MACNY and PEB Celebrate National Manufacturing Day with Over 400 Students and Educators at 11 Regional Manufacturing Facilities

Date: October 6, 2023

October is New York State’s official celebration of Manufacturing Month, which aligns with National Manufacturing Day, also known as MFG Day, annually held on the first Friday of this month. Over the past two days, the collective MACNY and Partners for Education & Business, Inc. (PEB) team held a two-day MFG Day Celebration to kickoff New York State’s official Manufacturing Month. In celebration of this momentous month, MACNY and PEB worked with 11 manufacturers to showcase their facilities to over 400 educators and students from more than a dozen school districts across our region. “Manufacturing Month shines the spotlight on the manufacturing industry and provides us with an opportunity to positively influence the perception of manufacturing, inspire the workforce of tomorrow, and engage with our community—students, educators, business leaders, elected officials, and beyond,” stated Randy Wolken, President & CEO of MACNY.

The goal of these events is to show students and educators the reality of modern manufacturing careers and highlight the career opportunities that exist in manufacturing in our area. MFG Day also empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive. “While this annual event features a high volume of tours over two days, the critical effort to help companies connect with their future workforce takes place all year long with our work in schools across the region,” shared Taylor Hodge, Director of Partners for Education & Business, Inc.

Due to an overwhelming amount of interest from educators and employers, MACNY coordinated tours on both Thursday, October 5th and Friday, October 6th with companies from across Central New York and the Mohawk Valley, including Bartell Machinery Systems, Byrne, Eagle Metalcraft, ICM Controls, Indium Corporation, ITT Goulds Pumps, Golden Artist Colors, N.E.T. & Die, PaperWorks, Schneider Packaging, and United Radio. These forward-thinking manufacturers showcased their innovative technology, demonstrated how local products are made, educated students about the diverse opportunities available to them, and empowered this next generation to pursue careers in an ever-evolving industry. “As leaders in the industry and a longstanding employer in the community, we feel a sense of duty to educate the next generation on the valuable career opportunities available in manufacturing,” said James Buller, Vice President & General Manager, Americas at ITT Goulds Pumps. “We look forward to working with MACNY to show students how a modern production environment works.”

Several state legislators also joined us for MFG Day tours to show their support for the manufacturing community. New York State Assembly Member Al Stirpe, New York State Assembly Member Brian Manktelow, New York State Senator Rachel May, New York State Senator John Mannion, and a representative from the office of New York State Assembly Member Buttenschon’s office joined us at various locations on October 5th and 6th.

In addition to Manufacturing Day, MACNY and PEB will hold other exciting events throughout the month of October in celebration of Manufacturing Month.

On October 7, the Future Women in STEM Series at the MOST will begin with its first event of the season. This free series is presented by MACNY, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, and is targeted towards girls in 6th-8th grade. At each month’s event, female professionals from local companies will lead students in a fun, hands-on activity together to spark interest in in the growing fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This monthly series begins in October and runs through May.

On October 10, MACNY will host its annual Legislative Breakfast in Syracuse, NY. This event brings together manufacturing leaders and elected officials to discuss legislative and regulatory issues impacting manufacturing processes and facilities, and subsequently employment and growth.

MACNY and PEB will also take part in several community events, including:

Manufacturing Month would not be possible without the generous support of this year’s sponsors: ITT Goulds Pumps, Bank of America, Indium Corporation, Byrne, TDO, Bartell Machinery Systems, PaperWorks, SRC, Le Moyne College Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity, the Technology Alliance of Central New York (TACNY), The MOST, and AmeriCU. These sponsors join thousands of manufacturers across the U.S. in supporting education around the realities of modern manufacturing to inspire the next generation of creators.