NASA assists MAGNET's latest loans; 10 awardees will get help from Glenn, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 30, 2012
Cleveland—MAGNET is helping to administer local government loans intended to help manufacturers bring new products to market. The loans come with free engineering help from Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center. (Subscription)

Bringing Ohio's rust-belt industries into the 21st century, by Bruce Katz and Judith Rodin, The Atlantic Cities, January 20, 2012
Cleveland—Northeast Ohio’s long struggle with post-deindustrialization was made worse by the Great Recession. In response, regional leaders came together to launch PRISM, the Partnership for Regional Innovation Services to Manufacturers initiative. “Reclaiming the legacy of manufacturing innovation in Northeast Ohio will enable the region’s companies to create more well-paying jobs,” says MAGNET President & CEO, Dan Berry.

New act rewarding employers who hire vets highlighted as Sen. Sherrod Brown visits GrafTech International in Lakewood, by Brian Albrecht, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 18, 2012
Lakewood, Ohio—As part of its latest effort to hire former service members, the firm also has asked for veterans' resumes from the local Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) which has launched a program to match returning vets with training for available manufacturing jobs in Northeast Ohio. A MAGNET spokesperson said Tuesday that of 50 veterans assisted in the program so far, 20 have gotten jobs.

• Now hiring veterans; GrafTech has 45 openings in Lakewood and Parma, by Colleen O'Neill, Newsradio WTAM 1100, January 18, 2012
  
• Northeast Ohio company scouts for vets for its workforce; Company says vets' skill sets are a good match, by Laura Fong, WKSU, January 17, 2012

Companies help veterans find jobs, by Cristin Severance, Ohio News Network TV via NewsNet5, January 18, 2012

NASA Glenn teams up with Cleveland, Cuyahoga County for small-business loan program, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 3, 2012
Cleveland—Under the program, engineers and scientists from the NASA Glenn Research Center will consult with local businesses, offering up to 40 hours of free technical assistance. The City and County will provide $450K in low-interest loans to help with project expenses. MAGNET will assist the City and the County in identifying projects that match the program requirements.

• Local manufacturers can pick NASA's brains; City, county and MAGNET team up with NASA to boost manufacturing in the region, by Valerie Brown, WKSU, January 17, 2012

Economic Outlook 2012: Manufacturing, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, January 3, 2012 (Subscription)
Cleveland—The year should be a winner, with manufacturers across most industries saying they are confident business will continue to improve in the year ahead. MAGNET President and CEO, Dan Berry, says he is encouraged about the prospects for growth this year.

Editorial: NASA Glenn reaches out to the future—its own and ours, by Joe Frolik, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 1, 2011
Cleveland—Last week, inside the giant NASA hangar familiar to anyone who uses Hopkins, Glenn engineers and scientists -- as well as a few guests from NASA outposts in California and Virginia -- showed off their latest gadgets and discoveries with an eye to the needs of automakers and their suppliers. MAGNET CEO Dan Berry, who helped organize the event, likened it to "a very high-powered science fair."

NASA Glenn shows off technologies to automakers and suppliers, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 28, 2011
Cleveland—On Thursday, the research center hosted a technology symposium in its main airplane hangar -- effectively a very high-tech science show to introduce its technologies to automakers and automotive suppliers. MAGNET co-sponsored this event.

NASA looks for launch into auto industry, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, October 17, 2011
Cleveland—NASA is pitching 38 space-age technologies to automakers and their suppliers at an event at NASA Glenn Research Center. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research at Ohio State University and MAGNET. .(Subscription)

Veterans’ unemployment outpaces civilian rate, by Michael A. Fletcher, Washington Post, October 16, 2011
Cleveland—Veterans who left military service in the past decade have an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent, well above the overall jobless rate of 9.1 percent. WaPo reporter Michael Fletcher visited Cleveland and MAGNET to report on a new program to match returning veterans with jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Proposed China currency bill gives new hope to a tool & die shop in Brunswick, by Robert L. Smith, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 4, 2011
Cleveland—On Monday, Bill and Randy Bennett of Automation Tool & Die in Brunswick, stood beside U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on a shop floor at MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network near downtown Cleveland, as Brown outlined his plan to punish China for unfair trade.

