The greater Owensboro region is blessed to have an abundance of manufacturing businesses large and small. During the recent wave of offshoring that this country experienced, our region remained a robust manufacturing hub. Recently, the United States has seen a great deal of new manufacturing interest, and it is our current governor’s long-term goal that the Commonwealth of Kentucky be viewed by the rest of the world as the center of “manufacturing excellence.”
We have much to celebrate when it comes to our manufacturers. They employ and continue to train our highly skilled workforce, they improve our infrastructure and quality of life, and they give back to our community in tremendous ways. It is for these reasons and many others that we set aside October as “Manufacturing Month” to recognize our local manufacturers and to show them how much we appreciate their contributions to our region.
Manufacturing Month will begin with an official “kickoff” celebration recognizing the Owensboro Riverport Authority’s 40 years of operation complete with tours of this tremendous asset offered to our local plant managers and CEOs.
Hendricks Screen, itself an innovative local manufacturer, will be celebrating its 140th anniversary providing area residents an opportunity to see how stainless steel screens are manufactured as well as their various uses. Registration for this event can be found at mfgday.com.
While all of these events help us celebrate the modern conveniences and opportunities manufacturing provides us, it is also an opportunity to recognize the need to train and maintain a globally competitive workforce. Partnering with school systems and economic development professionals, a number of local facilities are offering tours to high school students. Toyotetsu, Metalsa, Unifirst, Domtar, OMICO, R&B Foods, Southward and Daltile have all arranged for area students to have intimate tours of their operations. The goal is to demonstrate the opportunities, challenges and career options available for our very capable young adults.
We owe these employers so very much for investing in our region. Their persistence, vision and tenacity, in good times and in bad, our worthy of our respect and admiration. So, this Manufacturing Month, take some time to learn about the wonderful opportunities available today with a career in manufacturing, or, better yet, thank a neighbor in the industry whose hard work and dedication has helped make the greater Owensboro region a manufacturing success story.
By Candance Brake President and CEO Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce