March 28, 2016 - View this as a web page - View eblast from March 21, 2016

NIST MEP System Update Meeting

Get ready for the next System Update Meeting in Charleston, SC on May 17-18, 2016. The meeting will begin at 8:00am on Tuesday, May 17th and wrap-up by 3:00pm on Wednesday, May 18th. Click here for event details.

Where: Charleston Marriott, 170 Lockwood Blvd. Charleston, SC 29403.

Registration: This year we have two price points: $267 per person with catering, or $116 per person with no catering. Catering includes all day coffee, continental breakfast and lunch for May 17-18th.

Hotel: A room block has been reserved at the Charleston Marriott at a rate of $203 per night. To reserve your room call 1-800-228-9290 or book online by 5:00pm, Monday, April 25, 2016. After that rooms will be available on a space-and rate- available basis. Make sure to reference the "May MEP Update Meeting" group name in order to receive the discounted room rate.

In addition, we will also hold the MEP Advisory Board meeting the following day on Thursday, May 19th. This meeting is open to all interested in attending.

Agenda: A detailed agenda will be coming soon, below are some tentative topics:

• Financial Management Systems Project Update
• Food Safety Modernization Act across the System
• Working with Start-Up, Rural and Very Small Manufacturers
• Performance Monitoring 2.0
• Tech Scouting, Technology Driven Market Intelligence and Technology Collaboratives
  
• Building toward the 2017 National Summit
• Building toward Manufacturing Day 2016
• NIST Hollings Marine Laboratory

If you have any questions, please contact Samm Bowman at samm@nist.gov or 301-975-5978.

Unmanned Aerial Systems Cluster Initiative

This Unmanned Aerial Systems Cluster Initiative (UASCI) is rolling out a Mentoring and Acceleration Service Program. This new program will provide resources for service providers to assist the development of start-up UAS companies in the Oklahoma/South Kansas region. They plan to provide up to 10 awards of up to $15,000 each. This program has been made possible through funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration. This program is another way to provide support and opportunities for UAS companies, service providers, investors and entrepreneurs in the targeted region.

If your MEP Center works with this industry, check out this funding opportunity. Learn More

MEP in the News

• Video of the Week. GaMEP's March Face of Manufacturing is Scott Means. Scott Means has spent the past 30 years at Nordson Corp. in Duluth, GA experiencing career diversification, taking on new challenges, gaining new rewards, and continuing to feed his creative side, all while working at the same company. With a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, Means came to Atlanta, GA for what was supposed to be 2 years in 1982 and has never left.  Read his story at and view his video as he discusses his 5 patents, what it was like to join a mechanical engineering company as an electrical engineer, start-up a new department, and eventually make the change to a product manager – where he is able to bridge his love for engineering with his passion for business.

• Are you a Member of the Food Industry group on MEP Connect?
  NIST MEP recently developed an Industry Intelligence MEP Connect group focused on the food industry which promotes communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing across the MEP System. If you are not a member and want to join this community, sign up for the Industry Intelligence group, by clicking here.
  
  Please contact Brian Lagas or Nicole Ausherman if you have any questions.

Vacancies Around the MEP System

• NEW!!! The newly formed PA IRC Network Foundation is searching for a Director to oversee all operational aspects, including fiduciary functions and contract compliance. If you are proactive and a self-motivated administrator with analytic and strategic planning skills who is able to travel up to 25% of your time within PA, please go to Director PA IRC Network Foundation - US: Harrisburg, PA to apply.
• OMEP is seeking a Regional Manufacturing Leader/Consultant position for the Eugene, Oregon territory Learn More

What NIST MEP is Reading

The MAPI Foundation
The Manufacturing Value Chain Is Much Bigger Than You Think! (February 2016)
Download Report
The MAPI Foundation finds that manufacturing’s footprint is much larger than the value-added at the factory loading dock. Manufacturing plant activities lie near the center of a substantial and complex value chain that is composed of an upstream supply chain that gathers materials and services and a downstream sales chain that moves goods to market and sales. Manufactured goods are also intermediate inputs in non-manufacturing industries’ supply chains. The MAPI Foundation discusses their major findings in this recent report.