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Virginia Manufacturer's Association

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VOLUME 9 | Edition 8 | September 2018
Letter from the President & CEO

Dear Members:

Summer has officially ended and we are getting ready for this fall's committee meetings and professional development events. There will be over a dozen different member events over the next three months.  Your leadership and participation are essential to the effectiveness of our member services.

These programs are where we generate new ideas and address old challenges.  We will be addressing everything from carbon regulation to manufacturing competitiveness to industry credential training in the upcoming conferences and committee meetings.  This will include the development of our 2019 Legislative Agenda.  We will even be conducting some "soft launches" of new programs and services at these upcoming meetings.

To review the entire list of VMA Committees, click here. All VMA conferences, webinars and professional development workshops are available by clicking here. If you have not already joined a VMA Committee or participated in a professional development conference or workshop, please review the sites or contact Kimberly Noonan, VMA Member Services Director, at knoonan@vamanufacturers.com.  

I look forward to seeing each of your at this year's Virginia Competitiveness Forum and 96th Annual Meeting on November 13-14 at Kingsmill Resort.


Best Wishes,  
Brett  
Brett A. Vassey
President & CEO


STEP Ahead Awards Recognize Women in Manufacturing




To close the gender gap in manufacturing, The Manufacturing Institute launched the STEP Ahead initiative in 2012 to showcase the impact of women in science, technology, engineering and production (STEP) careers. The STEP Ahead Awards highlight the achievements of real women in manufacturing who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their companies and communities.

Click here to learn more about the STEP Ahead Awards Program and nominate leading women in manufacturing for the 2019 STEP Ahead Awards. Nominations must be submitted by October 5, 2018.



1st Annual VMA STEP Ahead Awards Recognition Luncheon

Join the VMA at this year's  2018 VA Competitiveness Forum   on November 14 where  we will recognize the 2019  STEP Ahead Award nominees from Virginia during a special lunch program.  Help us celebrate the accomplishments of women in manufacturing for their hard work, ingenuity and leadership.  

This years featured speaker is  Erin Kane, President & CEO, AdvanSix.

VMA Retirement Solution

 
Focus on running your business, not your retirement plan...

The Virginia Manufacturers Association Retirement Solution allows companies to offer a retirement plan to their employees while reducing administrative burden, mitigating and transferring fiduciary risks, and potentially saving money.  Sponsoring and maintaining a retirement plan can be challenging.  The VMA's solution brings together a team of professionals on your behalf so you can focus on running your business, not your retirement plan. 

To learn more about the VMA's solution,  click here or contact Katie Miller at kmiller@vamanufacturers.com.


International Trade News





Shake hands with potential customers and partners...in their country!

The VMA is a proud partner of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership's (VEDP) Virginia International Trade Alliance (VITAL). Our combined mission is to help manufacturers expand internationally to diversify, increase demand and improve their bottom line. A few ways to grow international sales and be more competitive is to attend a Trade Mission, participate in a Trade Show or have an international market plan developed for your business.

VEDP manages Trade Missions where international business meetings are arranged with pre-qualified potential buyers or distributors. VEDP's  Trade Show services also provide an opportunity for companies to exhibit products and services at international trade shows in a shared Virginia booth.  VMA has partnered with VEDP to also provide VITAL grant resources to members to help offset these costs as well as assist with the development of international market plan research with qualified VEDP consultants and participating universities.

View the upcoming events calendar here or contact Scott Kennedy, Trade Mission Manager, at 804.545.5754 or skennedy@vadp.org  to get more information on VITAL grant resources.

Frank Armstrong III Service Award Announced - Dr. Tom Knauer Honored


 
Dr. Tom Knauer, VMA Air Subcommittee Legal Counsel, was was awarded the Frank Armstrong III Service Award at the 16th Annual Virginia Environmental Health & Safety Conference for 26 years of service.

The Frank Armstrong III Service Award is only awarded to VMA members that have demonstrated significant and impactful contributions to the organization and the manufacturing sector.  The award is named after the longest serving member of the VMA Board of Directors, who served over 40 years when he retired.

