Great things are happening in Utah! The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity across Utah’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem and I am excited to share some of them with you.
First off, we did it! Utah has been officially designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), UAMMI and an impressive team of industry, military, academic, legislative and academic supporters led the way to receive this designation and associated federal funding, which will further accelerate defense manufacturing in Utah.
Utah was one of only six states to receive the designation and is now part of the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP), which supports long-term investments that strengthen national security innovation and expand the capabilities of the defense industrial ecosystem. Together these defense communities will form an expanding national network of local, regional, state and national leaders dedicated to achieving sustainability through economic growth, improved environmental performance, and job creation within a revitalized American manufacturing base.
The DMCSP will enable integration and expansion of current Utah manufacturing programs as well as the creation of new programs to help Utah prepare for the future of defense manufacturing. These will be managed by an all-encompassing plan based on the four-pillars of: workforce, supply chain, research, and small business and incubators.
In addition to that, UAMMI was also recently honored by SAMPE North America as the winner of their prestigious SAMPE 2020 Organizational Excellence Award. This annual award is granted to organizations that exemplify the best of SAMPE from within the advanced materials and process community and we are thrilled that UAMMI was selected. A formal award ceremony will take place next spring where we will graciously accept this award on behalf of the UAMMI board, partners, community supporters and all of you!
Speaking of events, we will be participating in and hosting several upcoming events that you should know about.
- CAMX 2020 Virtual Tradeshow: UAMMI, EDCUtah, GOED and the Composites and Aerospace of Northern Utah (CANU) group will be exhibiting at CAMX 2020, September 21-24. We are looking forward to connecting virtually with the composites industry, especially since the virtual format will enable a broader global audience. At the show, we will once again be raffling a KLOS carbon fiber travel guitar, so be sure to visit our virtual booth! Exhibit hall access is free and you can register here.
- “Doing Business With HAFB” Webinar: On September 9th, UAMMI and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) will be hosting a webinar to learn about doing business with Hill Air Force Base. It will be a great opportunity to gain inside knowledge and tips on how to apply for and win business contracts with HAFB. Register here.
- UAMMI CrossTalk Event: Save the date for the upcoming UAMMI CrossTalk event on November 19th! This will be held in conjunction with CompositesWorld virtual CarbonFiber 2020 event on Nov 17-19. Registration for both events will take place through the CompositesWorld platform which will launch soon.
- RAMP Startup Accelerator: Through our partner, Grow Utah, we are kicking off the second year of our RAMP Accelerator for manufacturing startups and small businesses. It’s a 10-week mentoring program designed to help small businesses and startups launch new manufacturing products or companies. Applications will be accepted through September 30th at GrowUtah.com/RAMP
As you can see, great things are happening in Utah and we are excited to be a part of it with tremendous partners and supporters like you!