September 2022

Manufacturing Month is here!

By Jolee Martin, FloridaMakes Business Adviser

Throughout the country, there are so many events to support manufacturing month.

You might be asking, what can we do in our own backyard to bring attention and focus to manufacturing? This not only promotes our industry but begins to open the minds of our young people and those in job transition to consider manufacturing as a career.

Did you know there are various events in the Panhandle geared toward this? Between job fairs, student tours, peer visits, and many others, you can promote your business and manufacturing in a wide variety of ways. There is still time to showcase yourself. For details on local events, contact Paul Miller.

On a state level, you can attend the MakeMore Summit. This venue allows you to be heard. Focus topics this year are talent management and growth. You can join your peers in industry and our education / career partners to discuss solutions and brainstorm ideas to sustainably address this long-term need. For more information and registration details, click here.

As always, FloridaMakes is your partner in the community. Whether it is supply chain challenges, training and upleveling the team, driving improvement / sustainability, or just plain brainstorming, you can reach me at 636-288-8756 or via email at jolee.martin@floridamakes.com. You can even schedule some time in my calendar for a quick chat by clicking here. Talk soon.

School advisory committees need input from manufacturers

The Escambia County Public Schools will hold the School Choice Expo on Thursday, October 20th, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Booker T. Washington High School for middle and high school students and parents to learn more about career academies, magnet schools, and other academic choice programs for the 2023-24 school year. They have invited members of academy advisory councils to provide promotional items for the School Choice Expo give-away bags. This is a great opportunity to advertise your business and show further support for our career academies as we work together to grow a workforce. Their deadline for items is Monday, October 3rd.

This is a reminder of how important it is for manufacturers to be engaged and active in school advisory committees.

“The only way that the schools know what is relevant is when we participate in these types of committees,” said Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council president, Paul Miller.

If you'd like to get connected with a school advisory committee near you or contribute to the Escambia County School Choice Expo, contact Paul Miller for assistance.

Participate in Hispanic Heritage Month Gala

The Manufacturers Council was present to support the first Hispanic Heritage Month Gala in Pensacola organized by the La Costa Latina Bilingual Newspaper. The event included presentations featuring local businesses, community and activities. Julio Fuentes, president of the Florida state Hispanic Chamber of Commerce provided the keynote speaker. 

Representing the Council at the gala were Michael Emigh, Director of Advanced Technology and Applied Sciences at Northwest Florida State College, Nicole Gislason of the University of West Florida, David Murzin of 850 Consulting Group and Robin Rashard of the Kukua Institute.

"The inaugural Hispanic Heritage Month Gala was a phenomenal event that highlighted the vast community of Latin Americans living in the local area," Emigh said. "Grace Resendez McCaffery’s hard work and dedication to the Latin community was evident as individuals from all aspects of the Hispanic community were in attendance to celebrate their many accomplishments. The gala is an absolute must-go-to event."

Several elected officials were also in attendance including State Representative Michelle Salzman, Pensacola City Councilwoman Teniadé Broughton and Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May. A portion of the event paid homage to healthcare providers who are providing health services to Spanish speakers.

Hispanic Heritage Month is Septmber 15 - October 15.