The CMMA Rewards
In its first year, the Central Minnesota Manufacturing Association proves popular as many local manufacturers’ go-to source for business savvy and networking.
One morning in January, despite 20-below zero temperatures, 102 manufacturing professionals gathered for the inaugural meeting of the Central Minnesota Manufacturing Association (CMMA).
CMMA’s mission is to provide an information mecca on everything from saving on operating costs and attracting a quality workforce, to networking with other manufacturers in central Minnesota. “We’re looking for information that people aren’t too tuned in on. Our meetings should be very educational. They’re not sales pitches, and I think that’s what appeals to people,” says Les Engel, CMMA president and Engel Metallurgical engineer.
The association’s first meeting resulted from the recurring question of whether to create a separate manufacturing association in central Minnesota for Benton- Stearns County workforce council members. For years, engineers had debated whether it would be useful to manufacturers. Most local manufacturers were already members of the Tri-State Manufacturing Association (TSMA), which covers the Dakotas and Minnesota, and the public WorkForce Center in St. Cloud was aiming to match employers with good employees.
Due to several complications, the WorkForce Center had had a rough time attracting quality manufacturers. And TSMA’s multi-state focus made it difficult for every company to reap its benefits. “[TSMA] would have a meeting, but the meeting would be in Fargo, which is too far away,” says Engel.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) reports that nearly 90 percent of Minnesota’s new manufacturing jobs through 2014 will come from central Minnesota—the group finally agreed that an association that catered to central Minnesota was essential.
With help from TSMA, Engel and others created the CMMA and planned the inaugural meeting just to see if anyone would show up.
“We thought if we could get 25 people there, that would be really good, because we didn’t even have a mailing list,” Engel says.
Show up they did. The week before the meeting, so many people had responded that they had to switch locations. The day of the meeting, after a breakfast and a tour of Arctic Cat, CMMA was born.
Since then, monthly meetings have focused on insuranceand tax credits to lean manufacturing principles and interaction with Minnesota state legislators. CMMA is planning a February trip to the state capitol for members to speak directly with the manufacturing legislators in their offices.
“Legislation has such an impact on manufacturing and the success of it, so we’re trying to be active,” says Harry Larson, membership committee chairman and Enterprise Minnesota business development specialist.
In its first 10 months, the nonprofit association has grown to 53 member companies and hopes to have 75 before the year is out.