Widespread Events & Industry Tours Planned for 2017 Manufacturing Day/Month

Manufacturing Day/Month is one of the HOTTEST events celebrating the strength of American

manufacturing. October 6 marks the official kick off for Manufacturing Day with industry tours, open houses, career fairs and other miscellaneous events being planned in Florida and across the country. If you have been following the trends for MFG Day/Month, you also know Florida has led the nation in the number of tours and events that are hosted throughout October to celebrate Manufacturing Month. Leading the nation is a matter of immense pride not only to the MFG Day Coordinators and stakeholders who have taken an active role in organizing statewide events, but is emblematic of excellence in Florida manufacturing.

This year Florida Makes and its network of Regional Manufacturers Associations across the state are taking the lead in organizing statewide industry tours and events that kick starts on MFG Day which is October 6! Counties and cities across Florida are set to issue proclamations marking October as MFG Month. Thousands of students and educators from schools across Florida are also set to participate in industry tours that are geared to showcase products that are “Made in Florida” as well as get an up-close and in-depth look at high-skilled, high-wage careers that the industry offers.

There are a number of ways to be involved in this nationwide event that focuses on the strength of American Manufacturing. Outlined below is a list of Florida Manufacturing Day coordinators who are spearheading regional efforts to facilitate and coordinate MFG Day industry tours and events. Contact a regional MFG Day Coordinator in your area to host an industry tour, an open house, career fair, or set-up industry tours for students to local manufacturing facilities.

County	Contact Information
STATEWIDE	Florida Makes
Alachua County	Gainesville Chamber of Commerce
Baker & Columbia Counties	Florida Gateway College
Capital Region Leon, Wakulla, Madison, Gadsden Counties	Tallahassee Community College
Central Florida                                       Orange, Brevard, Lake, Seminole & Osceola Counties	Manufacturers Association of Central Florida
Hillsborough County	Bay Area Manufacturers Association Upper Tampa Bay Manufacturers Association (UTBMA) School District of Hillsborough County FLATE
Highlands County	Sebring Airport Authority
Marion County	Marion Schools Marion Regional Manufacturers Association
Northeast Florida (Duval, St. John, Clay, Nassau)	First Coast Manufacturers Association
Northwest Florida  (Escambia, City of Pensacola, Holmes, Washington, Jackson, Calhoun, Liberty County Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa, and Bay Counties)	Northwest Florida Manufacturers Council
Pasco & Hernando Counties	Pasco Hernando State College AM Skills
Pinellas County	Bay Area Manufacturers Association Upper Tampa Bay Manufacturers Association Pinellas Schools
Polk County	Career Pathways at Polk State College
Sarasota-Manatee Counties	SAMA Sarasota County Schools Career & Technical Education Manatee County Schools
South East Florida Palm Beach & Broward Counties	Atlantic Technical College HOERBIGER Corporation of America, Inc.
South West Florida	SRMA Goodwill Industries Lee Schools Polygon Solutions
Miscellaneous	Atlantic Technical Center

Here in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, the Bay Area Manufacturers Association (BAMA) will take the lead in matching schools and companies for student industry tours. Some of the local events planned in the Tampa Bay area include:

October 5:      Florida Suncoast Manufacturers Association Awards
October 6:      Manufacturing Day / Students’ Tours
October 7:      3rd annual Manufacturing 5K Run Walk Paddle for Education
October 19:    Made in Tampa Bay Expo
October 24:    Manufacturing Job Fair

Following up on the successful model that FLATE established over the years, this year Regional

Manufacturers Associations (RMAs) and Regional MFG Day Coordinators across Florida will be taking the lead in surveying statewide industry hosts, educators and students who participate in this year’s industry tours. Student, industry, educator and parents survey are available for download on the FLATE Wiki with an option to complete the surveys online as well. Post event surveys will be tabulated by RMAs in partnership with FLATE and shared with statewide partners and stakeholders. Ordering and sponsorships for MFG Day T-shirts are also being handled a little differently. Contact your local RMA/MFG Day Coordinator to see how you can place an order. 

To support students’ and educators’ learning and engagement in manufacturing, FLATE

has also developed an extensive array of resources specifically designed for industry, educators, or anyone interested in MFG Day/Month. A list of these comprehensive (free) resources are listed on the Florida MFG Day/Month page at http://madeinflorida.org/manufacturing-day. There is even a 2017 MFG Day poster that teachers can use as a curriculum tool and/or to decorate their classroom. To access these resources, visit the FLATE’s Wiki at: http://flate.pbworks.com/w/page/10889505/FrontPage and http://mfgday-fl.com. 

Over the next few weeks leading up to MFG Day, FLATE will be posting information on regional industry tours, open houses, expos, proclamations and other Florida-related MFG Day events on the Made in Florida MFG Day site http://madeinflorida.org/manufacturing-day. Be sure to share your MFG Day event with us so we can post it on the site, and/or post the information about regional events on the national MFG Day page. Manufacturing Day is also making big waves in the social world with ALL MFG Day participants encouraged to share news, pictures, videos about tours and events using the hashtags #MFGDay17 and #FLMfgMonth17. For information on other national manufacturing day events and tours contact your local Regional Manufacturers Associations and Regional MFG Day team in your area, or contact Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org.