MEP • MANUFACTURING

EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP

National Institute of Standards and Technology

January 2013

Promising practices in

overall performance

Featuring MEP Centers of Indiana, 

Ohio, and Oklahoma
Promising Practices in Overall Performance

Featuring MEP Centers of Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma Promising Practices in Overall Performance

Featuring MEP Centers in Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma

Using Center Diagnosis as Leading 

Indicator of Center Transformation

Over the past year, NIST MEP has begun the rollout of the Center 

Operations Reporting and Evaluation (CORE) system. While 

centers will not receive their first official sCOREcards until later 

in FY2013, the yearlong pilot has already identified a number of 

centers that significantly outperform the national average. The 

purpose of this case study is to explore and share best practices, 

relationships, and thinking that have contributed to strong 

performance at centers in Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

Although the focus is on practices related to the Center 

Diagnostics portion of CORE, the methodology used to select 

the centers studied required that a center also demonstrate 

strong performance in their Impact Metrics. The ultimate 

purpose of the Center Diagnostics is to identify and promote 

the performance levers, and their associated leading indicators, 

that drive impact as evidenced by the economic growth of the 

manufacturing firms that centers serve.

The current thrust of NIST MEP’s national leadership has been 

the need for MEP centers to evolve from a service delivery model 

focused on continuous improvement point solutions to one 

focused on innovation, transformation and CEO engagement. 

A key leverage point in facilitating such a system change is the 

performance management approach used to evaluate centers. 

This led to the development of CORE which incorporates a 

number of significant changes over the previous approach, 

including:

•	 Taking a balanced approach to evaluation that uses both

•	 Quantitative (Impact Metrics) and qualitative (Center 

Diagnostics) measures

•	 Perspectives of customers and stakeholders

•	 Lagging and leading indicators of performance

•	 Establishing challenging thresholds that represent stretch 

performance goals meant to focus efforts on achieving 

excellence rather than meeting minimum standards

•	 Providing clear guidance to centers on NIST MEP priorities 

and expectations for both outcomes and operating 

practices

CORE provides a more systematic means of identifying and 

transferring best practices among the centers. This case study 

is the first in a series that support this effort. It focuses on the 

overall set of Center Diagnostics to understand the general 

orientation and actions that have led to strong performance. 

Subsequent case studies will drill down into each element of 

the Center Diagnostics, including: Innovation Practice, Next 

Generation Strategy, Market Understanding, Business Model, 

Partnerships and Financial Viability.

CORE Performance

Different Models, Similar Results

The three centers featured operate with very different business models, using different service delivery mechanisms, and 

responding to different needs and expectations from their partners. Yet they found ways to turn these variables into assets 

that have led to strong performance. 

Service Delivery Model:

7 member central staff that serves as the leadership team for the state system

Contract with local organizations (community colleges, CareerTechs, local economic 

development agencies, etc.) who sponsor and partially fund 18 regional Manufacturing 

Extension Agents (MEAs) across the state. MEAs may provide some direct service, but focus on 

conducting assessments and referring firms to third party providers.

Contract with Oklahoma State University for 5 Applications Engineers that deliver specialized 

engineering services

Other key partners: OK Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, OK 

Department of Commerce, and OK Department of Career and Technology Education

Service Delivery Model:

Very small state level staff (1.5 FTE) with service delivery entirely through partners

6 sub-recipient centers deliver general services within a geographic region based on their area 

of technical expertise (bio-medical, food processing, advanced energy, automotive, polymers, 

and aerospace/aviation)

An additional sub-recipient, Manufacturing Technology Small Business Development Centers 

(MTSBDCs), serves manufacturers with less than 50 employees in all regions of state

Other key partners: University System of Ohio, Battelle Memorial Institute, Ohio Third Frontier, 

and JobsOhio

Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership

A program within the Ohio Development Services Agency – a state agency 

with a broad portfolio of programs aimed at supporting state businesses, 

communities, and economic development efforts.

Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance

A private, not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation chartered by the state legislature 

to coordinate a system of industrial extension services for the state.

u.s. department of commerce • national institute of standards and technology • manufacturing extension partnership

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Business

 Model

Innovation 

Practice

Next

Generation 

Strategy

Finance

Viability Partnerships

Market

Understanding

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Promising Practices in Overall Performance

Featuring MEP Centers of Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma Promising Practices in Overall Performance

Featuring MEP Centers in Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma

The decision to manage the state’s MEP function through 

sub-recipients has required Ohio to be rigorously strategic 

about selecting partners to fill these roles. It begins 

with developing a deep understanding of the state’s 

manufacturing landscape. Having well researched answers to 

questions such as:

•	 How are firms distributed by size?

•	 Where do sectors cluster?

•	 What resources will be required to meet the unique 

needs?

•	 Who has the expertise to efficiently provide services? 

