defined
2024, what word or phrase

do you think describes 2025?

And it was all over the map.

Victoria: Of course it

MIC2: I literally had somebody,
one person that said, endless

opportunity, and the very next person
that took the survey said bleak.

Victoria: Oh man.

MIC2: it went from one side
of the coin to another.

So what I did, using AI, right,
because that's the fun thing to

do now, is I took all of those raw
answers and I put it through chatGBT

and said, what am I looking at?

Victoria: Yeah.

MIC2: And it broke it up
into into categories for us.

A good 15 percent of people were those
super optimists, real strong optimists.

And then another 25 percent were kind
of the, the solid optimist chart.

Another 25 percent were kind of moderate
growth, something that was a little

bit more measured in their response.

And then we had a pretty good
clip that said, uncertainty.

If you dig deeper though, in the
uncertain category, it really has

nothing to do with people just having
no idea what's going to happen.

It's really about, I'm not prepared
to make a call because I see this

happening, this happening, this
happening, and this happening.

And they may not actually, um, those
things may be in conflict with each

other, or there may be some issues
that get in the way of what I'm.

hopeful for, which is a stronger
business operating environment.

So when you take all of that and kind
of distill it down and we kept working

on the language where we landed was
that there is confidence, there is

confidence out there, but people are
being extremely pragmatic about it.

They are informed.

They are watching, they are monitoring,
and they know that they're going to

have to be agile and, and keep a very
close eye to make those little tacks

along the way, to make sure that they're
put, they're still in a good position.

we ended up with pragmatic confidence,
which I think really underscores

the general business climate.

Victoria: I agree.

And I think it also underscores the nature
of this group of companies inside a SOCMA.

I think that's just, it's a
good categorization of that.

What can you share about
the rest of the cervix?

I know you collected a lot of different
information is, you know, what two

or three things stand out for that?

MIC2: So the first thing we asked
is, okay, so you coming into this

year, what's your growth outlook?

And people are anywhere, 97

Victoria: nine.

MIC2: percent of the people that
took the survey are either stable

or greater than 5 percent growth.

So, you know, it's sort of,

Victoria: Looking for growth this

MIC2: Yeah, so growth is
expected only about three percent

Victoria: but pragmatic growth,
because up to 5 percent is not crazy.

MIC2: not crazy but it's
incremental and it's reliable,

Victoria: Yes.

Yes.

MIC2: there's still this underneath,
there's this hope that all of the

factors that are coming together
will really create a surge, right?

And they are prepared and ready for it.

They're ready and waiting.

So good, good growth for this year, right?

Um, we also asked questions
about, you know, adoption of

technologies and automation.

And so back to the efficiency question.

There are a lot of people
that when we asked last year,

where were we on automation?

A little less adoption.

Um, and we're looking at automation across
and technology adoption, I should say.

Across a lot of different
different elements.

But that also leads into the
efficiency and the growth ideas.

Other questions we asked
was about mitigating risks.

What are you doing to look at tariffs?

understanding where tariffs are
a number of different things.

So, um, we'll be publishing those
results and putting them on linked in.

So,

Victoria: Great.

And I'm, and hopefully,
can I get a copy of that?

We'll include the link to it in our show
notes and on our website so people can

MIC2: Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

And we do, we, we do
surveys throughout the year.

A lot of things that are anecdotal, 'cause
we're trying to get a pulse and we, we

literally call them our pulse polls.

So we do these surveys across the year
about different things that, that come

Victoria: Yeah.

Well, and I've seen them come through
and what I would say is, what I

appreciate about the surveys that
you do is that they feel very real.

Sometimes, you know, surveys
come through and you're like,

oh gosh, I mean, who knows?

But I think back to the whole
pragmatic confidence that underpins

SOCMON and its members, it's their
pragmatic surveys as well to really

assess what's going on in business.

MIC2: Yeah, I mean, we're
trying to be spot on to what's,

what, what is the driver?

What do people need to know right now?

A couple years ago we were
looking at, destocking trends.

So we were keeping track of those.

So it's really about, you know, what's
happening in business right now.

And that can be additive to
all of the economic, indicators

that people are reading.

Victoria: Yeah.

You touched on this as we talked about
the survey, but when you think about the

outlook for specialty and custom chemicals
and manufacturing, what does that look

like when we look into to 2025 and beyond?

MIC2: SOCMA Vision 2030, and that is a
belief in a strategy that we can position

North America as the preferred geography
for specialty chemical manufacturing.

There are a lot of really positive
things happening in the U.

or conditions here in the U.

A stable business climate.

relatively speaking, right, with more
business friendly, advances to be made.

Um, strong energy and, energy
that is cost efficient.

