COMING UP! MFG Day (10/4), Candidate Chat with Laura Marie Davis (10/9), and Business & Bourbon (10/10)! Be sure to scroll down to the Events section to find out more.

October is MFG Month! It’s time to celebrate manufacturing and spread the word on the great careers offered by our industry! Throughout this month, and especially on MFG Day (10/4), thousands of area students will be exposed to manufacturing careers by visiting our members’ manufacturing facilities. This first-hand experience helps build the workforce pipeline. We can’t wait to hear how your tours go – remember to tag #MFGDay2024 on social media!

Manufacturers: Watch for the 2-question Top Issues Survey coming in early October. Please participate to tell us your “hot button” issues.

Last chance to join us for two FUNdraisers this month!

• Business & Bourbon event presented by Lincoln Electric Automation at Moraine Country Club on 10/10! There are limited spots remaining, register today!  And speaking of our Bourbon event, we are accepting bottle donations! Donate a bottle of your favorite bourbon for our raffle fundraiser at the annual Business & Bourbon event benefiting the DRMA Foundation and all our workforce initiatives. Contact Amy if you’d like to donate!
• Trap Shoot Event, presented by Bruns General Contracting and Back to Business I.T. Following the Trap Shoot will be a Happy Hour from 4 – 5:30 p.m. Limited spots remaining, register today!

Don’t miss these upcoming workshops, exclusively for DRMA member companies.

• Supervisory Excellence – Designed to unlock your employees’ leadership potential with practical insights that are vital for excelling in a supervisory role. Presented by Brixey & Meyer. $1,500 for 6 half-day sessions + accountability and coaching sessions. Contact Shay to register.
• GD&T – Learn to read and interpret engineering drawings. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $195 for 2 sessions. Contact Shay to register.
• Blueprint Reading – Learn how to read and interpret basic blueprints. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $140 for one 4-hour session. Contact Shay to register.

Act now! The deadline for choosing DRMA’s Workers’ Comp Group is 11/14. Not only do members of our program save an average of $4,392 on their yearly premiums, their group membership helps support DRMA. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to save money AND help strengthen YOUR association. Contact Paul Feck with Sedgwick at (614) 906-0535 right away.

Connect with potential customers looking for manufacturing suppliers by tapping into DRMA Business Leads Service. Learn more here. 

Safety Alert! Check out this month's tips from our workers comp program administrator, Sedgwick:

• Limit the impact of a significant worker’s comp claim by participating in the Claim Impact Program. Read more on how it works here.
• High noise exposure can be damaging which is why monitoring noise levels in the workplace is essential to protecting employees' hearing. OSHA created the Hearing Conversation Standard to protect employees from high noise levels. Read the standard requirements here.

Couldn’t make it to the Economic Update event? The recording of the presentation is available for purchase. $85 members, $110 non-members. Click here to purchase.

DRMA is partnering with the Federal Reserve to give members the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Small Business Credit Survey, which is now open through 11/1 for your responses. Owners and key financial decisionmakers of for-profit businesses can share recent experiences about whether and how you use debt, financial conditions you face, and more. Answers to these questions contribute to data that directly inform the Fed, federal government agencies, service providers, policymakers, and others – which ultimately benefits your business and others in our region. We hope you will share your experiences. Take the 12-minute survey now.

Tap into the DRMA “brain trust” by joining the DRMA private LinkedIn Group, exclusively for people at DRMA member companies. The group provides an on-line venue to ask questions, learn from each other, and collaborate on a private platform dedicated to our members. Click here to request to join the group!

THANK YOU Marc Gilardi of A & B Machine! Marc currently serves on our Board of Trustees and supports the Government Relations Committee as their board liaison. In fact, he recently served as the emcee at this year's Meet & Greet with Warren Davidson in support of that role. DRMA appreciates and thanks Marc for his commitment to our organization and to the Dayton Region manufacturing industry as a whole.

Member exclusive! WorkAdvance, a proven initiative to supplement your recruitment strategies, will bring you quality candidates to fill your entry-level positions. Candidates are ready now to interview! Contact Susan to learn more.

Join us Workforce/HR Meet Up on 10/22, 11 – 12 p.m., virtual! At this Meet Up, we will do a deep dive into the results of the 2024 Wage and Benefit Survey, with analysis provided by Strategic HR, a division of Clark, Schaefer, Hackett. Free and for only members that participated in the survey or purchased a copy of the report! Register here.

Considering options to build your new employee pipeline or re-skill or upskill your workforce? DRMA and SOCHE have you covered! SOCHE is hosting a virtual event on 10/30 from 10 – 11 a.m. about new workforce development offerings available through Walsh University – SOCHE’s newest consortium member. Register here.

We have a ton of career events coming up that need volunteers! These events are mission-critical for your company to grow YOUR future workforce. They are also a lot of fun! DRMA staff does all the hard work; your job is to talk one-on-one with students when they come up to our display table. We’ll be at Fairmont High School (Kettering), Waynesville High School, Kettering Middle School, Van Buren Middle School (Kettering), Northmont High School (Clayton) and Bethel High School (Tipp City)  – contact Kara to sign up.

