Manufacturing Extension Partnership Conference in Chicago

Curt Anderson  00:00

Good to meet you. I want to happen here real quick. So hey, you’re coming on our LinkedIn live on Monday. What do you think of the show? How’s it going so far?

00:06

Yeah, I’m super excited. Like Alyssa had mentioned, this is the first time that we’ve been able to really connect with the other MEPs in person since COVID. So that’s been really exciting, really heartwarming, just to see all the different connections through the network that we can make. Awesome.

Curt Anderson  00:20

Nice, big takeaway sessions that you’ve been

00:24

funding so far. Yeah, no, it’s been super fun. Lots of great sessions. I just got out of a cybersecurity session where it was really interesting learning how to bring cybersecurity to our clients and really the importance of being secure for small businesses especially. So I think that was really eye opening to how to bring these assessments back home and to our Alaskan manufacturers.

Curt Anderson  00:43

That was awesome. That was Melissa our dear friend and Melissa’s verbal at iMac and our buddy Scott at core business, so I guys, thank you so much. I’m gonna pull in another Rockstar here we’ve got Rene from Purdue University go Boilermakers. So how are you? How, what do you think this wonderful show?

01:02

It’s been amazing. I’ve learned so much. I actually just got done being the pit crew chief. Even got an official takeaway from it. So great stuff. I can’t wait to get back to Indiana and steal some ideas.

Curt Anderson  01:19

What’s going on in Purdue what’s going on in Indiana?

01:21

So I know you talk with my bestie Jeremiah

Curt Anderson  01:24

I did talk to

01:26

he’s he’s an employee attraction and retention. People want to know how to be an employer of choice. How do we get people in the door and then how do we keep them right

Curt Anderson  01:35

for a shameless plug, go back and check out Jeremiah’s saying see is phenomenal. So again, guys, if you’re struggling with workforce and he challenges you want to connect with your local and Manufacturing Extension Partnership, your MVP. Rene, thank you for being on our show. We’re gonna have you back again. Oh, okay. That’s, we’ll keep rockin and rollin. I got Jeanette Stevens here coming up. She is in the Virginia MEP from Gen edge how to work on my wardrobe here. So hi, Jeanette, thanks for coming on. I know you’re speaking tomorrow. Yeah. What’s your take? Speaker here tomorrow in your cell phone, some fun on marketing, your Manufacturing Center in partnership with the talk about what’s going on tomorrow.

02:19

Yeah. So tomorrow, I’ll be talking about the anatomy of a solid CX marketing strategy. So yeah, so basically, I’ll just be kind of taking everybody on a little journey about you know, what the last year was like for us at Gen edge, which is the MVP center in in Virginia. And just you know, how we were able to kind of turn around a traditional marketing strategy and really use some data to infuse CX into what we’re doing and how we’re doing and what we’re forecasting for the future.

Curt Anderson  02:48

Oh, this is phenomenal. So again, you know, marketing at the manufacturing such and partnerships, catch Jeannette. She was on our program back in like I think Feb. January, February, and it was cool.

02:58

It was a while ago. But yeah.

Curt Anderson  03:01

Like can’t wait for your session. Tomorrow. You are rocking it. So thank you for joining us have a great show. Appreciate you. Next time. Right cleaned up now. Right, Mike? Good to see you. So come on in here. We got Janelle. From magnet magnet is in Cleveland, Ohio. In the Hall of Fame. Yesterday, we’re hosting football, football hall of fame is of course you’re a Hall of Famer yourself. So talk about what you bring your passion and your energy for manufacture. Yes,

03:30

I’ll tell you what, it’s exciting to be here. My very first MVP conference. I’ve been with manga now two years. There’s a lot of us here from the manga office. There’s a lot of us here from Ohio. So we’re representing but just learning and I Oh, just really, it’s exciting to hear about the best practices that other centers are doing around the US. So we have like, avoid all 50 centers represented here. Learning about training, learning about cybersecurity, it really for me, it’s about how to really be that best client advocate for our clients, how to help them grow, the things we need to do the resources we have. So it’s just been a great conference all the way around to get that information.

