Partners to bridge the gap.
What is the relationship between the Automation & Robotics Institute (ARRI), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for Enterprise Excellence, Texas manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) and Cross Timbers Procurement Center (CTPC)?
ARRI is a department of the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) College of Engineering. It was opened in 1988 and designated by the Texas legislature as a “Manufacturing Center of Excellence” with the Mission of “Bridging the Gap” between industry and academia. Many believed that traditional research occurring in universities was too “ivory tower” - not practical enough for industrial application and that a “bridge” should be created where “practical” research could be conducted. ARRI became the laboratory where the university provided the research “brain power” and industry provided direction and funding to drive the research.
Meanwhile, another gap still remained. Others recognized that small businesses were a driving vital force of the US economy. Yet small businesses rarely had the resources to do the research or be on the cutting edge necessary to gain or maintain a competitive edge. The realization occurred that only through a public-private partnership could we create an organization that would be able to provide assistance to small and medium sized businesses over the long term.
In 1991, UTA/ARRI won a contract with the Defense Logistics Agency to operate a Procurement Technical Assistance Center (Cross-Timbers Procurement Center (CTPC)). Cross Timbers helps companies who want to sell to the federal, state or local governments.
In 1992, UTA/ARRI won a sub-contract to operate the Small Business Development Center for enterprise Excellence, a cooperative agreement between the university and the Small Business Administration.
In 1995, Texas won a statewide contract with the department of Commerce to operate the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center.
Together the CTPC, SBDC and TMAC serve slightly different target markets or have slightly different products, but taken as a whole we are an incredible resource to the small business community that drives the economic engine of the whole US economy. Links for each organization can be found on the “About Us” page using the Resource Partners hyper-link.
