"Maine Ingenuity- Manufacturing the Future"
The Manufacturers Association of Maine, in partnership with Maine International Trade Center and Maine Technology Institute is proud to present:
“Maine Ingenuity-Manufacturing the Future”
Manufacturing Summit
Featuring Governor Paul LePage and
special guests Howe & Howe
May 5, 2011
REGISTER HERE
Owls Head Transportation Museum, Owls Head, ME 8:00AM-4:30PM
Raffle tickets will be on sale for $5 each. Proceeds will benefit MAMe’s Scholarship Program.
Items include: a Jotul Stove, a 42” Flat Screen Television, L.L. Bean items & more!
Partners include Bioplastics Council of Maine, Bioscience Association of Maine, Maine Aerospace Alliance, Maine Food Producers Alliance, Maine Composites Alliance, Maine Marine Trades Association, Maine Pulp and Paper Association, Maine Wind Industry Initiative and Maine Wood Products Association.
Click here for sponsorship form.
What’s Happening at MAMe?
The MAMe Health Insurance Plan will be announced at the Manufacturing Summit on May 5th! Plan to send an HR staff or person in charge of benefits to the Summit to learn about the partial self-funded health care plan.
We are keeping up with a number of legislative activities regarding the business community and manufacturing including tax policies, the Chemical bill and other relevant legislative bills. Check out http://www.maine.gov/legis/ for the list of bills, hearings and status that pertain to the business and manufacturing community.
Cluster/Sector Development: The MAMe has received a $50K feasibility study award from Maine Technology Institute for the medical device manufacturing industry. MAMe has hired Henry Bliss, EV Partners, LLC, as the consultant on the project. Henry is a member of the BGS consultant network. The Steering Committee is formed and will be meeting April 27th to review the implementation plan. Members of the Steering Committee include Kerem Durdag, Biovation, Denis Eagleson, The Baker Company Janet Eugley, EchoHeart, Ryan Marcotte, Enercon, Karin Gregory, Bioscience Association of Maine, Mike Wing, USM and Lisa G Martin, MAMe. If you are interested in learning more, please call Lisa at 854-2153.
Education and Training: MAMe will be hosting the Manufacturers Association of South Central Pennsylvania on implementation of the Industry Partnership model for education and training. The MAMe Education Committee, chaired by Ron Dupuis, IDEXX and Garret Oswald, Me Jobs Council, is focused on the Industry Partnership strategy to address the skilled workforce challenges our members are faced with.
Business Growth Services (BGS) is continuing to show a strong year with several member projects ongoing! Members are receiving services such as Supply Chain training, financial/operations performance assistance, new building and engineering services, training, R&D grant writing, certification training (ISO, NADCAP, AS), B2B referral services, and much, much more…
The following organizations are partners with MAMe at the Manufacturing Summit on May 5th!
* Bioplastics Council of Maine
* Bioscience Assoc. of Maine
* Maine Food Producers Alliance
* Maine Composites Alliance
* Maine Marine Trades Assoc.
* Maine Pulp and Paper Assoc.
* Maine Wind Industry Initiative
* Maine Wood Products Assoc.
Registration for the 2011 Manufacturing Summit
“Maine Ingenuity: Manufacturing the Future” is now live on our website,
www.mainemfg.com.
Be sure to reserve your spot today!
Manufacturers Association Press Conference
MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF MAINE WORKING TO PROVIDE THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE
MAMe UNVEILS NEW MARKETING INITIATIVE
(Augusta, Maine) --- The Manufacturers Association of Maine is leading the way in building a strong foundation for the manufacturing industry. On Friday, April 15, MAMe unveiled its new branding image --- Make it in America, Make it in Maine! during a press conference at the statehouse.
MAMe Executive Director, Lisa Martin said, "We have a remarkable opportunity in front of us right now. We are going through a manufacturing revolution and the Manufacturers Association of Maine is leading the way. Our productivity is up and on a national level manufacturing is helping lead the country out of the recession."
