VMEC

Successful Leaders Are Great Coaches (2022) Read this insightful Harvard Business Review article that focuses on how good leaders are coaching their teams and their colleagues. There is a growing body of research which confirms an empowering, coaching and supportive approach by leaders is more likely to lead to higher engagement, performance and better business results. This is key to attracting, training and retaining new employees to our workforce.

MIT’s Approach to Entrepreneurship (2022) MIT’s educational efforts in entrepreneurship and innovation have an impressive impact at local, regional and global levels.  MIT alumni form hundreds of new companies each year, and approximately 40% of MIT founders are serial entrepreneurs, starting multiple companies. Twenty-three percent of MIT alumni’s new firms are founded outside the United States.

Manufacturers’ Guide to Industry 4.0 Technologies (2022) This guide is for SMMs that don’t have time to sort through overwhelming amounts of information about Industry 4.0 technologies.  You’ll learn how to assess technologies so you can determine if they’re a good fit for your business and begin adopting those that make sense for your company.

Supply Chain Risk Management Whitepaper (2021) Based on insights from experts in the MEP National Network, topics in this whitepaper include responding to impacts and preparing for what comes next, mapping your supply chain network, self assessment tool for supply chain risk management, supply chain risk management to-do list and much more.

Cost of Manufacturing Operations Around the Globe (2020)  This study by KPMG and the Manufacturing Institute (MI) provides a current assessment of how the U.S. compares to its main trading partners as a location for manufacturing. Specifically, this study compares the primary and secondary factors that impact the cost of operations of a business conducting manufacturing operations in the U.S. relative to 16 other countries that are leading manufacturing exporters to the U.S.

Upjohn Institute finds more than 13:1 return on Manufacturing Extension Partnership program (2020) A new study by Summit Consulting and the W.E. Upjohn Institute finds that the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) Program generates a substantial economic and financial return of nearly 13.4:1 for the $140 million annually invested by the federal government.  Using the national REMI® model, along with the results from the FY2019 NIST MEP client impact survey conducted by Fors Marsh, LLC., the team finds that economic returns are robust. The study uses a conservative approach in estimating the broader economic impacts of the program by examining the competitive interactions between firms. NIST MEP contracted with Summit and Upjohn to create a study to estimate the broader national impacts of the NIST MEP program.

VT Economic Development Legislation (2020) The Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD) has proposed legislation aimed at “Growing The Economy” and “Helping Job Creators Survive and Grow”. Read the ACCD summaries of these four important legislative proposals below. Should you have questions or need further information on the proposed legislation, please contact Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, Department of Economic Development (DED), at [email protected].

• Helping Job Creators Survive & Grow Capital Investment Loan Pilot Program
• Revitalizing County Economic Centers Project Based Tax Increment Financing
• Helping Job Creators Survive & Grow Technology Based Economic Development (TBED) Program
• Helping Job Creators Survive & Grow Vermont Investment Incentive Program
  

Regional Workforce Summit Report (2019)  This report was compiled by the Vermont Department of Labor, State Workforce Development Board, Workforce Development Division of the Vermont Department of Labor and the Regional Development Corporations of Vermont.  It addresses the importance of Vermont workers and their training for the jobs available now and in the future so that Vermont’s economy remains strong.

The Aging of the Manufacturing Workforce – Challenges and Best Practices (2019) A study by the Manufacturing Institute resulting from a survey of U.S. manufacturers and a series of interviews with industry leaders.  This report looks at the dramatic demographic transformation underway in our manufacturing workforce as society ages faster than ever before, along with some of manufacturing’s best practices in response to this demographic challenge.

Vermont Science and Technology Plan (2019)  Researched and written by the Vermont Technology Council, this recently updated plan articulates recommended strategies and goals that can serve as guidelines for Vermont’s government leaders and the private sector as well as K-12 and higher education.

MEP National Network™ Reports Available Online NIST MEP has compiled a site with recent reports and studies about manufacturing policy and practice. Inclusion of a report in this compilation is not indicative of NIST MEP support, but rather an attempt to provide a resource where different reports and studies about manufacturing can be located. Topical areas include: