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Marcy’s Musings: Thank You, Columnists!

Putting together a magazine each month demonstrates that the sum is always greater than its parts. It’s when we pool our collective voices toward relevant and timely topics that we’re able to educate and motivate our audience toward greater success in the workplace.

This month, however, we’re showing our gratitude for the “parts”—our PCB007 columnists. These individuals are dynamic, intelligent, vibrant, and fun people who share their expertise every month on topics ranging from chemical processes to masterful marketing. In this issue, you’ll get to know them on a more personal level, learning what drives them, and discovering how their stories have shaped them into the professionals who help us all do our jobs better.

It's our pleasure to introduce a slightly different side of Don Ball (The Chemical Connection), Simon Khesin and Kurt Palmer(Driving Innovation), Jesse Vaughan (Beyond the Board), Denny Fritz (Defense Speak Interpreted), Dan Beaulieu (It’s Only Common Sense), Steve Williams (The Right Approach), Tom Kastner (Punching Out), Mehul Dave (The Big Picture), Happy Holden (Happy’s Tech Talk), and Brittany Martin (The Marketing Minute).

Here are just a few highlights: Simon Khesin grew up in Russia and left after the war broke out. Dan Beaulieu learned French before English. Tom Kastner cuts down big trees and helps restore forest land in his spare time. Don Ball says being a long-distance runner in high school saved him from early nerd-dom. Jesse Vaughan originally planned to be an architect. Brittany Martin helps run her husband’s printing company. Happy Holden grew up on a farm, and Kurt Warner was just about born in this business.

I know you will enjoy these interviews as much as I have. The contributions of these columnists are invaluable, and I’m grateful for their vision, efforts, and their partnership. I encourage you to take a moment to reach out and thank them for their dedication to the industry.

Also in this issue, Dan Feinberg provides an interesting discourse on agentic AI. Shane Whiteside of PCBAA talks about American manufacturing supply chain security and sustainability. Mike Carano provides the second installment of his two-part column series on ICD defects, and Simon Khesin of Schmoll explains the finer points of flash cutting and why it matters so much today.

I have included my article on substrates and interposers from the Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest’s October issue, with an additional section that asks, “Where Does This Leave the PCB?” (Click here to subscribe to our Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest.)

Finally, I put a focus on Summit Interconnect Chicago’s site, where I sat down for a lively discussion with General Manager Deepak Makwana, Business Development Manager Tom Veitch, and Vice President of Technology Gerry Partida, who provided valuable insight into one of the U.S.’s top fabricators.

I’m off to productronica this month with Barb Hockaday, our business development manager, and Pete Starkey, our stalwart partner. We are looking forward to a great trade show and hope to see many of you there. We will be sharing all we learn in upcoming I-Connect007 publications, so stay tuned.

Before I close, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who makes our coverage of the electronics industry possible—our regular and guest contributors, our advertising partners, our incredible staff, and, of course, our readers. We recognize the time, effort, and financial commitment it takes to succeed in this industry, and we’re truly grateful for the partnerships we’ve built with you along the way.

This column originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine.