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Driving Innovation Through Collaboration

The Manufacturing Collaborative is a non-profit committed to empowering U.S. manufacturers through industry solutions that apply the latest technology and expertise to accelerate ideas from inception through validation and production.

We bring together renowned industry experts and leading-edge technologies. Our fabrication and talent development center at the Vermont State University in Randolph serves as a hub for collaborating on real-world manufacturing challenges. 

Our History

Rooted in Resilience

The Manufacturing Collaborative began in 2020 with original funding through an award from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Assessment and Sustainment (IBAS) program. The IBAS program’s mission is to “forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base . . .”

The Manufacturing Collaborative is a continuing extension of that mission. Through our holistic approach, we support resilience across the manufacturing supply chain.

  • Promoting operational resilience with services and guidance for manufacturers engaged in national security.
  • Building capacity across the industry, ensuring that all manufacturers have the resilience to thrive.
  • Providing training and facilitating connections for learners entering manufacturing careers to foster individual resilience.

Helping sustain future resilience by inspiring the next generation to choose advanced manufacturing as a career pathway.

Our Team

Committed Collaborators

We are a group of technology-loving problem solvers passionate about building collaboration. We thrive on solving the hardest challenges in manufacturing. Our goal is to empower manufacturers and inspire future talent. If you’re committed to that same goal...Welcome to The Collaborative.

Barry Hulce

Executive Director

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Chris Coulter

Business Development

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Tobin McGregor

Strategy

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Dave Newton

Operations

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Ian Barker

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Production

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Niko Eliopoulos

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Additive

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Jon Ferguson

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Additive

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Eric Hannett

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Subtractive

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Ethan Rubin

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Additive

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Ross Lieblappen

Associate Professor in the Vermont State University Science Department

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Sophia Rivera

Industry Project Program Technician

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Ryan Antonovich

Industry Project Program Technician

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Paul Dana

Industry Project Program Technician

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Industry Project Program Technicians

Sophia Rivera

Ryan Antonivich

Paul Dana

Gavin Brothers

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Recent Updates

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Barry Hulce

Executive Director

Barry is a life-long enthusiast of technology and loves to share that excitement with others, especially students. The Vermont Manufacturing Collaboration is a wonderful fit in helping companies gain access to, and evaluate, leading-edge technology that can ignite innovation, improve a product, and create a competitive advantage. Barry’s inspiration comes from helping people turn their ideas into reality. Seeing a student imagine, draw, and then 3D-print their vision is amazing.

Barry comes to the Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative with 25+ years of experience in the manufacturing industry, including the areas of Industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing, technology innovation, and product development. Industries have spanned aero, semi-conductor, energy, adaptive technology, and education. He has launched companies, lead business operations, managed engineering departments, and been a practicing engineer over the course of his diverse career. His favorite accomplishment is having founded a company that designs adaptive products to help people overcome physical challenges with the products being produced on 3D printers using recyclable materials. Barry received his Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering and a Master’s in Technology Entrepreneurship.

When not at the Advanced Manufacturing Center, Barry can be found snowboarding, biking, swimming, on family hikes, and loving all the outdoor activities Vermont has to offer.

Chris Coulter

Business Development

A problem solver by nature, Chris has been helping product development and manufacturing companies overcome challenges throughout his career. He has been instrumental in developing new products and implementing manufacturing technology as well as working in regulated industries including defense, medical device and FDA. Chris has collaborated with engineers and businesses on a portfolio of products including in medical devices, RF Connectors and electro-mechanical scientific instrumentation. He’s worked to improve manufacturing processes through Lean practices, methodical problem solving techniques and implementing creative equipment solutions to improve throughput and increase capacity.

With an affinity for advancing entrepreneurial ventures, Chris has worked in multiple start-up companies. In 2002 he started his own consulting business focused on assisting Vermont-based product development and manufacturing companies. He is proficient in all aspects of the product lifecycle – from market research and customer discovery to design, manufacturing, market launch and process improvement.

Originally from Massachusetts, Chris earned a mechanical engineering degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. When not solving problems for Vermont manufacturers, Chris can be found mountain biking, skiing, or exploring the outdoors.

Tobin McGregor

Strategy

Tobin McGregor is a technology management professional with over 30 years of experience in the areas of technology development and transition. In 2014, McGregor established a consulting practice providing technology development and transition services primarily to the Department of Defense (DoD) and its suppliers. Of particular interest to McGregor is the efficient transition and integration of innovative technologies and products into DoD systems and platforms as well as supporting defense industrial base transformation and expansion.

