Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech Celebrates 65 Years of Service

admin — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 22:43:40 +0000

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech Celebrates 65 Years of Service admin Thu, 07/24/2025 - 18:43

The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech, received recognition by Gov. Brian P. Kemp at the Georgia State Capitol for 65 years of service to the manufacturing industry.

The commendation acknowledged GaMEP for leveraging its world-renowned expertise and resources to advance manufacturing and economic prosperity across the state, supporting an industry that adds $82 billion to the economy and employs 425,000 residents, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

This impact reflects decades of intentional growth and support for the industry. By 1960, more than 4,500 manufacturers had planted roots across Georgia — the result of strategic efforts by state leaders, with economic development assistance from Georgia Tech, to industrialize the economy. But growth brought new challenges. Manufacturers needed technical support to stay competitive. In response, the Georgia General Assembly voted to establish the Georgia Tech Industrial Extension Service (now known as the GaMEP). This created statewide field offices that provide a direct link between industry and innovation, delivering on-site technical expertise to help manufacturers thrive.

“Our role is to support those manufacturers so together we can help grow the state’s economy — and we’ve been really successful at that,” said Tim Israel, GaMEP director and EI2 associate vice president for corporate engagement/firm-based programs. “In 2024, Georgia experienced a significant return on its investment with the GaMEP generating an impressive $294 for every state dollar allocated to manufacturing projects. This remarkable outcome highlights the critical importance of the state’s strategic investments in strengthening Georgia’s manufacturing sector.”

Over the past decade alone, the GaMEP has provided assistance and education to more than 3,900 manufacturers across 144 counties, helping them create or retain 14,500 jobs, invest $1 billion in capital improvements, realize $3.5 billion in sales, and save nearly $450 million in costs. The GaMEP primarily serves small- to medium-sized manufacturers with 75% employing less than 250 workers. Its top-served industries include fabricated metal products, food, machinery, and chemical and transportation equipment manufacturing.

“When Georgia manufacturers become more productive and profitable, they hire more people, pay better wages, and stabilize local economies, especially in rural and underserved areas of the state,” said David Bridges, EI2 vice president. “This also creates pathways for career advancement for frontline workers who might not have had previous opportunities.”

Today, GaMEP’s reach spans 10 regions across the state, each led by a dedicated region manager who lives and works locally, offering manufacturers direct, knowledgeable connections to its expert team, valuable resources, and diverse partners.

“The GaMEP has been a trusted collaborator and valued partner in strengthening manufacturing across Georgia,” said Lloyd Avram, Georgia Association of Manufacturers CEO and president. “Together, we’ve supported thousands of manufacturers statewide — helping them embrace innovation, improve operations, and remain competitive. We appreciate their extensive expertise and shared dedication to advancing the industry, and we look forward to continuing our work together to ensure Georgia remains one of the best states for manufacturing.”

GaMEP’s impact and success by region, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development regions:

Coastal Region

Counties: Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, and Screven.
Manufacturers served: 269.
Jobs created/retained: 283.
Capital improvement investment: $23,171,292.
Costs saved: $1,645,061.
Sales realized: $13,965,000.
Success story: Roger Wood Foods.

East Region

Counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes.
Manufacturers served: 169.
Jobs created/retained: 3,899.
Capital improvement investment: $127,754,280.
Costs saved: $14,771,582.
Sales realized: $975,465,000.
Success story: Nutritional Resources.

East Central Region

Counties: Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton.
Manufacturers served: 209.
Jobs created/retained: 621.
Capital improvement investment: $19,703,035.
Costs saved: $2,535,494.
Sales realized: $29,486,000.
Success stories: Creature Comforts Brewing Company and Poly Tech Industries.

Metro Atlanta Region

Counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale.
Manufacturers served: 1,601.
Jobs created/retained: 2,928.
Capital improvement investment: $235,763,480.
Costs saved: $112,083,262.
Sales realized: $844,679,890.
Success stories: Compass Technology Group, Construction Specialties, and Highland Forge.

Middle Region

Counties: Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, and Wilkinson.
Manufacturers served: 170.
Jobs created/retained: 972.
Capital improvement investment: $121,814,846.
Costs saved: $8,810,950.
Sales realized: $300,213,400.
Success story: Unified Defense.

Northeast Region

Counties: Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White.
Manufacturers served: 280.
Jobs created/retained: 1,029.
Capital improvement investment: $88,443,395.
Costs saved: $63,999,228.
Sales realized: $259,453,900.
Success story: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.

Northwest Region

Counties: Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield.
Manufacturers served: 387.
Jobs created/retained: 1,090.
Capital improvement investment: $ $92,948,931.
Costs saved: $141,460,651.
Sales realized: $326,366,408.
Success story: Trenton Pressing.

South Region

Counties: Appling, Bleckley, Candler, Dodge, Emanuel, Evans, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, Wheeler, and Wilcox.
Manufacturers served: 176.
Jobs created/retained: 969.
Capital improvement investment: $219,300,221.
Costs saved: $6,596,254.
Sales realized: $39,632,275.
Success story: Healthy Pet.

Southeast Region

Counties: Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Tift, Turner, and Ware.
Manufacturers served: 166.
Jobs created/retained: 281.
Capital improvement investment: $20,684,800.
Costs saved: $3,098,700.
Sales realized: $77,724,500.
Success stories: CJB Industries and South Georgia Pecan.

