One thing is true about manufacturing in the United States- the only constant is change. However, in this time of pandemics, new technology, and declining unemployment numbers, not only is change constant, but manufacturers MUST be able to adapt to that change quickly. In this blog, we’ll explore the variety of challenges currently facing manufacturers

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting Training grants have long been offered by state economic development organizations and by Workforce Opportunity Innovation Act (WIOA) Centers (or Job Centers as they are called in some states.  They are also the most well-known source of funding in the manufacturing community. But today’s training grants have evolved and changed

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting One of the longest standing funding programs for for-profit companies has been the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.  This program provides grant funding for ground-breaking research that meets two criteria: Intellectual Merit – The innovation must be ground in science. Broad Societal Benefit – The innovation must not result

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting Ahhh, sunny California! The state with renowned wineries, sun, sand, surf and palm trees has another positive attribute – an expansive choice of grant programs for the manufacturing community! The primary activities funded in the state are recycling and clean energy manufacturing, largely due to California’s aggressive push for 90%

By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting If you are interested in exporting to diversify your markets and your revenues, there is an unknown source of state funding that you should look into – State Trade Expansion Grants (STEP) or export grants. What are STEP/Export Grants?  The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a funding opportunity to