October 2021

There are so many reasons October is a great month here are just a few

MFG Day makes a significant impact in shifting the misperception of modern manufacturing. The official date for MFG Day is October 1st, but MFG Day can be any day, and for Washington, it's been a month-long celebration. 

In recognition of the importance of the manufacturing industry in Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee issued a Ceremonial Proclamation recognizing October as Manufacturing Month.  

Manufacturers will need to hire 4 million workers between now and 2030 to account for growth and fill positions left open by retiring workers, according to a recent study by Deloitte and the MI. Yet 2.1 million of those jobs could go unfilled because of the skills gap. 

View list of state wide events here

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The first observance of National Business Women's Week® (NBWW) was proclaimed in April 1928 by the National Business and Professional Women's (BPW) organization. BPW President Lena Madesin Phillips stated the purpose of the week was "to focus public attention upon a better businesswoman for a better business world." 

In 1938, NBWW was moved to the third full week of October. U.S. President Herbert Hoover was the first president to issue a letter recognizing NBWW and the contributions and achievements of working women. The celebration of National Business Women's Week® has helped promote leadership roles for women and increase opportunities for their advancement professionally and personally.

National Business Women's Week® provides an opportunity to call attention to women entrepreneurs, facilitate discussions on the needs of working women, share information about successful workplace policies, and raise awareness of the resources available for working women in their communities.

Today there are 7.2 million majority-owned, privately-held, women-owned businesses in the United States. These firms employ 7.3 million people and generate $1.1 trillion in sales. Twenty years ago, it was still legal to require a woman to have a male co-signer before receiving a business loan.

In September of this year, the Washington State Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (OMWBE) certified 43 minority- and women-owned firms in various industries, including manufacturing companies such as Dotz Allergy Friendly Baked Goods, Molly Ray Fragrance, LLC, and Seattle Sign studio LLC.

To support these businesses are organizations such as Impact Washington and many local organizations that provide support and career development:

• Business and Professional Women (BPW) of Washington State - The BPW Empowers Women Personally, Professionally and Politically.
• Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Washington Chapter has an active base of members throughout the state! They focus on high-quality Professional Development Programs and Industry Networking Opportunities.
• Leading Ladies Of… is a movement to accelerate the journey to gender parity for women in industries where they are under-represented by expanding female leadership from the ground up. They create communities where people collectively use their power to access brave hearts and bold voices to make a significant change in the aerospace, defense, and tech industries. 

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Every year since 2003 October has been recognized as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM). This effort was brought to life through a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. NCSAM was created to ensure that every individual stays safe and secure online. 

Follow the National Cyber Security Alliance on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn to receive the latest online safety news and resources.

Here are some other helpful resources:

NIST - MEP Cybersecurity - Resources for Manufacturers

Join us at one of our Monthly Cybersecurity Forums.

Impact Washington other national MEP Centers, the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC), and Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) continue to host Cybersecurity Forums.

We encourage company managers/leaders, board members, and IT leaders to join these informative conversations. You can view past Forums here: 

• July 15th         Ransomware, Security and You | View Recording
• August 19^th      Creating a Culture of Compliance | View Recording
• Sept 14^th        10 Best Security Practices for Any Company | View Recording
• October 19^th   Cybersecurity Insurance What You Need to Know | View Recording

Register for our LAST Forum of 2021.  9:00 - 10:30 am (PST) | November 18^th 

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Impact Washington is pleased to announce the hiring of Nick Wilkes as Account Executive to support manufacturers in the Central and Eastern part of the state, effective immediately.

Wilkes has three years of experience working within the NIST MEP National Network. As Regional Director of Impact Utah, he developed an Organizational Excellence Assessment to understand manufacturers’ most pressing issues and align resources that drove P&L level impacts. Nick also grew strategic partnerships in Utah's manufacturing community to maximize the Center's value to manufacturers. Before joining Impact Utah, Wilkes held leadership positions at 7 facilities within Precision Castparts in Operations Management, Production Control, and Program Management capacities. Most recently, Nick directed a cross-functional Program Management team of 8 individuals responsible for executing $100 million of annual deliveries for commercial aerospace, business jet, and military missile manufacturing contracts.

Nick has broad experience in manufacturing methods, including investment casting, forging, composite fabrication, welding, and machining.

If you'd like an introduction to Nick - contact us here

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From Our Blog

Creating an Effective Workforce Development Plan. Since industrialization shifted its first gears and powered its operations by mechanical means, there has always been a need among manufacturers to consider what’s coming next? What new and improved machinery will enhance production and efficiency while, dare one dream, reduce cost? Today, it’s much the same as digitization has many operations in flux, attempting to transition from older systems too new, better ones.  Read Entire Blog Here

Impact Washington Announces the Appointment of Craig Hanela as Chairman of the Board. Craig is an experienced leader with an outstanding record of developing and managing world-class operations across 30+ manufacturing and distribution sites in 15 countries. He is President and Owner of Buyken Metal Products. Based in Kent, Washington Buyken is a precision sheet metal forming, stamping, and fabrication enterprise focused on individual customer needs. Under Craig's leadership, they have strengthened and diversified their services to manufacturing many types of products from numerous metals, in quantities from one to one million. Read Entire Blog Here

Governor Inslee Issues Proclamation Recognizing National Manufacturing Day and Washington Manufacturing Month  Read Entire Blog Here

Understanding Cybersecurity Risk Management: Manufacturing was the second most targeted industry by cybercriminals in 2020. Washington State manufacturers need to step up their cyber security measures to meet this rising threat. Through Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), your business can be kept safe from hackers anywhere in the world. Read Entire Blog here

View All Past BLOG Posts Here

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Partner Events - Where You'll Find Us

What does the economy hold for manufacturers in 2022? Learn more about how new innovations such as 5G, and about ongoing impacts of the pandemic, inflation, global supply chain issues, the lack of labor, and the booming economy on manufacturing today and what we can look forward to over the next year. 

Metals & Composites Manufacturing B2B Networking

2021 Regional Economic Forecast & Innovation EXPO

Impact Washington is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of this event. The economic development organizations of five counties will focus on workforce development and education as the future of economic development —please join us at this year’s Regional Economic Forecast & Innovation Expo.