Taking advantage of work-based learning programs such as offering job shadow or internship opportunities to students exposes them to great careers the region’s manufacturing industry offers AND is a powerful strategy to build your future workforce. Learn more here. 

Have you heard about IMAP? The Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) enables your workers to gain new skills and credentials at no cost to you. The program covers tuition, fees, and other costs, ensuring your employees can enhance their skills. To learn more, click here. 

Supplement your recruiting strategy by attending the following career fairs:

• Fall Career Fair at Cedarville University, Cedarville, 10/9. Email Cam to register.
• College and Career Fair at Stebbins High School, Dayton, 11/12. Email Jeff to register.

Your Government Relations Committee is holding a series of virtual Candidate Chats leading up to the November election, giving you the opportunity to talk with candidates in a small, focused setting. On the schedule are Amy Cox running for U.S. House District 10 (10/2); Laura Marie Davis running for Ohio House District 55 (10/9); Rose Lounsbury running for Ohio House District 36 (10/16); Kyle Koehler running for Ohio Senate District 10 (10/23); and Adam Miller running for US House District 15 (10/30). Click on each name for more info and to register. Free and for members only!

10/10, 4 - 6:30 p.m., Business and Bourbon, Moraine Country Club, Kettering. Presented by Lincoln Electric. This classy networking event benefits the DRMA Foundation. Limited seats remaining, register here.

10/17, 1:30 - 4 p.m., Trap Shoot; 4 – 5:30 p.m., Happy Hour, Wright-Patt Rod and Gun Club, Fairborn. Presented by Bruns General Contracting and Back to Business I.T. Have fun with your DRMA peers! Fill out your registration form ASAP to reserve your spot! Sponsorships are available, contact Amy! Not a trap shooter but want to attend happy hour? Register here.

11/7, 4 – 6 p.m., Shoptalk: Voice of the American Workforce, AIDA, Dayton. Hear a short presentation from ResourceMFG about the results from their Voice of the American Workforce survey, followed by peer-to-peer networking and drinks at this impressive manufacturing facility! Register here.

12/5, 4:30 – 7 p.m., – Annual Meeting, The Steam Plant, Dayton. Presented by Sunbelt Business Advisors. Join us for our most essential meeting of the year. The short program will cover 2024 accomplishments, the 2025 budget, and the ratification of new board members, followed by networking festivities – cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, socializing with your DRMA peers. Register here.

WorkAdvance Info Session, 1 - 1:30 p.m., Virtual - This grant program is designed to bring you quality candidates to fill your entry-level positions. Attend a FREE info session to learn more.

• 10/23 - Register here.

Meet-Ups - They are FREE and for members only. Join the conversation on these topics.

• 10/2, 4 - 4:45 p.m., Candidate Chat with Amy Cox, candidate for U.S. House District 10, virtual. Register here.
• 10/9, 4 - 4:45 p.m., Candidate Chat with Laura Marie Davis, candidate for OH House District 55, virtual. Register here.
• 10/16, 4 - 4:45 p.m., Candidate Chat with Rose Lounsbury, candidate for OH House District 36, virtual. Register here.
• 10/22, 11 - 12 p.m., Workforce/HR, virtual. Register here.
• 10/23, 4 - 4:45 p.m., Candidate Chat with Kyle Koehler, candidate for OH Senate District 10, virtual. Register here.
• 10/30, 4 - 4:45 p.m., Candidate Chat with Adam Miller, candidate for US House District 15, virtual. Register here.

DRMA 101 – Whether you are a new member or a seasoned member, kickstart your membership ROI and learn what DRMA does to help you strengthen your business. Contact Shay to sign up!

• 10/31, 8 – 9 a.m., at Huntington Bank, Downtown Dayton (breakfast provided).

For more information on any of our events, visit our website.

Community Events:

• 10/8, 10 – 3 p.m., Instrument Calibration Solutions Showcase, Clayton. Register here or contact Koti for more info.
• 10/10, 2 - 3 p.m., Thompson Hine SmarTrade Fundamentals, virtual. Register here.
• 10/10, 3 - 6 p.m., Taft 2024 Employment Safety Seminar, Dayton. Register here.
• 10/16, 7:30 - 4 p.m., Miami Valley Safety Council 72^nd Annual Conference, Dayton. More information/registration here.

Thinking about your 2025 budget? I hope you include your membership in DRMA, your local industry association. The volunteers and staff work hard to bring you value. Please let me know if there is something we can do to make it better for you.

Support the DRMA Foundation by attending one or both of these unique events coming up in October! We have the Business & Bourbon event on 10/10 at Moraine Country Club, and our Trap Shoot event on 10/17 at Wright Patt Rod and Gun Club. These fun events benefit the DRMA Foundation, which pays all our expenses related to growing the manufacturing worker pipeline. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Save money with your DRMA membership: Our Legal Services Plan offers members one FREE legal consultation per month with employment law attorney Bob Dunlevey at Taft Law. Simply identify yourself as a DRMA member when you call 937-641-1743.

Attention Manufacturer members: Click here to see manufacturing-pertinent resumes I have received.



Welcome new DRMA members:

• Acuren
• Reliance Matrix
• Starwin
• TechSolve, Inc - SW Ohio MEP Regional Partner