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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | 900+ Regional Students Celebrate National Manufacturing Day With Tours

Manufacturing Day and Celebration a Big Hit
Over 200 people celebrated manufacturing day and successful tours of 900+ students to 26 facilities with an event hosted by Harding, Shymanski, & Company on Thursday, October 27th.  


Scott Olinger: Harding, Shymanski, & Company, P.S.C


Bob Owings: Owings Patterns


Wendy Dant Chesser, 1si President and CEO and Bob Koetter: Koetter Construction


Marilyn Nash, L & D Mail Masters and 1si President and CEO, Wendy Dant Chesser

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900+ Regional Students Celebrate National Manufacturing Day With Tours


NEW ALBANY, IND. (October 17, 2016) -More than 900 students from the region visited 26 facilities from October 24 through October 28 in celebration of National Manufacturing Day. National Manufacturing Day was created in response to a dire need in America manufacturing - a major shortage of skilled workers. An estimated two million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled nationwide over the next decade due to companies’ inability to find talent with the required skills. Several leading industry organizations determined five years ago the best way to combat this malady and reverse negative perceptions people may have about manufacturing jobs and careers is to literally show “up close and personal” the exciting kind of work that takes place in plants across the U.S.

National studies are showing positive effects with regards to manufacturing day activities. For example, of the students who participated in last year’s event nationally, 81 percent said they were more convinced manufacturing provided careers that were interesting and rewarding and 62 percent were more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing. That is good news for manufacturers who are looking for employees. According to a survey done by the Manpower Group in 2015, 38 percent of 41,700 companies surveyed report a labor shortage and 42 percent reported difficulty finding talent. In addition, retirement of aged workers is outpacing the employers’ ability to replace them.

Regionally, National Manufacturing Day events and participation has exploded. In 2014, the first year of scheduled activities, eight companies offered tours to approximately 100 students. Last year, the number of manufacturers providing tours jumped to 13 and the number of students participating quadrupled to 542.

Tours for students during the 2016 event were:

• Amatrol, Inc.
• American Commercial Barge Lines, Jeff Boat
• American Fuji Seal, Inc.
• American Plastic Molding
• Beach Mold & Tool, Inc.
• Bruce Fox Inc.
• Chester Pool Systems
• Cimtech, Inc.
• Clarcor Air Filtration Products
• Cylicron, LLC
• Diverse Woodworking, LLC
• Ford Motor Company - Louisville Assembly Plant
• Freudenberg Medical MIS, Inc.
• Jones Machine & Tool, Inc.
• Key Electronics
• Koetter Woodworking, Inc.
• L & D Mail Masters, Inc.
• Metals USA (Port Road)
• Metals USA (Loop Road)
• Midwest-TEK
• Morgan Foods
• Owings Patterns INC
• Perkins Technology Center, Ivy Tech Jeffersonville Campus
• Revere Plastics Systems, LLC
• S&J Precision Inc.
• VOSS Clark

Schools who brought students to tour manufacturing facilities included:

• Grace Christian Academy, Scottsburg
• Greater Clark County Schools
• Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
• New Albany Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation
• Our Lady of Providence Jr - Sr High School
• Prosser Career Education Center
• Scott County School District 1
• Scott County School District 2
• South Harrison Community School Corporation
• West Clark Community Schools 

To find out more about regional events, contact Kathleen Crowley at kathleenc@1si.org

About One Southern Indiana:
One Southern Indiana (1si) was formed in July of 2006 as the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development organization serving Clark and Floyd counties. 1si’s mission is to provide the connections, resources and services that help businesses innovate and thrive in the southern Indiana/Louisville metro area.

Since its inception, the organization has evolved to include a three-prong approach to serve its members and investors. Business Resources, as the chamber side of the organization, encompasses membership, signature events and programs which support and encourage business growth; Economic Development works to grow the regional economy through the attraction of new commerce and assists with retention and expansion of existing businesses; Advocacy supports businesses at the government level by engaging in initiatives to preserve, protect and promote a business friendly environment free of obstacles to growth and development of commerce. http://www.1si.org/.