Southwest Region

Counties: Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, and Worth.
Manufacturers served: 130.
Jobs created/retained: 130.
Capital improvement investment: $12,266,730.
Costs saved: $1,682,790.
Sales realized: $5,002,020.
Success story: Sweet Grass Dairy.

West Region

Counties: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, and Webster.
Manufacturers served: 111.
Jobs created/retained: 713.
Capital improvement investment: $37,948,131.
Costs saved: $3,197,600.
Sales realized: $69,588,348.
Success story: Oneda Corporation.

West Central Region

Counties: Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson.
Manufacturers served: 234.
Jobs created/retained: 1,658.
Capital improvement investment: $90,750,763.
Costs saved: $89,931,074.
Sales realized: $615,900,002.
Success stories: Complete Truck Bodies and Mountville Mills.

For more information about GaMEP’s impact, including impact by county, visit gamep.org/statewide-impact.

About the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership
The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech, serves manufacturers by offering solution-based assistance that promotes top-line growth and reduces bottom-line cost. The GaMEP, a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has advanced manufacturing and economic prosperity in Georgia since 1960. For more information, visit gamep.org and like/follow on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

Summary sentence

Gov. Brian Kemp recognizes GaMEP history and impact serving manufacturers in Georgia.

Summary

The commendation celebrates GaMEP’s commitment to supporting manufacturers across the state through educational opportunities and technical assistance.

Dateline

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 12:00

peralte@gatech.edu

Contact

Péralte Paul
peralte@gatech.edu
404.316.1210

Associated importer

Keywords

Enterprise Innovation Institute

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

GaMEP

go-researchnews

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

NIH awards $2.9M to Annoviant to advance heart disease technology

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:39:41 +0000

NIH awards $2.9M to Annoviant to advance heart disease technology admin Fri, 04/19/2024 - 11:39

ATLANTA — Annoviant Inc. a health technology company and member startup in the Center for MedTech Excellence at Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute, is receiving a $2.99 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to further scale the development and commercialization of its TxGuard™ pulmonary-valved conduit for pediatric heart disease.

The award follows two Phase I NIH grants the company received, the most recent being in 2021.

Annoviant's patented TxGuard™ stands at the forefront of technological innovation in conduit replacements for treating congenital heart disease (CHD), the most prevalent birth defect globally and a leading cause of birth-related mortality, the company said.

CHD encompasses a broad range of abnormalities that disrupt blood flow to and from the heart. It affects approximately 40,000 newborns annually — or 1% of births in the U.S. — and 1.35 million worldwide. With an estimated 2.9 million CHD patients in the U.S. alone, the need for advanced solutions is paramount.

"This marks a significant milestone for Annoviant as we accelerate our pursuit of impactful innovation to save lives," said Annoviant CEO and co-founder Ajay Houde, Ph.D. "It validates our hypothesis and shows the NIH's confidence in our ability to make good progress. Because we are a small startup, it gives private investors the confidence to invest with us and more companies working with us across the broader ecosystem."

Addressing critical shortcomings observed in current commercial devices, TxGuard™ offers clinical advantages, notably its resistance to calcification, thrombosis, infection, and the host cell integration. This cutting-edge technology marks a new era in pediatric cardiac interventions, providing durable pulmonary valved grafts that adapt and regenerate alongside patients, minimizing the need for multiple re-operations over their lifetimes.

"Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the U.S. and is the most common birth defect in our newborns," said Center for MedTech Excellence Director Nakia Melecio, who worked with Annoviant to help it scale and reviewed its federal funding submissions.

The Center for MedTech Excellence, which launched in 2022, works with early-stage life sciences startups that have specific obstacles that young tech companies in other sectors don't face.

"This is a critical milestone for the company, and validates its research and work, thus far," Melicio said. "Annoviant's technology is tackling several challenges that the market currently faces and elevating the possibility for better patient outcomes in management of congestive heart failure."

Pediatric patients with CHD often undergo multiple cardiovascular surgeries throughout their lives, with associated costs totaling billions for the U.S. healthcare industry. TxGuard™ offers a transformative solution to this ongoing challenge, promising extended durability and reduced healthcare burden for patients and providers alike.

He credited the company's work with the Center for MedTech Excellence and being a health tech startup in the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the Enterprise Innovation Institute's startup incubator, as being pivotal in Annoviant's growth.

ATDC SBIR/STTR Catalyst Connie Casteel, who works with the incubator's portfolio companies to help the prepare for these federal, non-dilutive funding grants, had worked with Annoviant on its federal funding approach and strategy.

"We went through the 16-week program with the MedTech Center and it really helped us think through the various aspects of the commercialization process and operational challenges we would face," Houde said. "Greg Jungles at ATDC was also instrumental in helping us. I'm really thankful for Nakia and his work with the MedTech Center and Greg and the team at ATDC."

Summary sentence

Grant is third NIH award for health technology startup.

Summary

Company to deploy resources toward scaling its pediatric heard disease technology and commercialization efforts.

Dateline

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:00

peralte@gatech.edu

Contact

Péralte C. Paul
peralte@gatech.edu
404.316..1210

Associated importer

Keywords

annoviant

atdc

Center for MedTech Excellence

Heart Disease

pediatrics

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

go-researchnews

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

Health and Medicine

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech Celebrates 65 Years of Service

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

NIH awards $2.9M to Annoviant to advance heart disease technology

Keywords

News room topics

Categories