MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network in Cleveland, last week announced the winners of its latest Mspire pitch competition. The competition, which is for entrepreneurs focused on manufacturing or physical products, included nine pitches. Five winners were selected.
"Startups have the power to improve manufacturing processes, grow our state's economy, improve our physical environments, and enhance lives and livelihoods … but they often need focused support to get off the ground," Andrea Navratil, director of new ventures at MAGNET, said in a news release. "MAGNET's Mspire competition offers that assistance to manufacturing-focused entrepreneurs, advancing them toward successful outcomes."
The release described this year's winners and the custom prizes they will receive as follows:
Mspire is supported by the state's Entrepreneurial Services Provider program — through the Ohio Third Frontier and the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership — Kastner Westman & Wilkins LLC, Circular Cleveland and CIFT, the release stated.
Lorain County Community College will offer a new bachelor's degree this fall designed to "fill a critical need in the local economy," according to a news release.
The bachelor of applied science in smart industrial automated systems engineering technology was created with input from local employers. It will be the college's second applied bachelor's degree (the first is in microelectronic manufacturing).
The smart manufacturing degree "represents a multidisciplinary engineering field concerned with the design, modeling, analysis and control of predominantly computer-based automated systems or processes," the release stated. There are "earn and learn opportunities" in the curriculum, the release noted, and it can be stacked on the college's associate of applied science in automation engineering technology degree.
"We are thrilled to offer an affordable applied bachelor's degree in this important manufacturing field," college president Marcia J. Ballinger said in the release. "Graduates of this program will have the skills and training necessary to fill talent gaps right here in Northeast Ohio."
Andrew M. Weeks will retire as Parker Hannifin Corp.'s vice president and president of the Engineered Materials Group at the end of August, the motion and control technologies company announced in a news release.
Weeks will officially retire from the Mayfield Heights-based company Aug. 31. He "led the Engineered Materials Group through a period of substantial change driven by Parker's Acquisition of LORD Corporation in 2019, which doubled the size of the group," the release stated. Prior to that, Weeks has served as vice president and president of the company's Hydraulics Group and of its Motion Systems Group. He joined Parker in 2013 as vice president of operations for its Aerospace Group.
"We are grateful to Andy for his leadership of the Engineered Materials Group during a period of significant growth and transformation," Parker chairman and CEO Tom Williams said in the release. "He has held leadership positions spanning multiple operating groups within Parker and we appreciate his many years of service to our company. Our strategic approach to succession planning will allow us to fill this important leadership role in the very near future."
A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission included details of the company's separation agreement with Weeks. He will receive "a cash severance payment of $1,064,846 and ownership of his current company-leased vehicle, among other benefits," the filing stated.
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