A Celebration of Manufacturing Month
Sometimes the most important parts of a community are the easiest to overlook.
In this capacity, I am referring to our manufacturing community. We drive past them on our way to work. We see their buildings along our waterfront, downtown, in our industrial parks and tucked into our neighborhoods. We pass trucks hauling materials and finished products. We watch ships arrive in our harbor and trains move through town.
But how often do we stop and think about what is actually being made here?
October is National Manufacturing Month and especially during October, my challenge to you is simple: Look up.
Look up at the names on the buildings. Look up at the buildings along our waterfront. Look at the products being shipped from Superior and Douglas County across the country and around the world. Look at the businesses that have been here for generations – and the entrepreneurs who are just getting started.
Because we make things here. And we should be incredibly proud of that.
Manufacturing Is Bigger – and Smaller – Than You Think
When we talk about manufacturing, it is easy to picture a massive industrial facility, heavy equipment, sparks flying from a welder or products moving down an assembly line.
We certainly have those businesses, and they are an incredibly important part of our economy.
But manufacturing in Superior and Douglas County comes in many shapes and sizes.
Sometimes it is heavy equipment, metal fabrication or an industrial product destined for a customer hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
And sometimes it’s a can of locally brewed kombucha, beer or a pint of ice cream.
Uffda Kombucha is brewing right here in Superior, combining fermentation, testing, quality control and creative flavors into a locally made product.
Love Creamery’s new Superior location is not simply another place to grab a fantastic scoop. It includes a production facility where its small-batch ice creams and sorbets are made from scratch. This is manufacturing too.
I think that’s an important story to tell because manufacturing sometimes gets a bad rap from people and even elected officials – who don’t look up. Who base their opinions about what manufacturing was a hundred years ago. But at its heart, manufacturing is about taking ideas, talent and raw materials and creating something of value. We should be proud of what is made here.
This Isn’t Your Grandfather’s Factory Floor
Manufacturing has changed dramatically.
Today’s facilities combine skilled trades with automation, engineering, robotics, computers, logistics, environmental technology, data and highly specialized equipment.
Walk through one of our local industrial facilities and you may find millions of dollars of technology operated and maintained by highly skilled employees.
But innovation isn’t limited to our largest companies, either.
Small manufacturers are experimenting with ingredients, developing new products, improving processes, designing packaging and finding creative ways to bring something made in Superior to new customers.
That’s innovation. It’s often creating new and better ways to make things sustainably. And it’s happening right here in Superior and Douglas County.
These Are Careers – Not Just Jobs
This is a story we need to tell louder: manufacturing and industry provide real, rewarding career opportunities right here in our community. From the trades as a whole to welders, machinists and electricians to engineers, accountants, marketers, IT professionals and managers, today’s manufacturers need people with a wide range of skills and talents. These careers often provide competitive, living wages, benefits and opportunities for advancement.
A four-year degree remains a great path for many, but it isn’t the only path to success. Careers in manufacturing can begin at a university, technical college, through an apprenticeship or certification, or with an employer willing to train someone ready to learn. There isn’t one path – and that’s the opportunity.
As employers, educators, parents and community leaders, we need to make sure young people understand that working with your hands, operating sophisticated equipment, creating a product or learning a skilled trade isn’t a fallback plan. It’s a career. And often, it’s an excellent option.
There Is Pride in Making Something
There is something special about being able to point to something and say: “We made that.”
A piece of equipment fabricated here may be working somewhere across the country.
A product moving through our port may ultimately travel around the world.
And something produced by a small entrepreneur in Superior may be sitting on a shelf, in a restaurant or in someone’s refrigerator tonight.
Someone designed it.
Someone built it.
Someone welded it, churned it, brewed it, packaged it, tested it, sold it or shipped it.
And someone right here in our community went to work today and made it happen.
That deserves recognition.
The Impact Is Not Small
Our manufacturers do so much more than make great products – they help make a great community. They sponsor teams, support nonprofits, volunteer, serve on boards, buy from local businesses and employ people who live, shop, eat and raise their families here. And the impact keeps growing: manufacturers rely on contractors, accountants, banks, restaurants, technology providers, transportation companies and countless other local partners. When one local business succeeds, that success ripples throughout our community – and that’s economic development at its best.
So, Look Up
During Manufacturing Month – and really, throughout the year – I encourage you to take another look at Superior and Douglas County. Whether it’s a ship loading in our harbor, a local manufacturer creating products for customers around the world, or a scoop of locally made ice cream, look up. Behind it are people, careers, innovation and businesses helping move our community forward.
We make things here – big things, small things, heavy things and delicious things. Some travel around the world, while others only make it a few blocks. But all of them are part of our story, and we should celebrate, support and introduce the next generation to the opportunities they create.
Some of the most innovative companies, rewarding careers and exciting opportunities aren’t somewhere off in the distance. Sometimes, we just need to look up.
