Letter from the President & CEO
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Dear Members,
I am excited about this month's issue. We are announcing some amazing new resources today and have put in place opportunities to help members get back to work as well. It is hard to believe that we began this odyssey on March 12 with the state of emergency declaration in
Executive Order 51
. Fast forward to today and we have adapted to literally dozens of continuously changing regulations, maintained a designation as "essential services" throughout the pandemic, helped to flatten the COVID-19 infection curve, contributed to the public health crisis with record donations of PPE, and adapted to manufacturing new products, using new processes, and creating new physical barriers to keep our workers safe and our economy moving.
I am proud that Virginia’s manufacturers and suppliers work to ensure that good public policy supports job creation and innovation. We are focused on creating sustainable economic opportunity for everyone. As I learned from a young age, "Talk is cheap... and actions speak louder than words."
So, the VMA has set an aggressive plan for the next six months that will increase PPE supplies for members, help improve employee COVID-19 screening, reduce taxes, enhance worker training and talent development, expand business to business sales opportunities, expand opportunities for women, expand global markets, enhance defense industry suppliers, and protect the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector from overzealous regulation.
However, there are some hurdles ahead. For example the VMA will be filing public comments on the
draft Northam Administration and organized labor COVID-19 regulations of all employers. The draft standard/regulation on employers is based on the exposure risk level presented by SARS-CoV-2 virus-related and COVID-19 disease-related hazards present or job tasks undertaken by employees at the place of employment as defined in this standard/regulation (i.e., “very high”, “high, “medium”, and “lower”). This standard/regulation is designed to supplement and enhance existing VOSH laws, rules, regulations, and standards applicable directly or indirectly to SARS-CoV-2 virus or COVID-19 disease related hazards, and occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories and hazard communication. VMA Safety Subcommittee is taking comments from members until Friday. Please contact Kimberly Noonan at
knoonan@vamanufacturers.com for more information.
In closing, despite the long and winding road that has got us here, the path forward is still not perfectly clear. Together, we will chart that path and clear all the barriers in our way. We will do it with inventiveness and perseverance that defines modern manufacturing. We will help lead the Commonwealth out of this health and economic crisis while contributing to a safe and inclusive workplace for all Virginians.
Best Wishes,
Brett
Brett A. Vassey
President & CEO
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EnhancedPPE.com
In response to COVID-19, VMA has partnered with
McClung Companies to create
EnhancedPPE.com - your one-stop-shop for personal protective equipment, branded workplace signage, and health and safety materials. Locate and purchase your supplies all in one place on this new and improved PPE Sourcing Center.
Now is the time to promote proper use of enhanced PPE and support COVID-19 preparation without costly price-gouging.
McClung Companies sources these products from reputable and trusted sources. Inventory, pricing, and availability changes daily and is determined exclusively by McClung Companies. Some items are available for immediate shipping depending on inventory. Prepayment will be required.
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CrowdBlink Protect
Now that the economy is reopening, heightened safety measures to protect and prevent COVID-19 outbreaks are the new normal. VMA's newest Member Benefits Partner, CrowdBlink, is a
technology provider that can quickly and easily enable businesses to re-open and stay open safely, and comply with CDC guidelines.
CrowdBlink Protect
is a COVID-19 screening and assessment app that you can quickly deploy at your business to easily conduct required assessments and record temperature readings. This service doesn’t require any infrastructure to be installed on site, and requires no paperwork or physical record keeping. It has already been deployed at the multi-billion dollar LAX airport construction project, as well as manufacturing facilities, retirement homes, and food processing plants.
View more information about the CrowdBlink Protect application
here
, along with a
Quick Demo Video here
. VMA has negotiated a substantially reduced fee for all member businesses.
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Business Services of the Month:
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Vrain - Tax Credit Recovery Specialists
Vrain is a nationwide provider of site selection, tax credits, incentive negotiation and compliance, with a current combined client portfolio of over $2 Billion in incentives generated.
It's more important than ever to cut costs and ensure that your business can save the most money possible. With Vrain as a valuable part of the VMA's Member Benefits portfolio, you can get assistance with securing the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), in addition to procuring other Federal, State and Local Economic Development incentives. Learn more
here and contact
Tracy Tate to find out how Vrain can help you lower the cost of doing business.
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Associate Member Spotlight
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Yesterday, the VMA announced the official launch of
VMA
Connections
: a Service Provider Sourcing Center.
Each month, the VMA will feature and celebrate up to three Associate Members who support and supply services to Virginia manufacturers. Give these great Associates a click or two or three!
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For a chance to see your company spotlighted here, contact
Kimberly Noonan
for details.
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WiM-Virginia Virtual Golf Tournament Winners
Congratulations to the winning teams of our WiM-Virginia Virtual Golf Tournament! Our 1st place champions were Catherine and Cameron Warner of the
GHD-Mom/Son team with a fabulous score of 4 under par. Well done!
