Leadership Team

Mike Coast is President Emeritus of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center). Prior to his retirement, Coast will continue to serve alongside incoming President Ingrid Tighe as the official representative of the MEP National Network in Michigan. The MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing

The Center offers personalized consulting services that enable Michigan manufacturers to work smarter, compete and prosper. The organization’s experts develop more effective business leaders, drive product and process innovation, assist with navigating through governmental regulations, promote company-wide operational excellence and foster creative strategies for business growth and greater profitability.

Coast has been with The Center for 27 years and served as President for the past 21 years. Prior to his retirement, he was responsible for the organization’s statewide network of five offices, its innovation and growth strategies, for building and managing relationships with Michigan’s industry clients and state and federal governmental stakeholders. Coast was co-founder and first Chairman of the Board of the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC), which every year since 2003 has brought MEP clients to “Hill Day” in Washington, D.C. to fight for, and win, bipartisan support for the MEP program. Coast also has built the relationship between The Center and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) into a true working partnership. As a founding member of the NIST MEP National Network Leadership Team, he serves to drive innovation and Industry 4.0/Industrial Internet of Things technologies to small and medium-sized manufacturers across America.

In 2017, Coast was awarded the highly regarded MEPeople Award, the highest level of recognition any person associated with the MEP program can receive. The award was presented at the Foundation for Manufacturing Excellence’s 2017 Industry Awards during the MEP national summit. There is no application for this award, and it is not awarded on a regular basis (the previous award was presented 15 years earlier); it is only given to those who are recognized by the entire MEP community for having a large, positive impact on the network as a whole.

PUBLICATIONS

The Center Celebrates 30 Years of Helping Michigan Manufacture Smarter
DBUSINESS: Industry 4.0