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by Tom Springer, Schneider Downs Many business owners believe that when it comes time to exit their business, they only have one option: to sell. Few understand that selling a business is a complex and time-consuming undertaking with many pitfalls. Many sales attempts result in deep discounting by the buyer or, as is the case nearly 80% of the time, never come to fruition. When considering an exit from…

After hearing from customers that training and employee turnover was hampering their operations, the Conair Group—the market leader in innovative auxiliary equipment solutions for plastics processors—partnered with Bally Design to rethink and create a common HMI (human-machine interface) from the ground up for all their PLC controlled equipment. What makes the equipment unique? What do they all share? Conair markets a wide variety of products — each with their…

Middle market manufacturers in the USA face a distinct challenge when it comes to innovation. Unlike startups with room to experiment or large corporations with hefty R&D budgets, these manufacturers must navigate with limited resources and a lack of tailored guidance. The gap in knowledge on how they innovate and grow is glaring. A recent revival of an archived growth and innovation benchmarking study, originally conducted by the Pennsylvania…

With Veterans Day being today, there’s no better time to celebrate the vital role veterans play in the manufacturing world. Moving from military service into civilian careers, veterans bring a unique mix of skills, discipline, and resilience that fits right into the fast-paced, team-focused environment of manufacturing. Their experience and training make them natural leaders, problem-solvers, and innovators on the shop floor, helping manufacturing companies grow stronger and more…

Exciting news from Catalyst Connection: We've secured a transformative $2 million ARC POWER grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission! This substantial funding fuels our Forging Your Future initiative, crafted to cultivate a dynamic and skilled advanced manufacturing workforce across southwestern Pennsylvania. "With manufacturing driving a $12 billion economy and employing almost 90,000 people in southwestern Pennsylvania, it's a beacon of hope and prosperity for Appalachian communities," says Petra Mitchell,…