There is still time for making nominations to the FloridaMakes/Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Award. Please consider recognizing your deserving suppliers, customers, or partners with a nomination for this prestigious award. Please pass along this solicitation to your colleagues. We are accepting nominations through Monday, February 13, 2017.

The nomination process is very simple...just reply and send the following information to me in an email, or use the link at https://www.floridamakes.com/nominator.stml

-Name of the company
-Contact person
-Email address
-(Phone, if available)

That's it...NO nominee write-ups are required. Every Florida manufacturing company is eligible. It is not necessary for the nominee to be a member of any association.

Additional information about the awards process can be found at https://www.floridamakes.com/what-we-do/mbe-award.stml

Awards will be announced at the 25th Annual Governor's Sterling Award Banquet at the conclusion of the Florida Sterling Conference on Friday, June 2, 2017. More information about the Conference and Award Banquet can be found at https://www.floridasterling.com/conferences/annualconference

If you have any questions, contact: Phil Centonze, Lead Judge, FloridaMakes, 954-684-2642, phil.centonze@FloridaMakes.com

Tampa Bay Startup Week is a five-day celebration of our community. Last year over 5,000 business and community leaders attended to help bring out the best in local talent.

This event contains over 50 unique sessions teaching attendees about startup and existing business topics from technology to accounting, marketing and public relations, legal topics, beer manufacturing and more.

The best part of Tampa Bay Startup Week is that it is free to attend. They also have 2 very unique opportunities for startups and businesses under 10 years old and they are encouraging startups to apply for approval to set up a table for free at the launch party.

Review the schedule at https://tampabay.startupweek.co/.  Need more information? Contact: Ebony Grimsley-Vaz, ebony@abovepromotions.com, (813) 383-1914, ext 1000

The USF Lean Six Sigma program will encompass all the necessary requirements for you to obtain a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification including training hours, project assessment and the exam.

Program Begins: January 20
Meets Jan.20; Feb.3,4; Mar.3,4,31; Apr.1,21
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Questions?
Call 813-974-5550
Email CE-Inquiries@usf.edu

More Information

As an HP foundational partner, Jabil Circuit was among the first companies to receive pre-production Jet Fusion 3-D printers earlier this year. Now, they have the real thing and are open for business.

Read the article online at Industry Week.

Currently, we are looking for people who would like to judge for the BAMA special award the upcoming STEM/Science fairs. What this entails is looking at the projects and picking out ones that apply specifically to manufacturing. Those students are then given a cash award and invited to attend our annual dinner in June.

Here is the info on the fairs:
Pinellas County - February 4, 8am-3pm (or until we’ve selected winners) at Seminole Middle School, 8701 - 131st Street North, Seminole, FL 33776
Hillsborough County - February 14, 8am-1pm (or until we’ve selected winners) at Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St. Tampa, FL 33607

If you can take time out of your busy schedule to help, please contact becky@bama-fl.org ASAP.

Opportunity for Pinellas County companies to find customers in Argentina Export Trade Mission to Buenos Aires, April 23-27

With a population of 41.5 million people and a GDP of approximately $609 billion, Argentina offers excellent opportunities for Pinellas companies. Argentina is Florida's fourth largest export destination with an estimated $3.3 billion worth of exports.

Due to recent changes in political leadership, the country has adopted a pro-business approach, and new legislation allows Argentine importers an easier process to buy foreign goods.
Best export opportunities for local industries include:
• Medical Technologies
• Information and Communications Technology
• Telecommunications Equipment
• Transportation Infrastructure Equipment and Services
• Electronic Security Equipment
• Food Processing Equipment
• Agricultural Machinery and Part

This Enterprise Florida Export Sales Mission, supported by Pinellas County Economic Development, will provide local companies with the U.S. Commercial Service's Gold Key Service (GKS) Matchmaker program of customized one-on-one meetings with potential customers and partners in Argentina.

Click here for the agenda and costs of this Export Trade Mission to Argentina

Reimbursable Gold Key/Matchmaker Grants from Enterprise Florida can assist local manufacturers with a reimbursement to qualified companies of up to $1,000 for a stand-alone Gold Key/Matchmaker service.

Ready to learn more? Contact Brent Barkway at (727) 464-7411 or barkway@pinellascounty.org to discuss this trade mission and opportunities for your company. Visit PCED.org/international for more information.

BAMA members are invited to the next Tampa Bay Regional Goods Movement Advisory Committee meeting on Feb. 1.

