The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing hosts Southwest Virginia Manufacturers Expo

 

 

 

On July 8, The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing, Inc. invited manufacturers across southwest Virginia and their vendors to attend the Southwest Virginia Manufacturers Expo at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va. The purpose of the event was to provide a venue for manufacturers to network and share best practices in a peer-to-peer environment.

During the event several manufacturers and their vendors set up booths/exhibits to showcase their companies. The day was structured so that attendees were given time to network and get to know who was in the room. They were encouraged to use that time to discuss key issues with one another and discover how they could work together. Bristol Compressors and Scholle Packaging hosted Breakout Sessions on Lean Manufacturing and Safety Systems, respectively, and a lunch-time presentation on Growth in Manufacturing was be given by Bill Donohue of Genedge Alliance.

Twelve manufacturers across the region attended, along with five manufacturing vendors and representatives of the Southwest Virginia Workforce Investment Board, New River/Mount Rogers Workforce Investment Area Business Solutions Partners, and the Joint Industrial Development Authority of Wythe County.

“The event was a great success,” said Lennie Gail Dunlop, Executive Director of The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing. “There was definitely a palpable energy in the room as people networked, which is exactly what I wanted to see. I’m looking forward to planning this event again next year.”

“The Southwest Virginia Manufacturers Expo was outstanding. It was great meeting people from the different manufacturers in the area. We made several new friends as well as catching up with some old ones…We can’t wait to do it again next year,” said Bill Hyatt of Central Machine Shop in Bristol, Virginia.