Resources & Tools

Home »Resources & Tools

“Get Answers, Get Support, Get Rolling”

Running a small or family-owned manufacturing business comes with its unique set of challenges. You may find yourself asking: How can I run our operations more efficiently? How can I bring innovative ideas and new products to market? How can I secure more contracts? Where can I find employees with the right skills? How can I ensure our computer network and files are safe and DoD compliant? Where are the resources and tools for small manufacturers?

You’ve come to the right place!

GENEDGE is a treasure trove of resources for family owned manufacturing businesses and small manufacturers. We have gathered an array of tools and resources designed to answer these questions and more, helping you navigate the challenges of running a small or family-owned manufacturing business.

Please note, some of the content is gated exclusively for GENEDGE Alliance members. But don’t worry – joining is not only free but also easy! Join the Alliance today and gain access to a wealth of resources specifically tailored for small manufacturers and family-owned manufacturing businesses.

With GENEDGE, you’re never alone in your journey. We’re here to support and propel your manufacturing business towards greater efficiency, innovation, and success. Let us be your trusted partner in navigating the ever-evolving manufacturing landscape.

NIST Blog

Seriously, Drop What You’re Doing and Launch this Manufacturing Youth Engagement Program Right Now.

June 7, 2023

A manufacturing youth engagement program that excites local businesses, offers templates and guidance to effectively launch in new regions, has a 10-year track record of connecting hundreds of students annually, and is financially sustainable? Yes, please. That’s exactly what Pennsylvania’s What’s So Cool About Manufacturing® program offers. That’s right: during the past 10 years, What’s So Cool has created a process, templates, and materials that simply work, driving new connections between MEP Centers, their local school districts, and their clients. The goal of What’s So Cool is simple

Mike Levy: Small Manufacturing Marketing Expert

June 6, 2023

In the world of small manufacturing enterprises, marketing can seem like a foreign language, but Mike Levy is committed to showing how “it’s just like manufacturing.” Mike Levy, GENEDGE Alliance’s Business Services Director – Growth, understands the marketing challenges companies face. He regularly encounters intelligent, data-driven individuals focused on running…

Read More

Virginia Manufacturers

How GENEDGE is Empowering Small and Medium Manufacturers in Virginia to Innovate, Compete and Grow

June 1, 2023

Over the past few decades, manufacturing has undergone a drastic change, and it’s undeniable. Large developing economies have evolved into manufacturing supergiants. A threatening recession depleted demand, and employment plunged in advanced nations. Impactedly, manufacturers have been feeling the heat from their communities to cut costs while simultaneously producing complex,…

Read More

Jeff Shook: Expert in manufacturing process development

April 17, 2023

Shook, the automation and advanced manufacturing manager for GENEDGE Alliance, offers a wealth of experience in helping manufacturers operate more efficiently, strategically, and profitably.

Read More

How Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturers Can Attract and Retain Top Talent

Smaller manufacturers face obstacles their larger counterparts do not. They likely don’t have the marketing budgets or the bandwidth to run formal internship programs or recruiting campaigns. Still, for some, it’s worth exploring ways to overcome these challenges.

Read More

Jessica Ingle

NIST Blog

Jessica Ingle: Continually Improving

April 6, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Women’s History Month to highlight women who are making an impact on the manufacturing industry. Jessica Ingle is like a lot of women who are juggling work, family and life. And she’s managed to excel at it all, including her 18 years of climbing the career ladder at Impact Washington, the Washington state MEP Center and part of the MEP National NetworkTM. Her first real job was at Impact Washington, and her passion for its work continues to grow. Ingle’s journey began as an administrative assistant, and today she’s a key leader in the organization as deputy

cydney

NIST Blog

Cydney Severio: From Stitcher to CEO

March 30, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Women’s History Month to highlight women who are making an impact on the manufacturing industry. CEO Cydney Severio has done it all during her years at Electro Medical Equipment Company, Inc. (EME), a client of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana. The veteran-owned medical textile manufacturer started as an EKG machine distributor in 1960. The current owners purchased EME in 1984. Cydney was hired as the billing and credit manager 33 years ago when the company had five full-time employees and a few part timers. Home sewing machine comes in

