ABOUT UAMMI

UAMMI is the connecting point for Utah’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Industry!

The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) brings together public, private, community, industry and education partners to assure growth and sustainability of Utah’s advanced material and manufacturing industry.

The mission of UAMMI is to ensure that Utah is the global leader in value-added advanced materials, manufacturing, technology development, and design by integrating industry, academic and government contributors in ways that enhance collaboration, promote business opportunities, share knowledge resulting from relevant research and engage a skilled and trained workforce.

Our guiding principles are to:

  • Innovate Advanced Material: Our focus is on expanding the innovation and use of all advanced materials with a primary emphasis on carbon composites, along with other materials including ceramics, biomaterials and materials yet to be developed.
  • Growth Through New Uses: We foster and encourage new uses of advanced materials in all applications, across all industries, and integral to all manufacturing.
  • Industry Solution:  We actively seek solutions to today’s industry-relevant problems and challenges.
  • Relevant Research: We encourage and support all relevant research conducted by academic, corporate and independent researchers that leads to the discovery of new advanced materials, new uses for these materials and the adoption of new manufacturing processes that produce measurable benefits.
  • Alignment: We leverage our resources with those from selected partners delivering services and programs complimentary to our own in order to increase our impact and benefit to the industry.
Utah’s History in Aerospace & Advanced Materials

Advanced manufacturing and materials began in Utah during the space race of the 1950’s when two Utah based explosives companies, Hercules and Thiokol, developed expertise to improve missiles with carbon fiber. Orbital ATK, which resulted from the merger of Hercules and Thiokol along with Hexcel continued the carbon fiber business. Today, many of the materials and processes used in advanced manufacturing around the world have been developed here in Utah.

This early beginning has expanded to include well over 350 Utah businesses ranging from startups to large companies developing advanced materials for a wide variety of aerospace components, medical devices, industrial products, recreational equipment and more.

In addition, Utah’s supply chain has significantly diversified to include manufacturing, material suppliers, and service-based companies performing sophisticated design and analysis.  Through all this, Utah has developed a worldwide reputation as a leader in advanced manufacturing.

UAMMI Partners

The UAMMI mission is accomplished by the work of key partners.  These include:

SAMPE - Society for Advanced Materials and Process Engineering

UAMMI works closely with and relies on SAMPE for technical expertise and worldwide contacts.

Dept of Workforce Services

The Department of Workforce Services is UAMMI’s partner for workforce development and economic data and analysis.

CONNEX Marketplace

Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity

Is UAMMI’s partner to help grow the advanced materials industry cluster in Utah.

EDCU - Economic Development Corporation of Utah

UAMMI assists EDCU in advanced manufacturing recruiting activities.

UMA - Utah Manufacturing Association

The Utah Manufacturing Association is a member of UAMMI that helps promote workforce development and supply chain expansion.

University of Utah - SCI Institute

The SCI Institute is leading the Supply Chain Mapping project and other initiatives in association with UAMMI.

IACMI - Institute for Advanced Composites Innovation

IACMI is UAMMI’s partner for energy related projects.

NAM - National Association of Manufacturing

UAMMI is part of NAM’s national supply chain mapping project.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)

America Makes

As a member of America Makes, UAMMI receives access to additive manufacturing experts from within the industry as well as additive manufacturing technical and workforce data. Utah companies will have access to these resources through UAMMI.
Vertical-Flight-Society-UAMMI

Vertical Flight Society

UAMMI is a member of the Vertical Flight Society which is the world’s only international technical society for engineers, scientists and others working to advance vertical flight technology. VFS brings together industry, academia and government to tackle the toughest challenges in vertical flight.
The-Graphene-Council-UAMMI

The Graphene Council

The Graphene Council is the leading source for graphene research, commercial application, news and intelligence. UAMMI and the Graphene Council have partnered to help strengthen each others outreach efforts and missions.

uira-uammi-utah

Utah Industry Resource Alliance

UIRA is Utah’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Representative, part of a national network of MEP centers in every State of the Union. The UIRA’s all-star team of coaches, practitioners, and industry experts provide services to all 29 Utah counties with one purpose: Help Utah Manufactures Grow and Thrive.

women-tech-council-uammi

Women's Tech Council

Founded in 2007, WTC focuses on the economic impact of women in driving growth for the technology sector. WTC builds programs that amplify and create tech talent to support more women in technology careers from high school to the board room.

The-Graphene-Council-UAMMI

Office of Local Defense Community Operation

The U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (formerly OEA) furthers the priorities of the National Defense Strategy by supporting the readiness and resiliency of military installations and defense communities across the country.

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

The University of Utah is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. According to the Center for World University Rankings, the University of Utah is ranked the 66th top university in the entire world (2016). 

