Episode 45

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Published on:

22nd Dec 2025

Building a Legacy of Quality and Creativity in Manufacturing with David Socha

Building a Legacy of Quality and Creativity in Manufacturing with David Socha

In this episode of The Manufacturers Network Podcast, host Lisa Ryan chats with David Socha, CEO of Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company. David shares how he built a family business focused on creativity, ethics, and global adaptability in the world of plush toys. Whether you're a manufacturing leader, entrepreneur, or curious about business culture, this episode is full of practical advice and actionable steps.

Key Takeaways You Can Use:

1. Consistency Is Key

- David credits showing up every day and looking beyond daily setbacks as crucial to long-term success in manufacturing. If you’re managing a team or a business, build routines that keep you and your employees focused on the bigger picture, not just the day-to-day challenges.

2. Focus on Quality Over Quantity

- For manufacturers in crowded markets, David’s advice is simple: Make great, unique products. Don’t just copy trends; put effort into improving your product and set higher standards. Customers and employees notice the difference.


3. Legacy Through Family Culture

- David involves his family at every stage of the business—from warehouse work to creative brainstorming. He believes exposing children to the business early increases the chance of generational succession. For other family-owned companies: get your kids involved in small, meaningful ways.


4. Ethical Manufacturing Matters

- David’s company visits every manufacturing site, builds long-term relationships, and chooses partners who share their values. If you outsource, audit your suppliers and don’t compromise on ethics for lower costs.


5. Global Adaptability

- Trends in toys (and other products) now travel fast worldwide. Manufacturers must track global influences and adapt quickly. David’s team keeps a close watch on rising trends from places like Asia and pivots accordingly.


6. Employee Engagement and Purpose

- Today’s workforce wants to be part of something meaningful—they’re not interested in making throwaway goods. If you want to attract and retain talent, communicate your business’s larger purpose and invest in product improvements that employees can be proud of.


7. Resilience in the Face of Challenges

- From supply chain disruptions to market shifts, David explains how deep, long-term partnerships with suppliers help weather storms. Invest time in building trusted relationships with your vendors and partners—find allies who share your long-term vision.


Action Steps for Listeners:

- Audit your supplier relationships and visit their facilities where possible.

- Review your product line—where can you raise the standard or add unique value?

- Bring team members or family into business brainstorming sessions; fresh perspectives spark innovation.

- Develop a “bigger purpose” message for your employees to help foster pride and retention.

- Track rising trends, especially from international markets, and stay agile in your planning.


Connect with David Socha:

- Email: david@plush.com

- LinkedIn: Search “David Socha Toy Company”

- Website: https://plush.com

Listen, learn, and start building a legacy of quality and ethics in your manufacturing business.

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About the Podcast

The Manufacturers Network
Real conversations with leaders in manufacturing, automation, and workforce retention.
The Manufacturers’ Network is where manufacturing leaders, plant managers, and industry innovators come to talk straight about what’s working and what’s not, on the shop floor and beyond.

Each week, host Lisa Ryan sits down with people who live and breathe this business: operations executives, HR directors, engineers, and founders who are building stronger teams and smarter systems in the face of nonstop change.

Listeners gain real-world insights on:
• Employee retention and workforce engagement
• Automation, AI, and the future of skilled trades
• Supply chain and operations leadership
• Safety, sustainability, and company culture that lasts

If you’re tired of generic “leadership talk” and want practical conversations from people who get it, this podcast is for you.

New episodes drop every Monday and are short enough for your commute, sharp enough to shape your week.

Subscribe and be part of the conversation that’s connecting manufacturers across industries, one story at a time.

About your host

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Lisa Ryan

As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), an award-winning speaker and author of ten books, Lisa Ryan, CSP, works with her clients to develop employee and client engagement initiatives and strategies that keep their top talent and best clients from becoming someone else’s.
Lisa’s expertise includes: strengthening workplace culture, improving employee engagement, increasing customer retention, and initiating gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) for personal and professional benefit. Lisa’s participants enjoy her high energy, enthusiastic delivery and quick wit and they leave the session with ideas they are committed to acting on immediately to make positive workplace culture changes.
Lisa costars in two films with other experts including Jack Canfield of “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” She is the Past-President of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter and holds an MBA from Cleveland State University.

Relevant Experience

• Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences
• Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld
• Host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Network and the C-Suite Network
• Creator of “The Seven Mistakes Managers Make to Crush Company Culture” video series
• Best-selling author of ten books, including “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent”
• Award-winning speaker