RIDGWAY — Eleven schools and eleven manufacturing companies from throughout the counties of Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter participated in the 4th Annual “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Video Contest for the region.
An award celebration was held March 11 at the St. Marys Area High School to recognize the students, teachers/coaches, and employers. Emcee for the event was Ed Hayden, director of employee relations for Zippo Manufacturing. Carol Kilko, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development provided a keynote and a local Dream Team composed of young professionals working in the manufacturing field shared their journey toward a career in manufacturing.
Each team of 6th through 8th grade students along with a teacher / coach were provided video equipment and training and were matched with manufacturing companies located in the region. The teams created short video profiles of their companies and the career opportunities they offer. By improving the image of these careers and creating awareness for them, the contest not only aims to sustain manufacturing careers, but aims to help them thrive. The event is led by Workforce Solutions (Workforce Development Board serving the North Central PA region)
The following schools and companies participated in the event:
Brookville Area School District and Miller Fabrication Solutions®; Cameron County School District and Emporium Hardwoods; Curwensville Area School District and Clearfield Metal Technologies; Clearfield Area School District and Lezzer Lumber Company; Floyd C. Fretz Middle School (Bradford) and Pulakos Chocolates; Kane Area Middle School and Laughing Owl Press Company; Northern Potter School District and The Carpenter’s Shop; Oswayo Valley School District and Napoleon Engineering Services; St. Leo School and Domtar Johnsonburg Mill; St. Marys Middle School and Abbott Furnace Company; and Smethport Area School District and Allegheny Bradford Corporation.
The Dream Team included the following: Stephanie Costanzo, engineer, Alpha Precision Group; Julianne Inzana, marketing coordinator, Abbott Furnace Company and Phil McDonald, advanced manufacturing engineer, Alpha Precision Group.
In addition to the Viewer’s Choice Award which goes to the school receiving the most online votes, the following awards were made at the ceremony by a team of seven judges:
The winners of this year’s awards included:
All videos can be viewed at the following link: https://www.atssocool.org/contests/north-central-pa/
