MCM Strategic + Communications

07/29/2025

In a world where platforms evolve and algorithms change overnight, a strong community is your brand’s constant—a foundation that can’t be taken away.

But what does building a community really mean?
It’s about creating a space where your audience feels connected—not just to your brand, but to each other. It’s where conversations happen organically, loyalty is built naturally, and advocacy becomes second nature. A true community is a group of people who believe in your mission and see your brand as a part of their identity.

Why does it matter?

It outlasts platforms: Algorithms won’t dictate your connection to your audience if you’ve built relationships that exist beyond likes and follows.
It builds trust: People trust other people more than ads. A strong community amplifies your message through word-of-mouth and organic advocacy.
It drives growth: Loyal customers aren’t just repeat buyers; they’re your loudest supporters, introducing your brand to new audiences.

How do you build it?

1️⃣ Find Your Shared Purpose: Communities are built around common values, goals, or passions. What does your audience care about, and how can your brand support that?
2️⃣ Facilitate Meaningful Connections: Create opportunities for your audience to connect—not just with your brand but with each other. Think: exclusive events or groups where they can share ideas and experiences.
3️⃣ Lead with Value: Offer more than a product. Educate, inspire, or entertain your audience. Solve their problems and celebrate their wins.
4️⃣ Show Up Consistently: A community needs nurturing. Regularly engage, respond authentically, and actively participate in the conversations your brand sparks.

Community is not built overnight, but the payoff is unmatched: loyalty, advocacy, and a brand people truly care about.

How are you building your brand’s community?

04/13/2025

PR, Comms & Marketing — Not the Same Thing, Guys! Let me spill the Tea…

PR, Communications, and Marketing walk into a bar…

PR orders a drink, chats up the bartender, and makes sure everyone feels good about the bar — even if the drinks are mid.
Communications rewrites the menu so it's clearer, trains the staff to say “Hello” the same way, and ensures no one confuses tequila with tap water.
Marketing throws a themed party, sends out invites, creates a hashtag, and gets the place trending by 9pm.

Same bar. Different magic.

Ok, let me break it down for you:

Public Relations (PR):
It’s all about reputation and relationships- how a a brand is seen and associated with. PR manages how the brand is perceived by the public, media, and stakeholders. They don’t sell; they influence.

Communications:
Think of them as the glue. Internal emails, crisis comms, tone of voice, speeches, media releases — they keep the message consistent and clear, inside and out.

Marketing:
They’re the growth hackers. Marketing crafts campaigns that sell, track ROI, know what PPC (pay-per-click) stands for in their sleep, and love a good A/B test.

So, next time you confuse them — just remember:

PR wants you to like the brand,
Communications wants you to understand the brand,
Marketing wants you to buy from the brand.

One team, three vibes. Next time, I’ll share how these 3 work hand-in-hand to bring brands to life 😉

04/09/2025

What’s actually working in marketing right now?

Here’s what we are seeing across channels:

❌ Cold email – Pretty much dead.
✅ SEO – Works when it works, but tough to master. Great long term play.
🎯 PPC – Can crush it… if perfectly executed, but it is very hard.
🖼️ Display – Only useful for TOF/awareness plays. If ROAS matters - good luck.
🔥 PMAX – Yes, all day. But needs to be managed well and have a value prop on the ecomm site.
👾 Reddit – Early signs are strong for awareness/demand gen - worth testing!
📅 Events – Absolutely. IRL marketing is back. So is virtual event/webinars.
📱 Paid Social – Yep, still killing it. But targeting and creative need to be on-point.
🤖 Marketing automation/drip campaigns – All day long.

But that’s just our view.

👉 What are you seeing? What’s hot? What’s a total dud?

04/08/2025

Marketing isn't about making immediate conversions.

It's about planting seeds for the future.

Your goal?

To be the obvious choice tomorrow.

Let's break it down:

1. Build relationships.
Marketing is a long game.

2. Provide value first.
Share insights that matter to your audience.

3. Stay top of mind.
Consistency is key. Regular content ensures you’re not forgotten.

4. Understand your audience.
Create profiles, gather feedback, and adapt.

5. Engage authentically.
Respond to comments, ask questions, and foster discussions.

Remember, people don’t buy based on a single interaction.