Their guest speaker for this meeting is Ram Kancharla from Port Tampa Bay who will be presenting Vision 2030, the new Masterplan for Port Tampa Bay (Website link). He will be answering questions you may have and they will be providing an update on other freight initiatives occurring in the Tampa Bay region.

Meeting details are provided below:
Goods Movement Advisory Committee Meeting
February 1, 2017 at 1:30 PM
FDOT District 7 Auditorium
11201 North McKinley Drive
Tampa, Florida 33612

Please RSVP to adouglas@citiesthatwork.com

On January 21st, Palm Harbor Middle School will be hosting its first FIRST Lego League tournament. As of right now we will be hosting 26 teams from all over Florida. These tournaments consist of building and programming EV3 Lego robots to go through the robot games, and explaining the engineering and programing behind it. They also have a project to help animals in needs, with creative and innovative solutions.

This event is open to the public, and we invite everyone to come take a look at the fun! Don’t want to be just a spectator? We are in need of volunteers! If you would like to refer or judge at the tournament please visit www.Firstinspires.com and register as a volunteer. If not you can walk up and register.

The tournament starts at 8:00 am with the award ceremony concluding at 4:00 pm. Please contact Diamond Sadlowski at Sadlowskid@pcsb.org, or visit www.firstinpsires.com for more information

Tournament Information:
Saturday, January 21st 2017
8 am to 430 pm
Palm Harbor Middle School
1800 Tampa Rd
Palm Harbor FL, 34683”

Certified Production Technician (MSSC-CPT)

ID : 66911   

Provides entry-level training in manufacturing essentials to include employability skills, safety awareness, production and processes, quality assurance, and maintenance awareness. Upon successful completion, students are prepared to sit for the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) Production Technician (CPT) certification examination.

• High school diploma, GED or equivalent and passing scores on the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) or Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE)
• Academic achievement to demonstrate college readiness: examples include college transcripts, Postsecondary Readiness Test (PERT) or Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE)
• Meet Essential Job Functions.

Description:
The CPT Certification addresses the core technical competencies of higher skilled production workers in all sectors of manufacturing.  MSSC awards certificates to individuals who pass any of its five Production Modules: Safety; Quality Practices & Measurement; Manufacturing Processes & Production; Maintenance Awareness; Green Production and a full CPT Certification to those who pass all four core modules

Benefits of Certification:

• Industry certification provides job candidates with industry-recognized credential (More job opportunities)
• You are more marketable to employers as certification eliminates or reduces remedial training costs by providing well prepared workers (potential increased pay scale)
• You become skilled in the new ISO standard in certificates companies and are knowledgeable of common practice throughout operations, which prepares you for opportunities beyond the entry-level CPT (Increased subject matter expertise)
• This certification allows a student to articulate 15 semester hours into the Engineering Technology program at St. Petersburg College (over a $1600 value to continue your training)

Location:
St. Petersburg College-Oldsmar Training Center
127 State Street West
Oldsmar, FL  34677

Price:

$1,295.00*
*(Includes textbooks, certification exam vouchers, and tuition) *

Dates & Times:

• January 24^th through March 2^nd
• Tues, Wed, Thurs from 2:00PM to 6:00PM
• Additional online assignments are required at home to supplement in-class learning. 

Payment Plans
 
*YOU MUST CONTACT WORKFORCE BY TELEPHONE TO ENROLL IN THE PAYMENT PLAN, (727) 341-4445.*

There are a number of scholarship and grant opportunities based on age, income, and employment status so be sure to ask about opportunities that may apply to your situation.  In addition, upon completion of the MSSC-CPT, you may be eligible for a paid apprenticeship as well. 

In addition to a one-time payment in-full, the below is a zero interest payment plan option:

Information about the Certifying Organization:

The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) is an industry-led training, assessment and certification organization focused on the core technical competencies needed by the nation’s front-line production and material handling workers. The nationwide MSSC certifications, based upon industry-defined and federally-endorsed national standards, offer both entry-level and incumbent workers the opportunity to demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge and skills increasingly needed in the technology intensive jobs of the 21st century.  MSSC applies to all front-line manufacturing production jobs (7 million) and all front-line material handling and distribution jobs (5.4 million).  MSSC has developed two nationally portable certifications for this workforce:  
 
“20/20” Vision:  MSSC’s vision is to assess 20% of the nation’s front-line manufacturing production and material handling workers in 20 years--3 million workers by 2030.  To achieve that goal, MSSC offers industry a new set of tools to ensure that both entering and incumbent workers are flexible, easily trainable, and highly motivated knowledge workers able to keep pace with technological change—the “Industrial Athlete of the Future.”
Call 727-341-4445 to register.
Find more online