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Chris Weiser Named to National Manufacturing Board

2 min read

Chris Weiser, owner and CEO of J.V. Manufacturing in Springdale, is the first Arkansan to be appointed to the National Institute of Standards & Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board.

The 15-member board is legislatively mandated and was established pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Weiser’s term will expire in 2020.

The MEP has centers in each of the 50 states and in Puerto Rico with partnerships at the state, federal and local levels. The board provides the program with advice on its activities, plans and policies; assessments of the soundness of the plans and strategies; and assessments of current performance against program plans.  

Last year, the center helped more than 25,445 manufacturers, leading to $9.3 billion in sales, $1.4 billion in cost savings, $3.5 billion in new client investments, and helped create and retain more than 86,602 jobs, according to a news release.

Arkansas’ MEP is a program of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Manufacturing Solutions Division, which has, over the past five years, helped manufacturers with $836 million in increased and retained sales, $15 million in cost savings, $152 million in client capital investment and create or retain more than 7,166 jobs.

“Manufacturing has a rich history in Arkansas that continues to grow due to innovative manufacturers that expand and locate in the state … The fact we now have an Arkansan serving on this board is a testament to Chris’ reputation among his colleagues and Arkansas’ significant manufacturing presence,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in the news release.

“I have a passion for manufacturing and look forward to sharing the knowledge I’ve gained through years of experience with my colleagues on the board,” Weiser said. “I believe, with support from organizations like MEP, the future for manufacturing in the U.S. is extremely bright.”

Weiser is from Springdale. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arkansas and is a graduate of the Executive Program at the University of Virginia. He worked for Freeport MacMoran, a minerals and oil-and-gas producing company in Louisiana, before returning to Arkansas in 1985 to help his parents run J.V. Manufacturing Inc.

The private company has been in business since 1978 and has two locations, in Springdale and in Conway.

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