They buy when they trust you, when they know you understand their needs, and when you've established credibility.

Conversions today often mean a one-time sale.

But when you focus on the future, you create loyal customers.

They’ll come back to you, again and again.

So, think beyond the now.

What can you do today to ensure you’re the obvious choice for tomorrow?

Reflect on your own strategies and share.

Remember: Building a lasting brand takes time.

The best opportunities are often just around the corner.

What are you doing today for tomorrow?

03/27/2025

// FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE //

MOSES LAKE INDUSTRIES JOINS US-JOINT CONSORTIUM TO
DRIVE NEXT-GENERATION SEMICONDUCTOR INNOVATION

Moses Lake, WA - March 27th, 2025 - Moses Lake Industries (MLI), a global leader in high-performance chemical solutions for the semiconductor industry, is proud to announce its membership in the US-JOINT Consortium, a collaborative alliance comprising of twelve leading semiconductor suppliers from the United States and Japan. Although MLI officially joined the consortium when the US-JOINT was announced in July 2024, we are sharing this milestone now as Resonac, the leader of the US-JOINT Consortium, was recently honored with the Special Consortium Award at the 2025 3D InCights Technology Enablement Awards. This prestigious recognition highlights Resonac’s exceptional efforts in advancing semiconductor innovation through the US-JOINT and Joint 2 initiatives. MLI is excited to contribute to these groundbreaking efforts and further the consortium’s mission of collaborative technological advancement.

By joining the US-JOINT Consortium, MLI seeks to harness its extensive expertise in advanced chemistries and copper electroplating technologies while collaborating with industry leaders to tackle complex challenges in next-generation semiconductor technologies. This initiative represents a significant step in MLI’s mission to pioneer cutting-edge solutions and deliver transformative advancements in the semiconductor landscape.

“We are delighted to have Moses Lake Industries as a founding partners of the US-JOINT Consortium,” said Hidenori Abe, CETO for Resonac. “Moses Lake Industries expertise in chemical sciences and commitment to innovation will be a strong asset as we work together to solve complex technical and integration solutions for customers onshore in the United States.”

The US-JOINT Consortium serves as a vital platform for fostering technical collaboration and knowledge-sharing between the United States and Japan, facilitating the development of breakthrough semiconductor solutions. MLI’s involvement aligns with its long-standing vision to drive technological advancement and deliver value to global markets through collaborative innovation.

“We firmly believe that like-minded organizations working together to achieve common goals to solve today’s complex challenges in heterogeneous integration and chipset packaging is paramount to success,” mentioned MLI CEO Hiroyuki Era. “We look forward to what this partnership holds not only for Moses Lake Industries, but for all of our partners and end users through our group achievements.”

The new US-Join Consortium research and development facility is expected to be unveiled later this year in conjunction with a public launch event.

For more information about the US-JOINT Consortium, please visit Resonac’s website.

About Moses Lake Industries:

For over 40 years Moses Lake Industries has been a leading global supplier of high-performance chemical solutions for the semiconductor industry and flat panel industries. Our commitment to technology, quality, and innovation is literally transforming the world we live in. As MLI continues to transform the lives through out chemistries, we never waiver on our commitment to our core values of safety, integrity, collaboration, service, ownership, and sustainability which extend beyond our business operations and into the communities we serve. We are strongly dedicated to serving our team and community members where our research and production facilities are located for decades to come, embodying the vision of “Pure Solutions, Tomorrow’s Technology.” Moses Lake Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tama Chemicals.

For more information about Moses Lake Industries or our constantly evolving portfolio of products, please visit us at:

www.mlindustries.com

You may also find us at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moses-lake-industries/

# # #

Press Contact:

Michael Mettler
C: 509-240-6550
E: [email protected]

03/25/2025

From Vision to Reality: The Journey to Establish a U.S. - Japanese Corporate Consortium in Silicon Valley

Resonac, a global leader in semiconductor back-end materials, has launched the Japan-U.S. consortium “US-JOINT” in Silicon Valley, home to GAFAM and major semiconductor companies.

The key leader behind the consortium is Hidenori Abe, Executive Director of the Electronics Business Headquarters at Resonac, who started his career as an engineer. In the following story, Abe-san will describe the journey and challenges he encountered while creating the US-JOINT consortium.

