Posted By Angelia Erbaugh, DRMA President, Tuesday, December 17, 2019
You have a lot of choices when it comes to which organizations to support with both your time and money. We sincerely thank you for choosing to be a part of DRMA.
22 Manufacturer and Affiliate members submitted ballots during the voting period that culminated at the annual meeting on December 5. We thank those members who voted and encourage those who did not to participate in future elections. The results are...
Ratification of Phil Brockman (Techmetals, Inc.), Kevin Hartke (Resonetics), and David Reger (Winston Heat Treating) to serve on the Board of Trustees – approved
2020 budget – approved
In 2019, as we celebrated our 85th birthday, DRMA made significant progress in upholding our mission to strengthen member companies and to serve as the advocate for manufacturing in the Dayton Region. DRMA is recognized as the trusted voice of the industry to represent members’ needs and concerns so that they may stay focused on their business. The programs that DRMA provides members have experienced great success over the past year. These successes include:
Workforce Partnership - DRMA leads the Dayton Region Manufacturing Workforce Partnership, a network of sector partnerships across the state organized by the Ohio Manufactures’ Association, along with partners FASTLANE, the Dayton Development Coalition, and Ohio Robotics, Inc. The purpose of the DRMWP is to develop and execute new and enhanced initiatives that strategically align workforce efforts to ensure manufacturing competence and growth throughout the region. Programs included organizing national MFG Day locally, resulting in over 4,700 students from 63 schools and 9 home school groups attending 48 member open houses; conducting 24 career awareness events with students throughout the region; working with schools to include industry-recognized credentials in their programs; launching a campaign to attract people to the skilled trades; receiving a DOL grant to increase the number of apprentices and apprentice programs based on industry-recognized credentials; serving on a number of advisory committees at area high schools and colleges; and collaborating with numerous organizations and schools to advocate for members’ workforce needs, locally, statewide, and nationwide.
Peer-to-Peer Connectivity – DRMA provided many ways for members to get connected and stay engaged with the thriving DRMA community in order to build a network of peers who face the same challenges, opportunities, and solutions to foster a sense of mutual support among members. We held 12 member events, 33 Meet Ups, and 14 DRMA 101 sessions; held workshops related to professional development and lean manufacturing; conducted a fun competition among members to donate safety boots, and greatly expanded our social media outreach to facilitate member communication.
Business and Economic Development – DRMA provided programming, industry-pertinent information, and connections with organizations to help members strengthen and grow their business. Successes include the annual economic update featuring nationally-renowned economist Brian Beaulieu; the Wage & Benefit Survey; Legal Services, OSHA training, Workers Comp, and a NAM health insurance discount programs; and sent 21 business lead emails, 12 e-newsletters, and 36 News Bits emails.
Advocacy – DRMA advocated with public officials, legislators, educators, parents, the business community, the media, and many other regional stakeholders to advance the interests of our members and the industry, including: conducting the Top Issues Survey; connecting with organizations such as the Dayton Development Coalition, the Dayton Region Israel Trade Alliance, National Association of Manufacturers, Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, the cities of Dayton and Springfield, Preble County Economic Development Office, and the European American Chamber of Commerce; and building relationships with office holders such as Senator Portman, Congressman Davidson, Ohio Representatives Smith, Plummer, and Powell, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Kennedy, and Dayton Commissioner Shaw.
Fundraising – In addition to member dues, DRMA diligently pursued sources of revenue to help fund DRMA activities, including conducting two golf outings. The Funding Committee, working with the Board, launched a fundraising campaign to solicit charitable donations for the DRMA Foundation from businesses, individuals, and philanthropic organizations with ties to manufacturing to help fund our workforce initiatives.
Membership – 20 Manufacturer, 9 Affiliate, and 18 Associate members were added in 2019; total membership for 2019 is 375 member companies, which includes 220 Manufacturer members. More members = a stronger voice = stronger connections and more programs.
The leadership of DRMA (board, committees, and staff) is focused on increasing member value. (Click here for a detailed list of 2019 accomplishments.)
All this work would not be possible without the effort of 13 committees, sub-committees, and ad hocs with 100 dedicated volunteers. We are limited only by our volunteer horsepower. If you would like to get engaged, please let me know.
Looking forward to an exciting 2020!