We have a strong workforce, high quality
outputs, and we have open capacity.

And so all of those things make the U.

Or at least North America,
a really strong contender.

to be that central hub.

And as I said earlier, that is
our aim as an organization, is to

seize, seize those opportunities.

Victoria: I think that's great.

And I'm looking forward
to the outputs of that.

One of the things you talked about,
and maybe I know you had an economist

on stage as well today, talking
about workforce development, right?

So obviously it's great
to bring these roles.

It's great to grow the industry.

And yet it feels like when I
talk to people, we're still

in a bit of a talent shortage.

The ability to attract people
to the chemical industry, it

can be tough at times, right?

So there's a reason that many of the
people that are in the industry have

parents that have been in the industry.

There's a lot of legacy that occurs.

But I also know that SOCMA takes
some, that you guys are really

doing some work around workforce
development and supporting that.

So what does that look like for you?

MIC2: And I think, you know,
workforce development is such a

large, and perennial concern, um,
for all of the industry sectors.

I know my colleagues that work in other
sectors are also talking about workforce.

We want to be looking for
what are the ways that we can

alleviate those pain points.

around trying to find
literally the headcount, right?

Or what are the ways that we can
get people up to speed faster?

And so we're trying to help, help
employees work smarter, more efficiently,

you know, be more informed, have early
warning systems, all of those things

that the people who are actually, you
know, in the companies doing the work.

If we can create efficiencies or, uh,
you know, increase productivity, get

them more knowledgeable, then that
just helps the companies move faster.

So we, we focus a lot around
what are those opportunities.

We're really proud of one of the,
services that we have is a chemical

operator operator training program.

And a few years ago, about five
years ago, we automated this and we

really build it for kind of entry.

Operators.

And that is meant to provide a
strong, stable and consistent

foundation to understand what what
a chemical operator needs to know.

And we really say that it's built for
day zero to the end of year two, right?

So in the first two years, you
really need to make sure that

operator is fundamentally sound
and they're going to stay.

uh, program does not seek to,
kick out your, your own training

Victoria: Right, because, yeah,
people have custom programs for their

MIC2: right, like if we can take care of
the fund foundation and the fundamentals

and make sure that again, back to the
industry needs consistency, right?

So if we can do consistent
training, then you can put your.

Own company spin on that, and
that's really important to us.

Victoria: Yeah.

Makes sense.

And then, did I hear that you're also
looking to roll out something for

somewhat more experienced employees?

MIC2: For the experienced employees.

Well, I'll I'll tell you one of
the really interesting things

that we're excited about.

And we have a company from Mexico
Viacom that's been helping us with is

to actually roll it out in Spanish.

So That is something that, um, we've
had, we have an advisory group of,

manufacturer members that give us
suggestions on how to make additions

and what would be, additive to it.

Uh, and so that was one of the things
that they were looking for, but we've

added things like chemical safety
board videos in there and, process

safety elements to it and, you know,
really trying to build that out.

Another

Victoria: at the moment with the Trump
administration coming in is just the

effect of DOGE, the effect of the
administrative changes, potentially,

uh, federal employees leaving, getting
skinny down, et cetera, and the effect

that potentially has on, and Regulatory
approvals, innovation, and more.

Talk to me about that
from a SOCMA perspective.

MIC2: Yeah,

I mean, living in Washington it has
been an, an absolute crazy month.

You know, I understand that.

There is some, desire to find
efficiencies in the federal government,

and that makes perfect sense.

We're about a month in now.

Um, a lot of, a lot of sweeping
changes have been, enacted.

but we are really concerned
about the ability of the federal

workforce to perform the duties
that we as Americans have become,

Accustomed to and we take for
granted because they work seamlessly.

Victoria: So, you

MIC2: So, you know, in thinking

Victoria: So give me an
example of what that could be.

MIC2: I mentioned earlier that I have
a passport that I need to renew, right?

So I only have a few months before
I need to be traveling or, you know,

or I can't travel because it expires.

Um, I don't know if.

The State Department will have enough
people to process my passport in,

you know, in a normal time frame.

So those are things that, you know, you're
not thinking about, but all of us in this

industry and listening to this podcast
would be interested to, uh, to, to, to

Victoria: I honestly hadn't
thought about the passport

processing until you mentioned it.

I was like,

MIC2: Yeah, I'm starting to panic.

I'm gonna tomorrow go and take my forms
back to, uh, to, the post office,

which I hear is now getting privatized.

So rumors.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

At least the latest headlines on that.

But coming back to how
does that hit the industry?

Victoria: And,

MIC2: You know, it is,
it is a concern, right?

So on the one hand, we can feel somewhat
confident that the number of new regs

coming is probably pretty limited, right?