Click the link below for more information.

https://lnkd.in/gsEE4HRd

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

03/21/2025

Here’s a quick Friday social media tip: Share a “Weekend Vibe” post 🎉

As the weekend approaches, share something lighthearted and engaging with your followers, like a behind-the-scenes look at something at your office, shop, or restaurant, run a fun poll, or ask a weekend-related question (e.g., “What’s your go-to weekend activity?”). It’s a great way to increase engagement and show your followers a more personal side of your brand.

Plus, it’s a perfect time to share content that’s more relaxed or fun, matching the mood of the weekend!

! 🏕️🚠🚘🥙🎈

03/18/2025

// REC Silicon Announces Closure of Moses Lake, Washington Plant Which Supplies Crucial Components for Next Generation Batteries in the United States //

Silicon manufacturing company REC Silicon is ceasing operations in Moses Lake, Washington, but has left the door open to a future restart that could benefit battery makers.

The Norway-based business announced the move recently. It will lay off 224 workers as a part of the process, according to a new filing with the state’s Employment Security Department.

The company was an essential draw for next-generation battery materials startups including Group14 Technologies, Sila and OneD Battery Sciences, which are all building manufacturing sites in the Eastern Washington town.

REC Silicon is the only company in the U.S. producing silane gas used in silicon battery anodes that significantly improve battery performance.

However, in April 2022, South Korean solar panel maker Hanwha Solutions became the largest shareholder of REC Silicon. Hanwha made a deal to take the majority of the silicon being produced at the Moses Lake site, which it uses as polysilicon. That left a greatly limited silicon supply for battery materials companies.

Rick Luebbe, CEO of Group14, said the deal with Hanwha was a “bit of a curveball for the battery industry because we were looking to that silane to support our own growth.”

REC Silicon previously paused work at the Moses Lake plant in 2019 due to Chinese tariffs on its silicon products that made operations unfeasible. But in 2020 it announced plans to begin the multi-year process to restart operations and supply silane to Group14, one of the most well-funded startups in the Seattle region.

In a regulatory filing, REC Silicon said that its equipment for silicon gases will be maintained in a recoverable mode to enable potential future use.

“REC Silicon is transitioning to a pure-play silicon gas provider,” said Chuck Sutton, vice president of polysilicon sales and government relations, in an email to GeekWire

In regard to the Moses Lake facility closure, REC Silicon said in its documents that it was unable to produce sufficiently pure polysilicon as was required by Hanwha. The solar panel company is still building a manufacturing site in Georgia and had planned on using the material produced in Washington.

REC Silicon runs a second plant in Butte, Mont. It shut down polysilicon production there in February 2024, but is still making silane gas at the facility.

Group14, in the meantime, is pursuing its own silane production. In September the company announced that it received a $200 million grant from the Department of Energy to build a silane plant in Moses Lake where it’s currently erecting its BAM-2 factory.

Group14 expects to begin production of its silicon-carbon anode materials at BAM-2 in the next couple of months. In the near term it will source its silane from REC Silicon’s Montana site, but it will ultimately need more gas than is being produced there. Sila also has an agreement to buy silane from REC Silicone.

As to the future of the Moses Lake site, that’s up in the air.

“Customer demand and market conditions are primary factors that go into the decision to restart production,” Sutton said. “Importantly, any future production of silicon gases at the Moses Lake facility would be in addition to the existing and ongoing production at REC Silicon’s Butte facility.”

Luebbe said it will take about three years to build their own plant in Washington. If REC Silicon restarts operations, they’ll reconsider.

“At this point, I just don’t know what the future for REC really is,” Luebbe said. “So we’re proceeding with our own plan to build our own plant.”

03/17/2025

Monday Motivation: Here's a great reminder to always believe in yourself and the path that your on.

Self doubt is natural and people wont be afraid to remind you of your shortcomings, flaws or who you were.

Here's something to always remember. Every time you grow, every time you elevate, every time you take a step toward your purpose—your old life will come knocking. It will try to pull you back with doubt, fear, and the whispers of people who refuse to see you as anything but who you used to be. I admit I've had to battle this in my own head.

You’ll hear the voices:
• “You’ve changed.”
• “You’re not the same person.”
• “Remember when you used to…?”

