Haider, Uhl join MMEC for WIRED effort

Jim Haider and G. August Uhl have joined the staff of the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) http://www.mtmanufacturingcenter.com , an outreach and applied research center in Montana State University’s College of Engineering.

Haider will serve as field engineer for Montana’s 32-county Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) http://businessresources.mt.gov/BRD_Wired.asp region and work with private companies and their employees in the development and expansion of bio-products and renewable energy industries. His efforts will be focused on client-driven training to increase manufacturing and production efficiency and employee skill development.

Haider is a licensed professional mechanical engineer with extensive experience in manufacturing and various energy related fields. He founded Chinook Engineers and Associates in Helena in 2003, was lead project engineer for Aspen Consulting and Engineering from 2000 to 2003 and previously designed, owned and operated two separate breweries, gaining invaluable hands-on experience in small manufacturing operations. He has also served as a test engineer for the Boeing Company in Seattle.

He and his family will continue to reside in Helena where he will be headquartered.

Uhl will assist with event coordination and support for program delivery, working from the MMEC home office in Bozeman.

Uhl was an airman in the U.S. Air Force and has experience in the service department and on the engine/transmission assembly line for BMW in Germany. He also has experience in the financial industry. He recently moved to Bozeman from Maui, Hawaii.

"We look forward to the opportunity to help grow these innovative clusters and work with the experienced MMEC staff who are willing, and more than able, to assist in moving Montana toward a more robust economy," Haider said.

MMEC’s (http://www.mtmanufacturingcenter.com) involvement in the WIRED initiative enables Montana to participate in a national strategy to reduce petroleum dependence and enhance the value of regional cash crops.

Contact: Deborah Nash, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center 406-994-3812, mailto:[email protected]