AMPLEO

AMPLEO

Accounting

Ampleo (formerly Advanced CFO) provides financial management services to UAMMI. Ampleo manages the entire financial funnel – from basic bookkeeping, financial reporting, and assistance in raising multiple rounds of funding, to guiding financial decisions that support your long-term growth objectives. Ampleo handles all of the financial aspects of a business, including everything from accounting and tracking of finances, all the way up to making financial decisions for the future and providing funding for growth www.Ampleo.com

Grow Utah

Grow Utah

Grow Utah provides marketing, operational and event management services to UAMMI. As a non-profit organization, Grow Utah is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and the expansion of important economic clusters across the state. www.GrowUtah.com

UAMMI Team

Tulinda Larsen

Tulinda Larsen

Executive Director

Dr. Tulinda Larsen is Executive Director, Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI), a public-private partnership to elevate the advanced materials and advanced manufacturing industry in Utah.

Read More...

She serves as the key spokesperson for UAMMI at industry events and before government agencies.

She began her career in Washington, D.C. as an economist at the US Department of Transportation, where she gained experience in the air transport industry. For more than 40 years, she has been a practicing economist studying various aspects of the aerospace industry.

Dr. Larsen is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus. She holds a Doctorate of Management from University of Maryland Global Campus, BA and MA in economics from The George Washington University.

See more about her at: https://www.tulindalarsen.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/tulinda-larsen-40aa3a10/

Guy Letendre

Guy Letendre

Deputy Director

Before starting as Deputy Director at UAMMI, Guy held several key leadership positions, including Chief Operations Officer for a high-tech power electronics startup, Vice President of a solar energy company, Managing Director of automotive parts manufacturing facility in the Netherlands, and Vice-President of Engineering for a Fortune 500 automotive tier one supplier. 

Read More...

In addition to developing international multi-million-dollar revenue pipelines, award-winning products, and establishing world-class operations, Mr. Letendre has been providing community leadership in leading the formation of the Northern Utah Manufacturing Alliance, served as Chairperson of the GOAL Foundation, and served on the Weber State University Goddard School of Business and Economics Advisory Council. In addition, Guy currently serves as an Honorary Commander of the 34th FS of the 388th FW, Vice-Chair of the Utah Advanced Materials Manufacturing Initiative Institute, and Vice-Chair of Visit Ogden.

Guy has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University and an M.B.A. from Utah State University.

Cathy Blomquist

Cathy Blomquist

Member Services Manager

Cathy provides support for UAMMI as well as the SBA RIC and Defense Manufacturing Community program. Cathy brings her skills that she developed over the last decade working with the Girl Scouts. Prior to that, she started her career at Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation as a senior credit and collections representative.

Brent Strong

Brent Strong

Chief Technology Officer

Brent Strong, Ph.D., is the Chief Technology Officer for UAMMI and is a critical piece of connecting Utah companies within the industry.  Brent is an emeritus professor of Manufacturing Engineering Technology (Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology) at Brigham Young University.

Read More...

Dr. Strong’s technical research interests are in composite and plastic materials and in processing of those materials. He was elected International President of the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE), the leading society for composite materials engineering and was later named a SAMPE Fellow. He was the editor-in- chief of the Journal of Advanced Materials. He is the author, co-author or editor of 12 books, over 100 peer reviewed and invited papers, and is the inventor or co-inventor on 12 patents. Dr. Strong is the founding director of the Advanced Composite Manufacturing and Engineering (ACME) Center, the founding Director of the Manufacturing Leadership Forum and of the Rapid Product Realization Center, all at BYU. Prior to entering Brigham Young University, Dr. Strong had a successful career in industry. He was President of Hardie Irrigation Systems, a world-wide manufacturer of plastic equipment for the drip irrigation industry. He was also the vice president for market development for the Eyring Research Institute and a senior research chemist and manufacturing engineer for the DuPont Company. In addition to his full-time university work, Dr. Strong continues to be active in business – serving on boards of directors and consulting for a number of companies.

David Beckerman

David Beckerman

Director Grant Programs

David Beckerman is the lead analyst for UAMMI. In this position, David evaluates economic factors affecting the advanced manufacturing and materials industry in Utah. Among recent studies he has conducted are the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and the potential for Utah to attract companies reshoring to Utah from China and other countries.

Read More...

David also assists the industry with financial and strategic assessments in support of Small Business Technology Transfer programs. David brings over 25 years of experience in business analysis to the UAMMI team. He has primarily worked in the aviation field and previously worked for Delta Air Lines and the consulting arm of OAG where he prepared a number of demand forecasts on behalf of aircraft manufacturers and aerospace suppliers. David received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and earned his MBA from the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University. Read more about David at https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-beckerman-05987316b/ 

KC Sanders

KC Sanders

Director Community Outreach and Workforce Solutions –

KC Sanders brings his passion and expertise as the new Marketing and Community Outreach Director to the UAMMI team. His love of communication extends into everything he does.

KC’s experience and clients include Weber State University, The Walt Disney Company,  Universal Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Nasa, United States Olympics, FedEx, and more.