And the truth is, they’re right. You have changed. You aren’t the same person. And that’s exactly the point.

The hardest part of leadership isn’t the work—it’s the criticism. It’s standing tall when people try to drag you down. It’s believing in your mission, vision, and values even when others try to shake your confidence.

You’ll see people compare the new you to the old you. They’ll remind you of your past, not because they care about your growth, but because they’re uncomfortable with your evolution. They liked you better when you were smaller, less disciplined, more like them.

But here’s what you need to remember: The new you doesn’t owe the old you a conversation. The new you tells the doubters, the critics, the naysayers to Buzz off—not with anger, not with ego, but with action.

You keep building.
You keep moving.
You keep proving—not to them, but to yourself—that you were meant for more.

So when your past calls, let it go to voicemail. You’ve got work to do. You got this!

03/14/2025

Are You Using Short-Form Video in Your Marketing? If So, Why Not?

It’s probably easier to list the reasons why you shouldn’t use short-form videos in your content marketing strategy – which are… none.

You have nothing to lose.

Short-form videos are:

+ Quick and easy to make
+ Cheap to create, publish, and distribute
+ Easy for people to consume “on-the-go”
+ Gets you noticed on multiple media platforms
+ Increases your marketing reach
+ Multi-purpose – can be used for brand storytelling, product demos, testimonials, and more

Short-form videos align perfectly with modern content consumption habits. They give people just enough content to entertain or inform without demanding too much time and attention. They are especially useful for reaching a younger audience (under 25s) who prefer quick content bursts.

You’ll also get a lot more data from short-form video campaigns, which means you can quickly see what’s working and what isn’t, then tweak your short video marketing strategy in real time.

Below are a couple of popular platforms to experiment with:

TikTok:

TikTok is the grandaddy of short-form video (at nine years old!). Most people think of dance and viral challenges, but there’s a wide variety of content on there, including comedy, storytelling, DIY projects, cooking tips, and plenty more.

The short video platform allows users to create and share videos that are up to 3 minutes long, but the most catchy ones are often just 15 to 60 seconds.

The TikTok app is designed for scrolling, as you can swipe to the next one quickly. The powerful algorithm quickly learns what you like, then keeps serving up more of the same.

From a marketers point of view, TikTok is great as it has more than 1 billion monthly active users around the globe, with more than 150 million in the US alone.

Instagram + Facebook Reels:

Launched in 2020, Reels quickly became Instagram’s answer to TikTok. It has a similar look and feel to TikTok, but blended with the functionality of the Instagram app. Reels lets its users create videos up to 90 seconds long. When you post your short-form video, it integrates directly with other Instagram features, making it convenient if you’ve already built a brand presence on the platform.

03/14/2025

Friday meetings at cozy coffee shops are key. ☕️

Hope you have a great day, not just a good day!

03/14/2025

// Hey, Take a Breath //

The past few days haven’t been easy, have they? There’s been a lot on your plate — things piling up, thoughts running wild, moments where everything feels too much. Between responsibilities, expectations, and whatever personal battles you’re facing, it’s understandable to feel drained. Maybe it feels like no one notices how much effort you’re putting in, like the world is just moving too fast for you to catch up.

But look at you. Still pushing forward, still showing up, still trying. That’s not something small. That’s strength. Even when the weight feels unbearable, even when doubt creeps in, you’re here. And that matters more than you realize.

It’s easy to be hard on yourself, to think you’re not doing enough, not being enough. But take a step back for a second. If you were looking at someone else in your shoes, you’d see how much they’ve been carrying, how much they’ve been fighting. You’d tell them they’re doing great, that they deserve a break. So why not show yourself that same kindness?

No one expects perfection, not even life itself. Just doing your best is enough. And right now, your best is exactly what you’re giving. Even if it doesn’t feel like much, even if progress is slow, it’s still progress. And that’s something to be proud of.

Rest when you need to. Take a moment to breathe, to pause, to remind yourself that it’s okay to slow down. You don’t have to earn rest — it’s something you deserve. Close your eyes for a while, loosen your shoulders, let yourself just exist without pressure for a moment.

You’ve come so far already. And you will keep going. Proud doesn’t even begin to cover it.