Events

Join MassMEP for breakfast January 24, 2018 to learn about DFARS (NIST Special Publication 800-171), and understand its cybersecurity requirements and the impact to your company at the Courtyard Marriott 72 Grove Street, Worcester, MA.

• 8:00am – 8:30am – Registration and light breakfast
• 8:30am – 10:00am - Presentation Pat Toth Computer Scientist at NIST MEP
• 10:00am – 10:30am – Charles Coakley Project Manager for MassMEP will provide roadmap to compliance

Pat Toth is a Computer Scientist at NIST MEP and serves as the Cybersecurity Program Manager. Pat has over 30 years of experience in Cybersecurity and worked on various NIST Cybersecurity guidance documents including NISTIR 7621 Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals Information in Non-federal Information Systems and Organizations.

DoD Cybersecurity Requirements: What do Small Manufacturers Need to Know?

No business is too small to be hacked. More than 70 percent of reported breaches actually affected businesses with 100 employees or less. Therefore, having a sustainable plan in place is critical to the survival of a small business because one cyber-attack can be catastrophic.

Knowing this, government agencies are requiring their contractors to meet certain cybersecurity requirements. What may have been a "down the road” priority has become a "better do it now” priority for contractors nationwide including vendors doing business with the Department of Defense (DoD).

The requirements detailed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Special Publication 800-171 include the compliance deadline December 31, 2017. Make sure to attend this workshop and start the process of becoming compliant so your company is not in jeopardy of losing its DoD contracts.

Who should attend?

Manufacturers that are suppliers or service providers in the defense industry or manufacturers interested in working with the Department of Defense.

Why attend?

This workshop will help manufacturers understand and manage their risk and establish a cybersecurity protocol to protect their most critical assets.

RSVP to Kristy Grignon at mailto:[email protected]

You run a relatively successful company with great customers, great suppliers, and excellent employees.

But you often wonder:

• Could my company be more successful?
• I’m not sure how to fix some of my company’s weaknesses.
  • And what about the ones I don’t even know about?
• What impact would any change make? How would I even know where to start?

It’s too much to think about, given all your day-to-day challenges of running the business, so you never take action. But, there’s a way to change the outcome. You can get a handle on all of the areas of your business that need improvement - and know how, when, by whom, at what cost, and with what impact, such improvements can be made.

All you need to do now is to take the ONE STEP of attending this seminar. It will be the beginning of your company working for you, instead of you working for your company.

You will learn what differentiates companies that:

• Make growth and profitability look easy vs those that struggle year in, and year out
• Debunk common misconceptions for growth and take a balanced approach
• Sell for big multiples vs those that sell low, or can’t sell at all

Join the MA MEP for the FREE two part seminar:

Day 1 March15^th: Learn how MA manufacturers transformed their businesses to peak performance, and how you can position your business to optimize growth and enterprise value in any state of economy. Learn how only 7% of owners transition out of their business on their terms and how you can be a part of that elite group.

Day 2 March 22^nd: In a confidential, condensed, guided self-assessment process we will identify your "current state” and discuss how an outside investor, buyer or lender views your business. You will then learn about the disciplined, methodical and sustainable steps you can take immediately to achieve the maximized results talked about in Day 1.

Marketing for Manufacturers Redefined & 10 Tips to Implement Now

Marketing is no longer about sales brochures, logos and creative. Cutting edge manufacturers are embracing a marketing playbook that is consumed with growth and lead generation vs. creative.
This workshop will discuss the changing role marketing plays in a manufacturer's short and long term growth objectives and what you can do to harness the latest tools and tactics.

Today, marketing is the key to growth in the manufacturing sector. New clients won't come your way unless you pursue them, and leads will trickle away if you don't nurture them. Your transformation can - and should - start now. This workshop will offer relevant and immediately actionable tips to maximize your marketing ROI and increase your top-line growth. Topics will include crafting an impactful marketing plan, developing powerful content, building out game changing assets, leveraging the latest digital techniques, and adding in the right marketing metrics.

