# 297: Defense Spending, Contract Manufacturing, and Navigating Regulated Industries with Fathom CEO Rush LaSelle

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour-854319/297-defense-spending-contract-manufacturing-and-navigating-regulated-industries-with-fathom-ceo-rush-laselle
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour-854319/297-defense-spending-contract-manufacturing-and-navigating-regulated-industries-with-fathom-ceo-rush-laselle.md
Podcast: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://stenobird.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour-854319)
Published: 2026-07-28T07:30:00+00:00
Episode link: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/2223fd28-71c7-4f4a-9107-60fd2393b3d8.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2948

## Resource

Fine tuning manufacturing like a guitar - that's the kind of parallel you can expect from this episode. This week Chris sits down with Rush LaSelle, CEO at Fathom, recorded on site at their Hartland, Wisconsin facility over a Spotted Cow beer. Rush's path into manufacturing started at Fanuc, moved through the early and unproven days of mobile robotics, and later took him into the highly regulated world of healthcare automation. They get into digital manufacturing today, how the Kiva and Amazon story changed the way people think about robotics and logistics, and why more defense spending doesn't automatically mean more manufacturing capacity. Rush also breaks down what this week's news around CMMC Phase 2 means for manufacturers who have already put in months of work preparing for it. Along the way, Rush makes one of the more memorable comparisons we've heard on the show, describing the people on his shop floor as creatives, and manufacturing itself as something closer to art than you might expect. In this episode, find out: How an early mobile robotics deal turned out to be worth $775 million, and what it taught the industry How digital manufacturing evolved from CAD drawings to full supply chain integration Why additive manufacturing has moved way past its prototyping only reputation What manufacturers need before they can scale up to meet rising defense demand Why the pause on CMMC Phase 2 has left some manufacturers in a tricky spot How Rush sees manufacturing as a form of art, and why he calls his machinists creatives What's driving the ongoing talent war in manufacturing, and why skilled machinists take years to develop Why Rush believes physical AI is the most exciting shift happening in the industry right now Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Eve…

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