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Minnesota Technology Magazine - Fall/Winter 2006

Next Steps

Almost three years ago, I became president and CEO of Minnesota Technology, Inc. (MTI). At the time, the organization was going through a transition from a partially state-funded agency to a private nonprofit. It was a challenging time, one that required MTI to fundamentally reinvent itself while still maintaining its trademark high level of services to the state's manufacturing and technology communities.

I am pleased to say that MTI continues to make good progress. A huge THANKS is due the MTI Staff and Board and all of the stakeholders that have helped in this process. Our customer relationships have grown and we have cultivated new partnerships and developed new cooperative programs. And we have solidified our core business areas: a) business consulting and advisory services, b) publishing and events, and c) grants and contracts.

At the same time, we have also stayed true to our fundamental role of helping manufacturing and technology companies sharpen their competitive advantages and find new and innovative business solutions. Consider just a few recent examples. Two years ago, Katolight Corp., a Mankato-based manufacturer of electronic generators, was struggling to manage its growth and needed to improve its efficiency. MTI helped it implement a lean manufacturing system that has since slashed its labor time and costs and tripled its output. In 2005, we worked with Alexandria-based Donnelly Custom Manufacturing to set up a Training Within Industry program that has helped the company generate $5 million in sales and create 15 new jobs. And earlier this year we conducted in-depth management training for Anderson Fabrics, a Black Duck-based custom interior design services firm. Thanks to MTI's help, the operation has dramatically improved its productivity. Perhaps just as importantly, the company is now making money and has paid debt off ahead of schedule. We help over 200 companies just like these every year—some with multiple projects!

We take great pride in the help that we are able to provide these companies and the rest of our clients. And we are excited about our future plans. We are actively working to grow our business and want to help twice as many small and medium-size manufacturing companies as we do now. In order to do this and meet our customer needs, we are planning to expand our Business Services portfolio to include both next-generation productivity tools and new growth-planning services. We are excited about the possibilities!

We are also continuing our efforts to provide top-notch business/technology events (see page 4 for information on our new Business Innovation Series lineup), and have received accreditation from the Commission of International and Trans Regional Accreditation (CITA) as a special category education and training organization. We will continue to publish this award-winning magazine, along with our Tech Trends e-newsletter. We will also work closely with our partners in trade, economic development, academia and funding organizations, and with the state and federal government.

In short, this is an exciting time for MTI. We are eager to continue our work of providing our customers with innovative competitive advantages that contribute to their business growth and Minnesota's economic vitality! Thanks for your continuing support.

Please stay in touch and provide feedback via info@mntech.org.