The Pennsylvania Manufacturing Extension Partnership (PA MEP) is the "go-to" resource for Pennsylvania’s manufacturers ensuring that PA manufacturing is resilient and leads the nation in advanced manufacturing innovations.

On October 1, 2016 the PA MEP became the NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program for Pennsylvania. The PA MEP facilitates the planning, collaboration and coordination of the MEP program among the seven regional Industrial Resource Center (IRC) partners as well as other state and national partners.

Staff

Rikki Riegner
Executive Director
PA Manufacturing Extension Partnership
570-308-3312 ext. 701

Kim Vanemon
Compliance and Program Manager
PA Manufacturing Extension Partnership
570-308-3312 ext. 703

Board of Directors

Kenneth Kratz (Chair)
Vice President
Bracalente Manufacturing Group
Trumbauersville, PA

Thomas Bloom (Vice-Chair)
General Manager
KOBOLD Instruments, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA

John Thigpen (Treasurer)
President
ILSCO Extrusions.
Greenville, PA

Jonathan Sands (Secretary)
Director of Operational Excellence and Employee Safety
ARCH Medical Solutions
Blandon, PA 17701

Neil Fowler
Executive Director, Office of Technology & Innovation,
Center for Strategic Partnerships
PA Department of Community & Economic Development
Harrisburg, PA

Jessica Gardner
Human Resource Manager
General Carbide
Greenburg, PA

Garry Hartman
President
Cheetah Chassis Corporation
Berwick, PA

Alan Holbrook
NA Engineering Manager
Mitsubishi Chemical Advance Materials
Reading, PA

Thomas E. Kane
Director of New Technology Development
Restek Corporation
Bellefonte, PA

Heidi McKenna
President
Fredericks Co.
Huntingdon Valley, PA

Dave Riebe
President
Kountry Kraft
Newmanstown, PA

Darren Welker
Managing Director, Manufacturing & Distribution Group
Stambaugh Ness
York, PA

Joseph Welsh
Government Affairs
Rhoads Industries
Philadelphia, PA

Rick Young
President
Sintergy, Inc.
Reynoldsville, PA

Managed by the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center Foundation, the PA MEP is a public-private partnership sponsored by the National Institute of Stands and Technology, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP). The PA MEP program is also supported by Industrial Resource Centers through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and by the manufacturers who receive essential training and consulting services to increase competitiveness and grow their companies.

To serve the regional diversity of the state’s manufacturing base, PA MEP manages MEP federal funding and program outcomes through collaboration with a network of seven Industrial Resource Centers who are regional affiliates strategically focused on meeting the needs of both small and larger manufacturers of the geographic region. Affiliates include: Catalyst Connection (southwest); DVIRC (southeast); IMC (central); MANTEC (south central); MRC (Lehigh Valley); NEPIRC (northeast); and NWIRC. (northwest).