IMEC Illinois

Joshua Grodzin, CEcD, IMEC Regional Manager along with Patrick Oden from the Lawndale Business Renaissance Association joined Essam C., CFO at Industrial Fence Inc., (IFI Chicago) for a tour of their facility in Chicago. IFI is a leader in the manufacturing of security barriers, roadway railings, and security equipment. IFI is proudly creating manufacturing jobs in Chicago,?supporting their community, and advancing innovation with their new showroom. #Illinois #Manufacturing #Chicago

Manufacturing is the backbone of the U.S. economy. This article by Katie Rapp of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), learn about what makes manufacturing so strong and why it is vital to the success of the U.S. economy. Here are some numbers pulled from the article: ? In the third quarter of 2024, manufacturers added $2.93 trillion to the economy. ?In January 2025, more than 13 million people worked for more than 244,000 manufacturers. #Manufacturing #Illinois #Economy

THOMAS GRANT, Regional Manager at?IMEC, joined the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and Ravenswood WorkCenter for a?Winter Social & Open House back in January! This event provided the opportunity to connect with local professionals, makers, and business leaders in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor. Our guest was leading Chicago Architect, Lawton Thies, who joined other leaders in business, manufacturing, entrepreneurs and artisans in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor. Thank you to Gene Wagendorf III, Christina Pece, and the team from the Chamber for organizing this great event. #ILManufacturing #Illinois #Networking

Due to popular demand, we have opened up afternoon sessions for each of the sessions of the "Develop Your Leaders" program, facilitated by Amy Murphy! This 8-week leadership program is crafted specifically for new or emerging supervisors, providing a foundational toolkit to guide you through the unique responsibilities of your roles. Each session will cover a different topic, each one being: ? Session 1 (April 24): The Supervisor’s Role in Management ?Session 2 (May 1): Leadership Skills ?Session 3 (May 8): The Communication Process ?Session 4 (May 15): Personality Styles ?Session 5 (May 22): Working in Teams ?Session 6 (May 29): Organizing and Delegating ?Session 7 (June 5): Your Partnership with Human Resources ?Session 8 (June 12): Planning and Goal Setting Secure your spot today before it's too late by visiting https://lnkd.in/g69DhBFS #Events #Manufacturing #Illinois #LeadershipTraining

Later this week we will be hosting Camp CHAMP again in our final 2024 IMEC Illinois sponsored event. Friday, Sunday and tonight have been set up. Despite not having to pack up crates and ship to another locale, we still need to prep lathe blanks and laser engrave name plates. Camp CHAMP is an awesome offering in that we teach middle school students 6 aspects of manufacturing: inspection, turning, milling, laser engraving, sanding and staining, and assembly. High school STEM/Robotics students mentor the younger students. Everyone goes home with an ultra cool shirt, a laser engraved name plate on the box that holds their CNC turned pen! Thank goodness for volunteers and interested parties! Dennis Spaeth Kathy Iverson Timothy Spaeth Alicia Koepke Anthony Schmidt Dan Petykowski Phil Reaume

Mark your calendars! This week has many GREAT opportunities to network and grow this week. Take advantage today: ? March 13 @ 7:30 am?-?8:30 am: OPTIMIZING SUPPLY CHAIN: Strategies, Negotiations, and Commodity Insights Seminar at the Greater Freeport Partnership ??https://lnkd.in/gG77ximh ? March 13 @ 11:30 am?-?12:30 pm: THE LEAN ROADMAP: Driving Value & Engagement for Lasting Change with IMEC Technical Specialist Mark Loscudo ??https://lnkd.in/gW7GYBGA ? March 12-March 13: Illinois Future of Fuels: Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Beyond Conference ??https://lnkd.in/gASHvMDG Visit?https://lnkd.in/eFCpsAY?to see other upcoming events! #ILManufacturing #Manufacturing #Illinois #events #webinars

Why are Lean Transformations so difficult to implement and sustain? Despite the abundance of training, books, articles, workshops, podcasts, and on-site consulting, most lean transformations fail to deliver the expected results. Whether they struggle to launch or gradually lose momentum, the failure rate is estimated to be over 90%. In this webinar with IMEC Technical Specialist Mark Loscudo, you will explore how to approach transformation differently—and more simply—by integrating both the technical and social (people-focused) aspects needed for lasting success. ?? Thursday, March 13 ?? 11:30am - 12:30pm Register today to join the Lean Roadmap journey at https://lnkd.in/gmbRrawV #Illinois #Manufacturing #LeanManufacturing #Webinar

Today, on?Employee Appreciation Day, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible team who wakes up every day ready to make a difference for Illinois manufacturers. This team is what makes IMEC truly special: Leadership Team: David Boulay, Ph.D., Mary Hallock, Amanda Hawley, SPHR, and Dan Hofmann Client Engagement Team: John Azara, Melissa Basa, Noah Brandenburger, Amy Clary, Mike Flinn, Michelle Fossett, Tom Grant, Josh Grodzin, Dean Harms, Cassi Igert, Ryan Langdon, Andrea Martin, Dave Musgrave, Doug Pennington, Steve Sandercock, Mike Waight, Sandi Warthan, Mike Yucuis, and Ray Ziganto. Client Solutions Team: Ashley Barsanti, John Remsey, Paola Velasquez, Adrian Garces, Margo Barr, Jesse Brady, Stacey Curry, Jim Floyd, Ed Huey, Mark Loscudo, Tim Maurer, Salvador Mendoza, Amy Murphy, Matt Paison, Jeanne Perron, Joanne Ruiz, Amie Slott, Jeremy Smith, and Angelika Stratulat. Organizational Support Team: Lori Amerman, Kaleb Bolliger, Gretchen Clifton, Eddie Leach, Justin Longbons, Maria Livingston, Bridget Manley, Jordyn Shawhan, Shannon Shrum, and Melissa Zirbel. Marketing Team: Jaclyn Kolodziej, Megan Altmyer, Joshua Falco, Katelyn Lancaster, and Camryn Tunney. We would not be who we are without each and every one of you. Thank you for your dedication, hard work, and the positive energy you bring every day. #madeinil #manufacturing #employeeappreciationday #Illinois

How can automation and workforce development work hand-in-hand? IMEC Technical Specialist Jeremy Smith and Regional Manager Steve Sandercock have been featured in a recent article by Deborah Gertz Husar, staff writer at Herald-Whig. Earlier this week, Jeremy had the opportunity to present at the Western Illinois Regional Roundtable (presented by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association), where manufacturing leaders came together to discuss approaches to address the labor shortage in today's world. “It’s not automation or workforce or workforce or automation. The two really have to go together” said Jeremy. Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/g-tc-S2J What are your thoughts on integrating automation with workforce development? #Manufacturing #Illinois #Careers #Events