Six additional specialists and several support staff work out of the central ISU office to connect with various university departments to get the latest in information and technology out to firms. These figures do not include inter-nal use. These networks provide manufacturers a channel to discuss the economic, socio-cultural, political, technical and legal issues affecting them. Despite different names and topics, networks provide simi-lar experiences and benefits to participants. Tours of plants stimulate ideas.
Members share the costs of programming, if any.
John Marshall of Yellow Jacket Manufacturing in Griswold is active in the Management Network of Southwest Iowa. Regular meetings provide him with knowledge he then has incorporated at his plant. At a session in the spring, Mar-shall learned that OSHA has an educational branch. OSHA found minor violations, and we working on fixing the situations brought forward. The strength of these groups comes from the participants themselves.