Membership Benefits

The effectiveness of the Foundation is dependent on the satisfaction, retention and engagement of our membership. The Foundation provides educational activities to strengthen its members’ organizations.

Center Best Practice Conference

This conference serves as a venue for MEP Centers to share their best practice(s) while subsequently having staff trained in best practices by their MEP Center colleagues. 

Member Development 

Throughout the year, the Foundation provides members access to various online trainings facilitated by third party providers. These educational modules will include topics spanning from OMB compliance to board relations to marketing strategies.

MEP Center Salary Survey

As a service to dues paying members, the Foundation conducts the MEP Center Salary Survey.  This bi-annual survey, which will be conducted in the summer of 2017, allows MEP Center CEOs and Directors to track compensation trends for MEP Center jobs. MEP Centers are able to compare salary levels and annual increases offered by comparable Centers in the system from its results.

Next Generation Manufacturing Study and Assessment Tool

In collaboration with the Manufacturing Performance Institute, the Foundation conducts the Next Generation Manufacturing (NGM) Study bi-annually. FORME members’ manufacturing clients can participate in the study by completing a free, confidential survey. Manufacturers completing the study will receive a comprehensive summary of their organization’s findings. FORME members receive a summary of the national data, as well as a state summary.  To assist the Centers in promoting the study, FORME provides members with a toolkit of promotional templates to use to help market the study to their manufacturing clients.

Member-to-Member Mentorship

As an annual service, Member-to-Member Mentorship pairs individuals who have recently begun their role as a Center Director with an established Center Director mentor. Member-to-Member mentoring provides an avenue to share knowledge and resources with guidance from a seasoned leader. The Foundation encourages mentors and mentees to communicate on a regular schedule, whether in person at MEP events, by phone, or by email. 

Recompetition Services

The Foundation moderates an online discussion group for dues-paying members who currently have an FFO (or recompetition) open in their state.  This forum allows participants to share ideas, questions, answers and strategies with other Centers undergoing the same process. The group is private, by-invitation only and outside the view of NIST MEP. 
The Foundation also administers a shared document account that is populated with templates, samples and proposals from the previous award winners. This account is also invite-only and can be accessed by dues paying members undergoing the FFO. This is the only file sharing service available to recompetition participants.

As an added benefit to Centers undergoing recompetition, staff from the Foundation will review your Center’s proposal and will provide feedback.

Center Business Conditions Survey

As a service to its members, the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence conducts a quarterly Center Business Conditions Survey (CBCS).  It is intended to be a tool for members to compare business conditions at their center to those in centers across the country and to provide a window into long-term changes in business conditions across nine key performance indicators.

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