• •

MEP Advisory Board 

June 8, 2022 

FACA Board Meeting 

This is a simplified version of the presentation for website purposes.

A full version may be requested by emailing Cheryl.Gendron@nist.gov 
 

 

 

 

 

FACA and the Advisory Board

• •

FACA and the Advisory Board 

• The MEP Advisory Board is authorized under Section 3003(d) of the America COMPETES 

Act (Pub. L. 110–69), as amended by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, 

Public Law 114–329 sec. 501 (2017), and codified at 15 U.S.C. 278k(m), in accordance with 

the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. 

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 • •

Welcome from the MEP Director 

• Pravina Raghavan, MEP Director 

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MAB Meeting Details 

• Wednesday, June 8, 2022 

• Welcome and introductions 

• Opening remarks and welcome 

• Board and audience introductions 

• MEP Director’s update 

• Presentation: Silver Tsunami and Succession Planning 

• Board feedback and discussion 

• Public comments 

• Closed session 

4
 

 

 

 

 

• •

Welcome New MEP Advisory Board Members 

Approved May 2022 

• Peter Connolly, NJMEP Advisory Board, New Jersey 

• G. Christopher Mathews, National Custom Hollow Metal Doors, Maple Leaf Awning and 

Canvas, Arkansas 

• Dr. Annette Parker, South Central College, Minnesota 

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• •

Welcome to Tulsa 

• Matthew Newman, MEP Advisory Board, Chair 

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Welcome to Tulsa

• Dave Rowland, President and CEO, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, OK MEP
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The MEP Advisory Board

• Chair: Matthew Newman, New Era Advisors, Inc.

• Vice Chair: Mary Isbister, GenMet Corp

• Ray Aguerrevere, Custom Metal Fabricators

• Jose Anaya, El Camino Community College

• Don Bockoven, Fiber Industries LLC

• LaDon Byars, Colonial Diversified Polymer Products, LLC

• Peter Connolly, Connolly Consulting

• Bernadine Hawes, Econsult

• Miriam Kmetzo, Welding Technology Corp*

• Mitch Magee, Consultant

• Chris Mathews, National Custom Hollow Metal Doors and Frames & Maple Leaf Awning & Canvas

• Pat Moulton, VT Tech*

• Annette Parker, South Central College

• George Spottswood, Quality Filters, Inc

• Leslie Taito, Taco Comfort Solutions 

• Jim Wright, Proof Research *Participating Online 8
• •

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Welcome and Introductions

• Laurie E. Locascio, Director of NIST and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards 

and Technology

• Mojdeh Bahar, NIST, Associate Director, Innovation and Industry Services
• •

• Legislative and MEP program budget updates

• MEP National Network update

• Supply chain

• Workforce

• Technology and innovation

• MEP National Network 2017-2022 strategic plan update

NIST MEP Director’s Update

10
• •

MEP Program Budget Outlook

11

app

FY 2022 

Appropriation 

Status

• $158 million for MEP

• Funding not subject 

to cost share 

requirements 

(elective for Centers 

receiving state funds 

conditioned on 

federal cost share 

requirement)

FY 2021 

Appropriation 

Status

• Base funding: $150 

million; $4 million 

increase over FY 2020

• Funding not subject to 

cost share requirements; 

elective for Centers 

receiving state funds 

conditioned on federal 

cost share requirement 

FY 2023 

Appropriation 

Status Outlook

• President’s budget 

calls for $275 million 

for MEP

• No expectation of 

cost share exemption
• •

.

.

NIST MEP Projected Spend Plan Through March 11, 2022

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* Funding from DOD for contracts and project support

Available funding: $ Millions

Appropriation 158.0

Carryover from FY 2021 2.0

Anticipated prior-year recoveries 3.2

Funding from other agencies* 1.6

Total available funding 164.8

Planned expenditures: 

Center renewals 134.1

Strategic competitions 0.7

Contracts 6.5

NIST MEP labor 11.5

NIST and program overhead 12.0

Total planned expenditures 164.8

Projected FY 2022 efficiency rate = 11.84%; actual FY 2021 efficiency rate = 11.94%.
• •

Manufacturing Legislation

13

• EO 14005, EO 14017 and other actions have heightened 

manufacturing visibility nationwide

• Appropriations coming for a new Bipartisan Innovation Act?

• FY22 Appropriations requires MEP to start work on the 

supply chain database.
• •

Uniqueness Value MEP to Build US Manufacturing

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• MEP Centers act as the lynchpin in boosting communities and ecosystems 

across the country.

• MEP National Network can support the Administration’s priorities focused on:

(a) Ensuring operational domestic supply chains, 

(b) Improving and increasing the available workforce at a living wage, and

(c) Supporting growth of advanced manufacturing technology.

• MEP Centers serve SMMs, a unique client base, that will need additional support 

to be able to increase their reach and penetration while also increasing their 

economic impact in their communities.

