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Events and seminars

Partner with insurance firm to speak

The May meeting of the Williamsport Inventor’s Club will feature a presentation by Mary McKinley, partner and corporate secretary/treasurer at Wilkinson Dunn Co. at 5:15 p.m., May 25. McKinley will be speaking on insurance needs of the product developer with particular emphasis on product liability.

McKinley is a lifelong resident of Lycoming County and began her insurance career with Wilkinson Dunn Co. in 1994. McKinley is an account executive handling commercial property and casualty business. McKinley is licensed for property, casualty, life, health, annuities and related lines in Pennsylvania and New York and has attained the certified insurance counselor designation.

The Williamsport Inventor’s Club is designed to educate, foster collaboration and networking and give attendees the tools, resources and knowledge they need to move their inventions forward.

The Innovative Manufacturers’ Center is host to the Williamsport/Lycoming Keystone Innovation Zone, which has provided program support to the Williamsport Inventor’s Club since its founding in 2007. Meetings take place on the 4th Wednesday of most months and are open to the public.

Attendance is free and open to the public; however, registration is required at www.imcpa.com/events or by calling 570-329-3200 ext. 8085.

New attendees are asked to arrive by 5:15 p.m. to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to the start of the meeting to protect the inventors and information exchanged.

Workshop teaches

financial software

The Small Business Development Center of Lock Haven University will hold an “Introduction to QuickBooks” workshop from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., May 31, at 301 W. Church St., Lock Haven.

Financial accounting software can help business owners save time and make money. Get the details on how you can use the No. 1 rated small business accounting software for your business needs by attending this upcoming session. QuickBooks Pro software will be used for this training program.

The hands-on introductory class will cover chart of accounts, adding new accounts, items, customers, and vendors. Participants will learn how to track accounts receivable and accounts payable, record sales and expenses, and how to maintain a check register. Producing reports and backing-up your data also will be introduced. This class normally fills up quickly, so don’t hesitate to call or visit the center’s website.

More information and registration for the workshop are available by calling the center at 570-484-2848 or visiting the website at community.lhup.edu/sbdc/training.htm. There is a registration fee for this workshop. Reserving a spot in this class is required; walk-ins will not be accepted due to limited space and computer equipment.

Security topic of

day’s events

Infragard’s free and open to the public Security Symposium is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon, June 2 at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Speakers include David Chastain, of Armstrong World Industries, on the topic of Ransomware; Cynthia Ayers, of EMP Task Force, on electric grid security; Dan Bennett, of Geisinger Health System, on IoT security; Monte Morgan, of Williams Co., on gas pipeline security; Agent Billy Ebersole, of the FBI, on insider threats and Sgt. David Miller, of Carlisle Police Department, on active shooters.

On-site registration starts at 7:30 a.m. in the SASC building. Seating is limited so register soon. Register at www.imcpa.com/event/infragard

Auditor training

available in June

The Innovative Manufacturers Center will host ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor Training starting June 8 in State College.

ISO requires that business leaders conduct internal audits of management systems. This Internal Auditor Training Class is designed to train your personnel to become qualified to conduct internal audits in a positive, constructive, auditee-friendly manner. This two-day class teaches the fundamentals of the audit process and a comprehensive understanding of the ISO standard. Participants can use their freshly gained knowledge during practical exercises and case studies.

The course’s agenda includes introduction to internal auditing, principles of auditing, goals and objective of internal auditing, terminology and definitions, characteristics of successful internal audits and internal auditors, phases of internal auditing, step-by-step methodology for internal audit preparation, performance, reporting and follow-up and quality management system characteristics.

The course also is recommended for anyone desiring an in-depth understanding of the auditing process and the requirements for a successful registration audit.

Participants will receive training materials and a certificate after successful completion.

To register, visit http://imcpa.com/event/iso-90012015-internal-auditor-training/

Seminar looks at

innovation engineering

The Innovative Manufacturers Center will host innovation engineering — how to create profitable new products and services, June 23 in Williamsport.

The key to profitability is to bring products and services to the marketplace that are both meaningful to customers and as unique as possible, according to a news release.

In this half-day session, Russ Lawrence, director of innovation with the IMC will share what it takes for a company to become an “innovative enterprise” and specifically how the tools, concepts, practices and learning system that is innovation engineering can achieve that objective.

Specific learning objectives include understanding innovation as a collaborative system that can engage across departments and functions of the organization, how to develop an “innovation strategy” that inspires deliverable ideas, the best tools and methods for generating ideas and expressing them in a clear and consistent format, the five progressive levels of prototyping, how to “fail fast and fail cheap” — to learn and make decisions without expending significant resources and understanding the innovation process stages.

A sampling of the activities, tools and methods applied at each process stage (such as ideation, evaluating ideas, prototyping, voice of customer, open innovation, rapid financial estimates, supply chain mapping)

How to apply classic problem solving tools and methods to support the innovation process

The power and necessity of focus to successfully introduce products to the marketplace

How any employee can become a valuable research asset for markets, customers, trends and technologies

How to do early estimating and forecasting for new ideas (structured back-of-the-napkin financials for rapid change)

How to translate “tech-speak” and product features into benefits that get the customer’s attention

Lawrence has 25 years of experience with lean/continuous improvement implementations along with multiple certifications. He has been with IMC for five years following a career with Pittsburgh-based manufacturer PPG Industries Inc. He works with small and mid-sized manufacturers on many issues and primarily on innovation and continuous improvement-related challenges and solutions. His passion is for win-win workplace practices like innovation engineering that maximize the creative potential of individuals and makes work more rewarding while simultaneously elevating the success of their organizations.

Through a Department of Labor and Industry grant, a reduced registration fee is available to qualified manufacturers. To learn more or to register, visit http://imcpa.com/event/innovation-engineering/.

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