UEDA Elects New Vice President

Steve Holland has been Director of the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) and the University Technical Assistance Program (UTAP), outreach centers in the Montana State University College of Engineering since 2000. At MMEC he developed and administers an annual budget of more than $1.5 million; builds and maintains strong stakeholder relationships including university system, state government, congressional delegations, economic development organizations, and NIST MEP. He has secured on-mission fund stability and growth through novel partnerships and forward-thinking initiatives; developed and manages a large advisory board; and is responsible for professional field staff, support staff and UTAP graduate student engineers providing technical and business management assistance to manufacturers across Montana.

He is also co-director of the highly successful MilTech partnership with MSU TechLink to move innovative technology into the hands of the US warfighter more quickly, reliably and cost effectively. He has also developed a strong partnership with Montana’s Agro-Energy initiative through WIRED to deliver workforce training to companies involved in bio-products manufacturing.

MMEC has a market penetration of nearly 20%, serving firms in 48 of Montana’s 56 counties; over 575 clients and more than 1200 completed projects resulting in economic impact for projects conducted from October 2000 thru September 2006 of 611 new and retain jobs, more than $40 million in investment and $102 million in new and retain sales for client companies as a result of direct services (latest impact data from independent survey of clients). MMEC is an affiliate of the national NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

Steve is committed to economic development in Montana and current serves on a variety of boards and councils in the state including the Montana District Export Council and Montana State Technology Committee and Montana State Chamber of Commerce. Nationally, he serves on boards for the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (Board Secretary); a Vice-President of the American Industrial Extension Alliance and the University Economic Development Association.

Holland has both a Bachelor of Science & Master of Science degree in Industrial & Management Engineering from Montana State University in Bozeman. He is a registered Professional Engineer (AR) and served in the U.S. Coast Guard for four years.

Steve's visionary leadership style grew from more than 30 years of experience with manufacturing as an engineer, business analyst, controller, manager and program director, with over 20 years spent in progressively responsible positions with Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America). He has a proven record of achieving greater profitability at ALCOA including negotiating reduced freight rates, developing new transportation alternatives, improving operating margins and invoking changes to an accounting system to motivate value-added behavior and decisions in the sales force.