Born and raised in Ogden, Utah, KC has a love for traveling and exploring new adventures with his family.
Melissa Larsen

Melissa Larsen

Director of Marketing and Community Outreach

 Melissa joined UAMMI in 2021 to support the planning of meetings, conferences, and events. Her responsibilities have expanded to include Social Media and relationships with other industry organizations, including IACMI, America Makes, SAMPE, and the American Manufacturing Community Collaborative (AMCC).

 Prior to joining UAMMI, she supported the launching of Dessert UAS, a Utah non-profit to attract drone companies to locate in Utah. Melissa planned the spectacular grand opening, exhibit at Consumer Electronics Show, and other major events.

 Her other positions included logistics and business development for global conferences managed by the international event management company, WorldTek. Melissa spent a decade as an Account Manager providing product placement and marketing for fashion companies and national retailers including; Donna Karan, Macy’s, and Bed Bath and Beyond.

 She holds an AA in Fashion Merchandise Management and a BA in Fashion Buying and Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City.

DR. ANGELA TREGO, PMP, PE, FHEA

DR. ANGELA TREGO, PMP, PE, FHEA

Director of Science & Engineering -

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, & BELONGING SPECIALIST

Angela is the Director of Science & Engineering for UAMMI. She has held technical & senior leadership roles in major aerospace and industrial companies with special expertise in composite materials. She is involved in engineering education programs where she is part of global accreditation programs for engineering degree programs.  She also serves on several technical society boards and non-profit executive boards. Applying a strong technical background with leadership experiences across multiple industries gives Angela a unique perspective on project management, leadership and women in business. She holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University. For more information see angelatrego.com

Angela has been working with UAMMI since 2019, providing engineering consulting. Central to her career has been supporting diversity in STEM programs. She was an executive board member with the Women’s Tech Council, is one of the founders of SheTech, and a founding member of ABET’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Advisory Council. In 2019 she pivoted her practice to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and has been advising and training organizations ever since. Dr. Trego has been supporting the Utah Defense Manufacturing Community STEM and Women & Girls programs.

Her Recruitment and Retention programs provide hands-on training to faculty members addressing unconscious bias, micro messaging and engaged learning techniques to increase the number of females and underrepresented populations in STEM classes. As a result of the trainings so far, over 5200 students have been indirectly influenced.

UAMMI Board Members

UAMMI Board Members

  • Marshall Hagen – Current UAMMI Board Chair / Business Development Manager, Janicki Industries Utah
  • Donna Yost – Current UAMMI Treasurer / AMPLEO
  • Scott Lindsay – CEO, TCR Composites (Past UAMMI Chair)
  • Matt Majewski – Vice President Aerospace Engineering, Kihomac (Past UAMMI Vice Chair)
  • Raymond Halbert – Engineering Senior Leader/Chief Engineer at Boeing Salt Lake
  • Perry Oaks – Utah Sr. Manager of Government Affairs, Lockheed Martin (Past UAMMI Chair)
  • Kori Ann Edwards – Chief Operating Officer, Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development
  • Jerome Berg – Technology Manager, Northrop Grumman, Aeronautics Systems-Aerospace Structures
  • George Hansen – Founder/CTO, Conductive Composites
  • Lyndon Smith – Vice President, Hexcel
  • Spencer Loveless – CEO Dustless Technologies & Merit3D
  • Jonathan Grosely, DPS Skis
  • Bret Ashton, ACT Aerospace
  • Craig Eatough, Combustion Resources
  • Lynn Gee, L3/Harris
  • TJ Marshall, OEM Operations Director or the Commercial Flight Controls Division, Parker Hannifin

  • Steve Larson, Director of Engineering, Albany Engineering Composites

  • Randy Philpot – Past Board Chair / President, Advanced Composites Inc.

UAMMI Advisory Board Members

  • Sandra Hemmert – CTE Specialist, Granite School District
  • Rick Bouillon – Salt Lake Community College
  • Wes Hobbs, Davis Technical College
  • Darin Brush – President, Davis Technical College
  • David Ferro – Dean College of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology, Weber State University
  • Stephen Reed, USU
  • Jason Carling, Conductive Composites
  • Jim Trent, Brigham Young University
  • Sara Meess, Ogden City Business Development
  • Ginger Chin, Vice President of Public Policy at Salt Lake Chamber
  • Robert Yancey, Business Development Director at Hexcel Corporation
  • Chanel Flores, Deputy Director, Davis County Economic Development
  • Robert O’Brien, Senior Technical Advisor at Idaho National Laboratory
  • Ian Harvey, Director, Applied Research Solutions facility, Weber State University
  • Sidni Lloyd-Shorter, PsyD, President and CEO, Utah Black Chamber of Commerce
  • Jeff Wandrey, UAMMI Ex-Officio Board Member

UAMMI Institute Board Members

Jeff Edwards, President 
James Taylor, Secretary
Donna Yost, Treasurer
Andrew Buffmire, Research Corporate Ambassador