Posts filed under 'Networking'
September 7th, 2008
News Conference details: Monday, September 9, 2 p.m., at TechWorks, 185 15th Ave, Rockford 61104
IMTS Rockford Reception
On Wednesday, September 10, 19 local companies and organizations will partner to host a first-ever “Rockford Reception” during IMTS. The networking after-show-hours reception is intended to introduce manufacturing companies to the Rockford region’s technologies and capabilities. The invitation-only event will be attended by current and potential customers of local manufacturing companies. Participating host companies will showcase their products and services at with tabletop displays during the reception. A video showcasing the capabilities of local manufacturing companies will also be show during the reception. The video was produced by Comcast. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THIS RECEPTION, PLEASE CONTACT HEIDI GARNER AT hgarner@rockfordchamber.com. The reception will take place at McCormick Place from 4:30 t0 6:30 p.m. There are several delegations attending the reception, and car-pooling can be arranged.
IMTS Student Summit
On Tuesday, September 9, the Rockford Chamber of Commerce in partnership with many local partners (see list below) will send 200 local high school students to the IMTS Student Summit. Local manufacturers will travel with the students, as Industrial Mentors, to answer questions about manufacturing processes and careers in manufacturing. The Student Summit is an industry-wide effort to help introduce students to careers in manufacturing through interaction with industry professionals and exposure to state-of-the-art manufacturing technology. Students from Jefferson, Guilford, East, Keith, Belivdere North, Belvidere, Roosevelt and the new Academic Career Education High School will participate.
September 5th, 2008
The mission of the Boone and Winnebago Counties Workforce Investment Board is to create a competitive, skilled and educated workforce by providing a system for the citizens of Boone and Winnebago Counties to gain meaningful employment responsive to the needs of business.
The Workforce Connection is a partnership of state and federally funded employment and training programs, economic development agencies and educational entities committed to providing a workforce that meets the needs of our business community, now and in the future.
The One-Stop Centers in Rockford and Belvidere provide one contact for employers to find workers and for jobseekers
to receive training, education and employment services.
For more information, contact John Strandin:
Phone: 815-395-6600
Fax: 815-395-8548
jstrandin@theworkforceconnection.org
August 18th, 2008
Planning is moving forward rapidly.
Student Day, September 9th is filling up with 200 plus students from Belvidere North, Jefferson, Guilford, Roosevelt, ACS, and Keith. We still need a few Mentors to ride the bus and spend time at the event with the students.
Networking Day, September 10th is almost filled, a few more sponsors will complete our plan.
Any interest in either event, see the links below.
http://blogs.e-rockford.com/manufacturing/2008/07/30/imts-update-3-student-day/
http://blogs.e-rockford.com/manufacturing/2008/07/31/imts-update-4-networking-reception-sept-10th/
Rockford will be well represented!
August 15th, 2008
Goodwill/Abilities Center is one of our local education and training resources that is a “hidden gem” Hardly a day goes by that the staff hasn’t touched a human life in a positive way. To demonstrate this, I’m reporting a few of their July Activities.
Customers served in mission related activities-over 170 - individuals
Intensive services to individuals - 91 individuals
Job placement assistance - 67 individuals
Training provided including vocational training and On-the-Job - 2150 hours
Work Assessment ad Evaluations - 21
Data above includes the training at Techworks
Be sure to contact Sam Schmitz or Courtney Geiger at Abilities Center: 815-965-3795 for further information.
August 14th, 2008
At this mornings “Breakfast with the Mayor” for manufacturers, he spoke about the concept of “Flexible Education Networks”. This is a similar approach that the Manufacturing Alliance of the Rock River Valley - MARRV created a few years ago.
This certainly has a lot of merit. Join all the different education/training institutions together and utilize each others strengths. Techworks, District 205, Rock Valley College, NIU and all the others that collectively can create the “virtual” education system that will take Rockford into an improved and more educated workforce.
We’ll all need to assist with this development, but it’s one that has a great deal of merit.
Watch for further news.
August 8th, 2008
Winnovation, Winnebago’s High School Robotics Team, invites you to see FIRST Robotics in action on Sunday, Aug. 31, noon-2:30pm at On The Waterfront.
The playing field will be set up on State St. near Wyman.
