Maine manufacturers across the state are invited to talk shop in a virtual monthly meetup set to make its debut in January.
The series, called “Shop Talk Maine,” will be hosted by Big Room MFG, the manufacturing-focused division of Big Room Technologies, a Portland-based software engineering firm.
Big Room MFG specializes in custom software for manufacturers, including one of the largest in the state for the past four years on various projects.
“Today, we’re bringing these services to the broader manufacturing sector and have completed site visits across the state,” Jaclyn Macomber, director of operations at Big Room, told Mainebiz. She also said that while the company’s current focus is on New England, it’s starting to work with manufacturers nationwide.
“Shop Talk Maine,” scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month starting Jan. 7, was inspired by the success of Big Room’s recent open house.
The series is designed as an informal, hour-long Zoom drop-in, offering a forum for participants to share insights, compare challenges and build relationships across companies and roles.
Unscripted conversation
Unlike traditional webinars or panel discussions, the series is intentionally unstructured to encourage genuine conversation rather than prepared, formal conversations.
“Over the past several months, we’ve seen firsthand just how strong and active Maine’s manufacturing community really is,” Macomber said. “Between the bigger industry events, there’s a real need for simple ways to stay connected. This meetup fills that gap: consistent, casual and open to everyone.”
As of Dec. 18, about two dozen participants had already registered, and the organizer expects to see the number grow as the series gets underway.
“We do not plan on limiting the number of attendees, and we hope to garner as large of a following as possible throughout the state,” Macomber said. “We also want to open it up to the greater New England region once we establish a solid foundation in Maine.”
