Live in Buffalo at Annual MEP Conference

Curt Anderson  00:08

you know what does what doesn’t pretend to be alive. So, guys here we are chopping down in the comment section if we’re alive Are there comments up here? So, hi, Curt Anderson here going live at the the MEP, the manufacturing center partnership annual conference here in the one and only Buffalo New York right in the heart of the Brownsville. How cool is this on September 11. So a little moment of silence there for September 11. So, here I’m with my god. Oh my god, I missed my partner. We’re together Wesleynw, you’re the keynote speaker tomorrow. I’ve got Nicole Donnelly in the house Nicole Can you believe her here in Buffalo

Nicole Donnelly  00:46

can’t believe it. This is awesome. Buffalo

Curt Anderson  00:50

we’re gonna get a buffalo Let’s go the bills are playing tonight. Wesley let’s let’s talk about let’s get over here at your at your keynote, you are the keynote speaker tomorrow

Wesleyne  01:03

talking about I am talking about adapting or stagnating so really giving these MEP a framework to not just stay stuck where they have been

01:24

talking

Nicole Donnelly  01:25

it’s it’s just such a great topic because so many small are having to deal with digital transformation change issues

Curt Anderson  01:39

we’re gonna start we’re gonna like do the kickoff again because I the wrong microphones but that’s the great thing about being alive. So hey, hey, hey guys, we’re here in Buffalo New York? I’m here with Nicole. What’s the new keynote tomorrow? What

Wesleyne  03:27

are we talking about adapting are stagnating, really giving me back to the MVP network strategies on how to not to go from where they are to where they really want to be?

Curt Anderson  03:38

Awesome. Let’s keep it going.

Wesleyne  03:41

So what we know is, as humans change is hard. And so this hard change that we have to undergo with the changing landscape with what our customers are looking like what our workforce is looking like. As human beings we have to first put our oxygen masks on. And we have to realize that if we don’t have a growth mindset, then nothing around us is going to change. So that’s my speech in 60 segments

Curt Anderson  04:05

tomorrow eight o’clock Eastern time. It’s going to be just pure gold. I just can’t wait to see you. I know like you’ve had a rough beautiful day. This is a blessing Jaclyn, you gotta get in over here. So we got Jacqueline from iMac here. Get over here. And in my favorite thing of all time is right getting your name. So we’ve got hey, let’s see where we gotta go this way. All right. So everybody over here, everybody. Mendoza so professional, right? So I’m here with Jaclyn Kolodziej, can we say that together on 3123. Hello, Jay. So Jaclyn,. Hello, Jay. What who is IMEC What is this MEP? What’s going on?

Jaclyn Kolodziej  04:46

Oh my god, Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center. We are here with a whole team of 13 of us in Buffalo from Illinois. And I’m excited I have a panel discussion tomorrow. are out. And here are a couple of my panelists. We’ve got Nancy O’Leary, we are so excited, this is going to be honestly a lot of fun. We are praying a wacky group to start

Nancy O’Leary  05:13

the prep work. So first, I gotta tell you, we’re spreading the word you want to be here you want to attend?

Curt Anderson  05:24

Absolutely. And what’s your thing? Like? What do you do? By the way? Would you guys do a custom direct?

Nancy O’Leary  05:31

Gosh, what a nice little T. were laughing agency, we are a partner with IMEC. And we really just love to help manufacturers grow. So we’ve got some great impacts. And more than anything, we really want to share tomorrow with how you can build some growth programs that can just resonate for all the MEPs that are here in attendance already. Today, we’re hearing that there’s many MVPs that don’t only have maybe one person in their marketing department, and they’re struggling, you know, how do they get the word out of who they are? And how are they going to reach more manufacturers within their state. So we’re here to say, hey, you know what, it’s really straightforward. There’s a template to kind of follow, here’s where we found success. And maybe here’s some things that we found that didn’t work so well. So we really have, I would say, maybe three or four action items between all of us that you’re gonna walk away with. So for anyone that’s watching, it’s going to be here tomorrow, at 10, the session to 15. I think we’re one on one. Let’s see.

