Made In SWVA

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Welcome to The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing’s Made in SWVA podcast. Each episode we will hear from a guest about manufacturing in Southwest Virginia. Our guests will give insight into what manufacturing looks like today, manufacturing career opportunities, and exciting advances in manufacturing.

The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing


    • Feb 7, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 16m AVG DURATION
    • 10 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Made In SWVA

    2021 Manufacturing Awards Winners: Excellence in Safety

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 16:05


    The latest series of SVAM's Made in SWVA podcast features winners of the 2021 Manufacturing Awards presented at our last Manufacturing Awards Banquet. Each year, SVAM hosts a Banquet to recognize the significant contributions of manufacturing to our community. SVAM awards manufacturers who have gone above and beyond to better our community in various ways. This episode will feature the winner of SVAM's Excellence in Safety Award. We provide this award as a way to try to change the perception that manufacturing is an unsafe working environment. Tadano Mantis Corporation was chosen as the winner of this year's Excellence in Safety Award based on the exceptional ways their company employs a culture of safety and sees results. For today's episode, Sean Blackwell, Continuous Improvement Supervisor/Environmental Health and Safety Supervisor at Tadano Mantis Corporation joins us and talks to us about his job, his company, and the reasons for which they were recognized. 

    Manufacturing Mythbusters: Caring for More Than the Bottom Dollar

    Play Episode Play 28 sec Highlight Listen Later Nov 10, 2021 12:31


    In the third installment of our Manufacturing Mythbusters series we are going to bust one of the most pervasive myths about manufacturing: that manufacturing is all about the bottom dollar and is bad for the community. Manufacturers are doing great work to care for the environment, their community, and most importantly, their employees. Listen to learn how.ReferencesSamuel Family FoundationGeneral Dynamics ECACMohawk talent developmentUniversal Fibers Health ClinicOther companies mentionedWest River ConveyorsScholle IPNTempur SealySomic AmericaThe Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing 2021 Manufacturing Awards

    Manufacturing Mythbusters: Jobs in Manufacturing

    Play Episode Play 37 sec Highlight Listen Later Jun 3, 2021 12:58


    In the second episode of our Manufacturing Mythbusters series, we address many of the myths that are often associated with careers in manufacturing. We talk about the amount of jobs available right now (Hint: It's a lot!), the manufacturing environment,, the diversity of job offerings and company environments, how much manufacturing jobs pay (it's more than most people think), and much more!This is a very timely episode, because right now there are literally HUNDREDS of job openings available in manufacturing all across our region. Manufacturers are looking to employ individuals at all levels with lots of different skill sets. You can check out some of these job listings at www.swvam.org/mfgcareers. Sources:www.swvam.org/mfgcareers https://businessfacilities.com/2018/10/southwestern-virginia-rich-history-agriculture-strong-future-manufacturing/http://viaalliance.org/site-selection-data/major-employers/https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/top-five-manufacturing-myths-busted/ https://workatdrylock.com/5-myths-about-manufacturing-jobs/ https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/95901-new-survey-shows-us-manufacturers-spending-billions-to-close-skills-gaphttps://www.solidprofessor.com/blog/truth-behind-biggest-myths-about-manufacturing-jobs/ https://blog.thomasnet.com/american-manufacturing-myths 

    Manufacturing Myth Busters: Making a Difference

    Play Episode Play 23 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 31, 2021 13:26 Transcription Available


    For this next series we will talk about the many myths associated with manufacturing. You're going to learn how manufacturing is the largest industry in Southwest Virginia and offers rewarding careers for over 17,000 people. We'll talk about the products being made, innovation occurring through manufacturing, what the manufacturing environment looks like today, as well as career opportunities. The first myth we want to address is the idea that we aren't making a difference. There's an idea that we are in this little bubble here in Southwest Virginia and all of the interesting things that are changing the world are happening somewhere else, probably in some big city far away. That's just not true, and in this episode you'll learn about the many reasons why.Show Notes: SVAM website: www.swvam.org Open careers in manufacturing in Southwest Virginia can be found at https://swvam.org/careers/careers/Referenced Companies: Universal Fibers, Inc.Atsumi Car EquipmentGeneral Dynamics Mission SystemsUtility Trailer Manufacturing Co. VolvoTempur SealyScholle IPNPepsiCoAppalachian PlasticsWolf Hills FabricatorsHollingsworth and VoseNew release: Midwest Textiles and Hollingsworth & Vose Partner Up to Sell Ready-to-Sew Face Mask Kits and Nanoweb® FM for the General Public. View here. Want more information on careers in manufacturing? Visit our careers information page. Other resources: https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/top-five-manufacturing-myths-busted/https://monroeengineering.com/blog/6-common-myths-about-american-manufacturing/

    Women in Manufacturing: Melinda Roberts

    Play Episode Play 55 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 3, 2021 22:01


    The first series on our podcast features Women in Manufacturing.  Through this series, we will speak with several women holding careers in manufacturing. We'll talk about their companies and careers, how they found themselves working in manufacturing, and advice they would give to women considering careers in manufacturing. For our fourth episode in the Women in Manufacturing series, we spoke with Melinda Roberts, Human Resources Manager of Scholle IPN in Chilhowie, VA. We discussed the room for advancement in manufacturing, Melinda's best tips for interviewing, and her passion for connecting with and helping others.

    Women in Manufacturing: Melanie Protti-Lawrence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2021 21:34


    The first series on our podcast features Women in Manufacturing.  Through this series, we will speak with several women holding careers in manufacturing. We'll talk about their companies and careers, how they found themselves working in manufacturing, and advice they would give to women considering careers in manufacturing. For our third episode in the Women in Manufacturing series, we spoke with Melanie Protti-Lawrence, President of Lawrence Brothers, Inc in Bluefield, Virginia. Melanie talks about her love for traveling, why she came back home to Southwest Virginia to run the family business, and how that business has a passion for giving second chances and giving back to the community. 

    Women in Manufacturing: Christa Glassburn

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2020 25:19


    The first series on our podcast features Women in Manufacturing.  Through this series, we will speak with several women holding careers in manufacturing. We'll talk about their companies and careers, how they found themselves working in manufacturing, and advice they would give to women considering careers in manufacturing. For our second episode in the Women in Manufacturing series, we spoke with Christa Glassburn, Chief Operating Officer for PBE in North Tazewell, Virginia. In this podcast, you'll hear about how a small manufacturing company is providing products to 30 countries around the world. We'll talk about the many job openings available in manufacturing today, the “scrappiness” of our region's manufacturers, and how you shouldn't be scared to try new things and pursue new opportunities. 

    SVAM's Impact on Southwest Virginia

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020 13:59


    In this interview we will hear from Lennie Gail Mitcham, Executive Director of The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing (SVAM). Lennie Gail discusses SVAM's history, mission, and how SVAM is impacting Southwest Virginia.

    Women in Manufacturing: Julie Fuller

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 26:08


    The first series on our podcast features Women in Manufacturing.  Through this series, we will speak with several women holding careers in manufacturing. We'll talk about their companies and careers, how they found themselves working in manufacturing, and advice they would give to women considering careers in manufacturing. In this episode, we interviewed Julie Fuller, COO of Tadano Mantis Corporation. We spoked to Julie about the joys of working in manufacturing, how to encourage more women to go into careers in manufacturing, the benefits of failure, and how to be a good leader. 

    Manufacturing in Southwest Virginia

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2020 5:03


    In this episode we will tell you more about manufacturing in Southwest Virginia, including job opportunities, benefits, and interesting stats.

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