The U.S. Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has named Alan Barfoot “Practitioner of the Year,” one of only four chosen nationwide. Barfoot, the central Georgia region manager with Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, accepted the award at MEP’s recent conference in Orlando, Fla.
MEP – part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology – is a national network of not-for-profit centers in nearly 400 locations that helps U.S. manufacturers compete globally by strengthening supply chains and increasing productivity. The practitioner award recognizes individuals whose leadership and contributions have made a significant economic impact on small- and medium-sized manufacturers, advanced industrial technology development and improved the competitiveness of American manufacturers.
“Alan has spent the duration of his career with Georgia Tech in rural middle Georgia where he has developed and demonstrated a passion for manufacturing and economic development,” said Chris Downing, director of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which is part of the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute. “Alan has always demonstrated zeal for serving clients, learning new processes, transferring knowledge and, most importantly, doing the right thing.”
Barfoot, who holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech and an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina, has been with Georgia Tech since 1989. He currently works as the central Georgia region manager for the Enterprise Innovation Institute where he provides technical assistance to manufacturers, assists community developers with infrastructure assessments and planning, partners with other educational institutions and government agencies and mentors professional staff and co-op students. He has expertise in economic development, ISO 9000, business assessments, industrial site location and development, lean manufacturing and new product development.
As a result of projects led by Barfoot and his team last year, clients in the central Georgia region reported more than $4.5 million in sales increases, $9.6 million in retained sales, more than $1 million in cost savings and more than $15 million in investments in facilities, information technology or workforce practices.
“This MEP award is a great recognition, not only for me, but for my staff and the bright economic future for the central Georgia region,” said Barfoot. “I am proud to be able to contribute to the impact that Georgia Tech is making in business and industry in rural Georgia.”
The Enterprise Innovation Institute helps enterprises improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation. The central Georgia office serves the following counties: Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Candler, Crawford, Dodge, Emanuel, Evans, Houston, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, Monroe, Montgomery, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington, Wheeler, Wilcox and Wilkinson.
Enterprise Innovation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
Media Relations Contact: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (john.toon@innovate.gatech.edu).
Writer: Nancy Fullbright