Free Workshop: How to Access & Utilize Free State Training Funds

Dates & Locations

• Thursday, May 17 | Burlington, MA | 8:00-10:30 am

Cost: Free

MassMEP and AIM HR Solutions have partnered to provide a workshop designed to help companies prepare and apply for training funds through the Workforce Training Fund's General Grant program.

Each year the Commonwealth of Massachusetts awards millions of dollars in grant money to Massachusetts businesses under the Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP). Why not be one of the next companies? Let our experts will guide you through the application process.

Specific topics covered in this workshop include:

• Develop a Training Plan
• Establish Training Objectives
• Identify Key Performance Indicators

Who should attend?
Decision makers in the company, Owners, Managers; HR, manufacturing, production, administration, and finance.

Together, MassMEP and AIM HR Solutions have helped hundreds of companies access training funds, resulting in significant and documented impacts to their bottom lines. MassMEP and AIM HR Solutions can support you with FREE grant writing assistance, we will share our expertise and best practices that will ensure a streamlined and easy application process for your company.

This workshop will be lead by:

Jim Gusha
MassMEP
Project Development Manager

Bill Baldino
AIM HR Solutions
Vice President

Marketing is no longer about sales brochures, logos and creative. Cutting edge manufacturers are embracing a marketing playbook that is consumed with growth and lead generation vs. creative.

This workshop will discuss the changing role marketing plays in a manufacturer's short and long term growth objectives and what you can do to harness the latest tools and tactics.

Today, marketing is the key to growth in the manufacturing sector. New clients won't come your way unless you pursue them, and leads will trickle away if you don't nurture them. Your transformation can - and should - start now. This workshop will offer relevant and immediately actionable tips to maximize your marketing ROI and increase your top-line growth. Topics will include crafting an impactful marketing plan, developing powerful content, building out game changing assets, leveraging the latest digital techniques, and adding in the right marketing metrics.

Leveraging today’s digital and social channels for manufacturers to retain and attract talent

Human Resource leaders in the manufacturing community are experiencing a major talent gap that is leading to a war for the most sought after profiles. The same way the consumer has become informed, connected and overall more powerful, talented profiles well suited for the manufacturing industry are more difficult to attract and to retain than ever before. As a result, a manufacturer’s ability to attract and retain the best talent has become a critical source of competitive advantage, but also requires new sets of marketing tools that a traditional HR Manager is often not equipped to deploy.

Given this background, MassMEP has partnered with TribalVision – an outsourced Boston-based marketing firm – to conduct a workshop that will equip manufacturers with the tactics and tools necessary to recruit and retain the workers needed to support and fuel the next stage of company growth. The 60-minute workshop will touch on the following topics:

• Building out the marketing assets needed to improve your "attractiveness score” with potential recruits
• Deploying digital and social campaigns to target and attract potential candidates
• Putting in place internal marketing initiatives to increase staff retention and morale
• Developing a process to generate and post online customer and employee reviews

This workshop will be presented by:

Chris Ciunci Founder & Managing Partner, Tirbal Vision

An entrepreneur with over 15 years of marketing experience,
Chris Ciunci founded TribalVision as a forward-thinking alternative to traditional marketing models. These outmoded models stressed tactics over strategy, commissions over flat fees, and a one-size-fits-all approach over treating each client differently.

Today, Chris oversees TribalVision’s strategic direction, guides our distinct client-first philosophy and spearheads our business development efforts. Collaborating closely with our clients, internal team members and external partners, his comprehensive marketing strategies revolve around generating new business and strengthening a client’s overall marketing efforts.

An active thought leader, panelist and featured speaker, Chris continues to share his knowledge and perspectives at varied events throughout the regional marketing community. These events include seminars, symposiums and workshops sponsored by colleges, universities, marketing-industry groups and general business organizations.