Program Helps Create and Retain Jobs, Generating $32 in Sales for
Every $1 Spent
Today’s
release of the latest employment statistics from the Department of
Labor—244,000 jobs added in April—makes you wonder, where did these jobs come
from? While we know most jobs are created by the private sector, government agencies
often do have a role in fostering this job creation. The Hollings
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program at the Commerce
Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology has done just that.
As a public-private
partnership, MEP delivers a high return on its investments to American taxpayers.
In 2009, MEP helped businesses create or retain 72,075 jobs, and for every one
dollar of federal investment, generated $32 in new sales growth (PDF). This return on
investment translates to $3.6 billion in new sales annually among MEP clients.
And for every $1,570 in federal investment, MEP creates or retains one
manufacturing job. Such impressive results come from a survey of MEP clients by
private marketing firm Turner Marketing, Inc.
How did MEP
achieve such a large return on its investments?
First, a little history. Congress
established MEP in 1988 to help small- and mid-sized manufacturers increase
growth, cut costs, and create innovative new products and services. NIST, the federal partner in MEP, works with
local and regional manufacturing experts across the United
States to build a nationwide network of resources for America’s manufacturers. Several dozen NIST staff leverage over 1,400
technical experts across the nation in every state, focused on solving
manufacturers’ biggest challenges and identifying opportunities for growth.