We'd also like to give a special shout-out to our "Closest-to-the-Pin" contest winners, Brett Thurston and Andrew Ray of
United Scrap - St. Louis. Thank you for supporting the WiM-Virginia Chapter all the way from Missouri.
Thank you to all of our golf teams for participating and supporting WiM-Virginia - be sure to check out the
Leaderboard
if you haven't already found your team's ranking. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors,
Gerdau
,
Heritage-Crystal Clean
,
QMT Windchimes
,
United Scrap Metal
,
Williams Mullen
,
SW Funk
,
STIHL, Inc.
,
Troutman Sanders
, and
One Environmental Group
for making this event possible.
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THREE Processes to Better Your Business:
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Lean Practitioner Certification
The Lean Practitioner Certification is comprised of a 4-day interactive course designed for people who wish to learn how to improve processes by using Lean Six Sigma methods and tools.
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World Class Manufacturing
This program is designed to train individuals to assess operational excellence, as well as improve employee morale, individual and company performance, and company profits.
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Industrial Safety Readiness Training
The ISRT program provides the core concepts of safety awareness for industrial workplace training, and an individualized learning plan that addresses the most common hazardous situations faced in the industrial environment.
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9th Annual Workforce Solutions Symposium
August 5 & 6, 2020 - Live from your office!
We are going virtual! This year's Workforce Solutions Symposium will include participants from the national MSI academic partner network featuring workforce development and educational best practices from industry, NGOs, and academic institutions from across the United States.
The Symposium will showcase ways to get each of these groups to move out of their silos and collaborate. The Symposium will also offer professional education credits and free training resources. This
two day event will offer multiple sessions for you to attend throughout each day ranging from training for the Tesla/Panasonic Gigafactory to managing issues of civil unrest with your workforce. The full schedule will be posted on our
event webpage in the coming weeks.
As a registered attendee, you can attend ALL sessions on the schedule, as well as have access to the recorded session.
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Virginia Environmental Health & Safety Conference
September 23 & 24
Hilton Richmond Hotel &
Conference Center
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Virginia Competitiveness Forum & WiM-Virginia Recognition Luncheon
Tuesday, November 17
Williamsburg Lodge
Conference Center
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Virtual MFG Makes Virginia Town Hall Series
Join us 11:30 am - 12:30 pm every Monday in June for the Virtual MFG Makes Virginia Town Halls. The dial in information is on our
Event Page
. Mark your calendars now.
6/22 - Trade Town Hall: Tools for Small Business Exporters and Global Supply Chains
- As we continue to confront the COVID-19 crisis, the VMA, VEDP and SBA are teaming up to make sure that Virginia manufacturers have resources at their disposal. Guest speakers from VEDP, SBA, and SBDC will present. VMA will provide an update on the Trade Builds Virginia campaign.
6/29 - 2020 General Assembly Wrap Up Report: Laws That Will Impact MFG on July 1
- Brett Vassey, VMA President & CEO, will give members a recap of this year's General Assembly highlights and challenges ahead. A member of the Virginia General Assembly will join us at the end of the meeting for a Q&A session.
For your convenience, the call-in information for all Town Halls is the same each week and no registration is required.
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Upcoming MIBE Executive Roundtable
This is the third in a series of Executive Roundtables to identify and prioritize the contracting challenges and value-chain opportunities ahead of the ship building, ship repair, maritime, and DoD industries.
Virtual - WebEx
Thursday, June 25
10:30 AM - Noon
This Executive Roundtable will focus on the Tier 2-4 supplier opportunities around Supplier Technical Assessment and Validation Systems. Participants will participate in virtual working sessions and provide input to improve the supply chain process.
View the
updated agenda for this meeting
and register below. Once you register, the dial in information will be emailed to you as well as an Outlook calendar invite to block this time on your schedule.
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Confidentiality Statement:
All individual comments will be confidential – only aggregated and non-attributed information will be reported. This meeting will not be recorded, and no MIBE stakeholders (Tier 1, MIBE or Navy teammates) will participate.
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Omega Protein Open House
Omega Protein - Reedville Facilities
Smith Building
610 Medhaden Rd.,
Reedville, VA 22539
July 22, 2020
10:00AM - 3:30PM
All VMA members and invited guests are welcome!
On July 22, Omega Protein will host an Open House for all members and invited guests of the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA).
Guests will be treated to a tour of the facilities, presentation, discussions and lunch.
Omega Protein has officially moved its corporate headquarters to Reedville, Virginia from Houston, Texas. As part of the move, the company invested $1.3 million to refurbish a historic building on the property to serve as the new headquarters. The move is the latest chapter of an over 100-year history of Omega Protein and the menhaden fishing industry in the Northern Neck. They also introduce a new fishing vessel, the ‘Little River’, this year; a capital investment of over $7M, and retired an older vessel which had been in service since the early 70s and will later be sunk as an artificial reef. Now in their 142
nd
year of continuous operation in the Commonwealth, Omega Protein’s Reedville facilities remain a key economic driver of the community and of the Northern Neck of Virginia. The facilities include fish processing and a Health and Science Center and Oil Refinery, millions of dollars of new processing equipment, innovative product storage and significant environmental improvement initiatives that have been implemented in recent years.
