This is part of an ongoing series of spotlight interviews with our fabulous sponsors. Say hello to Barb Cardinale, Senior Vice President and Business Banking Team Sales Leader at KeyBank

What is your favorite part about your job at KeyBank?

Every day, I am energized by the important role we play in helping business owners and manufacturers find ways to achieve success by realizing the objectives in their company and helping them with growth opportunities. My biggest reward is helping those on my team consider solutions and act as trusted advisors to their clients.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see manufacturers facing in 2017?

We have a broad base of manufacturing clients, in industries like fabrication, electronics, packaging, labeling, pharmaceutical, building materials, mass production, semiconductors, aerospace, food and beverage and more, and they share many similar challenges.

Like many industries, manufacturing is wrestling with how to recruit and retain workers with the right skills and talents. They’re also looking into how to leverage current technology to improve their business.

How can KeyBank help manufacturers meet those challenges?

We have so many great solutions to help them with financing for expansion or for

new equipment and technology that will help their operations run smoother. We have an expertise in import/export and can show them how they can expand and grow the company into other countries. And we work with them to see how certain types of financing may help them save on taxes.

In fact, we look at their business cohesively and can help them assemble a team of advisors to address these challenges, whether it’s a CPA, an attorney or a group like OMEP that can help them move forward.

Why do you believe manufacturing is important to Oregon?

It’s a lifeline to everything else we do here. As one of the biggest industries in Oregon, the manufacturing sector and its good health has a direct correlation to Oregon’s overall economic well being.

If you could give a manufacturer one piece of advice, what would it be?

We think it’s vital to have that robust team of advisors, whether it’s bankers or attorneys or OMEP – they need people on their side who can help them with their thorniest challenges. As automation begins to be a bigger part of the manufacturing industry, they need counsel on how to upgrade their operations in a way that makes fiscal sense and by networking and staying educated on the latest advances, they can ensure they are getting good advice.

What types of services or capabilities can you offer Oregon manufacturers?

• Opportunity to help them through business transition
• Financing growth and expansion
• Equipment finance – loans and leases
• Real estate lending to help with expansion and growth
• Working capital lines of credit
• SBA real estate and equipment
• Tax-exempt financing (Industrial Development Bonds)
• Treasury / Cash management
• Investment services
• Export and import services to help them enter into new markets
• General banking services
• Employee benefits and solutions
• Financial wellness tools and consulting