Professor W. Kinzy Jones and Paul Secor Elected to Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership Board of Directors

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"I believe in the Florida MEP and its mission because manufacturing represents one of the most important industries in our economy." --Paul Secor

Celebration, Florida (PRWEB) February 12, 2014

The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP) is proud to announce the addition of two prominent business leaders to its board of directors. Professor W. Kinzy Jones and Paul Secor bring a wealth of industry knowledge to Florida MEP, a non-profit organization helping manufacturers gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace.

“The Florida MEP has recently restructured for strategic growth to keep pace with our goals of serving and meeting the training and development needs of Florida’s manufacturing community,” said Dr. James Lange, Chairman of the Florida MEP Board of Directors. “Our core team of delivery specialists continue to offer the quality programs and services we have provided to manufacturers the past two decades. Florida MEP is currently building our team to be able to meet and exceed our organizational objectives and continue to help clients improve their competitiveness and bottom lines.”

Florida MEP’s Board Chairman Dr. James Lange said the addition of the newest board members brings tremendous business and industry acumen and skills to the organization.

“Our Florida MEP board also includes Nancy Simmons, President of Aero Industries of the Space Coast of Florida, and Roger Grace, President of Roger Grace Associates in Naples, FL, and we are ably supported by Gene and Linda Lussier of Team-Serv Inc. as our President and Vice President of Finance,” said Dr. Lange.

“Together we will develop a new strategic direction for Florida MEP, securing grant funds for Florida’s small to medium enterprises to help them create jobs, cut costs and generate new income over the next decade, while continuing to provide the same high quality service we did in the past, ” said Dr. Lange. “With the addition of Kinzy and Paul to our board of talented directors, the future of our organization is in good hands.”

Professor W. Kinzy Jones is the Founding Director, Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute and Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Florida International University. He holds a PhD in Materials Science from MIT and served on the Board of Florida MEP from 1996- 2013. Prof. Jones worked for CS Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA and Cordis Corp., Miami FL prior to joining FIU.

A Fellow and Past President of the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS), Prof. Jones received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from IMAPS and Worlds Ahead Faculty of the Year Award from FIU in 2009.

Paul Secor owns and operates Secor Strategies, LLC in Titusville, a company that provides proposal writing and program management services. Secor Strategies has helped its clients win more than $4 million in funding and managed major programs such as the NASA Lunabotics Competition, the Florida Governor's School for Space Science and Technology, and the final rollover of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Many of Paul Secor’s projects are supported by an in-house high-tech virtual broadcasting studio that has hosted guests including astronauts, scientists, engineers, and educators.

Secor formerly served as the Director of Technology Transfer for the State of Florida’s Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA). During his eight years at the TRDA, he oversaw and managed the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), the Department of Defense Commercialization Assistance Program, the NASA Alliance for Small Business Opportunities (NASBO), and the Florida Disabled Veteran Business Initiative. In addition, he was also responsible for identifying and pursuing new local, state, and federal funding opportunities for TRDA programs.

"I believe in the Florida MEP and its mission because manufacturing represents one of the most important industries in our economy. I'm excited to contribute my knowledge in the areas of virtual training, technology commercialization, and funding development, to help broaden and strengthen the scope of Florida MEP's services. It's an honor to join this board of directors on its mission to help Florida manufacturers," said Secor.

About Florida MEP

The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP) is a not-for-profit organization that provides assistance to manufacturers to help them identify and implement advanced manufacturing and management technologies to enable them to grow and compete in the global market. Florida MEP assists manufacturers by providing access to technology for improved productivity, offering workforce training in Lean manufacturing, ISO / ITAR compliance, exporting logistics and supply chain integration. Through Florida MEP programs, many of which are funded by grants, manufacturing companies learn tactics to innovate, save money, implement more efficient management strategies and Lean manufacturing methodologies, offering the biggest opportunity for immediate bottom-line improvements. Methods implemented by Florida MEP clients have resulted in significant economic benefits regionally and statewide. For more information about Florida MEP programs and services, please visit http://www.floridamep.org or call 321-939-4000.

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