🎙️ Halley Hartenbower, Advanced Manufacturing Market Executive at Mortenson, joins Tool or Die to talk about the massive industrial and infrastructure projects shaping America—from solar megaprojects to semiconductor fabs to nuclear submarine bases. With nearly 20 years at Mortenson, Halley gives an insider’s look at the challenges of reshoring advanced manufacturing, the realities of building America’s energy future, and what it takes to staff, fund, and execute billion-dollar projects.
Plus, why electricians are the hottest job in America right now.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
02:10 Mortenson’s biggest projects: semiconductors, energy, and defense
10:40 What it takes to build a nuclear submarine base
15:20 Site selection, workforce, and the battle for U.S. manufacturing capacity
23:10 The CHIPS Act, IRA, and how reshoring is playing out
30:00 Why energy access is the next great infrastructure challenge
38:10 Automation, construction labor, and the limits of AI robots
45:30 Lightning Round: Buffalo, chicken wings, and the perfect wave
Key Topics
How Mortenson helps companies build and scale massive manufacturing projects
The reshoring boom and what industries are surging in the U.S.
Why energy availability is the biggest bottleneck for factories and data centers
Building a nuclear submarine base—what it’s like working on top-secret military projects
The labor shortage in U.S. construction and manufacturing (spoiler: become an electrician)
Why Silicon Valley’s automation hype doesn’t match construction realities
👉 Follow: @Mortenson
Website: mortenson.com
TOOL OR DIE is produced by Johnson & Roy (Johnson-Roy.com), a strategic advisory firm specializing in technology, mobility, manufacturing, and robotics. Your hosts are Joel Johnson, a former technology journalist and media executive who pioneered brands like Gizmodo, Jalopnik, and Wirecutter, and Alex Roy, a General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us) known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles.
Follow them at:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexroy | linkedin.com/in/joeljohnson
X: @alexroy144 | @joeljohnson
Web: johnson-roy.com
#Manufacturing #Construction #Infrastructure #Reshoring #MadeInAmerica
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