What Has MOTN Been Doing For You? Recent Activities and Initiatives
–A Report and a Challenge by MOTN President Harlan Doliner
As MOTN has continued to ramp-up its activities and efforts throughout 2014, and with greater intensity during 2015 to date, it became clear from contacts with members and others that we need to do a better job in communications: getting out the word about what we’re doing, and hearing from you, our members, more about what MOTN can be doing for you. To that end, we’ve updated and re-booted our web-site; updated our Constant Contact list and increased messages to it; brought on board Morgan McCarthy, our terrific Program Chair and instituted direct outreach via both in-person meetings and Morgan’s current telephone campaign, as described in her most recent Constant Contact post and on our web-site. This piece is part of our communications effort, and, hopefully, the first of more frequent reports from me. (Promises, promises..)
We’ve heard you as you’ve asked for more networking, training/informational programs and more contact with industry opportunities and government officials. In order to do so, as well as to continue the efforts described below, we are reaching out to our member companies and others to re-renew their memberships now.
To encourage you to join or to renew, MOTN’s board has approved:
- Freezing membership rates at their current levels:
- 1 – 2 Employees / $100
- 3-10 Employees / $250
- 11-25 Employees / $350
- 26+ Employees / $500
- Government/Academia / $500
- For companies joining or renewing before September 30, their memberships will be in effect until December 31, 2016.
If she hasn’t already, Morgan McCarthy, MOTN’s Program Chair, may be calling you soon to verify points of contact, get your feedback on what MOTN can be doing for your company and finding out what we might do to be helpful at the upcoming Oceans ’15 conference in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, you can quickly and easily join or renew on-line at https://motn.org/2018_reboot/member-registration/. If your company requires an invoice, etc., contact Treasurer Mike Mathewson at motn.money@gmail.com. Of course, we’re always available for other questions or concerns at info@motn.org.
Please review what we’ve done and some of what we’re planning to do, as summarized below. I hope you’ll agree that MOTN membership can be a very cost-effective part of your business planning. Finally, please consider rising to the challenge of making MOTN an even better organization by resolving to attend one or more of our upcoming events and then consider getting involved in our programs and related efforts. An e-mail or phone call from you is all that it takes. I’m personally available at 617-309-2617 or hdoliner@verrilldana.com.
Under way, making way, under command. Rudder amidships, ahead full,
Harlan
For more from Harlan check out Sea Technology Magazine’s Soapbox article here.
2014
In addition to the efforts described above, 2014 saw MOTN being well-represented at Oceans ’14 in St. John’s, Newfoundland by Rhonda Moniz, Mike Mathewson, Chris Casagrande and me. (Apologies to anyone omitted.) On MOTN’s behalf, I participated in a panel discussion focusing on marine technology transfer issues. Aileen Torres-Bennett, Managing Editor of Sea Technology Magazine, happened to be in the audience. A post-panel conversation resulted in a “Soap Box” column in the December issue.
[ read article >>> ]
2015 [to date]
January 12: with MOTN Treasurer Mike Mathewson, video conference with US Embassy, Reykjavik briefing Iceland marine companies and financial services on doing business in the U.S.
January 13: Board conference call.
February 4 (morning): Represent MOTN at MassBays (Massachusetts National Estuary Program) Management Committee.
February 4 (afternoon): Meet with Maryanne Burke and Angela Turin of U.S. Commercial Service (Dept. of Commerce) to brief on latest in U.S. marine tech industry
February 24: MOTN Board Meeting.
March 16: MOTN Boston reception for Iceland marine tech companies, U.S. Ambassador to Iceland, and Rector (President) of Reykjavik University.
March 18: Represent MOTN at MassBays Management Committee.
April 15: Mike Mathewson represents MOTN at Ocean Business ’15 in the UK.
April 15: Represent MOTN as a presenter at MassBays “State of the Bays” symposium. Presentation prepared by Program Director Morgan McCarthy, who also attended.
April 29: Represent MOTN as a moderator at the Environmental Business Council of New England’s Coastal & Oceans Committee program on coastal resiliency. Morgan McCarthy represented MOTN as a panelist.
April 30: Board Conference Call.
May 1: MOTN group visit to U.S. Industry Cluster at Harvard Business School to advocate for marine tech industry’s inclusion in HBS’s national industry cluster mapping project.
May 13 (morning): Board Conference Call.
May 13 (evening): Represent MOTN at UCAS (Unmanned Combat Air Systems) conference, Naval War College, Newport.
May 18: Site visit to Fitzgerald shipyard with AUVSI – New England (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems, International).
June 1: Interview with U.S. General Accounting Office’s maritime industry study.
June 16: MOTN delegation and booth at Devens Robotica ’15, including Morgan McCarthy representing MOTN as a panelist.
June 17: Represent MOTN at MassBays Management Committee.
July 7: MOTN Board Meeting aboard VP Marianne Molchan’s Renaissance Woman, then moored at Naval Station Newport.
July 10: Meeting with Jessica Benson of IDA Ireland Boston to further relations between the Irish and U.S. marine tech industries.
July 28: MOTN team of Harlan Doliner, Morgan McCarthy and Jeff Komrower from MOTN member company Noise Control Engineering briefed the Marine Technology Team of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Boston on the state of the marine technology industry in New England and future foreign business opportunities.
August 10: MOTN President Harlan is sworn-in by Massachusetts Lt. Governor Karyn Polito as an original member of the newly-created Seaport Economic Council. The Council’s purpose is to provide statewide coordination of all coastal community planning and investment activities, with its aims including leveraging our marine technology industry to stimulate economic development and create jobs in the maritime economy sector as well as to protect coastal assets that are vital to achieving these aims.
August 17: MOTN Board Conference Call, planning out fall events and MOTN’s presence at the upcoming Oceans ’15 in Washington, D.C.
August 19: Represent MOTN on the MREC (New England Marine Renewable Energy Center) board of directors conference call.
Just Over the Horizon:
- September – Board & Networking meetings, likely in Gloucester to be combined with new member outreach.
- October – MOTN presence at Oceans ’15 in Washington, D.C.
- November – Joint AUVSI-MOTN-MTS maritime event at Advance Technology Manufacturing Center, Fall River, including networking and training presentations.
- December – MOTN representation at NERACOOS’ (Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems) annual meeting and conference in Portsmouth, NH.