Center Director Beth Colbert strives to continuously improve 

the leverage points that she can use across the state. Her 

current insight is to contact local legislators and local 

economic development organizations and explore the needs 

they have identified within their local industries. Ohio has 

increased its funding and maintains strong relationships to 

the local legislature. That’s viewed as the best way to get to 

manufacturers since those officials help make connections to 

solve problems for their local manufacturers. 

Strong relations with state level partners aid the 

process. As a program within a key executive department, 

understanding and aligning to the state’s strategy for 

economic development is critical. The ability to do this 

effectively has provided access to the expertise of Battelle, a 

world-class non-profit research institute headquartered in the 

state that provides ongoing business intelligence to inform 

the center’s market segmentation strategy.

This has led to a unique matrix of service delivery partners. 

These partners have varying geographic responsibilities 

(regional or state-wide), industry sector expertise 

(automotive, aviation, bio, energy, food, and polymers) 

and allocations of their time to service lines (continuous 

improvement, technical problem solving, growth and 

transformation). Annual agreements are negotiated with the 

state to ensure an optimal mix of services is available.

Establishing partnerships is one thing, but managing them 

to ensure they deliver is another. Colbert spends much of 

her time evaluating the overall performance of the system. 

When gaps are identified, action needs to be taken. This 

was the case with the recent addition of the Manufacturing 

Technology Small Business Development Centers (MTSBDCs) 

to focus on engaging firms with less than 50 employees. 

Colbert is equally rigorous in evaluating and providing 

feedback to established partners. Quarterly performance 

review conversations are held with each center partner 

and are supported by annual site visits. Partners that are 

underperforming are given notice that their funding may be 

in jeopardy and those that have not been able to improve 

have had their grant agreements terminated. 

Different Models, Similar Results continued

Service Delivery Model:

Mixed model using full-time center staff, part-time Purdue faculty subject matter experts, subcontractors/partners

9 field offices that are variably staffed to ensure maximum service availability to meet the 

demands of client firms

With opening of the new field offices, total staff has more than doubled in the last five years

Other Key Partners: Indiana Office of Energy Development, Indiana Department of Workforce 

Development, Purdue TAP Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Center, and Purdue Center for 

Regional Development

Leadership is the Engine that Drives Performance

The three centers in this study not only operate in different environments, with different business models, but they have 

each taken different paths to high performance. The one constant found in analyzing the three approaches was the 

importance of strong, effective leadership. We found that these leaders:

Establish clear direction for the center and take time to communicate to staff and partners how their day-to-day work 

contribute to achieving customer and stakeholder requirements

Paint a clear picture of what success looks like and how it will be measured. Regularly review performance against these 

standards and take corrective action when necessary.

Demonstrate a personal commitment to the values they promote through their actions. Leadership in Focus

Willingness to embrace change and complexity is a 

hallmark of strong leadership. For example, when it 

was suggested to Beth Colbert that managing multiple 

complex partnerships, including bringing on many 

new MSBDCs, was creating challenges for herself, her 

reaction was to point to 88 colleges and universities in 

the state that she has just recently been able to plug 

into the MEP system.

Ohio: Leverage Partners and Manage Relationships

√ Understand your stakeholders’ requirements

√ Optimize your service delivery to align with 

 those requirements

√ Regularly review performance and be willing to 

 make tough decisions when performance lags

Indiana MEP Purdue Technical Assistance Program

The manufacturing outreach organization for the Indiana Economic 

Development Corporation (IEDC) through a sub-recipient agreement managed 

by Purdue University Technical Assistance Program (TAP).

u.s. department of commerce • national institute of standards and technology • manufacturing extension partnership

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Center Director: Beth Colbert, Ohio MEP, Beth.colbert@development.ohio.gov

MANUFACTURING EXTENSION

PARTNERSHIP

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Promising Practices in Overall Performance

Featuring MEP Centers of Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma Promising Practices in Overall Performance

Featuring MEP Centers in Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma

Indiana MEP operates from the premise that service 

excellence requires delivering what the customer needs, 

when and where they need it. The cornerstones of being able 

to deliver on this customer-focused premise are dedicated 

client Account Managers that conduct assessments to 

determine the appropriate resources to bring to the client 

engagement. Often these engagements are to take place 

on second or third shifts or on weekends. By expanding the 

scope of service delivery, Indiana MEP not only meets the 

expressed customer need, but gains a competitive advantage 

over more traditional service providers.

When it became clear that an emerging customer need was 

innovation and growth services, Indiana MEP focused on 

making this a core service and Center Director Dave Snow 

established a goal of having 51% of their projects fall in this 

area. At the same time, the need to ensure organizational 

sustainability in a center that receives 84% of their funding 

from non-federal sources was critical. They have committed 

to finding ways to embed innovation and growth in their 

current work as they make the transition. A brainstorming 

session produced 25 concrete ways they could potentially 

meet both objectives. 

