The Fastlane program did receive a fiscal year funding renewal Dec. 1, two months after the start of the federal fiscal year. In that same letter from the National Institute of Technology and Standards (NIST), however, Fastlane was notified, “Oh by the way, you’re suspended as of Friday,” Ratermann said.
“It’s not very fair,” he said. “The immediacy of it is really unfortunate.”
What Ratermann finds particularly troubling is funds have been suspended before a detailed audit report has been released. He said the suspension appears to be centered on concerns about how finances are reported.
“We haven’t had a chance to address any problems,” Ratermann said.
The move halted federal funds, which halted state funds, as well. The non-profit Fastlane office continues to operate, with the office telling clients that current projects will be completed. But Fastlane is not accepting new clients, at least not now.
That leaves the future murky.
“How can we keep this program going with no support?” he asked.
Fastlane has a staff of 12. Ratermann said in an interview Thursday that he has not let any staff members go, but that may begin to happen if funding isn’t restored by early February.
“I’m worried about my people, and the talent that we have here,” he said.
Ratermann visits Washington, D.C. each year with Fastlane clients to talk about the program.
“We make sure that senators and members of the House know ... that this program, with a small amount of money, really helps thousands and thousands of small and medium companies every single year,” he said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine this week wrote to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick requesting more information on the suspension to the Manufacturing Extension Program.
“I fully support efforts to ensure federal programs administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce are properly handled by grantees, but a protracted suspension of this program could have long-term adverse effects if not resolved quickly,” DeWine said.
DeWine’s letter said the Ohio Department of Development received a notice from NIST regarding preliminary findings “in connection with an active financial assistance audit” performed by the Commerce Department inspector general.
Questions were sent Thursday to representatives of the Commerce Department and NIST. The latter institute funds the MEP program across the country.
Questions were also sent to the Ohio Department of Development.
“The Trump Administration and Commerce Department’s reckless decision to freeze funding to Ohio’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership offices will hit small and mid-size manufacturers hard,” U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, said in a statement to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Fastlane is one of six “MEP” offices across Ohio.
Among the Dayton-area manufacturers Fastlane assisted has been Killer Brownie.
Fastlane helped Killer Brownie with a packaging line changeover last year, among other projects, Matt Ross, chief operating officer at the brownie business, told the Dayton Daily News. The company went from taking about 45 minutes for packaging resets to taking 15 minutes, multiple times a week.
Fastlane has worked with some Dayton-area household names, companies like Honda, GE Aerospace, Midmark and Henny-Penny, among others. Most clients are medium-sized employers.
Client companies who could be helped “are the ones who are going to lose” as a result of the lost funding, Ratermann said.
Altogether, Fastlane has worked with more than 800 small- and medium sized manufacturers since 2013. The program aims to help with an array of problems, Ratermann has said, including supply chain hiccups, quality problems, adopting new technologies and pushing down scrap rates, among other manufacturing conundrums.
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