First Coast Manufacturers Association Inc

FCMA IS A NORTHEAST FLORIDA BASED TRADE ASSOCIATION CREATED TO REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF MANUFACTURING, LOGISTICS AND RELATED COMPANIES.

WE HAVE HAD ANOTHER EXCITING YEAR AT FCMA, ALONG WITH THE MANY CHALLENGES IN BUSINESS PRACTICE AND GOVERNMENT REGULATORY EXPANSION. AS LAST YEAR BROUGHT MANY CHANGES TO OUR MANUFACTURERS, 2021 HAS CONTINUED ALONG THE SAME TRAJECTORY. AS LAST YEAR BEGAN TO WIND DOWN IT APPEARED THE COVID AND THE PANDEMIC WERE BEGINNING TO DISAPPEAR, WHICH PROVED NOT TO BE THE CASE. AS THE SUMMER MONTHS APPROACHED THE VIRUS RETURNED WITH MORE VIGOR LEADING TO INCREASED CASES AND MORE SEVERITY FOR OUR MANUFACTURERS. FCMA REMAINED A CONTINUAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR OUR MEMBERS AND A CENTRAL LOCATION OF DATA FOR COMPANIES TO SHARE PROBLEMS AND ISSUES BEING EXPERIENCED BECAUSE OF THE COVID INFECTION RATE. SEVERAL OF OUR PLANNED EVENTS WERE POSTPONED, DELAYED, OR COMBINED WITH OTHER PROGRAMMING WHICH PROVED TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR OUR ASSOCIATION, DESPITE THE CONTINUING CHALLENGES. GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS AND POLICIES CONTINUED TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES AND DISADVANTAGES FOR OUR MANUFACTURERS. POLICIES IMPLEMENTED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL PROVIDED INCOME TO THE WORKFORCE, WHICH DIS-INCENTIVIZED PEOPLE FROM RETURNING TO WORK. AS 2021 IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE, WE SEE THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THESE POLICIES WHICH INCLUDE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES AND QUALIFIED WORKERS FOR OUR MANUFACTURING SECTOR. THE CHANGE IN PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE LED TO A FLURRY OF NEW REGULATIONS THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT BUSINESS OPERATIONS WHILE INCREASING REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS WORKING FOR OUR COMPANIES.FCMA CONTINUES TO PROVIDE WORKSHOPS AND COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH OUR COMMITTEES TO SHARE CHANGES IN POLICIES AND IMPOSED IMPACTS OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PANDEMIC. WE EXPANDED OUR WEBSITE TO DOCUMENT EDICTS, MANDATES, AND LEGISLATION AS RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR DEALING WITH A NUMBER OF THESE ISSUES.THE ABILITY TO MEET IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL MONTHS OF THE CONTINUED TO BE LIMITED. THE YEAR PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONTINUE HAVING VIRTUAL MEETINGS. THE VARIOUS VIRTUAL PLATFORMS WERE INCORPORATED INTO OUR GENERAL MEETINGS AS WELL AS OUR BOARD MEETINGS AND OUR COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES. THESE EMERGING PRACTICES ENABLED US TO REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH OUR MEMBERS AND PROVIDE A CONTINUUM OF CONNECTIONS. OUR FEEDBACK SHOWS WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY KEPT OUR MEMBERS INFORMED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. OUR TRAINING COURSES IN VARIOUS CLASSES WERE SUSPENDED UNTIL RECENT MONTHS. WE CONTINUE TO HAVE WORKSHOPS IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY IN AN EFFORT TO COMPLY WITH OUR MEMBERS VARIOUS COMPANY POLICIES. THESE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN WELL RECEIVED AND ATTENDED.AMONG THE PROGRAMS THAT HAD TO BE SUSPENDED FOR THE YEAR, PROFESSIONAL PROGRESS DID NOT MEET THIS YEAR. PROFESSIONAL PROGRESS IS A POPULAR PROGRAM WHICH HAS BEEN OFFERED BY OUR ASSOCIATION FOR OVER 25 YEARS. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO INTRODUCE PUBLIC REGULATORY AGENCIES WITH PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES, THUS TO BUILD A BETTER WORKING RELATIONSHIP. IT IS ANTICIPATED THE PROGRAM WILL BEGIN AGAIN THE FIRST QUARTER PF 2022. OUR TRADITIONAL LEGISLATIVE DAYS WERE HELD AGAIN THIS YEAR. THE PROGRAM WAS NOT HELD IN TALLAHASSEE AS THE CAPITAL WAS SHUT DOWN FOR COVID. A NUMBER OF OUR LOCAL OFFICIALS PARTICIPATED IN TALKING WITH OUR MEMBERS VIRTUALLY. THE EVENT HAD NUMEROUS PARTICIPANTS FROM OUR MEMBERSHIP. OUR IMPACT IN LEGISLATIVE MATTERS WAS SOMEWHAT REDUCED GIVEN THE INABILITY TO MAKE PERSONAL CONTACT HOWEVER WE WERE SUCCESSFUL AT SECURING CERTAIN GRANT TRAINING FUNDS FROM THE STATE.THE ANNUAL GOLF OUTING WAS HELD IN APRIL WITH NEAR CAPACITY LEVELS. THIS WAS OUR FIRST BROAD EFFORT TO THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR IN PERSON MEETINGS. WHILE PARTICIPATION WAS NOT AT FULL CAPACITY, IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. MANY OF OUR COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS