AUGUSTA — The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Maine MEP) has announced the formal approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce NIST/MEP of its senior leadership team, as well as the recent hiring of a new senior project manager.

“The announcement by the Maine MEP board of directors that its leadership team has been approved by their federal partner is good news for the program and the state’s manufacturers,” said Gov. Paul LePage.

“The Maine MEP board is pleased to announce the appointment of Muriel Mosher as president and Larry Robinson as center director. Muriel brings more than 14 years of experience working with MEP centers in Maine and other states and has played a leading role in building congressional support for the MEP program, while Larry has six years of experience working as a Maine MEP project manager and has helped his clients achieve more than $30 million in economic impacts. The combination of skills that both bring to their positions gives Maine MEP a dynamic leadership team,” said Bruce Pulkkinen, Maine MEP board chairman.

Pulkkinen praised the experience of the two senior officers and emphasized that Maine MEP would continue its efforts to build statewide partnerships and expand the range of services it offers to help strengthen Maine manufacturers.

New project manager

The board chairman also announced that Bob Doiron has joined the organization as a senior project manager. Doiron previously worked for seven years as director of field operations and as a project manager for Maine MEP, before being hired by one of his MEP clients to manage quality and process improvement programs. His return to Maine MEP gives the organization a skilled auditor and trainer with more than 28 years of manufacturing experience.