McGregor consults to several private and public organizations, including the U.S. Army’s Manufacturing Technology program where he provided support to the Army’s Combat Capability Development Command’s Headquarters in the area of Advanced Manufacturing. In this capacity McGregor managed the development of the Army’s Additive Manufacturing Technology Development Roadmap and the Army Advanced Manufacturing Science and Technology Execution Plan.

McGregor has focused much of his efforts during the past 20 years supporting the defense industrial base primarily in the areas of production capacity expansion, supplier and workforce development. For over 20 years McGregor has worked extensively with the DoD Industrial Policy organization and specifically with the Defense Production Act Title III and the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program (IBAS).

McGregor spent ten years (2004-2014) with Strategic Marketing Innovations (SMI), a government relations firm based in Washington, DC. beginning in 2004. McGregor became a partner and Vice President in 2006. During his time at SMI, he worked extensively within the defense and aerospace industries and across a broad spectrum of technical disciplines. McGregor managed a substantial client portfolio and generated over $500M in federal funding to support the development and deployment of advanced technologies. McGregor also established a formal technology scouting practice which included clients such as Boeing, Raytheon Integrated Defense and Raytheon Missile Systems.

Prior to joining SMI, McGregor served as Program Manager for Technology Transition and Commercialization for a contractor (MEPMSI) to the National Institutes of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership program (MEP). At MEPMSI he was responsible for the implementation and management of technology transfer and commercialization programs in several States. McGregor’s successful program with MEP was featured in Inc. Magazine in 2001.

In 1993, Mr. McGregor began his career at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) within the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology and later completed assignments with the Missile Defense Agency's SBIR program and the National Technology Transfer Center. During his years at NASA, McGregor was initially involved with the management of joint-NASA Industry/Academia collaborative materials research projects, but later became involved with NASA’s technology transfer program and related initiatives.

Dave Newton

Operations

Dave joined The Manufacturing Collaborative as Operations Manager in May of 2024. Over his career, he developed an extensive background in operations ranging from purchasing, inventory control, production and finance to customer support and human resources. Dave received his BS in Business Administration with a minor in Human Resources from the UNH College of Professional Studies, formerly Granite State College.

Dave brings an enthusiasm for team building, continuous improvement, and learning new things which makes the Manufacturing Collaborative the perfect place to work.

When not at work, Dave enjoys family time, kayaking, home DIY projects, outdoor sports, fantasy football, many varieties of music, and long drives to explore all New England has to offer, especially the lakes and seacoast.

Ian Barker

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Production

Ian has been with The Manufacturing Collaborative since nearly the beginning, working as a technician in the Advanced Manufacturing Center during his senior year before being hired full-time after graduating. During his time at school, he gained the hands-on experience that Vermont Tech is known for with many different machines and processes. Ian enjoys exploring the interplay between different technologies and figuring out how they can best support each other in the creation of a product.

Ian received his AE in Mechanical Engineering Technology in 2020 and a BS in Manufacturing Engineering Technology in 2022. His role at TMC as Process Engineer sees him coordinating with the other engineers and technicians to ensure projects get out on time, and operating machines himself as time allows or necessity demands. Also within his purview are TMC Activity Days, which aim to get Elementary and Highschool students excited about engineering and manufacturing.

When not at work, Ian enjoys reading, playing videogames, and working on classic cars. He loves rural central Vermont and wants to stay in the area, close to family, and he looks forward to continuing to help TMC achieve its goal of rejuvenating industry in the area and the United States as a whole.

Niko Eliopoulos

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Additive

Niko joined TMC in June 2023 and focuses primarily on metal additive. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UMass Amherst, when his passion for additive manufacturing was sparked by the purchase of a home 3D printer. This initial interest quickly evolved into a professional career focused on industrial additive manufacturing.

Although Niko specializes in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, his experience extends to various other technologies, including Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA), binder-jet (BJAM), and PolyJet. Niko is equally enthusiastic about hands-on work with advanced manufacturing equipment as he is about the engineering process, finding fulfillment in the creativity that additive manufacturing allows.

His foundational knowledge in additive manufacturing was developed during his time at UMass, where he gained practical experience in the ADDFab lab, a key resource for his professional growth. Outside of his professional life, Niko values time spent with his wife and their beloved pets—a rabbit and two parrots. He is an avid cook, enjoys biking, and loves spending time outdoors. If given the opportunity, Niko would dedicate even more time to exploring the world through travel.