• NIST MEP can partner with other bureaus in the Department of Commerce and 

other federal agencies to increase U.S. Manufacturing by broadening the 

services available through the MEP National Network.
• •

MEP Client Demographics

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U.S. manufacturers statistics

• Over 98.9% of U.S. manufacturers are small (<500 employees) 

• Over 90% have <100 employees

• According to the Economic Census, SMMs historically account for 73% of paid employees, 62% of value added, 

and 67% of payroll in U.S. manufacturing

MEP clients

• Over 79% of MEP clients have <100 employees

• 42% of MEP Clients have <20 employees

• 18% of MEP clients are in rural areas 

• 12% of MEP clients are woman owned

• 10% of MEP clients are startups

• 6% of MEP clients are minority owned
• •

MEP Program Themes

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0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Supply Chain Workforce Technology and Innovation

2019

2020

2021

2019

2020

2021

2019

2020 2021
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MEP Program Support for Supply Chain

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• MEP has extensive experience with and expertise in building supplier networks

• Senate USICA and House COMPETES both specify MEP program role for national 

supply chain database

• Supplier Scouting is the foundation of how MEP Centers can work with manufacturers to 

map their supply chains and populate supplier databases, which will enable us to 

identify required capabilities and potential vulnerabilities
• •

Supply Chain: Network Support

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• •

MEP Program Support for Workforce

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MEP helps SMMs with an extensive range of workforce needs that address all stages of the employee lifecycle 

Customized Training for 

Entry-level Workers

Recruitment and 

Talent Acquisition Strategic Talent Planning

Leadership Coaching and 

Development

Organizational Culture and 

Employee Engagement Succession Planning
• •

Workforce: Network Support

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• •

MEP Program Support for Technology and Innovation

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Robotic Manufacturing Sensor Collaboration with NIST Labs, NIST MEP and NY MEP
• •

MEP Program Support for Technology and Innovation

22

MATTR/MATTR+

• MEP-Assisted Technology and Technical Resource Program (MATTR) is 

expanding via MATTR+

• MATTR+ will provide SMMs efficient and rapid technology consultation 

from world-class researchers

• NIST MEP funding will provide dedicated consulting support with NIST 

labs for MATTR+

Food Industry Services

• Program with U.S. multinational supermarket chain serves to reach SMMs 

within their supply chain and establish direct prime/OEM relationship

• Leverages FDA partnership to help SMMs meet Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements
• •

Innovation and Technology: Network Support

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• •

Strategic Competition Update

FY 2022 Center State Competition

• NOFO One (awards announced Oct. 1 for Jan. 1, 2023 start)

• Kentucky, Nebraska, Rhode Island and South Dakota 

• Applications received April 26. Review process ongoing. Award recommendations will be 

sent to NIST Grants Management Division by July 9

• NOFO Two (awards announced April 2023 for July 1, 2023 start)

• Arizona and Maryland

• NOFO will be posted Aug. 1, 2022. Applications will be due Oct. 28, 2022

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MEP National Network 

2017-2022 Strategic Plan Update
• •

Measures for the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan

Strengthening 

the National 

Supply Chain

Serving the 

Manufacturing 

Workforce

Increased 

Awareness

Leading in 

Technology

Deployment

Assessed 

the pandemic’s impact 

on manufacturing

Forged 

partnerships and 

created connections

Helped 

manufacturers pivot

Evolved 

operations in a new 

normal

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• •

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1.

3.

18 Month Measures of Success

1. Strengthening the National Supply Chain

Increase supplier matches and clients served in critical areas

2. Serving the Manufacturing Workforce

Increase client engagement in workforce services 

3. Increasing Awareness

Amplify and measure Network brand awareness 

4. Leading in Technology Deployment

Increase client engagement in technology services and implementation 
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Measure One: Strengthening the National Supply Chain

• Supplier scouting requests

• Successful scouts – matching buyers and sellers
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Goal: Increase supplier scouting requests by 10% Goal: Increase successful supplier scouting matches by 10%

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124

122

137

110

115

120

125

130

135

140

Baseline Update Through 2022Q1

(9 Months)

Goal

298

411

328

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Baseline Update Through 2022Q1

(9 Months)

Goal

Measure One – Strengthening the Supply Chain
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Measure Two: Serving the Manufacturing Workforce

• Clients and/or projects in workforce-related services
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1,800

1,357

1,980

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Baseline Update Through 2022Q1 (9 Months) Goal

Measure Two – Serving the Manufacturing Workforce

Goal: Increase clients engaged with workforce projects by 10%
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Measure Three: Increasing Awareness

• Count occurrences of the hashtag #MEPNationalNetwork

• Count of online mentions of brand terms “MEP National Network” and “NIST MEP”

• Total subscribers to the NIST MEP Blog

• Aggregate count of backlinks

• Number of followers on NIST MEP’s Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages
• •

