October is a funny month. Not quite cold enough to ski, but not warm enough for shorts, days are getting shorter, leaves are falling but still trying to hang on, baseball is (mostly) ending, hockey is starting, Columbus Day is both celebrated and vilified, the presidential election is either heating up or winding down, and to top it all off we end it by commemorating death and ghosts and weirdness with teeth-rotting candy.

Coming right in the middle of this cacophony of extremes is the 4th annual National Manufacturing Day, this year on October 7. As the lead organization for Manufacturing Day in Colorado, Manufacturer's Edge is pushing hard to get out the word, motivate people, and coordinate as many events as we can to put Colorado manufacturing on the Manufacturing Day Map, literally ( here) and figuratively.

Why do we care? And why should you care?

Manufacturing in Colorado is a well-kept secret, especially in the public's mind and that hurts all of us.

Let's look at some numbers. Most people know and agree that tourism is critical to the Colorado economy. In 2015, tourism contributed $19B to the Colorado economy. That's a nice number. People are very happy about that and the state government works very hard to promote tourism and keep those numbers growing. There's even a state office for tourism.

But here are some lesser known numbers. Over 144,000 of our fellow Coloradans work in 6,000 manufacturing companies across the state. One out of every 20 adult fans at a Broncos games works in manufacturing. One out of every 20 adults in line at the grocery store makes something. And guess what? You and your industry colleagues contribute over $20B to our state's economy, more than tourism.

Most people do not have an appreciation of our manufacturers' contribution to Colorado. Do a little test...ask your friends to name the top beer producing state in America. Few will answer Colorado. Ask them to name the top aerospace states in America. Colorado won't be included very often. Ask them where ground zero for manufacturing natural foods is located. Most often, people answer "California", not Colorado. Where is one of the top three centers for high-tech optics located? Colorado won't even make the cut.

Frankly, people don't know how good, how important, how innovative, and how out front Colorado manufacturers are.

That's why we're so focused on Manufacturing Day. It's our chance to beat the drum for the state we love and our manufacturers who contribute so much, to spread the word to our kids and our legislators and our educators about the value and worth and opportunities in the manufacturing economy in Colorado, and to let people know that we are one of the best, one of the fastest growing, one of the most innovative manufacturing economies in the country.

Join us to celebrate Manufacturing Day and help increase Coloradans' awareness of your work and your employees. Take some of your employees to meet with your local mayor and tell your story. Put on a lunch for your employees to thank them for their work. Arrange to visit a classroom in your local high school to talk about what you do, and how they can too. Invite local students or the school counseling staff in for a tour. Invite your state representative to come visit your workers for a coffee break. Anything to get the word out. If you do plan an event, go to MFGDAY.COM  and register your effort, so we can literally put Colorado on the map as one of the country's leaders in manufacturing.

Here is a sampling of some of the fantastic MFG DAY 16 events taking place around Colorado:

 

CO ACTIVE COLORADO

OCT 7 @ 9AM

THE COMMONS ON CHAMPA 

Come support three of Denver's coolest Outdoor Rec Manufacturer's on MFG Day and hear a panel of local CEOs tell why they choose to manufacture in Denver.

· Will Montague, CEO, Guerrilla Gravity Mountain Bikes

· Ted Eynon, CEO, Meier Skis

· April Archer, CEO, Sarabella Fly Fishing Poles

The panel will be moderated by our own Tom Bugnitz, CEO, Manufacturer's Edge.

FRONT RANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MFG DAY OPEN HOUSE

OCT 7 @ 12-5PM

FRCC ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CENTER 

Come see demos of some CNC machine tools, talk to instructors and students, and find out about upcoming classes.

At 4:00PM Mike Schultz Star of Edgefactor's Metal & Flesh Will speak about his passion for making the world a better place through manufacturing.

Click here for more information