Jaclyn Kolodziej  06:29

No, ROM ROM, look at that, look at that. But the big thing is, we rely on our resources. And these are three of our partners that help us do a ton of work for our manufacturers, they help us drive a ton of impacts. And I’m gonna bring out some good numbers for you guys to hear tomorrow. And it is over a lot of millions of dollar making

Curt Anderson  06:55

a big little MEP chant going and E fee. And so hey, it’s a little Renaissance here for manufacturing in Buffalo. Alex, let’s get over here to your out, Jaclyn,. Thank you. Thank you, Washington tomorrow morning, keynote speaker right there, Megan, get over here. So hey, dude, big commerce. Are there any other shopping carts? Like I’m not familiar with any other shopping carts is Bigcommerce. The only shopping cart that I can choose from?

07:23

There, there are other shopping carts, but we are the only one that’s associated with MEP at the current time. That’s

Curt Anderson  07:28

right. That’s right. So if you are a manufacturer, if you are a product based business, you are talking about e commerce, and you need to be talking to big commerce, so ll tell us a little bit what is big commerce? Who are you guys?

Kassim Kurani  07:40

Yeah, we’re a software as a service platform. So you can kind of build a website in a box, but also scale all the way up into you know, 789 figures, if you so choose, if you’re if you’re fortunate enough. Yeah, I think I think it takes a lot of marketing and strategy to to get there. But typically, we we work with, with the manufacturers that have you know, grant authority and industry recognition, and they’re they’re able to sell to both dealers as well as consumers. But that said, if if they just want to sell to dealers, or even even listed digital product catalog for quoting invoicing, the customer portal of sorts, you know that that’ll that’ll work for us, and hopefully, hopefully, that’ll work for our manufacturing partners as well.

Curt Anderson  08:22

Dude, I am sold sign me up, man, we’ve got an entrepreneur right here. She knows a little bit about e commerce. Take it away. What’s your interview our friend?

Nicole Donnelly  08:35

Veteran and manual manufacturer who built an amazing manufacturing company in Alaska, yeah. And now has transitioned to this exciting new role with the Alaska MEP. So tell us, what was it that led you to make this change?

Megan Militello  08:50

That’s a great question. Um, you know, we really looked at our business and the bird’s eye view and what it would take, and there’s a lot of challenges with being a manufacturer in Alaska. And so my business partner lives in Washington, we were building our company apart from each other for four years across the nation. She was in South Carolina for three years before that. So with everything that was going on, this is like, Okay, well, we can do something else, you know, we can do something else that’s still fulfilling for us. That is, well, now I feel lucky, because I’m able to help Alaska manufacturers solve the challenges that we were having as manufacturers. So that’s been like a big thing. For me. It’s like, How can I still How can I help entrepreneurs that have the problem that we have?

Nicole Donnelly  09:37

I love that what are some of the challenges that Alaska manufacturers are facing specifically uniquely that maybe different than the lower 48 have to kind of deal with Yeah,

Megan Militello  09:46

we’re we’re like an island, even though we’re not right. And it’s so large, there’s actually a very small population. They’re so small population, we have to ship everything up. We have to ship everything out. There’s not a lot that’s actually being made in a lot Aska. So that’s, I would say, that’s the biggest challenge

Nicole Donnelly  10:02

for our state, which just drives up the cost and produce and all of that.

Megan Militello  10:06

And then it makes it hard to compete with, especially with brands that are in the lower 48. Yeah, definitely.

Nicole Donnelly  10:13

You got to be making some really special products, which you do, right. There’s so many cool products being made in May in Alaska today. It’s pretty cool. I just interviewed a gentleman on my podcast a couple of weeks ago, Kevin Thompson, the founder of aka mountain dog, and he makes his amazing dog treats. And it’s just pretty amazing. Just straight up salmon. Yes, dried. Pretty cool.

Megan Militello  10:33

And then sustainable, right. Like he’s getting it from the fisheries. And I think that’s how he’s doing. And I haven’t connected with him yet.

Nicole Donnelly  10:40

Yeah. Yeah. And I think that’s just like one example of just the incredible entrepreneurship that the NDP is like the Alaska MEP, are really helping to encourage and develop and foster and help support these, like amazing manufacturers on what they’re building. Yeah. Thank you, again, for everything that you’re doing. It’s remarkable. Yeah. Awesome. Back to you. Come on. This is Alyssa. And we got summer here. So Alyssa is with the Alaska MEP. And we got the feel last summer, tell us a little bit about what you do. Oh,

Sumer Sorensen-Bain  11:18

I work with MEP centers to help them assess companies to provide delivery services to their companies. And these are some of my partners.

