Monthly Programs - March 11, 2008

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Campus Center - Odeum Room
Doors open: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Cost: $15 members, $25 non-members
Pre-registration
Directions
Parking

Topic: Traditional Manufacturing is High Tech Today

Speakers: Jack Healy, Paul Maguire, John Gravelle

Yes, there is still manufacturing in Massachusetts. In fact, recent years have seen the greatest increase in valued-added dollars per manufacturing employee in history. Manufacturing as a whole accounts for 14 percent of gross state product and continues to produce the Commonwealth’s largest personal payroll.

Come to the WPI Venture Forum meeting on Tuesday, March 11 and learn about the survival strategies of manufacturing businesses that have transitioned to a global marketplace though market maturity and sustained profitable growth. Listen to local manufacturing business owners and experts share their mistakes, their lessons learned and how they turned adversity into opportunity. Gain valuable insights on how to survive and become a next-generation manufacturer.

The program will include interactive presentations and a panel discussion on manufacturing trends in Massachusetts today, ways to position companies for growth and how Mar-Lee Companies achieved double-digit growth and profit. Presenters will be Jack Healy, Director of Operations for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) and the Manufacturing Advancement Center, Paul Maguire, President of IntelliSource International, and John Gravelle, President of Mar-Lee Companies.

Jack Healy

Jack Healy serves both MassMEP, a program supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Manufacturing Advancement Center, a separate 501(c) organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the manufacturing community in Massachusetts.

He brings many years of experience assisting manufacturing firms in improving their overall manufacturing capabilities and profitability. He served as managing partner with the Wellesley Consulting Group, president of the Presmet Corp., a manufacturer of powder metal components, and senior vice president at Lego Systems, where he co-founded the US division of the toy company. Prior to Lego, Healy held a succession of positions at Squibb-Beech-Nut Inc., starting as a sales representative and rising to vice president of sales in several operating divisions.

He serves as board member or trustee for numerous local businesses, schools and non-profit organizations.

Paul Maguire

At Intellisource International, Paul Maguire looks through the lens of the customer and investor to help executives broaden their perspective to see new growth opportunities and to help them make better and faster decisions. Over a 20-year period in the software industry, he participated in seven start-up companies, all of which achieved their exit strategies. He has been through the IPO process twice and has participated in more than 15 mergers and acquisitions.

Before founding IntelliSource, Maguire served as Chairman and CEO of Infotriever, a Toronto-based software company backed by Brightspark Ventures. In addition to his role as CEO, he also served as Brightspark’s Business Development Strategist for eight start-up companies in their investment portfolio.

Maguire and his wife also operate the Maguire House Bed & Breakfast in Ashburnham. He holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Fitchburg State College.

John Gravelle

President and CEO of Mar-Lee Companies in Leominster, Massachusetts, John Gravelle is a successful entrepreneur who has directed the operations of Mar-Lee Companies for more than 25 years. Under his direction, Mar-Lee has grown to become one of the area’s leading plastics manufacturers and mold makers whose business focus is the medical and consumer products markets.

Mar-Lee has successfully transformed itself from a traditional custom injection molder and moldmaker into a successful contract manufacturer specializing in medical applications and high-volume, highly automated packaging products. With annual growth of 15 to 20 percent, Mar-Lee has generated double digit profits, while investing an average of 10 percent of annual sales into automation and technology.

An active community member in Leominster, Gravelle is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, the Society of Plastics Industries, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and the Society of Plastics Engineers.

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Last modified: Feb 18, 2008, 09:07 EST