The former Director, Center for Workforce Research and Information for the Department of Labor John Dorrer, joined the press conference and added: "There is a good story to tell here in Maine. First, Maine’s manufacturing workers earn on average almost a thousand dollars per month more over Maine workers in other sectors. Manufacturing in Maine has shifted in the last 10 years from being labor intensive to a capital intensive industry. "
Duane Gushee of D and G Machine Products said: “We have one product we have been producing for one of our largest customers for thirty years. Over the years we have had to compete with Mexico, Brazil and China to hold on to this part. Thirty years ago we produced this part of $5,000 each, today we produce it for about $3,000 each. Our material cost and our hourly labor costs have both tripled in that time, but our productivity due to changes in technology has more than made up the difference. We just installed a new million dollar machine tool, which will help reduce our cycle time even farther. "
The real challenge according to Martin, Dorrer and others at the conference is a skilled workforce. Other speakers included Jim Detert, Rynel, Jim Whitten, SMCC and Chip Roche, Newfab, Inc.
The Manufacturers Association of Maine is working in conjunction with Southern Maine Community College and other higher education institutions to provide the trained workforce manufacturers say they need to do business in Maine.
From top to bottom: John Dorrer, formerly of Maine Dept. of Labor.
Jim Whitten, Special Projects Manager at SMCC.
Chip Roche, Chair of MAMe Board and President of Newfab, Inc.
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MEAA News
The Maine Aerospace Alliance will hold a Forum from 8:30 – 9:00 AM in conjunction with the “Maine Ingenuity – Manufacturing the Future” Manufacturing summit May 5th, 2011 at the Owls Head Transportation Museum, Owls Head, ME.
Bring your thoughts, ideas and directions that you would like to see the MEAA pursue. Coffee and will be supplied. Come join the MEAA Forum in The Wright Brothers Display Room and don’t forget to make your reservations for the summit on the MAMe web site, time and space is running out.
What's Happening in BGS?
Who doesn’t hate qualifying sales leads?
It’s not personality, its content and value that really counts
Who likes qualifying leads?
Let’s face it, even the most seasoned sales professionals dislike qualifying leads. They object to its inefficiencies, poor return and many negatives. So how do the pros deal with these obstacles? How do they organize their efforts into production-style lead management process?
Obvious inefficiencies!
Over the years, sales people have complained to me that lead qualification is expensive, frustrating, demoralizing and irritating to prospects. They see it as a wasteful numbers game with an anemic return. I have experienced each of these, we all have.
Start with the “sweet spot.”
Before buying a list review your repeat customers and make a detailed analysis of why they became customers and what is important. Go beyond the historical, survey customers to get details in their words.
Make a detailed characterization and sketch the ideal customer, including a mock photo and data sheet. Repeat customers are your “sweet spot.” Detail their demographics, psychographics, purchasing history, favorite products and services. Their success stories will resonate with prospects and mirror their needs. While surveying get testimonials and leads from your customers. After all, you should survey customers regularly to know your overall performance. Use this profile information to write your script(s) for you calls.
Add value!
Before calling, post testimonials on your website with information to help prospects make decisions and learn how your business it here for them. Create value in the content on your website. Every call must add some value and benefit, no matter how small. Prepare targeted offers. Expound on the value your business offers and how it is superior. Give something away. I frequently offer half-day marketing plan reviews, which I turn into a whitepaper for their use. Clients not interested in a review are asked to suggest an alternative. They nearly always tell me what I need to know to help me add value and keep them interested.
My next articles explore lead management further, such as how to get your “Lead-ROI.”
Send, me an email and you can fast forward.
Ronald S. Coté
Auxilar Marketing, LLC
ron@auxilar.com
207-478-2717
Members in the News
Biovation Named a Finalist for the Smaller Business Association of New England Innovation Awards
Biovation is one of 20 companies to advance to the finalist round; high-tech infection control
product manufacturer represents Maine’s growing technology and leading-edge
manufacturing sectors.
BOOTHBAY, ME – April 8, 2011 – Biovation LLC, a manufacturer of antimicrobial formulations
and non-woven fiber products for food packaging and wound care, announces that it is a
finalist for the 2011 New England Innovation Awards, sponsored by the Smaller Business
Association of New England (SBANE). SBANE is a non-profit association that helps business
owners grow their companies. Its New England Innovation Awards program showcases
technology-driven enterprises that are potential “game-changers” in their marketplace niche.
Twenty finalists were chosen from a field of 182 applicants; Biovation is a finalist for the
Rising Star Category.
“Biovation is proud to advance to the finalist level for the 2011 New England Innovation
Awards, not only for the honor to our own company, but for the ability to highlight the
exciting advances being made in manufacturing in Maine,” says Kerem Durdag, CEO,
Biovation. “The State of Maine has made strategic investments to support innovation in our
technology and manufacturing sectors, and this recognition shows that the investments are
paying off.”