Nicole Donnelly  11:28

Very cool. Very cool. This is live TV, this is how. So tell us what you guys love the most about the MVP conference? I know summer, you’ve been coming for many, many years, decades, decades. So I would love your perspective. How has it changed? What is kind of in the same about what’s going on? How’s it evolved over the years?

Sumer Sorensen-Bain  11:49

Good question. Um, I would say that it’s gotten bigger. It’s definitely gotten bigger, more colorful.

Nicole Donnelly  11:58

Over the years, though,

Sumer Sorensen-Bain  11:59

I think what’s remained consistent is that the MEP centers are really good about collaborating. And this is where they come to connect. And so from that standpoint, it’s been

Nicole Donnelly  12:08

a lot of sharing all that knowledge.

Sumer Sorensen-Bain  12:12

And build relationships to leverage the network.

Nicole Donnelly  12:14

Yeah, it’s cool to hear that it’s growing. I think that’s it’s really an exciting time to be a manufacturing in America right now. There’s so much reshoring that’s happening so much happening with like digital transformation opportunities for which, what do you guys love and enjoy most about supporting your Alaska manufacturing?

12:28

Man?

12:31

Her questions were harder than yours.

Alyssa Rodrigues  12:32

Yeah. I mean, I think it’s just that you like their businesses, their baby, to get to it, to be able to help someone with that is really important. It’s really special, it’s really special to be able to look at someone else’s business that they care so much about and, you know, know that you had even just a small role to play in helping it be a little bit more successful a little bit closer to what their dream is, and that sort of thing. Yeah.

Nicole Donnelly  13:00

As a small business owner, myself, I can totally relate to that. Business feels so like part

13:06

of your heart. Yeah, yeah.

Nicole Donnelly  13:08

It’s really rewarding to see how you guys are supporting. You got some questions?

Alyssa Rodrigues  13:14

off the table. So what did you think you would be when you were in elementary school?

Sami Jo Lewis  13:20

Sammy, got me a little girl. I wanted to be a jungle girl. What I thought that man was going across the jungle and helping animals that are needed assistance. Like I just wanted to be like, Eliza married

Nicole Donnelly  13:47

I see some similarities there. Now you’re out in the jungle of manufacturing helping these manufacturers out there.

Sumer Sorensen-Bain  13:59

Oh, we were just talking. So I wanted to be a doctor. For this on that now. I do not do anything. Medical. No, no, no, no. I’ll put a bandaid on my kid but that’s about it.

Nicole Donnelly  14:14

What about you versus the best?

Alyssa Rodrigues  14:15

I wanted to own an a hot dog. Can you lemonade stand in like but specifically like in the desert where it’s like 35 Miles no more gas I want it was like if I go right in the middle, no competition. And who doesn’t want hot dog cotton candy and lemonade. That was what I that’s what I thought was a winning combo.

Nicole Donnelly  14:35

I gotta say. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a hot dog. So yeah, there’s a lot of

14:46

places in Alaska.

Alyssa Rodrigues  14:50

Yeah, it’s doable. I can live this stream. So you guys, I

Nicole Donnelly  14:53

think there’s so much estrogen happening. So we gotta go I got another Alaska MEP questions to

15:09

turn the tables.

Bentley Hamilton  15:10

Yeah, I’m a new new joiner to the Alaska MEP. I’m thrilled to be here, part of this great team that Alyson assembled. And I just to echo what she said earlier, I just love the passion that our clients have. Nobody is mediocre, nobody’s happy. And they’re all in. And it’s hard not to join them in that spirit to be completely behind them and supporting them. So it’s just such a pleasure. It’s such a great position to have and, and we love you guys for helping us out. Yeah, I

Nicole Donnelly  15:38

just have to say like, your passion really comes through. And so like that is like as Curt likes to say a dream collision like you have in your passion to help them and their passion to serve. It’s just so exciting. So thank you.