VMA Safety Awards & Chairman's Safety Awards Announced

The VMA Safety Awards were presented at this year's Virginia Environmental Health & Safety (VEHS) Conference to manufacturing contractors who exemplify workforce safety. Winners of these awards are contractors who participate in the Manufacturing Skills Institute's (MSI) Industrial Safety Readiness Training (ISRT) Certificate program.  Gold, Silver and Bronze level winners meet the following ISRT Certificate training criterion:
  • Gold Level - 75% of qualified workforce trained
  • Silver Level - 50% of qualified workforce trained
  • Bronze Level - 25% of qualified workforce trained
Gold Level winners of the VMA Safety Awards were eligible to compete for the new  VMA Chairman's Safety Award .  These manufacturing contractors exemplify the highest level of safety commitment and performance.  

The 2018 VMA Chairman's Safety Award winner was:

SW Funk Industrial Contractors


The 2018 VMA Chairman's Safety Award winner runners-up were:
  • Old Dominion Insulation
  •  

    Integrated Scaffolding Concepts
Smarter. Stronger. SteelDay.

SW Funk Industrial Contractors has teamed up with the American Institute of Steel C onstruction (AISC) to host their 6th Annual SteelDay event.  

Friday, September 28
10:30 AM - 4 PM

1710 W Hundred Rd
Chester, Virginia 23836

SteelDay is an annual national event dedicated to providing the the community with accessibility to the latest happenings in the structural steel industry.  SteelDay events allow members of the community an opportunity to tour facilities and job sites, attend educational seminars, network, and see how the structural steel industry is contributing to build America.



VMA Staff Changes


Dr. Tom Knauer Retires

VMA's  Air Regulation Legal Counsel, Dr. Tom Knauer, will retire by November 1, 2018.  Tom has served as the VMA Air Regulation Subcommittee Legal Counsel for 26 years.  Tom was recognized on September 26 at a retirement celebration in association with the  16th annual Virginia Environmental Health & Safety Conference  in Richmond.
 
"Throughout my career in environmental law, one of my most valued experiences has been my association with the VMA and its member companies as legal counsel to the VMA and its Air Regulation Subcommittee.  As I embark on the next journey that is retirement, I will remember and cherish the many close relationships I have had with my friends and colleagues at the VMA.  I wish the best to all at the VMA now and in the future," said Tom Knauer.
 
"I have had the pleasure of learning from Tom for the last 16 years and his contribution to the VMA and the Commonwealth's tradition of regulatory balance is immeasurable" said Brett Vassey, VMA President & CEO.  "I am confident that Channing Martin and the Williams Mullen team will carry on the traditions of environmental excellence and scientific rigor that Tom Knauer has so indelibly imprinted upon the VMA."

Channing Martin to Succeed Dr. Tom Knauer

Succeeding Dr. Knauer will be Channing Martin, who is chair of the Williams Mullen Environment and Natural Resources Group. Channing is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© (2007-present) and was named the Best Lawyers® 2013 Richmond "Environmental Lawyer of the Year."  He has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading environmental attorney in the United States since 2004. Martindale-Hubbell has rated him an AV attorney, its highest rating.  In addition, Channing has been named one of Virginia's "Legal Elite" for environmental law by Virginia Business magazine (2015-present), and he was named to the 2018 class of "Leaders in the Law" by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. He is a former officer and now a member of the Governing Council of the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources ("SEER"). He is a past chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Virginia State Bar and is the founder and a past chair of the Richmond Bar Association's Environmental Law Section.  He has served on the Virginia DEQ's Air Toxics Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and DEQ's Voluntary Remediation Program TAC.  Channing will be joined by Jay Holloway III and Liz Williamson who both have over 20 years of environmental law experience, particularly in advising clients on the Clean Air Act.
 
Mac Smith Memorial

Mac Smith, VMA Accounting & Finance Director, passed away tragically on September 6, 2018. Mac led the financial management of the VMA, VIF and VMAPAC for the last seven years.  "Mac's impact on our organization is simply immeasurable.  He embodied our values of initiative and generosity, " said Brett Vassey. He leaves behind his wife, Mary, and his dear daughter, Mia.  The VMA and VIF have established a scholarship fund for his daughter.  The family requests that donations be made in lieu of flowers.  Click here for more information.