July 26, 2009
By LOU WHITMIRE
News Journal
MANSFIELD -- Starting with one machine, Mark Hess and his wife Pam opened a tool and die
business in 1999. The couple went all in, selling their home to put all their assets into the venture. "My faith has played such a key role in making us who we are today," Mark Hess said from his 201 E. Fifth St. shop. "It's one of the few area shops to use 3-D solid modeling technology to design and build high-tech tooling solutions. "Our team uses its years of hands-on experience and combines it with 3-D solid modeling technology to design and build high-tech tooling solutions for our customers," Mark Hess said. "We have focused on developing a state-of-the-art tooling facility by keeping pace with the latest in technology advances."

Bob Cohen and The Braintree Business Development Center were recently featured on the Positive Vibes program sponsored by the Richland Economic Development Corpration and braodcast on WMFD. The program featured a detailed discussion of what services are available at The Braintree Business Development Center and how it affects the technology economic development of region.

To view the interview click here.

With everyone still stirring with excitement over the 40^th anniversary of the lunar landing, it was a surprise to learn that one of Braintree’s own business incubator tenants; Michael Vucelic, owner of I.E. Liquidation Inc., was one of the hundreds of support staff for over 10 Apollo missions to the moon, including the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.  Michael, a former aerospace engineer quotes in the Mansfield News Journal that, “my responsibility started at ignition plus 10 seconds and ended with the landing of the aircraft in the ocean.” (Shillig, Mansfield News Journal).  Michael was a representative for a private California firm that NASA contracted in the late 1950s; North American Rockwell (NAR), whose primary responsibility was to build the shuttle’s command and service modules.  Vucelic also coordinated 12 scientists at the mission control station and dozens of other parts suppliers, builders, and engineers from California labs, who were ready to answer questions if something should go wrong with a mission.

Eileen Mathews, an attorney at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, was the guest speaker for the "Going Global" International Trade Forum on Friday July 10, 2009. Attendees included several exporters: Allied Machine and Marlite from Dover, Precision Air from Carrollton, and Superior Tank from Beach City. These are businesses created by people seeking out success on their own terms, learning as they go. The Trade Forums offer these business men and women the opportunity to network and enhance their skills and practices. Others in attendance included resource people for exporters including: Nick Perez of the Attorney General's Office in Canton, Trade Advisor Mitch Steiner of Dalton, Brett Fulesday of KPMG Pittsburgh and Tim Sisler of Resolve Management Advisors from Canton.