Feds award $2M grant to Northeast Ohio program to support high-tech industries, by Timothy Magaw, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 23, 2011
Cleveland—The region will receive a $2 million grant for a program led by JumpStart Inc., Lorain County Community College, MAGNET and NorTech that is designed to accelerate the rate at which prototypes in the advanced energy and flexible electronics sectors go to market.

Akron could create hundreds of jobs with new recycling technology, by Dan Haggerty, ABC NewsNet 5, August 15, 2011
Akron—The City of Akron is teaming up with recycling giant Greenstar and Vadxx Energy, a former MAGNET Incubator client, to create new jobs and process recycled plastic waste into valuable light, sweet crude oil.

Cleveland—July 7, 2011—The Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET) today announced it is launching a pilot project to match returning U.S. Veterans with specific training for key manufacturing jobs available in Northeast Ohio such as machinists, inspection/quality technicians and equipment maintenance personnel. (Read the complete press release here)

"MAGNET has developed a program that will identify, train and match returning veterans with existing jobs at area manufacturing companies that are unfilled due to a lack of appropriately skilled applicants,” said Daniel E. Berry, President and Chief Executive Officer of MAGNET.

MAGNET is partnering with the Veterans’ Services group of the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS) on the program which is funded by a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.

MAGNET and the ODJFS are inviting area manufacturers to two information sessions being held to explain how their companies can take advantage of filling their open jobs by hiring returning veterans.

The first session will be held in Cleveland on Tuesday morning, July 19 at MAGNET headquarters, 1768 East 25th Street, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

The second session will be held in Akron on Thursday, July 28 at the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services, 1040 East Tallmadge Avenue, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

Media Coverage

MAGNET program to train and place 50 veterans by year's end in manufacturing jobs, by Karin Connelly, Fresh Water Cleveland, July 21, 2011

Cleveland nonprofit MAGNET will work with companies to find jobs for veterans when they come home, by Michael Sangiacomo, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 8, 2011

Local companies want to employ military vets, by Dan Haggerty, WEWS NewsNet5, July 7, 2011

Project to train military veterans for employment, by Karl Henkel, Youngstown Vindicator, July 8, 2011

President Obama announces $500-million investment in Advanced Manufacturing Partnership

Pittsburgh, June 24, 2011—Today, at Carnegie Mellon University, President Obama launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies that will create high quality manufacturing jobs and enhance our global competitiveness. Investing in technologies, such as information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, will support the creation of good jobs by helping U.S. manufacturers reduce costs, improve quality, and accelerate product development.

The President’s plan, which leverages existing programs and proposals, will invest more than $500 million to jumpstart this effort.

“Today, I’m calling for all of us to come together- private sector industry, universities, and the government- to spark a renaissance in American manufacturing and help our manufacturers develop the cutting-edge tools they need to compete with anyone in the world,” said President Obama. “With these key investments, we can ensure that the United States remains a nation that ‘invents it here and manufactures it here’ and creates high-quality, good paying jobs for American workers.” (Read more...)

Related documents:

• White House Press Release: President Obama Launches Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, June 24, 2011
• Full text of the President's June 24, 2011 remarks in Pittsburgh
• Archived video of the President's speech will be available soon on the White House Video page.
• PCAST Press Release: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Releases Report on Advance Manufacturing, June 24, 2011
• PCAST Full-text Report: Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing, June 2011 (PDF, 56 pages, 966k)

Press coverage:

Obama announces $500 million effort to boost high-tech manufacturing, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2011
Pittsburgh—Imagining advances from lighter cars to smarter robots, President Barack Obama is announcing a $500 million project to spur high-technology manufacturing, a sector of U.S. industry that presidential advisers say has lost ground to such competitors as Germany and Japan

Manufacturing may recover Rust Belt, by Dean Reynolds, CBS News, June 24, 2011
Cleveland—CBS News reporter Dean Reynolds visits Astro Manufacturing in Willoughby and speaks with Vice President Rich Peterson about the recovery of the manufacturing sector in Northeast Ohio and its new focus on manufacturing for the medical device industry.

Ohio gained more jobs than most other states in the past year, by Olivera Perkins, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 18, 2011
Cleveland—Ohio businesses added nearly 69,000 jobs between May 2010 and May 2011, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday. That ranked Ohio third in total numbers and seventh when the data are adjusted for state size. Greg Krizman, spokesman for MAGNET, commented on the diversity in job growth on the shop floor and engineering departments.

