Summer greetings CMMA members and friends, I hope this message finds you enjoying your favorite Minnesota summer activities. 

I’m happy to report that CMMA continues to progress toward our shared vison and goals that sustain and elevate manufacturing in central Minnesota. We have many initiatives in play; some new, some ongoing and some that we can celebrate as “mission accomplished”! I’m honored to share some of the work our organization has been up to.

Let’s start with our recent CMMA Golf Social. On June 13th 94 golfers played with purpose, enjoyed one another’s company, and had friendly competition under beautiful skies. This annual event was yet again very successful - we beat our goal and raised nearly $18k! As a result, we are well positioned to support and invest in upstream workforce development opportunities including school robotics programs, STEM education, and student scholarships. Much thanks to our event planning team for delivering a meaningful event to provide mission-critical resources.

At the golf event, we also recognized excellence and leadership with our 2022 membership awards. Congrats to member DCI, Inc. - our 2022 Manufacturer of the Year. DCI, Inc. is a world leading manufacturer of stainless-steel storage and processing vessels, agitators, and integrated systems for a variety of industries. This company “walks the walk” as they set the pace for community engagement through our Tour of Manufacturing and other examples of putting meaning into membership.

We also recognized Della Ludwig, Workforce Strategy Consultant, Central MN, with member Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, as our 2022 Collaborator of the Year. We deeply appreciate Della’s service, strong leadership, and organizational efforts to facilitate our Tour of Manufacturing which is both a large undertaking and an equally rewarding opportunity for scale and impact. Please join me in congratulatory gratitude and appreciation for our award recipients, front runners, both of them.

Thanks also to our hard-working volunteer committee members. Those in marketing have been producing and distributing K12 Navigator posters and introduction letters, got yours yet? Our membership team has been successfully sharing our value proposition and recruiting new members. Our workforce development experts have been focused on improving and advancing our K12 Navigator career exploration tool, please check it out and spread the word! Our program team is hard at work setting up meeting topics, speakers and tours of interest and value. Many hands make light work, and we certainly appreciate all those who serve our organization!

CMMA will once again celebrate Manufacturing Month in October with the Tour of Manufacturing events and activities.  We will focus on marketing and social media campaigns, educational resources, manufacturing tours, as well as employer and community engagement. We will also offer a virtual magazine again, highlighting in-person and virtual tours scheduled in October and throughout the year. This magazine is shared with local schools and communities to encourage parents, students, teachers, nonprofits, and job seekers to understand career pathways in manufacturing. Last year we had 27 in-person or virtual tours of manufacturers highlighted in the magazine. CMMA and our partners will also continue to set up school tours and help fund bussing.

Our Summer Social is Thursday, August 24 from 4:00 PM - 7:00 at Iron Street Distillery in St. Cloud. Register now and join the fun and fellowship!

CMMA sincerely appreciates our member investors as our association’s important activities and significant outcomes would not happen if not for your support and active participation. 

CMMA, we’re in it together!      

Wishing you a safe and productive summer.

In service,
Les Engel
CMMA President