Northumberland Manufacturers Association

What Northumberland Manufacturers Association does

Northumberland Manufacturers Association (NMA) is a non-profit industry association founded in 2004 that represents manufacturers in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. The organization is headquartered at the Venture13 Building in Cobourg and serves as the regional convener and advocacy body for local industrial firms, with a small staff of 1-10 employees led by Executive Director Darla Price. Its core offering is a membership-based service bundle that includes industry advocacy, training and workforce development access, networking, funding-program navigation, and a calendar of annual events such as the Manufacturing Conference, How It's Made Open House, the Annual Golf Tournament, and the Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

NMA does not develop or sell proprietary technology products. Its operational technology consists of standard association-management tooling, a public website, and event and communications platforms used to run conferences, awards programs, and member communications. Member-facing digital touchpoints include a Discount Freight Program delivered in partnership with Freightcom and a partnership with Ontario Tech University that connects members with AI and technology training resources. Recent program additions include the Stock the Shop Tech Classroom Drive and the Industry Tradeshow 2026.

The business model is funded primarily through membership dues, tiered corporate sponsorships (including Gold-tier partners SABIC, Cameco, and Lakeland Multi-Trade), event registration, and grant or partner-supported programming. The association also receives in-kind support through its co-location at Venture13 and its alignment with municipalities (Cobourg, Port Hope, Northumberland County) and educational institutions (Fleming College, Ontario Tech University), forming a public-private-academic ecosystem that underpins both its advocacy work and its training and workforce development offerings.

Name

Northumberland Manufacturers Association

Legal name

Northumberland Manufacturers' Association

Website

https://thenma.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit industry association founded in 2004 serving manufacturers in Northumberland County, Ontario, delivering advocacy, training, networking, and funding access through membership, events, and partnerships with municipalities, colleges, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cobourg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: NMA generates revenue through membership dues from manufacturing companies in Northumberland County. Membership provides access to training, funding resources, networking events, advocacy, and discounts on services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NMA is a non-profit industry association that delivers membership-based services to manufacturing companies in Northumberland County, Ontario. Its core offerings include advocacy on trade and regulatory issues (including US tariffs), training and workplace development programs, access to funding and resources, networking opportunities, and a portfolio of signature community events. Revenue is generated primarily through membership dues and event sponsorships from regional manufacturing and service partners.

Product overview

The Northumberland Manufacturers Association (NMA) is a not-for-profit industry association serving manufacturing companies in Northumberland County, Ontario. The association does not offer a commercial product in the traditional sense; instead, it provides a suite of member services and programs including Funding & Resources, Training & Workplace Development, Advocacy, and Networking services. The association also organizes signature events such as the annual Manufacturing Conference, the How It's Made Northumberland Manufacturers' Open House, the Annual Golf Tournament, and the Annual Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NMA Membership Annual membership in the NMA providing manufacturing companies in Northumberland County with access to funding resources, training workshops, advocacy representation, networking events, industry awards, and discounts on services such as the Discount Freight Program.
• Annual Manufacturing Conference Signature annual conference hosted by NMA and partner regional economic development associations, bringing together Northumberland manufacturers for learning, networking, and recognition of industry excellence.
• How It's Made Manufacturers' Open House Community open-house event offering public tours of regional manufacturing facilities, free community BBQs sponsored by RBC, and exposure of manufacturing careers to Northumberland residents.
• Industry Tradeshow Annual industry tradeshow where NMA members and partners connect over the local manufacturing supply chain and expand networks.
• Annual Golf Tournament

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered gold partner, event partner, core partner, industry champion and associate partner.

• SABICgold partnerOthersGold partner of the NMA. SABIC is a global chemicals manufacturing company with operations in Northumberland County.
• Camecogold partnerOthersGold partner of the NMA. Cameco operates uranium processing facilities in Cobourg.
• Lakeland Multi-Tradegold partnerOthersGold partner of the NMA. Multi-trade contractor serving the Northumberland region.
• Bel-Con Design Buildersevent partnerOthersEvent partner for the Industry Tradeshow 2026.
• RBCevent partnerOthersConference and event sponsor. Also sponsors free community BBQs at How It's Made events.
• Fleming Collegecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing continuing education and workforce development programs. Sponsors training workshops and awards.
• Ontario Tech Universitycore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner advancing technology education and AI research. Provides career-ready graduates for manufacturing workforce.
• Municipality of Brightonindustry championOthersIndustry Champion municipality supporting local manufacturing.
• Town of Cobourgindustry championOthersIndustry Champion municipality and host of Venture13 innovation centre where NMA is headquartered.
• Municipality of Port Hopeindustry championOthersIndustry Champion municipality supporting local manufacturing.
• Trent Hillsindustry championOthersIndustry Champion municipality supporting local manufacturing.
• Northumberland Countycore partnerOthersCounty government partner for manufacturing initiatives and workforce development.
• Attitude ITassociate partnerTechnology or IntegrationIT services partner providing technology support to NMA and members.
• Venture13 Innovation Centrecore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation and entrepreneurship centre housing NMA headquarters, Northumberland CFDC, and economic development services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME): Canada's national manufacturers and exporters association, providing advocacy, training, networking, and policy representation for manufacturers. CME is the most direct functional peer to NMA, operating at national scale while NMA operates the same membership-association model at county scale.
• Canadian Association of Mold Makers: Canadian industry trade association for mold manufacturers, offering advocacy, training, and networking to members. Same membership-association business model as NMA, but organized around a single manufacturing sub-sector rather than a geography.
• Canadian Plastics Industry Association: National trade association representing plastics manufacturers in Canada. Comparable to NMA in operating as a membership-funded industry body delivering advocacy, events, and member services, though focused on a single manufacturing vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Ontario Chamber of Commerce: Provincial business association with overlapping advocacy, policy, and member-service capabilities to local associations like NMA. Operates as a much broader incumbent covering all sectors, but competes for the same employer-policy and workforce-advocacy mindshare.

Others

• Ontario East Economic Development Commission: Regional economic development organization serving eastern Ontario, including Northumberland County. Functionally adjacent to NMA — both convene manufacturers, municipalities, and training partners — but OEED operates as a publicly-funded development commission rather than a member-funded association.
• Council of Canadian Innovators: Canadian membership organization representing innovative firms including manufacturers. Overlaps with NMA on advocacy and member programming, but focuses on scaling innovative firms nationally rather than supporting legacy manufacturers in a single county.

Regional players

• Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing: An Ontario-based network representing advanced manufacturers across regions of the province. Like NMA, it convenes manufacturers around workforce, technology adoption, and policy, but operates at provincial rather than county scale.
• Hamilton Manufacturers' Council: Regional manufacturers association serving the Hamilton, Ontario industrial corridor. Directly comparable model to NMA: membership-funded, advocacy- and workforce-focused, serving a defined geographic manufacturing cluster.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northumberland-manufacturers-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northumberland Manufacturers Association