MANSFIELD, Ohio — Authorities from the Regional Manufacturing Coalition say that maintaining a vibrant manufacturing industry in Richland County is crucial to local, or even the state’s, economic development.
“We are not a Columbus that can be a tech community. All those people that say manufacturing is dead here, there are 165 manufacturers in Richland County. They’re not all GMs and Westinghouses, but there is a lot of manufacturing going on in Richland County. I think it’s very important to the sustainability to the county,” RMC Executive Director Melanie Riggleman said.
Riggleman and other RMC members gathered Monday night for their 10th annual silent auction fundraising dinner. The money raised helps support education aimed at equipping youth as they enter the manufacturing industry.
According to RMC President Scott King, manufacturing is the county’s second largest contributor of the area’s GDP. The first is the agriculture industry.
Despite its apparent large presence in the county, however, the manufacturing industry seems to get a bad wrap, Riggleman said.
“That’s why we’re focused on getting kids in the facilities,” she said.
On Oct. 2, 2015, RMC hosted a grand tour for the area’s high school students of some the county’s major manufacturing sites. Nearly 700 students attended.
“There’s a misnomer that manufacturing is just out in the shop,” Riggleman said. “But if you think of all the other departments and companies that are necessary for manufacturing, you have engineering, accounting, sales. All kinds.”
Shattering the misconception found in today’s youth of a career characterized by working in a dirty factory is of utmost importance to RMC.
Dan Phillip, President of Transformation Network in Ashland, said the misconception among youth is a statewide dilemma.
“The task before us is so monumental. In Ohio, over the next eight years, 219,000 people will retire from manufacturing careers,” Phillip said.
He cited Ohio Department of Education data that reports only 18,100 high school students who are on track to enter the manufacturing industry.
Phillip said the issue highlights the RMC’s importance for existing.
“It’s a community effort. No one entity, no two entities are going to solve this problem,” Phillip said.
RMC was founded in 2006 by State Representative Mark Romanchuk and Bob Stimpert after they recognized a need to congregate regularly with other manufacturing businesses in the region. The coalition meets consistently to network and find solutions to industry snags.
“In another 10 years, I hope we’ve continued to change the perception and helped others believe manufacturing is a viable career option,” King said.