ENJOY THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT AND ENJOY A ROUND OF GOLF WHILE INTERACTING WITH OTHER MEMBERS. FCMA CONTINUED THE TRADITION OF HAVING A SYMPOSIUM TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR OUR MEMBERS TO HEAR DIRECTLY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES UNDER THE CURRENT BUSINESS AND HEALTH CLIMATE. ORIGINALLY, OUR BOARD HAD PROJECTED TO HAVE TWO SYMPOSIUMS IN THE SPRING AND FALL, HOWEVER THEY WERE COMBINED FOR ONE LARGER AND BETTER EVENT IN AUGUST. WE HAD OVER 80 PARTICIPANTS IN OUR PROGRAM ALONG WITH SEVERAL TOPICS OF INTEREST INCLUDING ENERGY, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, TAXES AND POLICIES, AND GRANTS. THE PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED GREAT APPRECIATION TO OUR ASSOCIATION FOR HOLDING THE EVENT.OUR ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM TO RECOGNIZE OUR MANUFACTURERS AND PARTNERS WAS HELD AGAIN FOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY. MANY OF OUR COMPANIES PARTICIPATED AFTER BEING NOMINATED FOR THE AWARDS. THIS YEAR 14 AWARDS WERE PRESENT TO OUR COMPANIES INCLUDING OUR MANUFACTURER THE YEAR FOR TWO LEVELS OF EMPLOYMENT. SEVERAL OF THE INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED BY VIRTUAL MEETINGS AND OTHERS WERE HELD IN PERSON. THE PROGRESS AND INNOVATION OF OUR COMPANIES IS UTTERLY AMAZING. THE INTERVIEWS GAVE GREAT INSIGHT TO THE OPERATIONS AND DIRECTIONS OUR COMPANIES ARE GOING FOR THE FUTURE. NEW AWARD CATEGORIES WERE CREATED LAST YEAR TO COINCIDE WITH ACTIVITIES OUR COMPANIES WERE DOING. THE WINNERS WERE SELECTED AND RECOGNIZED AT THIS YEAR'S EXCELLENCE IN MANUFACTURING PROGRAM HELD IN OCTOBER. THE POPULAR PROGRAM, EXCELLENCE IN MANUFACTURING WAS HELD TWICE THIS YEAR. THE FIRST EVENT WAS IN JANUARY WHERE WE RECOGNIZED WINNERS FROM 2020. THE SECOND EVENT WAS HELD IN, WHERE W OCTOBER TO COINCIDE WITH OUR MANUFACTURERS MONTH. EACH OF THESE EVENTS WERE WELL ATTENDED PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMPANIES TO RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEES. OUR OCTOBER EVENT HAD JUST UNDER 200 PARTICIPANTS WHILE RECOGNIZING EMPLOYEES AND OUR MANUFACTURERS OF THE YEAR.OUR LEADERSHIP ACADEMY TRAINING COURSES HAVE HAD LITTLE PARTICIPATION THIS YEAR. THE PROGRAMS ARE BEGINNING AGAIN AND ARE SCHEDULED TO RESUME WITH LARGER PARTICIPATION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR. THE COURSEWORK HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO COINCIDE WITH CHANGING NEEDS OF OUR MANUFACTURERS. WE BELIEVE THE NEW STRUCTURE WILL PROVIDE A BETTER CROSS-SECTION OF SKILLS AND TRAINING FOR OUR STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM. THIS YEAR WE CONTINUED TO EXPANDED OUR OPPORTUNITIES WITH FLORIDAMAKES. AMONG THE ADVANCES WITH OUR PARTNERSHIP, WE WERE ABLE TO COLLECT INFORMATION THAT WAS USED TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES FOR OUR MEMBERS. WE WORKED WITH OUR MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEW PLATFORM FOR IDENTIFYING RESOURCES AND MATERIALS AS THE SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION HAS CONTINUED TO IMPACT OUR COMPANIES. CONNEX HAS ALSO BEEN A SIGNIFICANT TOOL FOR OUR COMPANIES TO HELP MARKET THEIR PRODUCTS.LAST YEAR FCMA PARTICIPATED IN MANUFACTURING MONTH BY INVITING OUR SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE IN VIRTUAL TOURS OF OUR COMPANIES. OUR SUCCESS IS BEEN SOMEWHAT LIMITED AS COMPANIES ENJOY HAVING STUDENTS IN PERSON AND INTERPERSONAL CONNECTIONS ARE FAR MORE DESIRABLE WITH OUR STUDENTS. WE ANTICIPATE IN 2022 THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN SHOPS AND HAVE STUDENTS VISIT IN PERSON WILL AGAIN BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR ASSOCIATION. IN CONCLUSION, THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN A NUMBER OF WAYS BY EXERCISING AND USING VIRTUAL COMMUNICATIONS AND OTHER TECHNICAL TOOLS TO KEEP OUR MEMBERSHIP INFORMED AND WELL CONNECTED. AS WE HAVE ENDED THE YEAR WE ONCE AGAIN BEGAN HAVING MEETINGS WITH COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS IN PERSON. OUR POPULAR LUNCH WITH LAKE WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE A LUNCH WITH CLAY AS WELL. THE FEEDBACK WE HAVE GOTTEN FROM THESE LUNCHES HAS BEEN THAT FCMA HAS EXCEEDED AND EXCELLED IN OUR LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION BEYOND ANY OTHER REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO CLOSING OUR YEAR OUT WITH AN OPEN HOUSE IN DECEMBER WITH A HOPE THAT IT SETS THE STAGE FOR AN EXCITING NEW YEAR.THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE WORKED TO SUPPORT AND REINFORCE OUR ASSOCIATION.