Florida MEP: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2008

For more information please contact:
Gene Lussier
Board Chair, Florida MEP
954-565-0047

MR. FUNNEL IS NOW RIGHT ON SCHEDULE, THANKS TO THE FLORIDA MEP
Company Obtains GSA Schedule in Three Months with Help from Florida MEP

Palm City, FL - If your engine in your boat, truck or even your riding lawn mower seems to be a bit sluggish, the Mr. Funnel Fuel Filter may be all you need to start it running smoothly again. The Mr. Funnel Fuel Filter, a product of a Martin County company, is a heavy-duty, fast-flow, portable funnel with a built in patent-pending filter. It is especially designed to filter out water, dirt and other debris from most fuels, including gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and heating oil.

Since the Mr. Funnel Fuel Filter can filter out the finest-sized particles in fuel, it can be an important tool to use in the deserts and military war zones of the Middle East, as it will clear any fuel of any sand particles that pass through.

“It became evident that Mr. Funnel should get in on some government contracts. Through discussions with Brett Berhoff, President, we thought it would be best they became an approved supplier under a GSA Schedule,” said Phyllis Morese, project manager at the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP).

A GSA Schedule is a five-year contract listing the prices the federal government has agreed to pay for a vendor’s commercial products and services. On this list, there are approximately 11 million high-quality commercial supplies and services that can be ordered directly from GSA Schedule contractors, and they are being offered at volume discount pricing. This schedule system is a very efficient buying method, as federal buyers can submit requests to vendors on this schedule and then select the vendor that is at the best value for them.

“To be an approved supplier under a GSA Schedule, Mr. Funnel had to go through an extensive application process and Larry Meadows, Florida MEP project manager, assisted us through all those steps,” said Berhoff. “We had used the Florida MEP for lean training in our company once before, so we knew they would be extremely helpful in this process.”

The steps to get on a GSA Schedule include determining the applicable GSA Schedule for their product, registering in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database, completing applications, and negotiating the company’s best offer.

“It usually takes quite a long time to obtain a GSA Schedule, and it can be difficult to get, but within three months Mr. Funnel received its GSA Award. Their value as a company has gone up immensely, and now anyone in government can ask for these funnels, and in an instant, the order can be processed and completed,” added Morese. “It’s like having a salesperson selling to the federal government 24-7. In the GSA Award we also included 85% of Mr. Funnel’s sister company, Shurhold Products, manufacturers and distributes of a unique line of snap-on cleaning brush systems and cleaner. Both products are widely used in the Marine and RV industry.”

The Florida MEP is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national MEP is a network of manufacturing extension centers that provide business and technical assistance to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through MEP, manufacturers have access to more than 2000 manufacturing and business “coaches” whose job is to help firms make changes that lead to greater productivity, increased profits, and enhanced global competitiveness. For more information on the Florida MEP program call 321-939-4000.

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