By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting As we enter the final months of 2023, I thought I would end the year answering some of the most common questions I received in my webinars, conference presentations and conversations with manufacturers this year. Question:  Are there manufacturing grants for reshoring?  Answer:  This was by far the most common

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting Are you trying to attract workers to your manufacturing facility to help increase capacity and meet customer demand?  In previous articles, I provided ideas for attracting workers, including offering apprenticeship opportunities for your most in-demand jobs and partnering with non-profits and state resources (check out this article on effective recruiting

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting Is your manufacturing company diversifying markets by promoting your products overseas?  If so, your state may be happy to support you in this endeavor! Trade Show Grants: An Introduction The State Trade Expansion Program, or STEP, is a federal program funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA).  State entities apply

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting Since the pandemic, I have frequently gotten inquiries like this: “I saw on the news (or in the press, or on the internet) that the federal government is putting money toward reshoring manufacturing.  We plan to bring work back to the United States, so how can we get some of

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting Does your manufacturing business have the next big idea? Do you wish to utilize Industry 4.0 technologies such as automation and big data to improve the efficiency of your operations?  If you are a forward-thinking company, you may be eligible to receive grants to reward your innovative nature! As more

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting America is going green! From a greater variety of electric vehicles to choose from to increased solar installations, many Americans are enjoying the benefits of reduced reliance on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions presented by these technologies. With the increased purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) and the hesitance