# Celebrating American Manufacturing at 250 with MEP Leaders from New England

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/manufacturing-an-american-century-6604798/celebrating-american-manufacturing-at-250-with-mep-leaders-from-new-england
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/manufacturing-an-american-century-6604798/celebrating-american-manufacturing-at-250-with-mep-leaders-from-new-england.md
Podcast: [Manufacturing an American Century](https://stenobird.com/podcast/manufacturing-an-american-century-6604798)
Published: 2026-07-02T07:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/b67ac9b6-dcdc-4634-9843-89178dd6f7f1.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Audio file: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/b67ac9b6-dcdc-4634-9843-89178dd6f7f1.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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Duration seconds: 3428

## Resource

Happy Fourth of July week! This is the first of a three-episode special edition of Manufacturing an American Century , produced in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that went on to form this nation. Across the three episodes, we interview manufacturing leaders from the original American states of 1776 about the role manufacturing played in their state's past, and how that role has evolved into new opportunities for the future! We're doing this with the leaders of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP); the long-running, federally supported program designed to help manufacturers in every state. Administered by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology and operating since 1988, the MEP is a public-private network with a Center in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and over 1,400 trusted advisors on the ground. Those advisors work hands-on with the small and mid-sized manufacturers that make up the backbone of American industry, helping them adopt new technology, strengthen supply chains, and develop their workforce.  Now, be warned that, while none of us are formal historians of manufacturing during our nation’s founding years, it's still fascinating to learn a few bits of each state's manufacturing history. And, as you'll hear, there's often a through line connecting the importance of public-private partnership then to its importance now. This first episode covers the New England states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. In these short interviews, you'll hear from an MEP leader from each state on a bit of that history and on what their state makes today: Christian Cowan — Executive Director, 401k Tech Bridge, Polaris MEP (Rhode Island) Kathie Mahoney — President & CEO,…

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