Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 12, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 29 M A N U F A C T U R I N G A W A R D S 100 A June St. Worcester, MA 01602 508.310.5406 www.bestprollc.com Cleaning for Health Disinfecting Coronavirus Service We are open and ready to answer your questions related with COVID-19 . We use approved EPA registered hospital grade disinfectants and CDC recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) are worn at all times by our certified cleaning technicians. All surfaces are cleaned, disinfected, and materials are properly disposed. General Manager, Diana Gallego Commercial Cleaning Office Cleaning Janitorial Services General Cleaning Family Owned Serving Massachusetts Since 1998 COVID Disinfecting & Sanitizing Carpet Cleaning Floor Care Eco-Friendly Green Cleaning Services Electrostatic Cleaning Disinfection Facility Maintenance (landscaping, snow removal, and light construction repairs) COVID-19 Two decades of help Kathie Mahoney has been a fixture in the region's manufacturing industry, through her roles helping companies improve their operations BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor F or the past 21 years, Kathie Mahoney has been a fixture in the Central Massachusetts manufacturing community. e Sterling native has worked for the industry advocacy nonprofit Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership for the past two decades, helping companies around the state improve their operations through workplace efficiencies, training their staffs and attracting new workers. She got into the industry by happenstance, answering a job ad in a newspaper, but has developed a fondness for learning about how companies have been able to improve their business through Mass- MEP's help. "Manufacturing is such an exciting and changing industry, which attracts people that are passionate about doing something to change the world we live in and make it better," Mahoney said. Mahoney had served as the center director for MassMEP in Auburn for the past two years, but the region has now lost her to Rhode Island, where she will serve in the same role for the Polaris MEP. "It's a very technical career," said Ma- honey. "More so than 20 years ago." At MassMEP, which is the state- wide office for the U.S. Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, it's been her duty to help provide services and programs and to develop initiatives based on man- ufacturing trends. During the coronavirus pandemic, she took on another role: helping manufac- turers determine whether they could feasibly pivot their work to make person- al protective equipment, hand sanitizer or other goods that could help fight the spread of the virus. "ere isn't another entity across the country that can provide those kinds of resources," Mahoney said of MassMEP. Because MassMEP's mission is to help out small and midsized manufacturers, it has given a leg up to smaller firms that otherwise may struggle to stay com- petitive and up-to-date. e industry employs roughly half as many people statewide today as it did 30 years ago. MassMEP aims to make the most out of those workers and a general shi to higher-technology work. When she started, Mahoney said MassMEP worked primarily in process improvement, focusing on the very basics of manufacturing work and making it more efficient. Today, it's more about training a younger workforce. One pro- gram works with middle school students to manufacture their own products, and another allows high school students to graduate with a certificate demonstrating a skill set in the industry. "I love being out and seeing things our clients made or had a part in the finished product. Pointing out, 'ey are one of our clients,'" Mahoney said. Kathie Mahoney, the former center director for MassMEP and the director at its Rhode Island counterpart Manufacturing Champion Award K a t h i e M a h o n e y Title: Former center director Company: Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership Location: Auburn Year she started in industry: January 1999 Why did you choose a career in manufacturing? "Not everyone gets to show their family what they [do] at work, but there is nothing like being able to explain to your family how something is made or a new innovation you learned about during your day." W PHOTO | COURTESY OF KATHIE MAHONEY

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