<p>Host Matt Horine discusses the “Battery Belt,” where eight states from Michigan to Georgia have attracted over $250B in announced EV and battery investments, and argues the key constraint isn’t permitting or supply chains but experienced people—engineers, operations leaders, and technical executives—to run new greenfield facilities. Guest Michael Chambers of the Chambers Group explains his APEX recruiting process using scientific job profiling and psychometric matching, including benchmarking hiring managers, candidate videos, a 99% one-year retention rate (96% to two years), and a two-year replacement guarantee. They describe intense regional competition for scarce roles (high-voltage, calibration, controls/automation, battery cell engineers, and greenfield plant managers), relocation resistance, and the need for internal academies and partnerships with community colleges. Chambers details how stale salary bands and delayed market data cause missed hires and plant-launch delays, urging early pipeline building and creative offers via clear career pathways and upskilling.<br /><strong>Timestamps</strong>00:00 Podcast Welcome<br />00:44 Battery Belt Boom<br />01:36 Meet Michael Chambers<br />03:47 APEX Hiring Process<br />05:55 What Is Battery Belt<br />08:10 Why It Matters<br />09:17 Talent Market Reality<br />12:12 Hardest Roles To Fill<br />15:08 Stale Salary Bands<br />19:33 Greenfield Leadership Gap<br />23:12 Hiring Timeline Playbook<br />26:13 Next 18 Months Signals<br />28:37 How To Connect<br />30:10 Wrap Up And Subscribe</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Links</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-chambers-08b0221aa/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Michael on LinkedIn</a></p><p><a href="https://www.chambersrecruitment.com/bad-hire-calculator" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Chambers Group</a></p><p><a href="https://sustainment.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a><a href="https://www.veryableops.com/navigating-trump-2-0" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Navigating Trump 2.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.veryableops.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform ⁠</a></p>