Indiana workforce

NIST Blog

What Indiana Can Teach the Nation About Workforce Development

March 28, 2023

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve only been to Indiana once – for a fun weekend in Indianapolis. I will say that their Children’s Museum is truly world-class, and it was great going duckpin bowling for the first time. Though I haven’t taken full advantage of Indiana as a tourist destination (yet!), as a workforce development professional, I can’t help but notice what is happening in the state. The cutting-edge partnerships, programs and collaborations have resulted in Indiana leading the nation in developing new and better manufacturing workers. Manufacturing is Indiana’s largest industry sector

Member Content

Webinar Recap – Introduction to CONNEX a comprehensive look

March 23, 2023

Take a tour of your CONNEX Virginia marketplace account with us! Learn more about ways to make it work for you, get practices and tips!

Read More

Solve problems and Serve Customers

NIST Blog

Sarah Dvorak: Manufacturing is for Anyone Who Wants to Solve Problems and Serve Customers

March 16, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Women’s History Month to highlight women who are making an impact on the manufacturing industry. Sarah Dvorak didn’t originally plan on a career in manufacturing, but her first career was not a good fit. Luckily, the opportunity to be part of a volunteer focus team brainstorming ways to reduce scrap and rework at a manufacturing plant led her in a new direction, and she’s been in manufacturing ever since. Dvorak is currently the Director of Assembly and Test at Danfoss Power Solutions, a global manufacturer of hydraulic pumps and motors located in Ames, Iowa

Workforce attraction and retention strategy

NIST Blog

The One Workforce Attraction and Retention Strategy You Probably Haven’t Considered

March 1, 2023

Here at America Works, we’re all about workforce innovation. We know that the existing workforce development system isn’t working as efficiently as it could, so companies need to try every strategy in the book to retain their workers (rather than expect to replace departing workers with new ones). To accomplish this, I’ve written about becoming an employer of choice, the importance of focusing on the employee experience, and how employers need to stop pushing the “easy button” on their workforce efforts. I thought that after eight years working at the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network

NIST Blog

Bernadine Hawes: My Manufacturing Story

February 23, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Black History Month to celebrate and share the stories of Black American manufacturing leaders. I didn’t start out even remotely as part of the manufacturing ecosystem. I started my career at the nation’s first urban research park, the University City Science Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was trying to complete my doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. I finished all my coursework but had not completed my Ph.D. dissertation. In hindsight, that wasn’t the failure many seemed to think. Going to work at the Science Center led to the kind of career

Sweet grass day

NIST Blog

Video: Heroes of American Manufacturing – Sweet Grass Dairy

February 22, 2023

People who really want to know where their food comes from often turn to small food manufacturers. Jessica Little, co-owner of Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, Georgia, realized this during the pandemic. Her challenge was figuring out how to meet the quality standards and food traceability required to expand into retail markets and get the company’s products out for more consumers to appreciate. A new video in the Heroes of American Manufacturing series featuring Sweet Grass Dairy highlights how this food manufacturer in south Georgia uses the milk produced from a unique, barn-free rotational

NIST Blog

Asia Dillon: Making a Name for Herself as a Manufacturer

This blog is part of a series for Black History Month to celebrate and share the stories of Black American manufacturing leaders. Asia Dillon is not your average 15-year-old high school student in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has already made a name for herself as a manufacturer. Asia is the owner of Sassy A Cosmetics, a company she started four years ago with the help of her mother. The start of Sassy A Cosmetics Asia considers herself “a little Jackie of all trades,” and sees opportunities where others might not. For example, her younger sister suffers from eczema, which makes her lips so dry

How GENEDGE Assisted Client Dynamic Aviation, Inc With DFARS – 7012 Compliance

February 20, 2023

Roy Luebke, GENEDGE Innovation and Strategic Growth Consultant, talks DFARS – 7012 compliance with Doug Pascarella, Dynamic Aviation, Inc., Vice President of Information Technology.

Read More

Member Content

Marketing for Small Manufacturing Companies: Strategies for Success

February 16, 2023

As every company is unique, with different missions, goals, products, and more, the marketing plan you implement should reflect those specific goals.