Turning down that, that spigot on
regulatory new, announcements.

Um, but on the flip side, we
know that new chemistries, new

pharmaceuticals, All kinds of new
entries to the market are already

slowing or slower than they need to be.

Innovation is getting throttled already.

So what happens if your case manager
either takes a federal buyout or they

are part of the DOGE workforce reduction?

What happens to the pile?

already don't have enough employees
to keep our businesses moving.

So we're really concerned about that.

And somebody is going to
be that person, right?

Some company that is is waiting
right now is going to have their

case manager not be there tomorrow.

And then we're gonna have to
see, what the realities are inside

the agency to keep things moving.

Victoria: and I've certainly heard really
for the past several years that it's been

very slow to get new products approved to

MIC2: Absolutely.

Yeah,

Victoria: know, the cast numbers
to get whatever it is that people

need that they're relying on a
government service to provide.

MIC2: new chemicals has been
the primary focus for SOCMA.

Right?

This is the pipeline of innovation.

And that's what we focus on
primarily is new chemistries.

And we know that it's
been a very long process.

They're supposed to give
you an answer in 90 days.

Right now, it takes
about a year and a half.

But I just talked to an EPA, um, a
new person that's going back to EPA

and she says prepare for two years.

If you put a new chemical in today,
it's likely to take two years.

So they really have a long backlog.

Victoria: And the hard part of that
of course is everybody's trying

to, Innovate, grow, um, meet new
sustainability targets, right?

There's all kinds of things, and so if we
can't get the products approved, it's hard

to meet the targets that we've set for
ourselves, or that others have set for us.

Yeah.

MIC2: And, but we are hopeful.

I mean, If we can tie together the aims
of this new administration together

with, you know, the areas of improvement,
what can we do to fix things rather

than to talk about what's broken?

But let's put the solutions on the table
and the more bite sized those solutions

are, the more likely we are to get

Victoria: Yeah, I love that.

And I and I do think that I
appreciate how you say that the

aims of the the administration
because it's not to decimate things.

It's to make it better, more
efficient, more cost effective.

Because, you know, as you say,
12 to 18 months or two years

to approve a new product.

We know that that's wrong.

So how do we fix it?

Yeah,

MIC2: We have a huge advantage in SOCMA
because we, uh, represent, contract and

toll and custom manufacturers, as well as,
especially chemical producers themselves.

So about 80 percent of
our members do both.

But in this survey that we asked about,
what's the available capacity for your

facilities right now, people are reporting
anywhere from 10 to 20 percent seems to be

the largest, but some are even over 30%.

And you might say that's a
negative thing that pipeline

softness softness is happening.

That may be true.

But we've also we also know that
there are a number of companies

that use the Downturn in the end
of 22 and 23 to actually do all the

reinvestments after they were running
so hot and so hard during COVID.

It was a great time to actually
take a pause, put in new assets.

You know, I, I know of one company
that literally took an entire building

down and put another building back up.

Wow.

They had been waiting for an opportunity
to take the their assets offline and

this gave them the chance to kind of
reset So we know people who have put it

have put a lot of capex in for exactly
this purpose because the expectation

is That with all of the pressures and
all of the the global dynamic shifts

Victoria: that

MIC2: North America is going to be
a place where you need gonna want

to do local production and having
30 percent capacity means that, you

know, the opportunities are there.

Victoria: Yeah, poised for growth
is what it sounds like to me.

That people are ready for that growth.

Awesome.

So Jennifer, this has been great.

If there were things that you would
tell people to, you know, keep your

eye on, because these are signed
posts for the year and signed posts

as we go forward, what would they be?

MIC2: Yeah, so I think we need to really
understand the federal workforce, right?

Paying attention to what happens
after this initial surge of activities

through executive orders, all of
what Elon Musk is, uh, is, has been,

effectuating right now, and some of the
cabinet members are not in place yet.

So then how do you transition
from the White House led,

initiatives into the agencies?

So I think there's a bumpy part
that's going to happen there.

We're going to need to wait and see what
happens, and then we're going to have

to do a lot of proactive, supportive
messaging to the administration

on how we're going to help.

And we are going to help with these aims.

We are in a good

Victoria: Absolutely.

And I, I mean, obviously with
you being based in Washington D.

and I know just the efforts that
SOCMA and its team puts in terms

of helping to navigate this
environment, it's so critical.

Yeah.

Awesome.

Well, thank you.

Thank you for joining me today.

This has been really great.

MIC2: Thank you for having

Victoria: Absolutely.

And thanks everyone for
watching and listening today.

Keep watching, keep listening,
keep following, and we'll

talk with you again soon.

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