*Progress to date based on data from Jan. 1-March 31, 2022

Brand Measure

Baseline for 

Current 18 

Months*

Progress To 

Date

New Goal for 

Current 18 

Months

Change

#MEPNationalNetwork hashtag occurrences 567 636 624 +12%

Brand Mentions 194 142 213 -27%

Manufacturing Innovation blog subscribers 40,130 47,451 44,143 +18%

Backlinks 186 258 205 +39%

Social media followers 18,419 19,035 20,261 +3%

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Measure Three – Increased Awareness 

Goal: Amplifying Network Brand Awareness by at least 10%. 
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Measure Four: Leading in Technology Deployment

• Clients and/or projects in technology services

• MATTR engagements
• •

Goal: Increase clients engaged with technology services projects by 10% Goal: Increase MATTR requests/inquiries by 10%

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983

1,065

1,081

920

940

960

980

1000

1020

1040

1060

1080

1100

Baseline Update Through 2022Q1

(9 Months)

Goal

25

10

28

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

Baseline Update Through 2022Q1

(9 Months)

Goal

Measure Four – Leading in Technology Deployment
• •

Current Advisory Board Working Groups

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Working Group Board Leadership Focus

Supply Chain Development Don Bockoven, Lead

LaDon Byars, Co-Lead

MEP National Network program 

support and development of 

manufacturing supply chains

Executive Committee Mary Isbister, Lead

George Spottswood, Co-Lead

Support Board governance and 

connection with local Center boards

Strategic Plan, 2023-2028 Bernadine Hawes, Co-Lead

Jim Wright, Co-Lead

Support development of the MEP 

National Network 2023-2028 Strategic 

Plan
• •

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Presentation: Silver Tsunami and Succession Planning

What is MEP’s role?

Daniel Goldstein, CEO and President, Folience
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The Silver Tsunami Matters For US Manufacturing

• Manufacturing is a key contributor to the U.S. economy

• Employs over 12 million Americans

• Contributes over $2.7 trillion to GDP

• Both aging ownership and workforce threaten the productivity and competitiveness 

of manufacturers

• Nearly 99% of U.S. manufacturers have <500 employees

• Many are family-owned

• The impact of aging ownership is significant for U.S. manufacturers in particular

• Manufacturer owners typically older than other industries
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U.S. Manufacturer Owners’ Are Older Compared to All Industries

4.5% 5.7%

34.0%

43.4%

61.4%

51.0%

MANUFACTURING ALL INDUSTRIES 34 and under 35 to 54 55 and older
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U.S. Manufacturing Has Largest Share of Owners Aged 55 or Older Among 

U.S. Industry Supersectors

9.0% 8.1% 4.9% 5.9% 6.1% 5.1% 5.8% 6.1% 4.4% 4.5%

46.8% 47.4% 48.8% 45.7% 44.8% 43.9% 39.6% 37.4% 38.5% 34.1%

44.2% 44.5% 46.3% 48.4% 49.1% 51.0% 54.5% 56.5% 57.1% 61.4%

INFORMATION LEISURE AND 

HOSPITALITY

EDUCATION AND 

HEALTH SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION OTHER SERVICES PROFESSIONAL AND 

BUSINESS SERVICES

TRADE, 

TRANSPORTATION, 

AND UTILITIES

NATURAL 

RESOURCES AND 

MINING

FINANCIAL 

ACTIVITIES

MANUFACTURING

34 and under 35 to 54 55 and older
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MEP Succession Planning Work

• Since 2016, MEP Centers have completed 190 succession planning related projects with 167

different manufacturers

• This work resulted in 113 completed client surveys, which had the following economic impact:

• $97.9M in new and retained sales

• $7.4M in total cost savings

• $33.2M in total new client investments

• 914 jobs created and retained
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Succession Planning Leads to Restructuring for Growth

• Client name: Greaves Corporation

• How CONNSTEP helped:

• Created an infrastructure for growth, addressed 

employee’s changing responsibilities and provided a 

greater understanding of management roles

• Production floor capacity increased and a clear 

roadmap was established for transitioning of 

leadership roles

• Greaves Corporation considers itself better 

positioned to become a leader in the electrical 

connector industry

Client Results: 

$600,000 in increased or retained sales

5 new or retained jobs

$1,100,000 in new investment

$40,000 in cost savings
• •

Jose Anaya – Thank You for Your Service

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Dean of Community Advancement

El Camino Community College

Two terms of Board service: 

July 2016-July 2022
• •

Next MEP Advisory Board Meeting 

Co-located with the MEP National Network Update meeting and 

the FORME Center Best Practice Conference in Chicago, Illinois

Board members invited for ALL activities:

• Monday, Sept. 19 through Tuesday, Sept. 20 morning: MEPNN Update Meeting

• Tuesday, Sept. 20 afternoon: MEP Advisory Board Meeting

• Wednesday, Sept. 21: Center Best Practice Conference

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Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022
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45

MEP National Network Strategic Plan 2023 – 2028 

Development Review and Feedback
• •

Thank You

For the Full Presentation, Please contact Cheryl Gendron at 

Cheryl.Gendron@nist.gov

VISIT OUR BLOG 

https://www.nist.gov/blogs/manufacturing-innovation-blog

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www.nist.gov/mep