The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) nominated Biovation for the award,
and the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) has awarded seed and development grants to
Biovation. Biovation is a portfolio company of Anania & Associates, a private investment fund
focusing on companies in the manufacturing, service, and distribution sectors.
The SBANE New England Innovation Awards are highly competitive. Each nominee represents
its value proposition in a 15-minute presentation to an influential group of judges; the 20
finalists will each make a formal presentation to the entire panel of judges on April 13.
Winners will be announced May 11 at the New England Innovation Awards Gala in Waltham,
MA. Judges were interested in Biovation’s non-woven fiber technology platform and products
that are addressing pressing current needs and its list of early adopter customers and
partners.
More information about the SBANE awards is online at http://www.sbane.org/sbane-events/the-innovation-awards/
About Biovation LLC
Biovation is a high-tech manufacturing company providing non-woven fiber products with
antimicrobial properties for food packaging, wound care, and custom OEM applications.
Biovation has extensive experience with bioplastic polymers such as polylactic acid, which
comes from cornstarch and is completely biodegradable. Biovation’s infection control
chemistries also are available for coating on fibers, for textiles, or as stand-alone products
for proprietary applications. For more information, call +1 207.633.0616 or visit
http://www.biovation.com.
Contact:
Kerem Durdag, CEO
Biovation
Kdurdag at biovation.com
207-633-0616 x 12
Biovation Named a Finalist for the Smaller Business
Association of New England Innovation Awards
MTI April Webinars and May Workshops
Calling all Entrepreneurs!
Entrepreneurs interested in applying for funding to support business planning, market research, intellectual property filing, prototype development or later-stage R&D are invited to apply for funding.
Maine entrepreneurs are invited to attend any of the upcoming Maine Technology Institute (MTI) workshops for information on funding business planning, market research, intellectual property filing, prototype development or later-stage R&D activities for their technology-based business ventures. At each workshop, MTI program specialists will lead participants through the application writing process to learn what is required to successfully assemble competitive Seed Grant, SBIR Grant and Development Award applications. Come learn tips that will allow you to make your application clear, focused, complete and compelling. There is no charge.
MTI Seed Grants of up to $12,500 are offered on a competitive basis six times per year to support early activities for product development, commercialization or business planning. A company can be awarded up to a total of $25,000 in Seed Grants for a specific technology.
MTI Phase O SBIR/STTR Grants of up to $5,000 are offered to foster and support competitive federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) proposal submissions. Funds can be used for direct costs associated with preparing an SBIR/STTR proposal like market research, consultant services, proposal preparation and review.
MTI Development Awards of up to $500,000 are offered three times a year on a competitive basis to support early activities for product development, commercialization, technology transfer and business planning and development.
Each award requires a 1:1 dollar match consisting of actual cash, salaries, staff time or equipment and in-kind contributions directly attributable to the proposed project.
The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) is a state-funded nonprofit corporation that offers early-stage capital and commercialization assistance for the research and development of innovative technology-based projects that create new products, processes and services, generating high-quality jobs across Maine.
Spring 2011 MTI Workshop and Webinar Detail:
WORKSHOPS INCLUDE SEED GRANT, DEVELOPMENT AWARD AND SBIR GRANT APPLICATION
Date: Tuesday, May 3
Time: 1-4pm
Location: Target Technology Center, 20 Godfrey Drive, Orono
Date: Wednesday, May 4
Time: 10am-noon
Location: Maine Boat School, Deep Cove Road, Eastport
Date: Wednesday, May 25
Time: 9am-noon
Location: Maine International Trade Center, 511 Congress Street, Portland
Date: Wednesday, May 25
Time: 2-4pm
Location: The Mills at Pepperell, Two Main Street, Biddeford
Date: Wednesday, June 1
Time: 10am-noon
Location: Rockland Public Library, 80 Union Street, Rockland
WEBINAR DETAIL:
SBIR/STTR (Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer)
Date: Wednesday, April 20
Time: 10-11am
SEED GRANT
Date: Wednesday, April 27
Time: 10-11am
DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Date: Wednesday, April 27
Time: 1-2pm
To register, please contact Linda Adams, Program Assistant atladams@mainetechnology.org or 207-582-4790 x206. Reservations are strongly encouraged to help MTI assure adequate space and seating. Walk-ins are welcome, space permitting.