ATAS International, Inc., and their sister company, BRIGHTSMITH Coaters, had two employees graduate from the Manufacturers Resource Center’s (MRC) Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI) certificate program in November.  Jason Eberts, Assistant Inside Technical Sales Manager at ATAS, and Tony Bus, Product and Process Manager at BRIGHTSMITH, are graduates in the class of 2020.  The class included 21 other area manufacturing professionals.  A total of 15 employees from ATAS and BRIGHTSMITH have graduated from this course since 2010.

Since 2006, the MRC began developing strategic leaders and promoting growth and innovation when they recognized the need for executive training.  Since they partnered with the Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University to establish this top-line certification program, it has become one of their signature offerings.  For well over a decade now, the MRC has provided a leadership certificate program for the region’s current and up-and-coming leaders.  The resulting Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI) program has graduated more than 200 participants, helping them to enhance their skills, strengthen their companies’ competitiveness, drive growth, and create sustainable business models that lead them into the future.  MRC achieves this goal by providing participants with a comprehensive strategic leadership training curriculum.  Over a five-month period, eight industry experts with real-world expertise guide MLI students through training each month.  Class sizes are typically no more than 20 to encourage personalization and participation.  MRC’s MLI topics are intended for those who hold—or aspire to hold—leadership roles.

In sharing his experience of attending, Eberts stated, “Taking the MLI course really opened my eyes up to a lot of different management strategies that I was not aware of. Moving forward, I plan to use these to grow in my career".

Bus added, “MLI offered an exciting learning experience focused on collaboration with other manufacturers in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. MRC does a fantastic job of selecting top quality presenters and leaders to teach and guide the class on a wide range of topics relevant to leaders in any business. MLI offers an opportunity to challenge yourself and your team members to grow professionally.”