Jon Ferguson

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Additive

Jon brings over a decade of product design, improvement, and prototyping expertise to The Manufacturing Collaborative. With experience in companies ranging from startups to multi-national corporations, and fields spanning machining, to sheet metal, to stone, up to high-end additive, Jon delivers wholistic product-manufacturing knowledge to cover any design challenge. Specializing in additive technologies, Jon has designed and prototyped medical implants, Formula 1 parts, countless consumer products that have spread across the planet, aerospace components currently orbiting in space, and dozens of other products for other industries and sectors.

A life-long New Englander, Jon earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from UNH and an MS in Engineering Management from UMass. With a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and a Master Project Manager certification from the American Academy of Project Management, Jon has the business and soft skills to execute projects of any size or complexity. In addition to product design and prototyping, Jon is also a specialist in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, process development, system design, production optimization, data-driven development, graphic design, and finite element analysis and flow simulation.

Jon is also a life-long nerd and when he’s not at work 3D printing something, he’s probably at home playing with his 3D printer or buried in a book.

Eric Hannett

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Subtractive

Eric is a highly skilled Subtractive Engineer specializing in 5-axis CNC micromachining. With a solid foundation in Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) from Vermont Technical College, Eric excels in precision manufacturing and delivering innovative machining solutions. Known for his meticulous approach and deep technical expertise, Eric brings a thorough understanding of subtractive processes to every project, consistently achieving outstanding results in the most complex machining operations.

In addition to his engineering expertise, Eric’s 20 years of experience as a Firefighter/Paramedic across central and northern Vermont have forged a unique skill set. Navigating critical, high-pressure emergencies has refined his leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities, giving him an edge that translates into every project. This diverse background infuses his professional work with resilience, adaptability, and a dynamic perspective that sets him apart.

In his free time, Eric enjoys traveling and immersing himself in new environments. He stays at the cutting edge of manufacturing trends by actively participating in trade shows and continuously expanding his knowledge through industry-focused YouTube channels and podcasts.

Ethan Rubin

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Additive

Ethan is a recent recipient of a BS in mechanical engineering from UVM and spent his senior year working as a technician at the Advanced Manufacturing center. At UVM, he worked at the forefront of advanced manufacturing through research on the strength of additively manufactured parts. He is now continuing this trajectory as a full-time team member with The Manufacturing Collaborative.

Ethan’s role spans the entire additive manufacturing workflow, from part design and print simulations to post-processing and testing. His studies and specialized experience have prepared him for the wide range of tasks present in advanced manufacturing, and he loves the ever-evolving nature of working in a developing field.

Outside of work, Ethan enjoys exploring the outdoors through hiking, fishing, and playing disc golf, or blacksmithing in his home shop.

Ross Lieblappen

Associate Professor in the Vermont State University Science Department

Ross is an Associate Professor in the Vermont State University Science Department, teaching physics, chemistry, and environmental science. He received a B.A. in environmental studies and chemistry from Middlebury College, a M.S. in mathematics from The University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College. Starting with examining the pore structure of soil systems in 2006, Ross has been using X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) to probe the microstructure of various samples. The majority of his research has been studying snow, ice, and other geologic samples from Antarctica to the Arctic. For The Manufacturing Collaborative, Ross oversees imaging and CT activities to characterize the structure of various manufactured parts ranging from plastics to metals.

In his free time, Ross enjoys the woods of VT, adventuring outside with his wife, two kids, and two dogs whether it be skiing, hiking, biking, paddling, or adventure racing. If you are interested in getting involved with polar research, looking for tips on outdoor adventures, or want advice about class or life as a scientist, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sophia Rivera

Industry Project Program Technician

Through work at the Advanced Manufacturing Center in Randolph, Sophia has been given the incredible opportunity to explore several different facets of manufacturing, by being trained in cutting-edge equipment and software. Since signing on, Sophia has been learning she has an affinity for tasks requiring a project management-oriented skillset, and an affinity for design-based work. She has been able to explore this by contributing to projects in reverse engineering and tackling customer projects surrounding design. This program is giving her an invaluable head start in manufacturing by accessing top-of-the-line tools and working with real industry partners of The Manufacturing Collaborative.   When Sophia isn’t busy in the lab, or working on assignments, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, staying active, and working on her photography skills.