MSU College of Engineering Programs Prominent at University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Summit.

Steve Holland, Director of the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) http://www.mtmanufacturingcenter.com/ in the College of Engineering at Montana State University http://www.coe.montana.edu/ , was elected vice-president of the University Economic Development Association (UEDA) http://www.universityeda.org/ during its annual summit in Portland this month.

UEDA is a membership organization that serves the nation’s institutions of higher education and their economic development affiliates by focusing on policy, practice, and partnerships.

As one of the finalists in the UEDA Awards of Excellence Competition for Technology Commercialization Best Practices, Holland gave a summit presentation on MilTech, a unique collaboration between MMEC and MSU TechLink http://www.techlinkcenter.org/cgi-bin/techlink/index.html . The partnership leverages the strengths of both outreach programs to ensure that innovative defense-related technology is more efficiently and cost-effectively transitioned from Department of Defense (DoD) labs and private industry to the U.S. combat soldier.

MilTech field staff work directly at the company level to help DoD program managers achieve improved return on investment for DoD research, improve product design and capabilities, reduce costs, build a sustainable supply base, and save lives. Started as a pilot program in the Northwest, the program now works with companies across the U.S. through a partnership with the national NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership for delivery of manufacturing expertise. MMEC is a NIST MEP affiliate.

In addition to UEDA service, Holland currently serves on a variety of other boards and councils including the Montana District Export Council and Montana State Technology Partnership Committee. He just completed his second term on the Montana State Chamber of Commerce board. Nationally, he serves as board secretary for the American Small Manufacturers Coalition and Vice-President of the American Industrial Extension Alliance.