In this month’s cover story, “Business in the fast lane,” page 16, members of Modern Metals’ editorial advisory board discussed challenges they face, including the need to attract a multigenerational, diverse, skilled workforce to the manufacturing industry.

Before smartphones, it wasn’t easy to buy movie tickets on the way to the theater, check maps while walking in circles around an unfamiliar block or post to Twitter or Facebook from the train. 

Sara Blakely is the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.

Time travel is possible. A scent, a song, a meal at a restaurant can dredge up happy and sad memories of days gone by.

Most consumers are familiar with a sleek aluminum enclosure for their electronics.

In mid-September, Modern Metals’ staff attended the International Manufacturing Technology Show, held at McCormick Place in Chicago.

 As I’ve noted in previous editorials, I grew up in North Carolina. In the fall, trees in the Tar Heel State turn glorious reds, oranges and yellows.

As a small business owner, I take great exception to President Obama’s recent public remark: “If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build it. Somebody else made that happen.”

The economy continues its uncertain trend into the summer months, following a first quarter that held a fair amount of pent-up optimism.

My dad could spend hours in a bookstore going up and down the aisles, browsing a variety of topics.

The bits of information that can be found with a simple Google search are endless.

Optimism is building in the metals industry.

Has your car reached (or surpassed) 10 years of use?

As publisher of Modern Metals and FFJournal, I spend a lot of time traveling throughout the country, meeting with service centers, fabricators and OEMs.

"The United States is the world’s largest consumer of petroleum, with 19.1 million barrels per day."

On a recent vacation to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, my family embarked on a kayak trip through a wooded marsh in Kitty Hawk.

From the day I learned to read, I've been fond of the written word.

"Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?"

Palindromes date back thousands of years, but one of the most well-known English examples involves the venerable Panama Canal.

Whether running a race or running a business, day-to-day training and operations are a bit easier when conditions are right. Today, however, American manufacturers face a strong headwind.

“Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.”  Ronald Reagan

In spite of uncertain world events, Modern Metals’ editorial advisory board members are seeing improved demand for their products.

I grew up in Raleigh, N.C. If you’ve never been there, it’s a great place to visit. The weather is warm with plenty of sun, and there are lush, green golf courses, plates of Carolina-style barbecue and tall glasses of southern sweet tea.

For the first time in years, automakers are brimming with optimism. In late January, J.D. Power, Westlake Village, Calif., raised its forecast for U.S. 2011 auto sales to 13 million units—a 2 percent increase.

Most people my age probably can remember their first family computer. I’ve only seen ours in pictures; I was too young to use it.

Is 2011 going to be better? Marginally, according to Modern Metals’ Ninth Annual Consuming Industries Survey, and that’s not what anybody wants to hear.