Charles E. France

Charles E. France retired from Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EII) in October 2008 after 25 years working with manufacturing companies to strengthen their business practices in management information systems, costing, marketing research and competitor intelligence, sales and marketing management, strategic planning and product development. The Enterprise Innovation Institute, a multi-faceted organization that operates with federal, state and private funds with an annual budget over $15,000,000 employing about one hundred fifty full and part-time employees, provides technical, research, and consulting support to manufacturing companies, high tech startups, inventors and entrepreneurs, including Georgia Tech faculty. Its expertise spans new technology commercialization, community policy and research services, government contracting assistance, and traditional services to manufacturers such as lean manufacturing, ISO quality standards, environmental and energy management, and marketing, strategy, and new product development. During his years at Georgia Tech, Mr. France held project and federal program management positions in the Southeastern Trade Adjustment Assistance Center [SETAAC] and the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Program [GAMEP) that provided services to manufacturers in sales, marketing, strategy, and product development. In the late 1990s, he co-developed a nationally distributed diagnostic assessment specific to manufacturing companies that furthered research on the problems and obstacles they face in developing strategies to expand their businesses. This work resulted in seminars and workshops to demonstrate the strategies and tactics manufacturers need to become target marketers with a focus on profit rather than sales volume. The insights and experience gained from his private sector work, in conjunction with the findings in the assessment, are the basis for this book. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from Florida State University and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. You can contact the author at Charles [at] C-P-M-Solutions [dot] com.