The MEP Makes it in America: Details on the 10 Make it in America Awards

The 10 Make it in America cooperative agreements from the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership will help fund an array of programs from workforce training to optimizing supply chains. The winning projects and their partners are detailed below.

Project Name: Building Capacity and Capability in the Bio-Based Materials Manufacturing Sector
Applicant Partners: Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, Maine MEP, Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc.
Funding Amounts by Agency: $750,000 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,300,000 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,425,000
This project will renovate a 93,000 square foot former Navy maintenance and repair facility to create an advanced manufacturing technology accelerator and provide workforce training and supply chain technical assistance to companies within a 50-mile radius of the former base.

Project Name: Make it in Appalachian Ohio
Applicant Partners: Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District; Ohio Valley Employment Resource; State of Ohio, Ohio Development Services Agency, Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth
Funding Amounts by Agency: $400,888 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $382,823 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $1,158,710
The Make it In Appalachian Ohio project seeks to increase re-shoring in the metal fabrication, polymers and chemicals, and wood furniture manufacturing industries. This will be achieved through development site inventorying and economic development asset mapping to make available better information on the region, as well as development of the wood furniture manufacturing supply chain and a worker training program.

Project Name: Advance Northeast Ohio: Focus on Advanced Materials Manufacturing in the Advanced Energy, Biomedical and Automotive Market Segments
Applicant Partners: Team Northeast Ohio; State of Ohio, Ohio Development Services Agency; Medina County Workforce Development
Funding Amounts by Agency: $499,954 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,296,913 (ETA), (DRA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,171,867
The Advanced Northeast Ohio project will assess critical manufacturing needs and capabilities within targeted sector supply chains, determine gaps in manufacturing value chains for original equipment manufacturers and large industry partners, connect manufacturers to resources and opportunities, scout suppliers and offer services for small firms to expand supply chains, identify workforce needs to then train and recruit workers, and provide better career pathways connected to the strong regional concentration and targeted sectors.

Project Name: Select SC: Accelerating SC Economic Development and Job Creation
Applicant Partners: Clemson University, South Carolina MEP, SC Appalachian Council of Governments
Funding Amounts by Agency: $2,500,000 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,299,610 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $4,174,610
The Select SC project will increase access to industry-recognized education programs via state-of-the-art digital, virtual reality, and e-tools, and create unique educational choices and pathways with industry-recognized credentials for South Carolina workers. It also will implement a strategy to increase efficiency in industry supply chain management and innovation engineering.

Project Name: PA Made Again: Pennsylvania's Reshoring Initiative
Applicant Partners: SEDA-Council of Governments, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corp.
Funding Amounts by Agency: $500,000 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,300,000 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,175,000
PA Made Again will build well-connected networks of industrial clusters that foster efficiencies, collaboration and innovation between firms along supply chains and value streams; foster a collaborative environment between manufacturers and colleges and other research institutions that focuses not only on the development of new technologies, but also on product development and process innovation; build a strong pipeline of middle-skilled and highly skilled manufacturing workers; and enhance visibility of the region to potential international and domestic investors.

Project Name: Make it in the Willamette Valley, Oregon
Applicant Partners: Mid-Williamette Valley Council of Governments, Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Job Growers Incorporated
Funding Amounts by Agency: $414,440 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,299,976 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,089,416
"Make it in the Willamette Valley" will build regional capacity, conduct business outreach, strengthen supply chain connections, review growth opportunities, deploy growth services, restructure the Mid-Willamette High Performance Consortium, and increase incumbent worker and on-the-job training.

Project Name: Building Capacity and Capability in the Bio-Based Materials Manufacturing Sector
Applicant Partners: Center for Automotive Research; Industrial Technology Institute, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center; Macomb St. Clair Workforce Development
Funding Amounts by Agency: $400,000 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,071,800 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $1,846,800
The Building Capacity and Capability in the Bio-Based Materials Manufacturing Sector team will work to bridge gaps between the region's current manufacturing capabilities and the necessary materials, workforce skills and other resources to expand the bio-based materials sector, which creates industrial products from renewable agricultural and forestry feedstock.

Project Name: Make it in Washington Project (MIIWP)
Applicant Partners: Innovate Washington Foundation; Washington Manufacturing Services, Impact Washington; Washington State Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board
Funding Amounts by Agency: $500,000 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,300,000 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,175,000
The overall objective of the Make it in Washington Project is to identify and take advantage of the underutilized capacity of hundreds of manufacturing subject matter experts outside the Seattle area. The project will provide strategic business planning, access to capital, create an asset map of experts, provide advanced educational opportunities to incumbent and potential employees and participate in state trade missions to recruit foreign direct investment.

Project Name: Missouri SMR Project
Applicant Partners: The Curators of the University of Missouri, Missouri Incutech Foundation, Missouri Division of Workforce Development
Funding Amounts by Agency: $463,518 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,379,459 (ETA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,217,977
The project's aim is to develop the supply chain and infrastructure to support the manufacture of small modular reactors (SMRs)—nuclear power plants that are smaller than current generation base load plants and can be transported by truck or rail to a nuclear power site.

Project Name: Reshoring Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in Mississippi
Applicant Partners: Mississippi State University, Innovate Mississippi, Three Rivers Panning & Development District
Funding Amounts by Agency: $400,000 (EDA), $375,000 (NIST), $1,300,000 (ETA), $231,935 (DRA)
Total Dollars All Sources: $2,306,935The Reshoring Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in Mississippi program places substantial emphasis on creating sourcing opportunities for small and medium-size manufacturers within regional supply chains through a series of listening sessions, manufacturing technical assistance projects, funded manufacturing internships, and certificate workshops with Mississippi University.

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Media Contact: Jennifer Huergo, jennifer.huergo [at] nist.gov (jennifer[dot]huergo[at]nist[dot]gov), (301) 975-6343