Bentley Hamilton  15:53

So one of my questions is what is the most interesting coworker you’ve ever worked with? And I thought about this one for a little while. And I think it’s this lady right here. Because we go way back. Oh, no, she’s, she’s, she’s very accomplished and very successful. And she’s just a pleasure to work for. And I worked for her for a long time. We go back, way back to high school. She was the stage manager for the theater. And I was assistant sales manager. And we’ve stayed connected and just really hooked up for this last game up, and it’s just right back into, you know, friendship

Nicole Donnelly  16:40

patterns from those way back when.

Bentley Hamilton  16:43

And she she’s assembled this wonderful team. And I’m just honored to be a part of it. But she’s by far the most interesting coworker.

Sami Jo Lewis  16:50

It’s amazing. I think I would say on on this team, I think I would say cost them so. I don’t get the cost. Yes, this is Carson. He’s our new associate director. And I feel like every time I talk to him, I like learn something else. And it’s not always like, I have to be like, and if he related, he’s done so much where it’s like sometimes I’m learning about foods, and I’ve learned about like how to get my financials in order and everything I need to know. So I’d have to say it

17:25

doesn’t matter what it is.

Nicole Donnelly  17:28

Just the the conversations, the few conversations that have a cost and that comes out, man. He just wants to help. And he’s so full of ideas. And he’s just such a strategize er. So it’s really cool to see that come through. Cool. All right. Well, thank you guys so much. I don’t know what happened. Here. We

Alyssa Rodrigues  17:45

can, yeah, you want to go grab him or I can grab him in. And you guys should grab Megan. She’s our newest she started on Tuesday get started.

Nicole Donnelly  18:01

They’re growing. This is a growing team. This is very exciting. We’ve got three new members of the team here that have joined just in the last six months, right? Yeah, really, really excited to see

Bentley Hamilton  18:12

double Nike, US employee of EDM EP here. I think so

Nicole Donnelly  18:15

we’re pretty sure. Yeah, very exciting. And so what are you guys most looking forward to newest members of the team looking forward as you’re working together on something that you’re really excited about?

Kassim Kurani  18:26

The funnest part is not the exciting part. And that is actually getting to build from a foundation and see how that grows. So Alyssa and Sammy and Aiden have taken time to set a really good foundation. We’re expanding it out. And pretty soon we get to watch this start going up, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

Nicole Donnelly  18:46

Yeah, what’s so cool about that is it’s like what you’re doing for your manufacturers. You’re basically living breathing and at the Alaska MEP, so that’s very, very cool. Awesome. Well, Alyssa, I’m gonna turn it over to you.

Megan Militello  18:58

Because I don’t I don’t know you guys.

18:59

Okay, okay.

Alyssa Rodrigues  19:02

Oh, yeah, perfect. There we go. We’re taking an audition. Yeah. Let’s see if you won the lottery tomorrow. What’s the first thing that you would do? Megan, your first first thing I would do. Oh man, I don’t want her to rest my house okay, awesome.

Kassim Kurani  19:25

Oh, man. First thing I would do I know that I do much differently than I am now. I would. I would fully fund my kids college education

Bentley Hamilton  19:35

Yeah, I’m with cost them I would I would fully fund a scholarship for the children and and invest, make sure that there’s legacy, you know, beyond just this help help other folks that are in need as well.

Sami Jo Lewis  19:50

Really, there’s some so many possibilities. I think I would buy a travel trailer And then I would also and then I would invest the rest and make smart responsible.

Alyssa Rodrigues  20:07

That’s very responsible. I like it. That’s true. That’s true. Yeah. I open the cotton candy lemonade hotdogs. Yeah, no, I’m just kidding. We’ve assigned manufacturer Exactly. Yeah. Making Exactly. A franchise my franchise my my small stands. Yep, yep. Yes. Okay. They left us in charge again. Yeah. What do you have? Oh, all right.

Kassim Kurani  20:39

We’re gonna go with this. What sport would you compete in? If you were in the Olympics? I’d won the

Alyssa Rodrigues  20:48

Olympic weightlifting. I wouldn’t do well, but I would have so much fun. It’s my favorite sport. Okay. I hear a cheerleading is getting added to the Olympics. I would do cheer like Megan

Megan Militello  21:07

shotput Oh, very cool.

21:10

Very cool.

Bentley Hamilton  21:12

I don’t think this is an Olympic sport, but I would petition that it’d be brought on as a caver does I’ve done that before. And it just such a fun and unique experience.

