Happy spring everyone!  My name is Patrick Mineer, President of the Minn-Dak Manufacturers Association (MDMA), looking after the Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo region and surrounding communities.  I’m excited to share a few updates with you all as we start to come out of winter and get ready for some nicer weather!

First, I want to say thank you to Lynda Bailey and her team with the Midwest Manufacturing Association (MMA).  The MDMA board decided to become a full affiliate before the holidays, and it’s been exciting to see benefits already coming from the partnership.  I along with MDMA board member Chad Wolf were able to join our first MMA board and meet other MMA board members from across the region and learn about the exciting work happening with other affiliates.  We are proud to be featured in the MMA Impact document, and are also working on merging our website with the MMA website.  We were also honored to spend a day introducing Lynda Bailey to manufacturers and local leadership during her recent visit to Fargo.  We’re excited to be part of the broader network!

One of the reasons we wanted to join the broader affiliate is not only to expand our reach and influence, but also to make sure our local manufacturers have access to grant funding, training opportunities, data, and policy influence that will help them succeed.  Like other manufacturers in the region, we’re hearing a lot of concern about the impact of tariffs (and tariff uncertainty), as well as workforce, particularly immigration strategies.   We will continue to provide input and feedback to policymakers as appropriate, and provide our manufacturers with the tools they need for success.  Earlier this month, I along with board member Joey Ness were part of a group that met with Rocky Mountains Regional SBA Director Justin Everett and District Director Al Haut, sharing some of those concerns, and also learning about the SBA’s Made in America initiative to support small and medium-sized manufacturers.  Additionally, the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber will be holding their next Advanced Manufacturing Industry Sector Partnership feedback meeting on April 14^th, another great way to provide input to policymakers and local leaders.  Learn more here.

One strategy that all affiliates are leaning into is being better about connecting with today’s youth who will be tomorrow’s workforce (a particular passion of mine due to my work with Golden Path Solutions).  Two years ago we introduced a scholarship for two students pursuing a degree in manufacturing or engineering, and we’re currently accepting applications (go to the website to learn more).  To help raise some additional dollars for more scholarships, we held our first fundraising event, a pickleball tournament at the new Courts and Pints facility in Moorhead, MN on March 12^th.  We had thirteen teams vie for the title in what was a competitive and nail biting final.  Congratulations to Sean and Max, our winners, sponsored by MState Community and Technical College, and all the participants.  Go to our LinkedIn and Facebook pages to see pictures of the event.  Thanks to all the sponsors for their support, and especially to Julie Rostberg (MDMA board member) and Lynda Bailly for their leadership on the event.  We are excited to see this grow next year!

In the meantime, we continue to drive tours and opportunities for networking.  We recently had tours at Novolex in January, Minnkota Windows in February, and Branick Industries in March, and are looking forward to visiting Horn Plastics and Rapat Corporation over the next couple of months before holding our year-end social in June.  Stay tuned for more information on all of those. 

A big thanks to our board members for the amazing work they do on behalf of our manufacturers, and thanks to all of you, our members, for your support and engagement!