Read More

Rodney Reddick

NIST Blog

Rodney Reddic: Helping Texas Manufacturers Succeed

This blog is part of a series for Black History Month to celebrate and share the stories of Black American manufacturing leaders. For more than 20 years, Rodney Reddic has been with Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC), the Texas Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center. He currently serves as TMAC’s Interim Executive Director. He has more than 30 years of experience working in the Texas manufacturing industrial base. His expertise includes providing industrial engineering and business consulting services to a wide variety of industries. The start of his manufacturing career

Destruction

NIST Blog

Business Continuity Plans: Lessons Learned From Puerto Rico

February 15, 2023

The pandemic and subsequent supply chain disruptions have been harsh reminders of the need for manufacturers to create or update their business continuity plan (BCP). Disruptions of some sort are likely, and manufacturers must be prepared for all types of scenarios including natural disasters, technical failures and cyberattacks. Having a BCP already in place is essential for the initial response to a disruptive event. A BCP also enables manufacturers to continue operations and can help during an extended period of time. We know this all too well here in Puerto Rico. In the past six years we

Toyin Kolawale

NIST Blog

Toyin Kolawole: Lifelong Entrepreneur and Founder of Iya Foods

February 7, 2023

This blog is the first in a series for Black History Month to celebrate and share the stories of Black American manufacturing leaders. Toyin Kolawole is the founder and CEO of Iya Foods, a nourishment-focused food company inspired by her African roots and located in Illinois. Toyin grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, assisting with her family’s numerous entrepreneurial ventures, which included a small convenience drug store and a fast food business. Growing up as an entrepreneur Food, family and faith define Toyin’s life. Growing up in Nigeria as the eldest daughter in a family of five children, she

American Manufacturing

NIST Blog

Revolutionizing American Manufacturing

February 2, 2023

A major focus of the current administration is revitalizing American manufacturing, and new technologies are changing the way things are made. Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Director Pravina Raghavan recently appeared on Government Matters TV, where she discussed how MEP National NetworkTM experts around the country are working with small manufacturers to revolutionize U.S. manufacturing. From 3D-printed body organs and predictive maintenance to sensors that improve supply chain visibility, the future of manufacturing is about making processes more efficient and getting people what

Workers meeting

NIST Blog

The 2023 Workforce Development Word of the Year is …

January 25, 2023

As 2022 came to a close, I was as amazed as I am every year by all the “___ of the Year” lists. It seems like every media outlet creates its own list of the year’s 10 best books, and then there’s the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year, the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year, and so on. This got me thinking – what if workforce development had its own word of the year? But instead of looking backward, this word should inspire us for the coming year. What if we could pick one concept that guides all our efforts for 2023? Of course, this is just my humble opinion – but aren’t all these lists just

Training robot

NIST Blog

Infographic: Training: Responding to the Skills Gap

January 12, 2023

There aren’t enough workers to meet U.S. manufacturers’ needs. A 2021 survey by the National Association of Manufacturers found that 80% of companies say their top challenge is the inability to attract and retain a quality workforce. The situation will worsen as baby boomers continue to retire. Adding to the challenge, the “great resignation” has resulted in people looking for more flexible and rewarding work. According to Deloitte, there could be 2.1 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2030. A new infographic, Training: Responding to the Skills Gap, describes both common workforce

Women discussion

NIST Blog

When in Crisis, Manufacturers Can Look to Kata

January 5, 2023

There is more to lean manufacturing than improving a few processes. Sustainable lean success requires a companywide culture of continuous daily improvement. Companies that develop their people to think scientifically, using facts and data to drive their decisions, are often the ones that most successfully achieve their goals. Practicing Toyota Kata, or kata, promotes this way of thinking, which can help companies become nimbler and more competitive so that they are able to not just survive but thrive during an adverse event such as a pandemic. Kata is a Japanese word that refers to a

Gifts

NIST Blog

Support Manufacturers With Tasty and Pampering Holiday Gifts

December 22, 2022

It’s that time of year again – the season when you start looking for holiday gifting ideas. Have you considered checking out your local manufacturers? They have gifts that range from tasty treats to pampering presents. You can delight even the most finicky person on your list, while also introducing loved ones (and yourself) to local manufacturers across the country. Take a look at these clients of the MEP National NetworkTM and learn how each company’s local MEP Center played a role in their growth and success. Tasty treats When you’re struggling to find the perfect present, think about food