FuzeHub recently powered “How the North Country Keeps the World Moving”, our first Manufacturing Forum of 2021 and another successful event using Remo, an on-line platform that provides a tradeshow-like experience in the virtual world. The total number of registrants (185) included 100 clients, 68 resources and 17 guests. Of this total, nearly 100 (99) joined the on-line event, which spanned two virtual floors where over 35 resources were ready to interact with the nearly 70 companies that registered.
The April 14th Manufacturing Forum began with a welcome from FuzeHub’s Everton H. Henriques, NY MEP Solutions Director, and opening remarks by co-hosts Joel Wood, Executive Director at NAmTrans, and Steve Lockwood, Interim Executive and Business Development Director at CITEC Business Solutions. Danielle King, Business Development Manager at TDC, and Devi Momot, CEO of Twinstate Technologies, also provided opening remarks as the event’s gold sponsors.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who represents New York’s 21st District in the U.S. House of Representatives, then highlighted the importance of the transportation industry to the region. Scott Sherin, Vice President of Business Development at Alstom, provided the keynote address and underscored the company’s commitment to New York State. Earlier this year, Alstom completed its acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, which has operated a Plattsburgh manufacturing facility since 1995.
FuzeHub’s Steve Melito, Senior Solutions Specialist, then moderated a panel discussion with Steve Eaton, Vice President of Operations at Norsk Titanium; Scott McNulty, Vice President of Manufacturing at LC Drives; Michael Backman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Unique Electric Solutions; and Holly Black, Human Resources Manager at Vapor Stone Rail Systems. The Q&A ranged from a discussion about commercial aerospace and workforce development to electric drivetrains and diversity efforts.
The heart of the event, virtual meetings between companies and resources, spanned two hours and resulted in many valuable connections. Most of the resources were NYS-funded organizations that offer business and technical assistance. The event’s sponsors, and the companies that provided our keynote speaker and panelists, were also resources. There were also networking tables throughout the event and, as of this writing, at least one supply chain connection forged.