Teams coming include: Fond du Lac, WI “Fondy Fire”, Sussex, WI “Charger Robotics”, Freeport “Metalheads”, Oregon “Robohawks”, Rockford “Robotics”, Oswego “Gear It Forward”, and Winnebago “Winnovation”. Hopefully we’ll see “Chicago Knights”.
Teams will be playing with robots they built in six weeks to compete in USFIRST competitions back in March. We are excited to showcase our teams and their robots at On The Waterfront!!! Hope you can join them!!
Please pass the word!!
For further information, contact:
Karen Hill
Coordinator of Team 1625 Winnovation
815-742-0873
August 7th, 2008
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin Stateline Area, Inc. will be
adding 25 part-time and full-time positions to staff a new store location that will
open later this fall at 8010 N. 2nd Street in Machesney Park. The public is invited
to attend a job fair on Tuesday, August 12 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM to learn
more about and apply for the positions.
Job fair attendees will have the chance to meet with an operations
representative, who will evaluate their application to see if their skills and
experience fit with an open position. Job duties will include accepting, sorting,
processing and selling gently used goods. Goodwill is also seeking candidates
for hourly supervisory positions that will oversee staff members. Applicants
should bring a pen, driver’s license or state ID and Social Security card.
“Because our organization is growing, we have an ongoing need for additional
employees and rely on qualified individuals to help us be successful in living out
our mission,” says Sam Schmitz, executive director. “We look forward to hosting
the job fair and giving prospective candidates the opportunity to visit our new
store location and meet our team.”
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin Stateline Area, Inc. is a
community-based nonprofit organization that provides education and
employment for persons in need and promotes enterprise development in
support of job creation. Goodwill stores in northern Illinois (Rockford, Freeport
and Sterling) and Beloit, Wisconsin employ more than 170 people.
For more information on the job fair or employment opportunities with Goodwill,
call Craig Grugel at (815) 965-3795.
July 31st, 2008
One way to keep up with new trends is seeing what other people are doing. Manufacturing News, a periodical from Gross Publications highlights manufacturing activity in our region. It is inexpensive too! You can obtain a free subscription on-line at www.ipnews.con/subscribe.html. Also, most content is available on-line at the same web-site. John Gross, managing editor visited Rockford and the EIGERlab, specifically to see the rapid prototping technology at the SUPER FABlab. He will post an article in October in all four regional magazines of Manufacturing News in October about rapid protoyping in Rockford. A magazine of this type is helpful for spreading the word about the great capabilities we have in manufacturing in our region.
July 31st, 2008
Rockford Area Ventures, Rockford Area Economic Development Council and the Rockford Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Networking Reception AT McCORMICK PLACE during IMTS.
This Reception is being held to showcase our region’s technologies and capabilities to a broad audience of IMTS attendees. As noted earlier, IMTS is the premier manufacturing technology show in North America.
This event will be held on Wednesday, September 10 2008 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. with a Networking and Cocktail Reception. Estimated attendance at the reception will be 200 to 250.
How do you participate and sponsor?
For $500.00 you will have a small display table-top at this event for display of your company information and/or products. PLUS….10 complimentary tickets to the reception (you get to invite potential customers)….PLUS 2 complimentary drink tickets provided at reception to each sponsor guest…..PLUS you get included in local media alerts and news releases.
Instead of attendees fighting for taxis and buses after the exhibition that day, why not enjoy a relaxing networking event with your fellow manufacturers and potential customers.
For further details and information, contact Janyce Fadden or Lelani Hillis at 815-987-8118.
This is such a cool deal, I’ve signed up already!!
July 18th, 2008
I came across this quote regarding the June 2008 composite index from manufacturing.net: “This quarter’s results unequivocally reflect slowing activity in manufacturing and offer little prospect for an overall increase in activity over the next three months,” said Donald A. Norman, Ph.D., MAPI Economist and survey coordinator. “The news, however, is not all bad. The rise in indexes for backlogs, non-U.S. prospective shipments, and non-U.S. investment, coupled with the strength of the indexes for capacity utilization and exports, indicate that most of the manufacturing sector is holding up much better than it did in the last recession largely because non-domestic business continues to grow.” For more information, visit http://www.mapi.net.
This continues to reinforce the importance of developing international strategies for growth. The RAEDC is assembling a delegation for the third straight year to visit the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneurial Days in Stockholm this Sept 15-16. Contact the RAEDC office at 815-987-8118 for more information.
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