What Is Manufacturer’s Week?
Manufacturer’s Week is a way for Minnesotans to celebrate and recognize the benefits that manufacturing provides for our local economy, career opportunities, and regional growth.
There are many ways that people can participate in the celebration. They can learn more about the positive benefits of a career in manufacturing, the various manufactured products that we all use in our everyday lives, and how all of these help to stimulate our local and regional prosperity.
Getting A First Hand Look
A collaboration between nine state and regional organizations has resulted in the largest regional field trip ever executed in southeast Minnesota during Manufacturer’s Week. This week, 24 manufacturers will open their facility doors to nearly 350 high school and college students from 17 communities in southeast Minnesota.
“We are excited to be participating in this pilot project,” says John Double, Albert Lea Area Schools. “There is a lot of misconception about manufacturing, the variety of opportunities, and the excellent careers available for our students considering what they want to do when they graduate.”
The aggressive schedule will kick off on Tuesday, October 2nd and wrap up Thursday, October 4th. Students will tour facilities from Albert Lea to Caledonia. Transportation was made possible by a grant in partnership with Dream It Do It Minnesota and the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association.
Says Sarah Ness, Program Manager, Southeast Services Cooperative. “School districts face tight budgets and oftentimes, transportation is the stalemate that prevents students an opportunity like this.” She continues, “Thanks to Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association, Dream It Do It Minnesota is able to provide transportation scholarships to help our schools with the cost of busing to and from a manufacturing business.”
The planning cohort has been meeting for months, coordinating logistics, connecting with educators and manufacturers, and creating customized tool kits for both educators and manufacturers.
“The goal is to make the huge pilot project as easy as possible for all the participants and leave students with a positive and fresh perspective on opportunities in the manufacturing industry,” adds Heather Holmes, Project Manager, Journey to Growth.
How Harmony Is Participating
Harmony Enterprises was proud to open its doors to 26 students from Kingsland High School in Spring Valley, MN. Participating students ranged in age from 14-18 years old and were selected from a variety of class curriculum.
According to Technical Education teacher, Tyler Heimermann, this program is important in “showing the students what opportunities are available in their own back yard.”
Students from Kingsland HS in Spring Valley, MN, took guided tours of Harmony Enterprises for Manufacturer’s Week.
Prior to their arrival, the students were able to learn about Harmony Enterprises by viewing several videos on the Harmony Enterprises YouTube Channel, including Experience Harmony, Harmony Core Values, Harmony M60CB, Harmony M42BC, and others. They also took time to navigate through the www.harmony1.com website to learn more about the full product line of balers, compactors, and beverage extraction equipment.
Once on site, the larger group was broken into three smaller groups and given tours by Steve Cremer, President, Ramon Hernandez, VP of Operations, and Lane Powell, New Business Development Manager. The tours showed the students the vital role each department plays in a successful manufacturing company and walked the students through the entire production phase from customer interest to final shipping and customer service. Students were also shown the many different ways that Harmony Enterprises utilizes technology throughout the company.
Students took part in a question and answer scavenger hunt about Harmony Enterprises with an opportunity to win a prize for their efforts when they returned to school. They learned about the history of the company, our core purpose, our products and services, and career opportunities in manufacturing.
Steve Cremer, President of Harmony Enterprises, says, “Manufacturing is a crucial business sector in Minnesota. Manufacturing Week provides an opportunity for Harmony Enterprises, Inc. to show high school students what job opportunities there are inside a manufacturing company. These are good paying jobs which do not necessarily need a four year college education to be successful.”
Students learn first-hand from Harmony Employees about how the burn table is used to cut sheets of steel for specific product needs.
Harmony Enterprises recognizes the important role manufacturing plays in the Minnesota economy, and in the regional growth of Southeast MN. Nurturing our youth and providing them with hands-on understanding of manufacturing processes, career opportunities, and benefits is just one way we are keeping our commitment to our core purpose of Career, Community, and Culture.
If you would like to learn more about Harmony Enterprises, our company history, the positive way we engage our community, or the quality waste handling and recycling solutions we provide, please call us at 507-886-6666, or Contact Us today!
