Oct 1, 2015
While not well-known, Wyoming County is home to over 55 unique manufacturers making products that range from Automatic Girth Welders used on Oil Storage Tanks around the world to baked goods found on Jet Blue airplanes. In fact, manufacturing has experienced unprecedented growth in Wyoming County including a 400% increase in metals-based manufacturing jobs since 2010.
This increase is due to our highly skilled workforce, low energy and operational costs, and easy access to 50% of North America’s population. Wyoming County manufacturers employ over 1,500 workers, 40% above the national average, and those workers on average earn $56,516 per year.
First established in 1848, Morton Salt, located in Silver Springs, is Wyoming County’s oldest manufacturer, and is just one of a host of outstanding local manufacturing companies that link Wyoming County to the world. These varied and diverse companies are located throughout the county and employ anywhere from 50 to over 140 employees each, including Koike Aronson in Arcade; Upstate Door in Warsaw; Creative Food Ingredients in Perry; API Heat Transfer, Inc. in Arcade, Steel & O’Brien Mfg. in Arcade; and Advanced Rubber Products in Middlebury. Many other manufacturers are also located in Wyoming County. These companies are thriving and many are currently looking for hardworking individuals to join their workforce.
As the first Friday of October approaches, we want to recognize and highlight the contributions that manufacturing is making every day to the economy of Wyoming County. This year, on October 2, 2015, we celebrate manufacturing day which is a nationwide grassroots movement dedicated to overcoming the shared challenges facing manufacturers today.
“We are very pleased and fortunate to have a solid manufacturing base right here in the county,” said Scott Gardner, President of the Wyoming County Chamber & Tourism office. “In addition to the economic contributions these companies are making, they also give back in countless other ways that contribute to the quality of life to local residents.”
“In my position, I have the opportunity to visit and work with many of our manufacturers and it’s always a treat for me to see first-hand the products that are made here and witness the pride the workforce takes in their work and the satisfaction they realize knowing their quality products are being sold throughout the world,” said James Pierce, Executive Director of the Wyoming County Industrial Development Agency. “The general public drives by these businesses everyday but does not have a notion of what amazing things are going on behind the walls. That is why manufacturing day was created, to raise the awareness and importance of manufacturing.”
The most pressing issue facing manufacturers is finding skilled labor: 600,000 manufacturing jobs are currently unfilled in the United States due to a gap between the job requirements and the skills of those who are applying for them.
Manufacturers' ability to address this gap has been hindered by the public perception that careers in manufacturing are undesirable and by insufficient preparatory education. Both of these problems stem from a lack of understanding of present-day manufacturing environments, which are highly technical. Manufacturing today includes highly trained, well-paid employees who work on state-of-the-art equipment, although the perception persists that they are commonly thought of as antiquated factories designed for low-skilled workers. This change in public perception is the first step in addressing one of the main challenges faced by manufacturers today-a gap in skilled labor.
To learn more about Manufacturing Day, visit www.mfgday.com. For additional information on Manufacturing in Wyoming County, please call the Wyoming County Chamber at 585-237-0230 or the Wyoming County IDA at 585-237-4110.