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Trade Builds Virginia Roundtable and Reception
Omega Protein - Reedville Facilities
Smith Building
610 Medhaden Rd.,
Reedville, VA 22539
3:30PM - 5:30PM
July 22, 2020
Immediately following the Omega Protein Open House,
Trade Builds Virginia will host a Roundtable and Reception. The feature will be presentations by companies that participated in the digital storytelling campaign highlighting the importance of global trade and sharing how they are adjusting their business practices, infrastructure, and processes because of tariffs. Special guests will include community leaders, General Assembly members and Congressional leaders.
Ensuring that Virginia businesses have access to global markets and consumers is a crucial component of any economic recovery. This event will bring together like-minded leaders who represent the pillars of the Commonwealth's economy - small business, manufacturing, transportation/logistics, agriculture and technology. This is our first partnership with the national
Trade Builds America advocacy campaign, and we are excited to discuss the ways in which trade can make Virginia manufacturers even more competitive.
Note:
This event requires separate time and registration from the Omega Proteins Open House. Please register below.
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VMA Committee Meetings
WiM-Virginia Professional & Youth Outreach Working Group Meeting
Thursday, June 18
2:00PM - 3:00PM
Recruiting talent to industrial career pathways is one of the core functions of the WiM-Virginia Chapter. If you are passionate about promoting our industry and encouraging young females to pursue a career in manufacturing and STEM, please join us. Tiffany New-Courtney (AdvanSix) is the Team Leader for this working group. Contact
Kimberly Noonan
for WebEx call-in information.
VMA Board of Directors
Monday, June 22
2pm - 5 pm
This meeting is for VMA Directors only.
Virginia Chemistry Council Meeting
Tuesday, June 23
10:00AM - 1:00PM
This meeting will move forward as a virtual meeting. Contact
Kimberly Noonan
for WebEx call-in information.
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Intelligent Manufacturing in Europe Coffee Chat Series
The U.S. Commercial Service's Global Advanced Manufacturing Team and Europe Team invite American exporters to join them for "virtual coffee chats" with U.S. Embassy colleagues across Europe. These informal video discussions are through Microsoft Teams. Each session will cover the current status of the advanced manufacturing sector in the region and include a brief regional overview.
June 25
- Portugal / Spain / France
July 16
- Poland / Hungary / Slovakia / Czech Republic
July 30
- Germany / Austria / Belgium
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VEDP Webinar Series
Each week, VEDP's International Trade team hosts a webinar design to help you think through various aspects of international trade during this new and disruptive period. We hope you will join VEDP for their final two
free
webinars:
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Impact of COVID-19 on
the European Market
Thursday, June 18th
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Speaker: Colm Reilly, Associate Director, OCO Global
In Europe, Covid-19 has disrupted supply chains, workforces, and key sectors, leaving governments to take varying approaches to recovery. Manufacturing, retail, and automotive industries look to be among those most affected. VEDP partnered with OCO Global to learn more.
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Emerging Markets: Post-COVID-19 Trends and Directors in Africa
Thursday, June 25th
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Speaker: Richard Zurba, Director, Zurcom International
The global economic meltdown has highlighted Africa’s status as the next big market poised for unprecedented growth in the coming years. Learn how to access the growing emerging markets of Africa. VEDP partnered with Zurcom International to learn more.
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29 business trade associations ask Gov. Northam for more transparency, 'democratic process' in reopening
| WAVY | June 5, 2020 - "[Virginia] is in the process of reopening various amenities, businesses and services after much of it shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The group of organizations sent a letter to Northam Thursday asking for more inclusion of public comments, voting bodies and public notice. The coalition also asked for the state to give employers "ample" notice before revisions to operating orders are made."
Canon Virginia Partners with PAVmed to Manufacture Resorbable Pediatric Ear Tubes
| Plastics Today | June 8, 2020 - "PAVmed chose Canon Virginia as its partner for this project because of its wealth of relevant manufacturing expertise and capabilities. ... The technology has to potential to revolutionize the care of children with complex or recurrent ear infections by avoiding a second procedure and eliminating the need for a seven to 10-day post-operative ear-drop regimen, according to PAVmed."
Lawsuits claim Northam's COVID-19 orders unconstitutional
| WTOP | June 9, 2020 - "The suits were filed by lawyer and Virginia state Sen. J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen, D-Fairfax, on behalf of his clients, whose wedding event and restaurant businesses have been suffering. ... Petersen said the Democratic governor's emergency orders should no longer be in place, and that the legislature should have been called back to decide how to proceed."
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