The center also evaluates its current service offerings to 

ensure that they are keeping pace with the business demands 

of potential clients. Access to Purdue faculty represents a 

key resource in being agile enough to meet new service 

demands. The ability to review and revise faculty contracts 

annually allows the center to access Purdue’s nationally 

recognized resources in areas that are presenting current 

challenges to small and medium size manufacturers. 

An additional approach to ensure customer needs are met 

is the use of the center’s ISO 9000 compliant management 

system. This provides the center with documented processes 

for everything they do and forms the basis for audits that are 

regularly conducted. These audits are used to identify areas 

of noncompliance that may negatively impact customer 

satisfaction and implement corrective measures. Client 

firms appreciate the center’s willingness to utilize recognized 

quality standards for their own work and it forms a key part of 

the value-added brand that the center has developed.

Ongoing improvement of current operations, however, is not 

sufficient to meet the challenging goals set for the center. To 

identify opportunities for breakthrough performance, Snow 

spends a significant amount of time benchmarking other 

university based centers to identify new services, processes, 

partnerships and aspects of the business model that could 

represent innovations for the center.

More than 20 years ago the state of Oklahoma recognized 

that their small manufacturers required modernization 

services in order to remain competitive. The state had a 

vested interest in making sure those services were available. 

Out of this recognition came what is now the Oklahoma 

Manufacturing Alliance. 

It is no coincidence that “Alliance” is part of the center’s 

name. Drawing upon resources from the state’s Center for 

the Advancement of Science and Technology, Department of 

Commerce, Department of Career and Technical Education, 

Regents for Higher Education, and a variety of host sponsors, 

the center coordinates a system that has achieved the 

highest market penetration of any MEP center.

This is achieved through what Center Director Chuck Prucha 

describes as a “pull rather than push” broker model. The 

model is implemented by approximately 18 Manufacturing 

Extension Agents (MEAs) distributed throughout the state. 

MEAs are hired by host organizations, primarily community 

colleges, career and technology centers, or local economic 

development agencies, and are 100% dedicated to achieving 

the Alliance’s mission. These MEAs conduct organizational 

assessments and then connect firms to third party providers 

with the specific expertise required. 

MEAs are locally based and are also charged with developing 

the manufacturing community in the area they serve. They 

accomplish this through establishing and maintaining 

manufacturing councils and networks that provide peer 

support through the sharing among member firms. 

Hosting an MEA, requires funding a portion of the salary 

and benefits and is recognized as a prized position for 

organizations because it provides visibility and engagement 

with well positioned state partners. Prucha spends much 

of his time engaging with potential hosts to ensure that 

they can deliver on the service model that is the key to 

the center’s success. And he segments performance on 

the Impact Metrics by each of the MEAs twice a year. The 

performance analysis is shared with the MEAs, the sponsoring 

organizations, and government partners.

In addition to the services of the vetted third party providers, 

the center also has access to 5 Applications Engineers 

from Oklahoma State University, as well as their New 

Product Development Center. The deep and specialized 

expertise provided by these resources extends the range of 

services that the center can provide by leveraging the core 

competencies of this world-class research university.

Oklahoma: Build a Brand that Balances Value Creation for Stakeholders Indiana: Deliver Customer-driven Excellence

√ Clearly establish the value proposition that 

 differentiates your center in the marketplace

√ Engage local partners that can grow the brand 

 organically through developing networks

√ Create efficiencies by capitalizing on the core 

 competencies of staff and third parties

√ Rigorously analyze customer needs and 

 expectations

√ Systematically monitor and improve customer 

 focused processes

√ Utilize benchmarking to identify opportunities 

 for improvement and innovation

Leadership in Focus

Chuck Prucha makes it clear that relationship building 

and maintenance is the key to the success of the center’s 

broker model. Acquiring resources through the hard 

work that goes along with engaging partners and 

making referrals has allowed the center to maximize 

the reach of their services and deliver impacts that are 

among the highest in the national system.

Leadership in Focus

It didn’t take the implementation of CORE to set challenging 

performance targets for Indiana MEP. Dave Snow had long 

done that for the previous accountability system and these 

were soon translated into new targets. The goal is to never have 

a single metric that is not achieving at the green, or “Good”, 

level with control limits set at the 75-85% range. With this type 

of performance they feel CORE need not be a source of stress, 

but rather a guide for how they do business. The approach 

appears to be paying off as 11 of 13 metrics are already meeting 

the targets.

u.s. department of commerce • national institute of standards and technology • manufacturing extension partnership

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 Center Director: Chuck Prucha, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, chuck.prucha@okalliance.com Center Director: Dave Snow, Purdue University MEP, tapmep@purdue.edu

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