SVAM Hosts the 2015 Southwest Virginia Manufacturers’ Expo
On August 4th, the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing, Inc. invited manufacturers across Virginia and their vendors to attend its second annual Southwest Virginia Manufacturers’ Expo at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia. The purpose of the event was to provide a venue for manufacturers to network and share best practices in a peer-to-peer environment. It provided a way for manufacturers to learn more about the local resources available to them through the capabilities of their fellow manufacturers.
During the event, fourteen manufacturers and manufacturing vendors set up booths/exhibits showcasing their companies. The day was structured with several blocks of networking time to provide participants an opportunity to spend some time getting to know the other exhibitors and attendees. Several manufacturers and organizations in attendance took a a few minutes to provide a presentation about their company during the event.
Two manufacturer-led Breakout Sessions were also held to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Bondcote, a manufacturing company in Pulaski County, led a session about the benefits of the Domestic Markets Expansion Program and the E3 Assessment which were provided to Bondcote by the Manufacturing Technology Session. Scholle Packaging led a session about their employee recognition and rewards program, “Schollewood”. A lunchtime presentation recapping the progress and expected benefits of the Center of Excellence was provided by Kevin Mumpower, Vice President of Engineering at Bristol Compressors and Chair of the Center of Excellence Board of Directors.
“This event was another success for SVAM,” said Lennie Gail Mitcham, “The Expo is a unique opportunity for manufacturers to see the capabilities in their region that they may have otherwise never known were there. I heard so many people say they never knew about several of the manufacturers in attendance. It was very encouraging to look around the room and see manufacturers sharing business cards, learning from each other, and hearing about their plans to work together in the future.”
SVAM would like to thank the Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board; Virginia Economic Development Partnership, International Trade; and the New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Development Consortium Board for Partnering with SVAM for this event.
