Ethan Karp Gets Frank with Steve Peplin (S02E07)

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Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Today’s guest has been a cowboy, a logger, a sailor, a chef—and for nearly 40 years, a manufacturing entrepreneur. Steve Peplin is the founder and CEO of Talan Products, a Cleveland-based metal stamper that ships hundreds of millions of components annually for high-growth industries like defense, solar, EV, and commercial roofing.

Ethan and Steve talk about scaling a high-productivity operation with just 70 employees, building a culture rooted in collaboration and planning for succession while still playing the long game of growth.

About the Make-It Podcast

Earlier this year, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) launched its new podcast series “MAKE IT: Frank Conversations on the Future of Manufacturing,” featuring frank and insightful conversations between MAGNET president and CEO Ethan Karp and Northeast Ohio manufacturing leaders.

“I’m super excited about these podcasts,” says Karp. “They come out of asking, ‘How do we take our blood pressure in this industry?’ to know what needs to happen. We ask these manufacturing leaders how they run their companies and what’s important in this region and we hope these stories about their companies will impact our community.”

The complete, up-to-date set of Make It! podcasts can be found on MAGNET's Podcasts page.