By Rebecca Lasich

This year’s line of new products from Oklahoma manufacturers is ready for presentationt to the public through the New Product Development Center at Oklahoma State University.

Similar to the fashion industry, new innovations in technology and prototypes are celebrated the same way spring clothing designs are anticipated. NPDC sponsored products cannot be found in stores but rather in small towns across Oklahoma.

The NPDC’s goal from its start in 2002 has been to strengthen Oklahoma’s economy by helping manufacturers. Bill Barfield, former professor and department head for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and retired NPDC co-director, developed the initial idea for the center. Larry Hoberock, NPDC co-director, professor and department head of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at OSU, helped Barfield establish the NPDC.

Mary Nemcok, graduate assistant for the NPDC, said both Barfield and Hoberock were

“very passionate” about the center.

“The goal of the NPDC is helping small businesses in Oklahoma succeed,” Nemcok said.

The co-directors have helped Oklahoma manufacturers use the resources at the center.

The NPDC not only partners with OSU in its unique make-up, but also with the Center for Innovation and Economic Development, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, and the Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources. CIED, CEAT and DASNR are the NPDC’s biggest contributors of resources.

The NPDC helps on-campus, providing a place for students to learn and work with clients, but also off-campus, where it impacts many manufacturers from all corners of the state.

During the past four years, the NPDC has helped manufacturers create a potential 250 jobs for the state of Oklahoma and generated more than $216 million in revenues for the manufacturers.

There are three services provided by the NPDC; new product development, business analysis and marketing communications assistance.

Cindy Blackwell, assistant professor of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership, said the NPDC and its partners work well together.

“Being a land grant school we all have the same mission; to help Oklahoma,” Blackwell said. “We also have a mission to educate students, and this takes care of all of that.”

Blackwell has been involved with the NPDC since 2005 when Barfield contacted her to establish a program where agricultural communications students could assist Oklahoma manufacturers. The spring semester in 2005 was the pilot for the agricultural communications course, Planning Campaigns for Agriculture and Natural Resources. Blackwell also helped create the Marketing Communications Program at the NPDC, which utilizes student interns to create marketing campaigns and promotional materials for clients.

The NPDC has completed 20 marketing communications projects for manufacturers with the agricultural communications campaigns class and intern projects supervised by Blackwell. The NPDC has helped many clients with a variety of manufactured products.

The NPDC’s original funding came from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The NPDC today is funded through grants from the following groups: Small Business Administration, National Science Foundation and Economic Development Association.

The University Economic Development Association recognized the NPDC with the Award of Excellence in Technology in 2005 for the center’s involvement with Klutts Equipment Inc.’s Gon-Topper. The Gon-Topper is a remote-controlled, self-loading and unloading machine for use on gondola railroad cars. Klutts received new product development and marketing communications help from the NPDC to help position its company and the Gon-Topper in the industry. Klutts is one of many projects completed by the NPDC.

There are strict criteria for manufacturers who want to apply for NPDC assistance, which can be found on the Web site. Most clients for the NPDC are referred by Manufacturing Extension Agents and Applications Engineers from across the state.

Each semester the NPDC showcases marketing communications projects completed in the agricultural communications class and those completed by the interns. This year, five projects were presented including three projects from Blackwell’s class and two intern projects.

The NPDC will continue to uncover products and assist manufacturers in developing and marketing those products.

Blackwell and other faculty work to keep the programs going.

“That’s why we’re here, we want to see Oklahoma improve,” Blackwell said.

Through the center, the directors, faculty and students, the NPDC and its sponsors will create spring, summer, fall and winter products for the market.

For more information about the NPDC and its programs, visit www.npdc.okstate.edu.