Alyssa Rodrigues  21:21

Is that the that’s the the giant wood Yeah.

21:31

Archer archery are

Alyssa Rodrigues  21:34

very cool. Nice. Okay. Okay. Oh, Olympic weightlifting. Yes. Yes. Yes. So Olympic in the name. Okay. What other questions do we have?

Bentley Hamilton  21:46

I got share with me. Sorry, share work mean. So we were discussing earlier, the the guy sitting his desk and he just throws up all the papers. I quit. I’m out of here. And then the next frame is, but it’s only Tuesday. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’re done. I’m out. Great weekend.

22:13

It’s hard to explain to me.

Kassim Kurani  22:16

How do you find when you get home and you’re like, oh, it’s been a rough week. It’s Monday.

Megan Militello  22:22

Yeah, I like the dog where everything is on fire. This is fine. It’s fine.

22:31

Just getting randomly smacked by. Yeah.

22:41

Oh, no, don’t come up with me.

Alyssa Rodrigues  22:45

Okay, we’re on work memes over here. Yeah. Yeah, we’re gonna be your favorite work meme.

Curt Anderson  22:53

My favorite word meme. Elmer Fudd you’re too young for that. Guy’s too young. He got it. Right. Oh, I mean. My favorite meme is the right or No, that’s right. That’s an emotion. Right? That was my favorite meme. I want your favorite meme.

Alyssa Rodrigues  23:20

Like the one where the guy likes to give you guys like my throws the papers into the air. But we already said this. And he’s like, I

Curt Anderson  23:32

mean, I saw an awesome one over the weekend. It’s a little kid. And he’s just like, screaming into the phone and the woman had a thing over it’s like, me yelling what English or like whatever. Like whatever, you know, Representative right? whatever your thing is, right? Like when you’re trying to hit one. Just little like two year old like just screaming. Representative representative so I’ll go with that No, I’m just watching. This is your show. I’m just watching your world. I’m just living Yeah.

24:10

Everyone who was watching now keep it going. You have any fun questions?

Sami Jo Lewis  24:21

I have. How would you describe your job to a five year old? Alyssa.

Alyssa Rodrigues  24:26

I would tell them that I help people. That’s it. I would just say I help people. I have Yeah.

Sami Jo Lewis  24:33

Yeah, this is a five year old. They’re gonna keep coming up. What do you what do you why

Megan Militello  24:39

do you pick? That’s my

24:41

favorite word. Why? Why?

Kassim Kurani  24:47

They didn’t like my answer to it earlier. I said I just sit around and look good

Bentley Hamilton  24:57

but why? I do do it. I would say that I help small businesses grow and and it’s just a passion project. So I love love helping people and if they asked why I would just be like, because it’s just what’s on my heart I you know? Yeah, it doesn’t feel like work when it’s so much fun.

Kassim Kurani  25:17

The answer is basically because the role of Santa Claus has already been taken. That is a great way to answer it. I really like that

Megan Militello  25:30

all right, what else we got? Yeah.

Kassim Kurani  25:39

Share an interesting fact you learned recently.

Megan Militello  25:43

Alaska fact. reindeer are the only mammal that grow hair on their nose. Oh, is cool. No, Rudolph Rudolf would not have written notes. He would have a hairy nose. Yeah, actually, I think it’s also all the reindeer are ladies because the ladies don’t shed their antlers. And we discovered that the antlers are shed in the wintertime so you know

Sami Jo Lewis  26:23

we don’t need to say I’ve got some great Elissa facts that aren’t true. Do we know how to say apart? What’s the real version?

Curt Anderson  26:42

of this chicken into Harry red nose, Red Nose Reindeer.

26:52

Oh, yeah. Recent fact. That was probably the best. It was. Okay.

Megan Militello  27:03

Also, about reindeer. Yeah, they grow like six to nine inches of antler in a day or something like it’s really a lot. I think when they’re growing them, they’re very fragile.

Kassim Kurani  27:15

Yeah, it’s very sensitive, but it doesn’t. It is and that’s the velvet on it. And then when the velvet comes off, that’s why it looks bloody then it’s just it’s dead at that point. But all the blood vessels that went through to grow in

Bentley Hamilton  27:30

the children have gone to bed by now. Not in Alaska.