MAGNET now assisting health care providers; Issues often similar to those in manufacturing, by Timothy Magaw, Crain's Cleveland Business, June 13, 2011 (Subscription)
Cleveland—The Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network, a Cleveland-based economic development group aimed at growing the region's manufacturing sector, is advising Northeast Ohio health care providers how to reduce costs by tweaking their operations to improve efficiency.

Fund for Our Economic Future awards $5.3 million to Northeast Ohio development organizations, including MAGNET, by , FFEF Press Release, June 13, 2011
Wooster, Ohio—Six grants were made during the Fund’s quarterly Funders Committee meeting June 9th at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. The grants will sustain the work of the organizations, all of which have a long relationship with the Fund and have made a positive cumulative impact in Northeast Ohio.

MAGNET's PRISM program looks to link small manufacturers to 'big guy' resources, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 9, 2011 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Some of the area's economic development leaders want to give new momentum to some old ideas with an initiative aimed at helping small and midsize manufacturers branch out into new markets — a plan that has won an endorsement from the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Regional biz plan to help neo manufacturers thrive, by Karin Connelly, Freshwater Cleveland, April 21, 2011
Cleveland—While it's common for individual companies to develop a business plan to help prepare for success, Northeast Ohio is one of only three regions in the country to pilot a regional business development plan. The Partnership for Regional Innovation Services to Manufacturers (PRISM) will be headed by MAGNET to help small and medium sized manufacturers thrive in the region.

MAGNET organizes HR Peer Group for NEO manufacturing sector, by Harriet Tramer, Cleveland Business Connects Magazine, May 1, 2011
Cleveland—Members of this peer group represent a diverse mix of 13 manufacturing companies from the Cleveland area, including State Industrial Products, Eberhard Manufacturing, and Enerco Group Inc. Although they all work in the HR field, they have a wide range of experience and responsibilities. The group meets nine times a year for breakfast sessions at MAGNET’s downtown Cleveland headquarters.

The Sound of Ideas: Where are the jobs in Northeast Ohio?, by David Molpus, WCPN IdeaStream, April 19, 2011
Cleveland—On WCPN's morning feature, Sound of Ideas, MAGNET's Mary Ann Pacelli joined a panel of workforce experts to talk about efforts to re-train the local manufacturing workforce for high-tech advanced manufacturing jobs. (MP3, 54 min.)

MAGNET's PRISM program looks to link small manufacturers to 'big guy' resources, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 9, 2011 (Subscription)
Cleveland—Some of the area's economic development leaders want to give new momentum to some old ideas with an initiative aimed at helping small and midsize manufacturers branch out into new markets — a plan that has won an endorsement from the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Regional biz plan to help neo manufacturers thrive, by Karin Connelly, Freshwater Cleveland, April 21, 2011
Cleveland—While it's common for individual companies to develop a business plan to help prepare for success, Northeast Ohio is one of only three regions in the country to pilot a regional business development plan. The Partnership for Regional Innovation Services to Manufacturers (PRISM) will be headed by MAGNET to help small and medium sized manufacturers thrive in the region.

MAGNET organizes HR Peer Group for NEO manufacturing sector, by Harriet Tramer, Cleveland Business Connects Magazine, May 1, 2011
Cleveland—Members of this peer group represent a diverse mix of 13 manufacturing companies from the Cleveland area, including State Industrial Products, Eberhard Manufacturing, and Enerco Group Inc. Although they all work in the HR field, they have a wide range of experience and responsibilities. The group meets nine times a year for breakfast sessions at MAGNET’s downtown Cleveland headquarters.

The Sound of Ideas: Where are the jobs in Northeast Ohio?, by David Molpus, WCPN IdeaStream, April 19, 2011
Cleveland—On WCPN's morning feature, Sound of Ideas, MAGNET's Mary Ann Pacelli joined a panel of workforce experts to talk about efforts to re-train the local manufacturing workforce for high-tech advanced manufacturing jobs. (MP3, 54 min.)

Stark 20/20 — Changes in work force mirror national trends, Canton Repository, April 13, 2011
Canton—In its analysis of workforce trends in Stark County, The Canton Repository quotes Dan Berry, president and CEO of Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, who pins the decline of manufacturing jobs on globalization and technology.

