FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Contact: Robynn Albert, Marketing & Training Manager
Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC)
PO Box 12, Randolph Center, VT 05061
(802) 793-2078 / [email protected]
Innovation Engineering Experience for Vermont Working Lands Companies – February 16 – 17, 2016 at Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, VT
RANDOLPH CENTER, VT – The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has received a grant from the Working Lands Enterprise Board that will be used to help significantly underwrite the costs for hosting and local companies to attend a special “Innovation EngineeringExperience” event. The Innovation Engineering Experience is a concentrated learning experience in how to create a culture of never-ending innovation, with increased speed to market and decreased risk. Because of the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative grant, up to 150 participants from 25 or more working lands agricultural, food production, forest products and wood products businesses will be able to participate in this high energy, fast-paced, learn-and-apply experience at a reduced cost.
The Innovation Engineering Experience will be a 2-day workshop held on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 16 and 17, 2016, from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm in Judd Hall on the main campus of Vermont Technical College (VTC) in Randolph Center, Vermont. Doug Hall, Founder and CEO of the Innovation Engineering Institute, will be leading this event. Company teams will be guided through the Innovation Engineering® process to define a strategic objective, and then create, test, problem-solve and pitch meaningfully unique new product and service ideas for increased sales and profitability. Prior to the 2-day session, participants will meet with VMEC Innovation Engineering Black Belts to clarify their focused objective for the event and complete an Innovation Culture Assessment.
Following the workshop, a series of meetings with VMEC and other participating companies will provide support to help complete projects and reinforce the Innovation Engineering® methods learned. Innovation Engineering® is a proven, scientific system for never-ending innovation developed by Eureka! Ranch, the University of Maine, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Innovation Engineering Network. Grounded in over 27 years of research and project work, it incorporates the systems thinking mindset of Dr. W. Edwards Deming through education, tools, coaching and mentoring to enable innovation by everyone, every day. VMEC is a founding member of the Innovation Engineering Network and has been assisting companies of all sizes with Innovation Engineering projects since 2006.
According to John Mandeville, Executive Director of the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation, “Having been to a similar two and a half day event put on by VMEC, along with most other RDC directors in the state, I can tell you first hand that the takeaways from attending and fully participating in this very intense training program are absorbing, eye-opening, mind-expanding; and above all, enlightening beyond anything I expected at the time.” And Joe Perrotto, President, Country Home Products, states, “At first I was fairly skeptical of the 3-day commitment it would take for so many folks from our company. I can tell you it’s been transformational in our view of the importance of innovation and how it will affect our ability to deliver interesting new products and great marketing in the future.”
Innovation expert Doug Hall is the Founder and CEO of Eureka! Ranch and the Innovation Engineering Institute. Doug is a highly respected innovation leader who is deeply committed to helping American businesses and organizations succeed in today’s challenging global economy. For more than 25 years, the Eureka! companies through their corporate consulting group have served Fortune 500 clients such as: Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Ford, HP and American Express. Doug is also a best-selling author of more than five books on courage, creativity and innovation, including Jump Start Your Business Brain, named, “One of the 100 best business books of all time” by business book expert Jack Covert.
The discounted 2-day registration fee for companies in Vermont’s Working Lands sectors (i.e. agriculture, food production, forest products and wood products) is $250 per person. The registration fee (event only) for organizations outside of the Working Lands sectors is $895 per person. The registration fee includes breakfast and lunch each day. Seating is limited and companies are encouraged to attend with teams of two persons or more. Visit vmec.org for further information or call the VMEC Main Office at . Please click on this link – IEE Working Lands, February 2016 – to register.