Welcome to the first edition of NEPIRC's "new look" e-newsletter, and thank you for your time today.

As you scroll through the information below and click on the related links to read more about each news item, you'll quickly notice the entirely new format of NEPIRC's e-newsletter. This new format represents NEPIRC's mantra for 2012 – "to create value to our clients in everything we do". Whether it's by reading our e-newsletter, attending one of our informational workshops or seminars, meeting with one of our Business Solutions Advisors, or retaining NEPIRC's consultative services for your business, our objective is to deliver immediate sustainable value to our clients and a dramatic positive return on your investment in us.

In order to accomplish our mission of providing regional manufacturers with the resources they need to achieve profitable growth, NEPIRC has an obligation to provide our client companies with information about their industries, awareness of the latest manufacturing best practices, customized solutions to their challenges, superior consultative services and verifiable bottom-line results. NEPIRC's e-newsletter constitutes one way in which we hope to fulfill the "information" element of our obligation to you.

Within every e-newsletter, you'll find custom-written national, statewide and regional news pertinent to the local manufacturing community, as well as a NEPIRC News section that will keep you abreast of the latest developments at NEPIRC, including client success stories, staff certifications, new service offerings and internal initiatives. You'll also learn about your manufacturing peers through our monthly "Made in Northeastern PA" Featured Manufacturer section and related manufacturer videos.

I sincerely hope that you find this information valuable to you and your colleagues, and therefore make NEPIRC's e-newsletter one of your regular monthly reads. NEPIRC welcomes your feedback and ideas for the continuous improvement of our e-newsletter, services and overall organization. Please feel free to contact me at 570-819-8966 or eric@nepirc.com at any time to share your thoughts, your business concerns or ways in which you believe NEPIRC can add more value to you and your business.

With great thanks and well wishes for a prosperous 2012 –

NEPIRC has partnered with the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal to add a “Made in Northeastern PA” feature to the Journal’s monthly publication. Beginning this month, and continuing throughout 2012, the full-page feature will highlight the successful strategies of a prominent regional manufacturer. Each feature will be supported by expanded information and a company-hosted video, both of which can be found on NEPIRC’s website – www.nepirc.com.

This month’s “Made in Northeastern PA” featured manufacturer is Weiler Corporation of Cresco, Pennsylvania.

In December, 2011, Cresco, Pennsylvania-based Weiler Corporation was selected as the national “Make It In America” Manufacturer of the Week by the National Institute of Standards & Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership. As such, Weiler Corporation represents the first Pennsylvania manufacturer to earn the recognition and only the fourth domestic manufacturer to receive the national accolade. Read more...

Benco Dental’s CenterPoint headquarters has been designated as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED) Silver Certified facility by the Green Building Certification Institute of the United States Green Building Council (or USGBC). Read more...

Four regional manufacturing executives were recently selected by Governor Tom Corbett to help lead the Governor’s Manufacturing Advisory Council as part of a statewide Team PA Foundation-led initiative. Read more...

A recent survey of manufacturing leaders performed by NEPIRC, the nationwide Manufacturing Extension Partnership program and the international market research firm of Turner Marketing identified some interesting differences between hownortheastern Pennsylvania manufacturers, 125 of which participated in the survey, and over 8,000 of their non-regional peers perceive, prioritize and plan to react to their largest business challenges of 2012. Read more...

During the third quarter of 2011, the national market research firm of Turner Marketing invited 14 past and present NEPIRC clients to participate in a voluntary survey designed to quantify the financial and operational returns (or ROIs) of engagements NEPIRC performed for them approximately one year earlier. Read more...

NEPIRC is currently accepting registrations for its 2012 Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI) Program – a specially designed leadership certificate program created by the Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University. Read more...

Leo Gilroy, NEPIRC’s Director of Strategy & Leadership Development, has recently been awarded Kaplan-Norton Balanced Scorecard certification. The Balanced Scorecard methodology is a strategic planning and management system used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. Read more...

NEPIRC’s Board of Directors recently elected new officers to serve through June 30, 2013. Read more...