The Virginia Manufacturer

In This Issue

Save the Dates

Upcoming Webinar Opportunities

VMA Facebook Page

Letter from the President

VMA Regional Meetings

Office Depot Member Benefit

Join a VMA Committee

Root Cause Workshop

Omega Protein Open House

Dream It. Do It. Summer Camp Program

Save the Dates

Upcoming Webinar Opportunity

Maxwell Health: An Employee Benefit Administration System for Small & Mid-size Companies -

Hosted by Brown & Brown

Wednesday, May 17th

10am-10:45am EST

Employee benefits management used to mean a lot of paper, manual administrative work, and uncertainty. Modern benefits management is all about real-time data access, visibility, and control. The key to business success starts with recruiting and retaining great people - because satisfied, engaged employees are more productive and invested in ensuring customer satisfaction.

As health care reform continues to change, it will get more complicated to manage benefits, while simultaneously becoming increasingly more important.

Webinar highlights:

Navigating complexities of HR and benefits
Handling the mess of paperwork that accompanies open enrollment
Giving employees an easy, streamlined benefits enrollment experience
Dealing with employee questions about benefits throughout the year
Improving employee health resulting in lower costs for the employer

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VOLUME 10 | Edition 4 | April 2017

Letter from the President & CEO

Dear Members:

The VMA is excited to highlight the upcoming committee meetings, MFG Town Halls, fall conferences and new member services in this issue. This is part of the VMA's overall effort to make its advocacy and business services even stronger. We know how challenging it is to be away from the shop floor which is why we have invested new staff and resources into these services so that the member experience is invaluable.

I also want to mention that the upcoming committee and MFG Town Hall meetings are central to the VMA Board of Director's work building a VA Manufacturing Competitiveness Plan and Index. These publications, which were announced last month, will compare 46 different metrics in five categories across 50 states. The comparative data will inform our legislative agenda and priorities over the next five (5) years. They will also help us communicate industrial priorities to elected officials and lead the ongoing dialogue about how to make Virginia more competitive for manufacturers and their supply-chain.

In closing, Virginia manufacturing can and will compete against anyone in the world. We need your help to raise the bar and the first step is to get engaged. Please join a committee or attend a MFG Town Hall. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Best Wishes,

Brett

Brett A. Vassey

President & CEO

Mark Your Calendar for Regional MFG Town Halls

Southwest MFG Town Hall - May 4th

Bristol Motor Speedway

O. Bruton Smith Building

1pm-7pm

For the first time, the VMA Southwest MFG Town Hall will be a joint meeting with the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Tennessee Manufacturers Association. This meeting will bring together leaders and members from all three associations . NASCAR Driver Brad Keselowski will give a special address on competing to win. Visit our event webpage for meeting highlights, registration and sponsorship opportunities. Space is limited so register your attendance today!

Lynchburg MFG Roundtable - May 11th

Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance Headquarters

1pm-6:30pm

The meeting will be co-hosted by the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance at their conference center in downtown Lynchburg. Delegate Kathy Byron will be the opening speaker. After the meeting, the VMAPAC will host a special reception honoring Delegate Byron at the Craddock Terry Hotel. Click here for details.

Richmond MFG Town Hall - May 16th

VMA Large Conference Room

1pm-6:30pm

The Richmond MFG Town Hall Meeting will include an update from Barry Matherly, President of the Greater Richmond Partnership, who will talk about their export initiative and expanding regional manufacturing. After the meeting, the VMA Headquarters will be open to guests for a reception. Click here for details.

Office Depot® and OfficeMax®
are now one company!

VMA members will continue to receive savings on more than 30,000 office supplies through the Office Depot Partner Program. Items can be purchased online and in the store. Please destroy all old Office Max Store Purchasing Cards and replace them with the new printable Office Depot card available on the VMA website. Click here to set up your discount account and start shopping and saving online. Remember, this program is for anyone in your company, your friends and your family!

Join a VMA Committee!

Get the most of your membership and join a VMA Committee. Committees are central to the VMA government affairs program as well as its workforce solutions, professional development, networking, regulatory reform and outreach services. Involvement in VMA committees is the best way for members to directly affect change, get involved and stay informed.

Upcoming Committee Meetings:

Air Sub-Committee - April 19

Energy Resources Committee - April 21

Taxation Committee - April 25

EHS&S Committee - April 27

Workforce Solutions Committee - May 2

Government Affairs Council - May 16

To join a VMA committee, please c ontact Kimberly Noonan, Member Services Director,at

[email protected] for more information.

Root Cause Analysis for Today's World

The VMA is partnering with Thinking Dimensions Global to offer a workshop on Root Cause Analysis for Today's World.

Upcoming Workshop Dates:

May 9-10

July 18-19

September 19-20

November 14-15

For more information on group discounts, please contact Bill Dunn at (703) 865-6700. Click here to view program details and to register for upcoming workshops.

Omega Protein - Reedville Facility Open House

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

11am - 3:30pm

610 Menhaden Rd

Reedville, VA 22539

Omega Protein will be hosting an Open House for all members and friends of the VMA. Guests will be treated to a tour of the facility and lunch.

Now in their 139 ^th year of continuous operation in the Commonwealth, Omega Protein's Reedville facility remains a key economic driver of the community and of the Northern Neck region. This facility includes a state of the art Health and Sciences Center, new processing equipment, a first-of-its kind water re-use program, innovative product storage and significant environmental improvement initiatives that have changed the face of Omega Protein.

Guests will get an insider's look at the fishing and processing operations as well as visit the $20 million Health and Sciences Center and fish oil refinery. Guests will learn about the health of the fishery, and its legislative and regulatory framework.

Please RSVP to Susan Gaston at [email protected] by Thursday, June 2^nd.

Get Involved in a Dream It. Do It. Virginia Summer Camp Program!

Dream It. Do It. Virginia Summer Camps are committed to providing world-class experiential learning for our participants. But we need your help.

Here's how to get involved:

Host a camp. Our world class curriculum makes it easy and fun for both hosts and students. You also receive a custom-built camp page and assistance with registration and recruiting volunteers.

Sponsor a camp. There are levels of sponsorship that you can choose- and every contribution helps to provide an excellent experience for students. Click here for more information and to find the camp sponsorship form.

Volunteer to be a guest speaker at a camp.

Open your facility for a camp participant tour, or provide a virtual tour.

Become part of a growing network of Virginia businesses who are helping our youth explore STEM careers and help grow the Commonwealth's talent of tomorrow!

For more information about hosting, volunteering and tours, please contact Melissa Gordon, Dream It. Do It. Virginia Coordinator at [email protected]. Click here to view a complete list of summer camps and locations.