• Editorial: Manufacturing jobs in Stark County, Canton Repository, April 13, 2011

New "Biz Plan" for region hopes to jump start manufacturers' innovation, by Mhari Saito, WCPN IdeaStream, April 12, 2011
Cleveland—You've heard of business plans for companies, how about one for a metropolitan region? ideastream's Mhari Saito reports, with help from the Brookings Institution, NE Ohio is one of three regions in the country to pilot the development and execution of such a plan. MAGNET's John Schober explains about the organization's new PRISM initiative.

Boomers' retirements raise skilled labor worry, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, April 11, 2011 (Subscription)
Cleveland—A recent survey revealed that, among big manufacturers with revenues of more than $1 billion, 32% said the loss of baby boomers from their work forces will cost their companies $100 million or more over the next five years. Judith Crocker, director of manufacturing education affairs at MAGNET, comments.

MAGNET, Wire-Net team up to encourage Northeast Ohio businesses to find new customers, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 24, 2011
Cleveland—Wire-Net and MAGNET held their first diversification session on Tuesday in Independence, gathering more than 50 manufacturers to listen to presentations on four industries that the advocacy groups believe will be good fits for Northeast Ohio's manufacturing strengths -- medical devices, aerospace, water transmission and alternative energy.

MAGNET office opens, by Kristen Russo, Youngstown Vindicator, March 10, 2011
Youngstown, Ohio—The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber sponsored Wednesday’s reception, which was scheduled to celebrate MAGNET’s new office inside the chamber’s Warren location at 197 W. Market St.

MAGNET sets up shop in Warren, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, March 10, 2011
Warren, Ohio—Mayor Michael O'Brien is counting on business consulting agency MAGNET to live up to its name at its new downtown Warren office. "Having them in Warren will be a drawing card for manufacturing in Trumbull County because they're just five minutes away. It's a huge asset."

'New Markets Initiative' = Orders, jobs and profits for Northeast Ohio manufacturers; Companies with unmet supply chain needs will be matched with local manufacturers, by Greg Krizman, Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 9, 2011
Even in the most challenging economic times, there are companies in select industries that are growing and expanding. Being able to identify and then enter the supply chain of those companies has always been the hallmark of successful manufacturers. Why? Because being a part of those supply chains means orders, jobs and profits. To help Northeast Ohio manufacturers take advantage of this proven success formula, the New Markets Initiative is being introduced later this month by WIRE-Net and MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network.

Cleveland attracts national interest after Barack Obama's small-business forum, by Marcia Pledger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 27, 2011
Cleveland—The Plain Dealer reviews the impact of President Obama's visit last week and interviews MAGNET President and CEO Dan Berry, who sees the events of the past week as the beginning of an ongoing dialogue between small business and government.

Group to be business "magnet," by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, January 25, 2011
Warren, Ohio—"We want to help companies grow and expand and retain good people. We want to see this area recover and be successful," said Alan Lupas, senior business consultant for the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network, or MAGNET, which has opened an office in the Regional Chamber building on Courthouse Square.

MAGNET, trade agency add area offices, by George Nelson, Youngstown Business Journal, January 18, 2011
Youngstown, Ohio—Officials with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber announced that MAGNET and the International Trade Assistance Center, part of the Kent-based Northeast Ohio Trade & Economic Consortium, or Neotec, both will have staff in new local satellite offices.

October 2010

Engineering is a field that is attracting students and faculty at Northeast Ohio universities, by Karen Farkas, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 17, 2010
Cleveland—Engineering schools in Northeast Ohio are adding students and faculty as the Ohio Board of Regents begins a push to improve engineering education and research to fuel manufacturing growth in the state. MAGNET's Director of Education & Training, Judith Crocker comments on the growing demand for cross-trained engineers.

America's Real Heroes: Essential Skilled Workers, by Greg Krizman, MAGNET Senior Director of Marketing, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Employment Feature, October 6, 2010
Cleveland—Today's manufacturing heroes don't work in dark, dirty factories anymore. They work with advanced robotics and "intelligent" systems that dominate shop floors. They cut steel with laser lights and operate the most expensive, sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment in the world.

$285,000 grant available for local manufacturers to make advanced energy systems, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 5, 2010
Cleveland—A division of The National Institute of Standards and Technology has awarded a $285,000 grant to Cleveland-based NorTech development organization and the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, or MAGNET, to help smaller manufacturers produce parts for advanced energy systems, specifically electric vehicles and power plants that use biomass or waste to generate electricity.

