Have you joined the one stop shop for your supply chain solutions yet?

VMEC invites your business to join CONNEX™ Vermont, our newest service offering, an online platform that connects all Vermont Manufacturers, Buyers, and Suppliers in a Single, Searchable Supply-Chain Solution. It's easy and FREE and you have great support from the VMEC staff who can explain its many benefits.

And thanks to VMEC's Supply Chain grant, you will have VT access for life on CONNEX™ Vermont from the day you register your company. And if you sign up by November 20, 2023, you will receive a FREE YEAR OF FULL NATIONAL ACCESS! Use promo code vmec1year to take advantage of this offer. Questions? Reach out to connex@vmec.org.

Introduction to CONNEX™ Vermont webinars

Wondering why you should be involved in CONNEX™ Vermont at all and what’s in it for you and your manufacturing organization? Join us in September and October for an hour-long introductory session where we can answer all your questions and even help you get your account set up. All sessions will be presented via Zoom and are FREE!

Sign up on our Training and Events page today for one of the following:

September 21, 10 - 11 am

September 27, 12 N - 1 pm

October 4, 10 - 11 am

October 10, 2 - 3 pm

Heads Up! 2023 National Manufacturing Month Promo Signup

From October 1 - 31, the CONNEX Marketplace is offering a FREE “Sourcing Services” package for any manufacturer looking for new U.S. suppliers! Any manufacturer that registers for this promotion during October will receive a free “Sourcing Services” package, which means CONNEX Marketplace will do the work for you within the CONNEX Marketplace platform to help you find a qualified U.S. supplier for your manufacturing needs – a $3500 value! The signup window will begin on October 1. Stay tuned for more details or feel free to reach out to CONNEX Marketplace for further details.

VMEC and Vermont Chamber Join Forces to Bolster Vermont’s Supply Chain Resiliency with CONNEX™ Vermont and the Manufacturing Summit

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) are partnering to strengthen supply chains to benefit the Vermont manufacturing industry. VMEC’s CONNEX™ Vermont platform is a powerful online manufacturer-supplier database and connectivity tool provided as a no-cost resource for all Vermont manufacturers and suppliers. The Vermont Chamber’s annual Manufacturing Summit brings OEMs & Prime buyers, suppliers, and partners together from the U.S. and Canada for virtual and in-person networking. Visit this link to read the complete press release and join us in our celebration of our exciting partnership with the VCC!

Plan, Host, Find – All you need to know about MFG Day/ Month

Planning your MFG Day event Check out the dozens of ways you and your teams can host an event – webinars, toolkits and so much more are at your fingertips to plan your best manufacturing event ever! Since MFG Day’s main focus is careers in manufacturing, we highly encourage you to reach out to your local Career & Technical Education Center (CTE). Be sure to view previously recorded webinars at MFG Day Webinars.

Host An Event Registering your event contributes to the larger MFG Day phenomenon in a major way. The more events we know about, the more people we can say we’ve affected — which inspires more interest in manufacturing.  

MFG Day makes a big impact in shifting the misconception of modern manufacturing. Tell your story by opening your doors – physically or virtually – and hosting an event with students, parents, educators, media, community leaders and elected officials. Registered events are reviewed for completeness and are generally made public within 24 hours after registrations are submitted.

Find An Event Check out what’s going on in the Green Mtn. State; be sure to type Vermont USA into the search field and plan to attend one or more events!

MFG Day is an initiative of The Manufacturing Institute, with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association as a founding partner. Check out any of the above links where many free resources and ideas are available to companies, organizations and educational institutions desiring to host special events. You may also contact Robynn Albert, VMEC Marketing and Training Manager, ralbert@vmec.org.

The Working Culture Set and Lived by in a Company Can Help or Hinder Success

Company culture – a set of behaviors expected and adhered to by most of the people working there most of the time – will either help or hinder the success of the enterprise in one way or another. There is plenty of good research out there regarding this topic; unfortunately, much of it is ignored or dismissed by leaders who see culture as “soft” or irrelevant to business goals or too difficult to manage.

View this blog post by Patrick Boyle, VMEC Center Director and CEO, to read his own successful experiences of building cultures for success throughout his extensive career, moving from command and control to empowered and accountable.

An Inside Exit: Selling Your Business to Family, Managers, or Employees

Hosted by VEOC, two end of September webinars will focus on the path to selling your business to an individual or a group of individuals who already have a stake in the outcome for the business, the employees, and the surrounding community. VMEC is a proud returning co-sponsor of this series. Please visit VEOC Events to register for one of the two 90-minute sessions being offered September 26 and 28.

Part of the nationwide MEP National Network and hosted by Vermont State University since 1995, VMEC operates as a not-for-profit with a primary mission, “to strengthen and empower Vermont manufacturers.”

A local resource and trusted adviser to manufacturing enterprises of all sizes, the VMEC team brings expertise in consulting, coaching, hands-on implementation support, training and education for leaders and workers. 

VMEC provides proven systems and solutions focused on strategies, processes,

products, technologies and people. VMEC is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Vermont.

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