On August 30th, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, SVAM hosted its annual Manufacturers’ Expo. The Expo brought manufacturers of Southwest Virginia together, along with their vendors/suppliers, in a networking and learning environment. Manufacturers set up booths/exhibits for their company and got to know other manufacturers and service providers. Vendors and resource providers offering a wide variety of services to manufacturing were also in attendance. This event provided an opportunity for Southwest Virginia Manufacturing companies to connect to other manufacturers and vendors to build their supply chain, exhibit their capabilities, develop business opportunities and new customers, and learn about resources available to help strengthen their company. Representatives from 16 manufacturing companies attended this year’s Expo. Vendors and resource providers offering a wide variety of services to manufacturers were also in attendance.

Two breakout sessions were provided on two incredibly relevant topics. The first Breakout Session was, Stop The Revolving Door – Learn what employees need, why they leave, and how to keep them, presented by Mike Leigh with OpX Solutions. The second was, Approaches to Navigate the Supply Chains of 2022, presented via Zoom by Dr. Ricardo Ungo, Director, Maritime Institute and Clinical Assistant Professor of Maritime and Supply Chain Management at Old Dominion University