Curt Anderson  04:11

So if you guys go back, Janelle was on our program back in July. Janelle, what was the name of your session? Do you remember that?

Jeanette Stevens  04:19

bringing sexy back to manufacturing. That’s right. I don’t know about that. So

Curt Anderson  04:25

I know it like you, global expert, and you’ve helped companies around the world. And so you bring your passion, your expertise. And I know, even your roots go deep with factoring, right. They talked about that. So thank you, for manufacturers and your what a diff, what a lineup we had.

04:42

Thank you for what you do, because you really put the word out there to everyone in the community throughout the US about manufacturing. So we appreciate what you do. You’re an advocate and a champion for

Curt Anderson  04:52

us, but we’re doing it for a great team. And so Hey, Betty last we’ve got my dear friend Paula. Paula, how are you? My Friends so Hey, you did a cut. Let’s see how we do it. Let’s let’s step over here. And I’m like you guys tell like I’m totally abroad those right? So you do an amazing job your new year with IMAX Illinois MEP Manufacturing Extension Partnership. And we had a fun Jam Session Two weeks ago, man, you’re like, Dude, you brought tears in my eyes with it. Now you did a couple sessions yesterday. So talk a little bit about what What were you talking about yesterday?

Paola Velasquez  05:23

Yeah. So in the morning, praveena was talking about diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. So that was a panel discussion, it was great, because I think we had almost like 500 people in the room. So it was amazing to see all the center’s the good questions that were asked. And then in the afternoon, we talked about elevating company culture. So really going back to the basics of what does Diversity Equity and Inclusion mean? And then how, what does that mean for the centers? But then what does that mean also for our manufacturers? Right? And so where do we start when we’re on this journey of transforming our culture? Yeah,

Curt Anderson  05:54

I love it. And if you don’t mind you, I was telling the story last night, I was literally almost getting teared up like, can you like what’s? What’s your background? Janelle, you’re gonna love this. What’s your background in manufacturing? Yeah, sure that everybody’s Sure,

Paola Velasquez  06:08

sure. So my parents actually. So we migrated to this country when I was young. And so my parents started a manufacturing, right. And when I was old enough, my mother and I would go Saturday mornings at six o’clock in the morning, and stand in line to up at a manufacturing company hoping that they needed employees. So they would see what their need was for the day. And then they would say we need five we need for whatever. And so we would try to get there real early so that we would be selected. And so then when we were we were selected, we will be packaging plastic plant. So that’s what we’ll be doing. So that’s how I started a manufacturing and that was only Saturday mornings. But it was it was just fascinating. Fascinating.

Curt Anderson  06:50

I tell you what an amazing story yet when you talked about Mom and Dad, just such an inspiration. six in the morning, get there before six that you know how old were you at the time,

06:59

I was probably like 1717. Right now. I

Curt Anderson  07:03

was not getting up at six. I was by getting moment. six in the morning. I getting up at six in the morning. So you guys are a blessing. So again, we’ve got to come on every get everybody to get in here and everybody in here. So I’ve got I’ve got Paula, she’s with IMEC, the Illinois MEP. We’ve got Dr. Elissa Rodriguez here from Alaska. We’ve got Janelle Lee from Cleveland, right here kind of older, we’ve got Jeanette Stephens from from Virginia. So guys, was everybody in anybody need to go this way? Everybody goes like that, again, I’m very raw. There they are, right? So guys, this is what goes on at the Manufacturing Center in partnership, just this amount of talent and experiences, expertise, and passion to help you guys just bring the best. We want the USA to be the most most competitive and compliant on the planet and look at this team here. So guys, connect with your local manufacturing extension partnership, and we’ll keep you posted on what’s going on in Chicago. And look at this ballroom you guys are missing out all the fun. We’re having a great time here. So hey, thank each and every one of you. God bless you guys. And thank you guys for joining us. We’ll catch you soon. See ya