Enterprise Minnesota helps Minnesota manufacturing enterprises grow profitably. Chartered by the Minnesota State Legislature in 1987, Enterprise Minnesota is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and affiliate of the Department of Commerce, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program within NIST linking together all 50 states and Puerto Rico to strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S.-based manufacturing. Centers within the network provide information, decision support, and implementation assistance to smaller manufacturing firms in adopting new, more advance manufacturing technologies, techniques, and business best practices to help them compete and grow.