27:36

The same thing with Moose, but they have the same thing.

Megan Militello  27:39

But the ladies don’t grow I think also the Ranger female Ranger are the only females that grow antlers like that. I think I don’t think any other species rose.

Kassim Kurani  27:54

I don’t think so. Antlers with horns there are

Megan Militello  27:57

morons but yeah, yeah.

28:05

Oh, I love

Alyssa Rodrigues  28:17

the most passive aggressive animals, they always judge you and then you know right before they attack. It’s a weirdest thing. And then at the end of all of them, it’s animal facts. And they’re completely made up. It’s an Instagram thing.

Nicole Donnelly  28:35

Okay, that’s okay.

28:36

Okay, know how to do.

28:46

I know how to even tell if you’ve got people. Yeah.

Megan Militello  28:57

Just like,

28:59

do we have any questions we haven’t answered?

Sami Jo Lewis  29:02

What is the biggest change you have seen in the industry? Since you started working?

Alyssa Rodrigues  29:08

Your turn you started Tuesday. biggest change

29:11

in the last six days?

Alyssa Rodrigues  29:14

Nothing. You’ve worked in manufacturing. Okay, longer. So you can you can go further?

Megan Militello  29:18

I would, I would say AI? I think one of the biggest changes that’s really advanced. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. In ways that we don’t even know yet. Yep.

29:29

Yeah. Yeah,

Kassim Kurani  29:30

building off of that, I’d say the automation factor in many. The repetitive tasks are getting much more automated. And leaving, I think it’s going to be a struggle in the short term. But in the long term, it’s going to lead people to the more creative aspects of the business that just can’t be recreated

Megan Militello  29:53

frees us to do the things that to advance ourselves. Okay, why don’t

Curt Anderson  30:04

you just run out of keep going?

Alyssa Rodrigues  30:09

Okay, this will be this is a real question. This is related to. Yeah. What?

Sami Jo Lewis  30:15

What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry since you started working

Curt Anderson  30:18

in manufacturing?

Bentley Hamilton  30:22

Or LinkedIn, I would say the what I’ve seen is in the logistics side of things, the internet, bidding, you know, different loads, traveling back and forth. And we were just electric semi truck vehicles. Oh, yeah. That automation, that kind of replacement of the human element, the errors that humans make, and, and making it working towards a more flawless system. I think that’s going to be a real development as we’ll see a lot of Automobile Manufacturers getting into the electric space. I think that’s going to expand a place where we wouldn’t have ever planned.

Sami Jo Lewis  31:13

Nice. Yeah, I would have to agree with possum. I would say that AI and the chat GBT. I feel like I know it’s sort of been sad, but it’s been making my job a lot easier. So that’s what I would have to say.

Curt Anderson  31:34

The MEP network shameless plug for the Alaska MEP all my friends. I’m like Uncle Curtis here with all of his favorite peeps. So I just want to thank you guys for coming down to Buffalo. You don’t leave in great, great State of Alaska to come down to Buffalo to hang out with us as Western New Yorkers. And so what a great opportunity this week. The question is what are the latest trends, disruption,

31:59

the biggest changes in the industry

Curt Anderson  32:02

in manufacturing My God, we’d be here all day, right? So there’s all sorts of different things from like social media, we you know, we talk a lot about e commerce marketing. AI is a big thing. We had a great session Samito did a great session today on diversity. That was awesome supply chain, obviously, in the past few years, you know how that’s been, you know, labor, labor shortage Labor Workforce. That’s been huge. So I mean, total captain obvious, right with all these things. So it’s just great having a network of like, just you know, you guys can’t see it but there’s just like hundreds and hundreds of passionate people here just dedicated to helping manufacturers and it’s just awesome being right here in Buffalo. So all right, any last parting words? Words of wisdom

32:45

and we did that a while ago and had to keep talking

Bentley Hamilton  32:50

follow like and subscribe

Curt Anderson  32:57

guys, we gotta you gotta hope motley crew here so far. Everybody’s seeing me Joe over here. We’ve got Carson we’ve got Negan we got Bentley, we got Dr. Elissa. So just an amazing crew will probably be here live again tomorrow. So God bless peace out and keep manufacturing rollin dude. So thanks, guys. Thank you. Thank you, thank you

33:20

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