1. Introduction to Paul Chamberlain:
   • Paul’s background and his role as the new sales rep for New England at Nets.
   • Brief introduction to Paul’s family.
2. Paul’s Start in the Heat Treating Industry:
   • How Paul began his career in the heat treating industry, starting at Lindberg Heat Treating in 1988.
   • His early experiences in customer service and his transition to first shift foreman.
3. Major Changes in the Heat Treating Industry:
   • The evolution of safety standards over the past 35 years.
   • Transition from older, less safe practices (cyanide heat treating) to modern, safer processes.
   • Improvements in furnace materials and insulation.
4. Automation and the Future of Heat Treating:
   • How automation is shaping the future of heat treating, with continuous heat treating processes becoming more common.
   • The potential for automation to handle front and back-end processes in the industry.
   • The role of green technology and the shift back to electric furnaces.
5. Paul’s Unique Heat Treating Stories:
   • The story of heat-treating paper (which didn’t go well!).
   • Baking a 6-foot cake in a heat treating furnace.
6. Paul’s Transition to Sales:
   • Why Paul moved from production to sales, and his natural talent for working with people.
   • His 20+ years in outside sales and his passion for the role.
7. Barry Manilow Connection:
   • Paul’s high school experience singing backup for Barry Manilow at the Boston Garden.
   • The impact of that experience on his personal and professional life.

[Timestamp 00:00:06]
Host: “I’ve been alive forever, and I wrote the very first song. Hello! Welcome to our podcast today called In The Loop. I’m here with Paul, our new sales guy for New England. Paul, would you introduce yourself to our friends here?”

[Timestamp 00:00:30]
Paul Chamberlain: “Hi, I’m Paul Chamberlain. I’ve been in the heat business for about 35 years and I’m happy to be working at Nets.”

[Timestamp 00:00:37]
Host: “Tell us a little bit about your family.”

Paul: “I have a wife, Anne-Marie, and two lovely children—Ryan, who’s almost 30, and Alyssa, who’s 26. Alyssa’s actually in London right now.”

Host: “Wow, she was at the baseball game on Sunday?”

[Timestamp 00:00:54]
Paul: “Yeah, and somehow I still have most of my hair, unlike you!”

[Timestamp 00:01:04]
Host: “True, but I can’t argue with that! So, you’ve been in the heat treat industry for a while. Before we get into that, we’ll have a special shoutout to Barry Manilow later, since we know that’s why you’re all here! But first, tell us about your career.”

[Timestamp 00:01:26]
Paul: “Sure! I was 24, working part-time at a supermarket when my girlfriend pushed me to get a full-time job. I saw an ad in the paper for Lindberg Heat Treating in South Boston, got the job, and the rest is history. I started on 8/8/88 as a customer service rep and was promoted to first shift foreman after nine months. Eventually, Lindberg closed in Boston in ’93, and I moved on to other roles in Worcester, and later in sales.”

[Timestamp 00:03:01]
Host: “And how did you end up in sales?”

Paul: “I’ve always been good with people and, as I found out, I didn’t have many other ‘appreciable’ skills, so sales it was!”

[Timestamp 00:03:37]
Host: “Clearly, since you sold yourself to me for this job! Haha. But seriously, what’s been the biggest change in the heat treat industry over 35 years?”

Paul: “Safety, for sure. Cyanide heat treating, poor insulation, and lack of safety standards were the norm back then. Today, it’s much safer with better equipment and processes.”

[Timestamp 00:07:00]
Host: “How about the rise in automation?”

Paul: “Definitely. Continuous heat treating is the future, reducing labor costs and improving efficiency. Automation at both the front and back end will play a big role.”

[Timestamp 00:09:52]
Host: “And what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever heat treated?”

Paul: “We once heat treated paper—it didn’t go well. We also baked a 6-foot cake in one of our furnaces! Quite the experience.”

[Timestamp 00:12:55]
Host: “Well, Paul, you also have a great story with Barry Manilow. What’s your connection?”

Paul: “Back in 1980, I was in a high school singing group called The Madrigals, and we were picked to sing backup for Barry Manilow at the Boston Garden. It was an amazing experience, though I only met him for about 17 seconds!”

[Timestamp 00:14:00]
Host: “Incredible! Well, thank you, Paul, and welcome aboard. Hopefully, we’ll get Barry to notice this podcast! Thanks to all for tuning in, and stay connected with us!”

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