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MEP Success Stories from Minnesota

Peer Council Assists in Overcoming Leadership Challenges

Reported Year
2025
Dan Ortloff had been serving as General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of Falls Fabricating when the company's president unexpectedly passed away. With the sudden loss of the previous president, Dan found himself in a leadership role without a mentor and had to quickly learn the ropes. He had previous experience working with Enterprise

Peer Council Acts as a Valuable Sounding Board for Ideas

Reported Year
2025
In 2010, Todd Sparrow was serving as General Manager at Rapat and was seeking to enhance his skills as a manager and leader within the company. When speaking with his local Enterprise Minnesota business advisor, it was suggested that Todd join a Peer Council to learn from other manufacturing leaders facing similar challenges. After getting to know

Breaking Down Silos Enhances Workplace Culture

Reported Year
2025
After nearly 140 years in operation, St. Paul Corrugating Company was ready for new growth. However, there were some issues. Different parts of the company worked in isolation, which threatened its ability to pursue new opportunities for its diverse line of residential window well products. Hugh Burhans, president and owner of SPC, knew it was time

Executive Builds Relationships via Peer Council

Reported Year
2025
By the time Marcus and his wife purchased MTG, Inc. from the family in 2022, Marcus had already spent a decade working in the production and quality departments, gaining a deep understanding of the company from the ground up. Marcus’ father had been a great mentor on business and manufacturing fundamentals, but when the company changed hands

Huge Value in Value Stream Mapping

Reported Year
2024
Founder and owner Brian Gustad had been working to apply lean manufacturing principles to his two-person shop for years, but had difficulty translating techniques and best practices from manufacturing literature to his small operation. Brian knew he had reached the limit of what he could improve on his own. He needed outside expertise to take his

An Enjoyable ISO Journey

Reported Year
2024
SNX Precision is part of a two-company business operation along with SNX Technologies, both under the same ownership group. SNX Precision is the manufacturing side, selling its nVision Edgebanding System product exclusively to SNX Technologies, which manages sales and distribution of the product. As an independent but closely linked business, SNX

An Eye-Opening Experience

Reported Year
2023
Several years ago, President Joe Plunger recognized the need to incorporate more colleagues into the business planning process and to help prepare organizational leadership successors. Those future leaders determined the business had a strategy, but it was mostly in Joe’s head, and everyone wanted to get that vision out and bring the organization

Illuminating Possibilities

Reported Year
2023
Vice President of Operations Jeremy Ward had previous experience working with MMTC, Michigan MEP center, part of the MEP National Network™, and knew of the value these centers bring to small and midsize manufacturing operations. When Jeremy contacted Enterprise Minnesota, also part of the MEP National Network™, Enova Illumination had been utilizing

It Feels Like a Family

Reported Year
2023
Von Ruden Manufacturing’s president, Brandon Anderson, has been involved with Enterprise Minnesota, part of the MEP National Network™, for over a decade. When he first joined Enterprise Minnesota's peer council, Brandon had been involved with other executive leadership groups, but felt the topics covered were too simplistic and that he “could

Fantastic Plastic

Reported Year
2023
Federal Package continually looks for ways to make their plastic container offering environmentally friendly for their clients. Finding options for recycled resins to solve for reduction of virgin use while remaining recyclable as well as options for being biodegradable was a challenge. They finally found their solution with an organic additive
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