Enterprise Minnesota Honors
Kent Myhrman

ISO Expertise Cited as Contribution to Manufacturers         

When Minnesota manufacturers want to become ISO certified, many think of Kent Myhrman. One of Enterprise Minnesota's business growth advisors, Myhrman is a widely-known lean expert throughout the state, and his expertise in ISO is fast making him the go-to person for this beneficial certification.

His passion to help manufacturers grow their businesses and his extraordinary professional integrity last week earned him Enterprise Minnesota's "Esteemed Colleague" award during the annual staff recognition day. It is the highest honor granted to Enterprise Minnesota employees.

"Kent is dedicated to creating positive business results for our clients," said Bob Kill, CEO and president of Enterprise Minnesota. "He and the rest of our team strive to lead Enterprise Minnesota to becoming one of the top ISO certifiers in the country and when we get there, Kent will have been one of the key reasons."

Myhrman draws on more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering and sales. He was vice president of manufacturing at FMH Corporation, a leader in mechanical design, engineering, fabricating and implementation of electronic controls before coming to Enterprise Minnesota.

He also worked at Productivity, Inc., a distributor of machine tools, fabrication equipment, tooling and accessories. Prior to Productivity, Myhrman worked for Cummins Onan, a manufacturer of recreational vehicle generators and at AGCO, an agricultural equipment manufacturer.

Elk River Machine is one manufacturer benefitting from Kent's guidance and expertise. "As we traveled the path to ISO certification, Kent helped us see the difference between 'compliance' and 'effectiveness' in the design of our Quality Management System (QMS)," said Jim Barthel, president of Elk River Machine. "Kent helped us see that an effective QMS could help with our desired transition to growth. The effort we put into ISO certification has helped us position ourselves for that future growth.  We couldn't have made it through without Kent's guidance and support."

Myhrman says that informal quality management systems at many manufacturers frequently inhibit growth or expansion. "ISO certification is a process-based approach that enables them to shed that old system, and develop a more structured, formal one that can sustain growth."

Research shows ISO-certified companies enjoy higher revenues, higher employment and longer business lives. The certification also helps companies deliver the same product at a lower price, Myhrman says.

Enterprise Minnesota's ISO certification process is a highly individualized process that first assesses a company's business needs, develops processes to meet those needs, and then adjusts those processes to meet ISO requirements.

Manufacturers considering ISO certification will benefit from Enterprise Minnesota's Oct. 3 business event, "Leveraging ISO Certification to Grow Your Business." The event will feature business leaders who are making ISO certification part of their overall business strategy. They will talk about the process and benefits of ISO certification. For more information, click here or go to www.enterprise.minnesota.org.

Exporting in 2012: The Practices of Profitable Companies

Aug. 22, 2012
8-11 am
Mortenson Construction
700 Meadow Lane North, Minneapolis
Cost: $79 Early Bird (before Aug. 14); $119 Regular

Register Online

What to Expect: 

Exporting has great potential to grow a company's profitability. Find out what manufacturers are doing to create a proactive business strategy to sell internationally and how they are connecting with international business experts who help navigate the export process.

Speakers:

•    Roger Hurd, Business Growth Consultant, 
     Enterprise Minnesota
•    Joel Wittenbraker, President,
     Mactech, Red Wing   
•    Ross Anderson, Global Director of Operations, 
     Midwest Rubber, Plymouth   
•    Moses Koyabe, Vice President of Business
     Development, Ideal Aerosmith,
     East Grand Forks    

Register Online Today!

Have news or events for e-trends?  Contact Sue Roe at sue.roe@enterpriseminnesota.org