It is hard to believe that we are already planning for the 2021 Virginia General Assembly session, and the legislature is still in the 2020 Special Session. We are all anxiously awaiting the results of the upcoming Presidential election. So, the next six months are going to be incredibly important to the Commonwealth of Virginia. During this time, we hope to continue to make progress on our VA MFG Competitiveness Plan.

On November 17, we will unveil the 2020 VA MFG Competitiveness Index at the VA Competitiveness Forum. Last year, Virginia fell from #9 to #15 in the US. However, we are concerned because CEO Magazine published their annual "2020 Best and Worst States for Business" report and Virginia had fallen again, to #16. Further, the CATO Institute just published its "Governors' Report Card" and gave Governor Northam an "F." Next week, ALEC will publish a new state ranked scorecard as well. So, we will have a bounty of information to share with legislators about the importance of being competitive.

In the coming months, we will present a number of new priorities and initiatives involving insurance services, digital manufacturing, the defense industrial base, women in leadership, advanced recycling, technology tax reform, environmental citizen boards, chemical manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, legal defense of the manufacturing sector, and industry credential training and certification. This means that our Committees and Councils will take on a new emphasis, so please look in this issue for upcoming meetings and dates - we want your input.

In closing, most of us are looking forward to 2020 being in the rear view mirror. However, this year's adversity has caused us all to find new and innovative ways to serve. We are still learning and fundamentally believe in the principles of continuous improvement. That being said, we never want to be so busy looking ahead that we fail to recognize who has helped us along our journey.

So, thank you. Thank you for investing in the VMA, and thank you for your confidence in our ability to lead in times of bounty as well as times of adversity. Let's hope for a bountiful year end, and a prosperous 2021!

Join Virginia’s top manufacturing executives, industry leaders and service providers to the manufacturing industry, to learn about best-practices, technologies and solutions that drive Virginia’s manufacturing competitiveness in five major areas: Business Climate, Workforce, Innovation, Infrastructure and Economic Strength.

The Virginia Competitiveness Forum will examine the Commonwealth’s standing against other US states and explore how to better compete. The VMA will also unveil the 2020 Virginia Manufacturing Competitiveness Index. This year's featured keynote speaker is Ted Abernathy, Managing Partner, Economic Leadership LLC.

Join the VMA as we focus on the importance that women play in keeping manufacturing competitive in Virginia. This Leadership Conference will include professional development sessions, roundtable discussions on important topics, and inspiring keynotes. This year's featured keynote speaker is Jodi Keller, Executive Vice President, United Scrap Metal. We will also recognize STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead and Emerging Leader Award nominees from Virginia.

For a full schedule and listing of speakers for this year's Virginia Competitiveness Forum & WiM-Virginia Leadership Conference, go to our Event Page. Contact Kimberly Noonan if you have any questions.

The VMA is only as strong as its members, and with several new priorities and initiatives to be presented over the next few months, our Committees are more important than ever. They truly drive the work of the VMA on critical manufacturing issues, government affairs, professional development, networking, regulatory and outreach services.

All VMA Members are encouraged to participate in committees of interest. For more information on VMA's Committees, or to attend an upcoming committee meeting, contact Kimberly Noonan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia employers have not only been forced to deal with complex emergency federal legislation, but a number of state laws were also enacted that will dramatically impact workplace risks and obligations going forward. This special virtual edition of the 36th Annual Employment Law Update is intended to help employers understand all of the legal and practical changes they face and to provide guidance on how to manage those changes. Legal, practical and government agency perspectives will all be presented with an emphasis on practical guidance and addressing attendee questions. Attendees may select two morning sessions and two afternoon sessions.

Changing production demands which challenge the pre-existing equipment envelopes demand maintenance consideration for peak factory output. Maintenance is often seen as directly tied to production volume but in today’s changing environment significant additional effort may be needed to ensure production flexibility. This is where the CMMS can pay big dividends. With accurate equipment and maintenance information and by leveraging reliability principles, various operating alternatives can be derived to flex production and maintenance.

Join an interactive seminar as Infralogix and local Virginia Manufacturers discuss their experience in dealing with changes in today’s production environment.

We are starting enrollment for the VMA Group Benefits Plan NOW! Our plan is one of the few association insurance programs in the state of Virginia. We offer:

The Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board adopted §16VAC25-220, Emergency Temporary Standard: Infectious Disease Prevention: SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19 for businesses on July 15, 2020. This emergency standard came into effect on July 27, 2020 and is set to expire within six months or upon expiration of the Governor’s State of Emergency or the enactment of a permanent standard. Virginia is the first state in the country to pass such a standard, and it affects all businesses in Virginia.

The VMA & MSI created the VA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard Certification Program to allow your business to remain in compliance under these new Emergency Standards. We now have twice-monthly webinars to help you ensure that your business is in compliance with the ETS. Learn more about the certification and register below:

As an extension of VMAConnections: a Service Provider Sourcing Center, the VMA features and celebrates up to three Associate Members who support and supply services to Virginia manufacturers. Give these great Associates a click or two or three!

For a chance to see your company spotlighted here or to share resources, contact Kaitlyn Crow.

Having imposed a carbon tax on Virginia electricity generation in 2020, the General Assembly starting in January 2021 will consider adding a similar tax on every gallon of gasoline and diesel sold for vehicle use. The Transportation and Climate Initiative, an environmentalist dream for a decade, is finally ready for its close up.

Advocates in the 12-state region that would make up the proposed interstate compact held two webinars in September, one focused on additional modeling on the project and the other discussing all the racially- and environmentally-just ways they believe states can spend the billions in new taxes.

The new modeling results did not change the basics of the program. TCI is a cap, tax and trade system that imposes a dollars-per-ton cost on the carbon dioxide emissions released by burning the fuels. The tax rate is set by an interstate auction, and the tax itself is imposed on the fuel wholesalers. The amount of fossil fuel emission credits that wholesalers may bid for will be capped and then will shrink a certain percentage every year. READ MORE >>>

The 18th Annual Virginia Environmental Health & Safety Conference was held virtually from September 22-25, 2020. The VMA was proud to present 13 sessions with 45 total speakers over the course of these 4 days, totaling to 14.5 hours of content. Over 200 guests dialed in to participate.

Representatives from VOSH, VDOLI, and DEQ called in to share insights from their agencies, and we were fortunate to host a session on bringing bipartisan support for Advanced Recycling and Circular Economy Solutions with The Honorable Ken Plum and The Honorable Emmett Hanger.

Recordings of these sessions are available. Contact Kimberly Noonan for more information.

Congratulations to Ashley Werkema & Damion Millis of "Dude, Where's My Par?" on winning our September 2020 Virtual Golf Tournament, hosted in partnership with the Westen Michigan WiM Chapter!

Our Closest-to-the-Pin winner is "SupaCenters" with a distance of 10 inches from the pin!

Let's give one last thanks to our sponsors, Dynamic Brands, Pridgeon & Clay, and Aegis Environmental, for making this event possible!