Accessing international markets can open up new possibilities, by Amy Ann Stoessel, Crain's Cleveland Business, October 4, 2010
Cleveland—Crain's interviews MAGNET's Director of Global Initiatives, Randy Nemetz, as well as executives at Vitamix and Rad-Con about the potential for economic growth through exporting. (Subscription)

September 2010

Northern Ohio's energy future could be expensive and bumpy, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 29, 2010
Akron—The PD reports on MAGNET's Fifth Annual Northern Ohio Energy Conference held Wednesday in Akron.

Cleveland Foundation announces its quarterly grants, by Margaret Bernstein, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 25, 2010
Cleveland—Among other grants, the Cleveland Foundation earmarked $250,000 for the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network for two projects: Growth by Design and the New Markets Initiative, which helps Cleveland companies enter new and growing markets to create jobs and stimulate investment.

Coda Automotive getting closer to selling electric cars, plans to make batteries in Columbus, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 21, 2010
Cleveland—MAGNET Senior Director of Marketing, Greg Krizman, notes that motor vehicle industry suppliers in Northeast Ohio could see some new business if Coda Automotive wins financing it seeks to build a plant in Columbus to make batteries for its electric cars.

PNC, KeyBank home in on intricacies of manufacturing sector, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, September 20, 2010
Cleveland—Now that it's the biggest lending institution in Cleveland, PNC Bank is particularly interested in serving what it says is still the most important element of the town's business landscape - the manufacturing sector. PNC recently partnered with MAGNET on several regional events to help manufacturers navigate the credit crunch. (Subscription)

Some local businesses applaud Barack Obama's new plan, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 2010
Cleveland—"The permanent extension of the research and experimentation tax credit will be especially welcomed by manufacturers," said Dan Berry, president of the Cleveland-based Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network, or MAGNET, a business advocacy group.

Manufacturing . . . A Career so hot that it's cool!, by Greg Krizman, Sr. Dir. Marketing, MAGNET, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1, 2010
Cleveland—MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network, has developed two ways to highlight manufacturing as a viable career option to area high school students. MAGNET wants to help create the next generation of manufacturers in Northeast Ohio.

August 2010

MAGNET confident in loan program, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, August 30, 2010
Cleveland—Current county commissioner Peter Lawson Jones said he's not only satisfied with the results of the Cuyahoga County New Product Development Loan program to date, but he's already lobbying that the program be continued with anyone who will listen. (Subscription)

Ohio exports are on the rise again after a terrible 2009, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 17, 2010
Cleveland—Six months into 2010, the value of Ohio exports reached $20.2 billion, a 29 percent increase over the first half of last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division. MAGNET's Director of Global Affairs, Randall Nemetz, although several small companies weathered the recession thanks to exports, the region is just getting back to pre-recession levels.

Manufacturers encouraged by trends, by Bill Rice, WCPN IdeaStream, August 5, 2010
Mayfield Heights, Ohio—Three prominent Northeast Ohio businessmen give a cautiously optimistic assessment of the region's manufacturing future. Ideastream's Bill Rice reports.

Manufacturing rebounding in Cleveland area, but business leaders unsure how long it will last, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2010
Mayfield Heights, Ohio—There is growing evidence that manufacturing in Greater Cleveland is rebounding and more jobs are being created. "We are actually doing better. Cleveland metropolitan area job growth has been the highest among major metropolitan areas in the country," said Daniel Berry, president and chief executive officer of MAGNET.

Training program enables Severstal to compete effectively in the global steel market, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Employment Section Feature, August 4, 2010

July 2010

Startup company's speedier process for making whiskey could lift Cleveland's spirits, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 21, 2010
Cleveland—Startup company, Cleveland Whiskey LLC, a tenant in MAGNET's business incubator, has a federal permit to test his innovation for making whiskey faster, a $25,000 grant and plans to manufacture its products in Cleveland.

June 2010

Fund for Our Economic Future awards $5.3 million to region's business-development groups, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 16, 2010
Cleveland—The Fund for Our Economic Future today awarded $5.32 million to groups and initiatives focused on developing the region's economy. The fund awarded MAGNET $434,000 to assist the region's manufacturing sector.

March 2010

HiVelocity, The Third Frontier News publication, Ohio Dept. of Development, March 2010
Columbus—News about advanced manufacturing initiatives in Ohio: Miami Valley soars on wings of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Laid Off? This entrepreneur says, "start a business," Q&A: Rail veteran tackles 3C Corridor's burning questions... and more.

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