(NEWARK, N.J.) - U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today applauded the announcement of a $1,679,580 U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) grant awarded to the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP) based in Morris Plains. The grant enables the NJMEP to provide technical assistance and other services to New Jersey manufacturers at lower fees than other business consulting firms, helping them develop new customers and create jobs.
“Supporting our local manufacturers is crucial to strengthening our state’s economy,” said Sen. Menendez. “This funding will help many of New Jersey’s smaller manufacturers realize more of their potential through the NJMEP’s innovative programs and initiatives. Manufacturing has always been a cornerstone of New Jersey’s great legacy, and it happens to be an integral part to our future in this state. I greatly appreciate that with this grant award, the NJMEP will continue its efforts through the upcoming year.”
“Manufacturing is one of the most promising areas in which New Jersey’s economy can grow and strengthen the state's global competitiveness,” Sen. Booker said. “This grant will help our small manufacturers add jobs, cut costs and boost their production. I’d like to thank Commerce for awarding this funding to support the NJMEP and the important services it provides to some of New Jersey’s most innovative businesses.”
The grant was awarded through the USDOC’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, designed to assist small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers create and retain jobs through innovative strategies, process improvements and green technology. The public-private partnership delivers a high return for taxpayers, generating $30 in new sales growth for every dollar of federal investment.
The MEP offers clients a wealth of unique and effective resources centered on five critical areas: technology acceleration, supplier development, sustainability, workforce and continuous improvement. By placing innovations developed through research at federal laboratories, educational institutions and corporations directly in the hands of U.S. manufacturers, MEP serves an essential role sustaining and growing America’s manufacturing base. The program assists manufacturers in achieving new sales, leading to higher tax receipts and new sustainable jobs in the high paying advanced manufacturing sector.
"The team at NJMEP is excited to continue our work with the 10,000-plus New Jersey manufacturers in 2014,” said John W. Kennedy, COO of NJMEP. “This grant award goes a long way in supporting our efforts. It is a mission that we take very seriously, and one that we positively share with our Legislators like Senator Menendez and others."
The NJMEP is a not-for-profit company that was established in January 1996, with the USDOC’s approval, through the efforts of Dr. Saul Fenster, then President of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Dr. Donald Sebastian, Executive Director of the Center for Manufacturing Systems (CMS) at NJIT, and Dr. Jay Brandinger, then Director of the Commission on Science and Technology. The NJMEP is one of 59 MEPs across the United States that is working to support the manufacturing sector by delivering technical and business assistance resulting in substantial savings and growth.