Contact: Travis J Siegel

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Travis J Siegel Marketing Specialist W: 814-677-4800 x123 Email: [email protected]

July 2, 2014 For Immediate Release

Ignite Your Future Event Targets Small Manufacturers

The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission (Northwest Commission) and the Northwest Pennsylvania Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance (NW PA PREP) today encouraged local small and medium-sized companies to participate in an upcoming “Ignite Your Future” event to be held at Clarion University’s Gemmell Student Complex on July 15, 2014. The event is part of a U.S. Small Business Administration Supply Chain Mapping Initiative that seeks to help local small businesses identify new opportunities in the shale gas supply chain and in other manufacturing sectors. Northwest Pennsylvania is one of only five U.S. regions selected for this research pilot project.

“We are very pleased to be offering this program,“ noted Jill Foys, Executive Director of the Northwest Commission. “In today’s manufacturing economy, a small firm’s success depends on the ability to link into the supply chains of prime contractors and large manufacturers. That’s how business gets done today—small firms get access to steady and profitable markets, and primes benefit from a more stable, productive and innovative supplier base. Yet, creating these important supply chain connections is sometimes easier said than done. Large firms often don’t know about the most innovative small firms, and small entrepreneurs may not know how to go about doing business with a large global manufacturer.”

In an effort to help build stronger regional supply chains, the NW PA PREP will offer new world-class supply chain optimization tools to our region. The national Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a federally-backed program designed to help U.S. manufacturers compete, has developed a new MEP Supply Chain Optimization program to help local firms create more effective supply chains. (The Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center and Catalyst Connection are local MEP partners).

The MEP program addresses one of the primary challenges identified by manufacturers today—a need to better understand the dynamics of global supply chains. Large prime contractors need an easier way to identify and work with a large pool of subcontractors and suppliers. Meanwhile, small manufacturers need to understand how to get linked into these supply chains and how to stand out from the crowd with processes in place to support client objectives. Both large and small firms need to find better ways to communicate and collaborate.

MEP’s program targets this problem by providing a roadmap to supply chain optimization through actionable tasks and implementations. On July 15th, NW PA PREP will be sponsoring the first local

395 Seneca Street  Oil City, PA 16301  Phone: (814) 677-4800  Fax: (814) 677-7663  www.northwestpa.org PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Travis J Siegel Marketing Specialist W: 814-677-4800 x123 Email: [email protected]

workshop on supply chain optimization. The workshops will introduce participants to a host of tools, including the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) methodology. This tool helps managers quantify each and every activity along the supply stream. It helps track acquisition, transportation, storages, sales, and even social costs---creating a clear and compelling bottom line for comparing costs across suppliers.

Why should local firms embrace this tool? Prime contractors benefit from a deeper understanding of their production costs. Potential suppliers learn to speak “the language of supply chains.” Armed with complete data on their costs, they can make a strong case to be considered as a supplier to larger contractors. Understanding the total cost of ownership will also help aid the reshoring of U.S. manufacturers, as the full costs of outsourcing overseas become clear. Foys concluded: “This is a great opportunity for local companies. Our research shows a need for this training, and we expect that it will help small manufacturers gain new contracts.”

The July 15 event will introduce a new business training program to the region for the first time; additionally, a panel discussion and presentation on the emerging opportunities related to the further commercialization and development of natural gas will be part of the program. The event is free of charge, but pre-registration is required. To register and learn more about the event and the training program, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IgniteYourSupplyChain.

Additional information on the report is available at the Northwest Commission’s website: http://northwestpa.org/

Established in 1967, the Northwest Commission is a regional resource for business and economic development as well as community development and planning. The non-profit agency is composed of a team of skilled professionals dedicated to sustaining economic vitality and growth in the northwest Pennsylvania region by fostering local, state, and federal partnerships across public and private sector lines. The Northwest Commission provides programs such as business financing, government contracting, international marketing, grants, and transportation assistance to eight counties in northwest Pennsylvania including: Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, and Warren.

395 Seneca Street  Oil City, PA 16301  Phone: (814) 677-4800  Fax: (814) 677-7663  www.northwestpa.org