We have just concluded one of the most contentious elections in the last 20 years. Two of the seven newly-elected Republicans to the House of Delegates won by only 200+ votes, and each statewide candidate won by less than 80,000 of over 3.2 million votes. The election result is a Republican House (52-48), a Democrat Senate (22-18), and a Republican Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. So, it is fitting this Thanksgiving to express our appreciation for our political leaders that will help shape the Commonwealth's economic competitiveness over the next few years.

Speaking of thankfulness, I am so incredibly grateful to members and retirees that got engaged through our new campaign - Manufacturing Makes Virginia. Politically mobilizing our industrial base was a strategic goal this election cycle and we did it! We are also going to expand the campaign into legislative advocacy and mobilization in the coming weeks. Now that Governor-elect Youngkin and the General Assembly are in place, we must continue to educate them on the necessities of manufacturing and remind them that "actions matter and talk is cheap."

We are going to make Manufacturing Makes Virginia into the most powerful industrial political mobilization resource in the Commonwealth over the next two years. With your leadership, we will have thousands of employees and retirees of manufacturers and suppliers actively engaged in ensuring that "Made in America" means something positive to every Virginian.

In closing, I am thankful to live and work in the Commonwealth. Like many of you, I made a choice to raise my family and build my career here. So, this Thanksgiving holiday, I hope that you have an opportunity to reflect upon the blessings in your life and the unique opportunities created by a strong and vibrant Virginia.

RICHMOND, VA - The Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) and Virginia Industry Foundation (VIF) published the 2021 Virginia Manufacturing Competitiveness Index. This report is published annually and benchmarks Virginia’s manufacturing sector against 49 other states based on 55 metrics divided into five categories: Business Climate, Workforce, Infrastructure, Innovation, and Economic Strength. Each metric is equally weighted, and no category has special weighting.

In 2021, the Commonwealth only improved its comparable performance in the category of Workforce. Business Climate, Innovation, and Infrastructure remained relatively static. However, Virginia lost ground in Economic Strength, dropping to 42nd place. Overall, the Commonwealth’s manufacturing competitiveness ranking improved from 11th to 9th most competitive.

MSI offers online OSHA 10 & OSHA 30 Training through our partnership with UL, a global safety science leader.

Visit msi.puresafety.com to learn more and register online today.

Thank you to everyone who joined us last Wednedsay for our 2021 WiM Virginia Leadership Conference - Day of Empowerment. The day was full of virtual sessions on topics such as strength building, the importance of building your professional brand, and how to embark on your professional development journey in 2022. We were also excited to recognize our 2022 STEP Ahead Honorees & Emerging Leader Nominations:

We want to extend our sincere appreciation to Lorraine Amesbury Holder, WiM Keynote Speaker, for an insightful session on her journey to becoming STIHL's Vice President of Operations, and navigating the manufacturing sector in three countries as a woman. During the keynote session, we unveiled the WiM Virginia engagement app which is available for free to all - just search "Virginia Manufacturers" on the App Store or Google Play and get started!

If you'd like to access recordings from the WiM Virginia Leadership Conference - Day of Empowerment, please contact Kimberly Noonan at [email protected]. If you have any questions about the Engagement App, contact Kaitlyn Crow at [email protected].

We are currently accepting applications for mentors and mentees. Applications are due by December 31st and there is no cost to participate.

Up to $15,000 in scholarship money will be awarded in 2022 to mentees who are participating in this program. Scholarships can be used to participate in one of the WiM National Educational Programs as well as access training on the WiM-VA/MSI Virtual Learning Center. Share the Mentoring Program link with your network and contact Kimberly Noonan with questions about scholarships!

On January 1st, Virginia's minimum wage will increase to $11/hour, and it will continue to rise each year until it reaches $15/hour on January 1, 2026. One way to keep your workplace's wages competitive is by offering your employees a robust benefits package.

The VMA has partnered with McGriff Insurance Services to provide exceptional market expertise and industry knowledge to deliver comprehensive insurance programs designed specifically for VMA members. With this unique and innovative approach, in addition to Group Benefits, we can provide many additional services not available by most brokers, which include:

Consider appointing the VMA as your broker of record today. Improve services for your business with no additional costs and take advantage of the the VMA Employee Benefits Plan. Contact VMA Accounting & Finance Director Kelly Stevens at [email protected] for more information.

For the rest of 2021, VMA is recognizing the manufacturing leaders honored in Virginia Business' Virginia 500: The 2021 Power List. Follow us on Twitter for weekly shout-outs to the people that make Virginia's manufacturing industry the strongest it can be! Here's who we've recognized since our October newsletter:

“The ban on state agencies’ use of disposable plastics has sparked an industry backlash.

“In late 2019, in response to the prospect of a polystyrene ban, a collection of business groups formed the Coalition for Consumer Choices, which includes the Virginia Manufacturers Association and chemical company trade group the American Chemistry Council. This July, the coalition sent a letter to Northam’s administration arguing that EO77 “makes Virginia far less sustainable and is perhaps the most unrealistic and overreaching regulation of its kind in the United States today.” 

“The coalition says that the executive order will lead to increased landfilling because plastic alternatives generally weigh far more than plastics and aren’t recyclable, as well as increased greenhouse gas emissions. 

““There is ample evidence that use of common alternatives to plastic packaging items leads to increased GHG emissions, not less,” the businesses wrote, citing a 2020 study by Imperial College London researchers as well as several industry studies. 

“Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association said that rather than banning single-use plastics, the coalition would like to see a greater emphasis on development of a “circular economy” that focuses more on reusing and repurposing materials rather than discarding them. 

“Vassey said the coalition has reached out to the incoming Youngkin administration to put rollback of the executive order “on their watchlist” and is proposing a range of measures such as improving funding to beef up what he calls “anemic” recycling infrastructure on the local level and making recycling centers tax exempt. 

““We’re not tone deaf to the need to have solutions to plastic waste,” he said. “So what we are also trying to do with the Youngkin administration is provide alternatives.””

Gerdau Petersburg hosted their inaugural Community Tire Clean-up Event on October 1, 2021. Although their goal was to collect between 200-300 tires, they collected a total of 1,226 tires from 28 neighbors and local businesses. The collected tires were transported to Rubber Mulch in New Jersey, which recycles 100% of the tires by first separating the steel from the rubber. The tire wire is sold back to Gerdau to make new structural products, and the rubber is recycled into a variety of rubber mulches used in playgrounds. Read more about this initiative here >>>

The VMA is seeking someone proficient in Microsoft Dynamics to assist us in developing customized data analytics reports and webforms to better support members. If you know of someone who could help with this project, please contact Kelly Stevens at [email protected].