MANSFIELD — Steve Cummins said high school students are often shocked to find out all the things that are made right here in Mansfield.
Mansfield Engineered Components, the company Cummins co-founded with his brother Bruce, have worked to remedy this by hosting student tour groups for almost a decade as part of Manufacturing Days.
Students from Richland, Ashland and Crawford counties will visit local manufacturers during this year’s Manufacturing Days on Oct. 5 and 6.
The event is coordinated by the Regional Manufacturing Coalition (RMC) as part of a nationwide effort to introduce students, parents and teachers to the industry’s opportunities.
“Another comment we often hear is, ‘I thought everything was made in China!’ And that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Cummins said.
“Manufacturing is very much alive and well in our area, and recent events such as the COVID pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical confrontations have served to remind Americans just how vital modern manufacturing is to our economy and our national security.”
Seventeen local manufacturers have signed up to host student groups. The Kehoe Center and The Ohio State University at Mansfield will also invite students to learn about educational opportunities available in the field.
The RMC still seeking school groups and manufactures to participate in the event.
“We aim to showcase the diverse opportunities available, ranging from high-tech positions to manual labor roles,” said Jeff Miller, president of Miller Fabrication & Welding and executive director of the RMC.
“Additionally, we want to emphasize the supportive roles within manufacturing, such as sales, accounting, engineering, marketing, advertising, and more.”
Leslie Weist, vice president of operations for Michael Byrne Manufacturing, said the event can also dispel myths about what a career in the field looks like.
“Manufacturing is not what people think of it as 50 years ago,” she said. “There’s a lot of high-tech stuff going on in manufacturing with robotics and automation. I think there’s a lot of opportunity out there and we’re just trying to get that word out to to the students.
“Whatever your skill set is, you can probably find a career in manufacturing, and I think that’s something that students weren’t always taught — and maybe even parents don’t realize.”
Miller and Weist say the event benefits employers, too.
“Trying to find good employees is, I’d say, probably the number one issue for most companies and manufacturers,” Weist said. “This is a great opportunity to get in, to talk to the future generations and your future employees.”
“One of my employees is from manufacturing days, so I’m fully invested. It paid off, it works,” Miller added. “It was all because I said, ‘When you’re ready to work, if you need a job, you come find me and I’ll either give you a job or find you a job.’ And he showed up.”
That employee is Bryce Courser, a 2022 graduate of Mansfield Christian School.
Courser didn’t know what he wanted to do when he toured Miller Fabrication & Welding as a junior in high school, but he remembered Miller’s offer years later.
After graduating, Courser studied welding at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center. Then he contacted Miller, who hired him about five months ago.
“I started at the circle shear,” Courser said. “Then (my supervisor) moved me to fabrication. From there I’ve been doing whatever needs done and learning a whole bunch of new things.
“It’s pretty fun, there are great people here.”
Zoi Romanchuk, vice president of PR Machine Works and president of the RMC, said one of her employees first visited PR Machine Works on a school tour. He’s now been there 15 years.
“Manufacturing is the largest employer sector in the county, and it’s only going to get bigger, especially with the influence of Intel,” she said. “They’re not minimum-wage jobs. It’s a good middle-class living.”
This is the second year the RMC has hosted Manufacturing Days since the pandemic.
“I think officially it started nationwide in like 2011 or 2012, but Richland County has been doing it on its own, probably six or seven years before that,” Romanchuk said.
More than 700 students participated last year. Nearly 1,150 have signed up for this year.
Prior to the pandemic, RMC’s Manufacturing Days attracted upwards of 1,500 students.
For more information about Manufacturing Days, contact Jeff Miller at director@rmcohio.org or 419-884-2164.