OCTC, KCTCS, and KAM Celebrate Kentucky Manufacturing Going Pro Signing Day

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (05/17/2019) — Today, rookies in advanced manufacturing and the companies they'll be working for participated in the first ever Kentucky Manufacturing Going Pro Signing Day. Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC), all the colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), and the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM) sponsored celebrations for new hires in advanced manufacturing at each of the 16 KCTCS colleges across the state.

The signees were recent graduates from one of the programs that support advanced manufacturing.

OCTC recognized 11 companies and 17 students during the event, emceed by OCTC President Scott Williams.

Williams added "this event was developed in partnership with KAM to highlight the great career opportunities in KY in the advanced manufacturing sectors. It is vital that we work with our manufacturing partners to develop a pipeline of skilled workers to support our region and state. Today is just an example of how our collaboration is making a difference."

The following companies participated in the event with their student signees.

Hayden Precision Welding, LLC has been located in Owensboro, Kentucky for 11 years. They primarily operate in the welding repair business within the miscellaneous repair services sector.The students signees were Thomas Self and Nathaniel Krampe, both of the Welding Technology program.

Trinity Heating & Cooling is owned and operated out of Breckinridge County. Trinity provides superior building automation services for the HVAC industry. Their student signee was Jackson Dugan, from the Air Conditioning Technology program.

Victory CNC Plasma has been manufacturing systems since 2008. With over 225 systems built and installed in the U.S. and around the world, they have experience in engineering and fabrication, shipping and installing turn-key systems. Their student signee was Michael (Mike) Hamilton, from the Welding program.

ACME Plumbing has specialized in serving their Owensboro customers since it was founded in 1967. They offer a broad variety of services ranging from residential plumbing to the installation of high efficiency air conditioning systems, furnaces, and heat pumps for commercial and industrial facilities. ACME carries a full line of natural gas, L.P. gas, electric, oil and coal furnaces as well as floor furnaces, space heaters, boilers, humidifiers, and air cleaners. Acme's Going Pro signee was Jeff York, who earned his degree in Air Conditioning Technology.

PTTG is family owned and operated since 1919, PTTG is North Americas leading full-service tank supplier. Operating out of Henderson Kentucky, PTTG designs, builds, maintains and refurbishes all styles of storage tanks for corporations and governmental entities as well as communication towers and structural steel for industry leaders in more than 50 countries around the world. Their Going Pro signee was Tyler Tanner, who is currently in the Tech X program and on track to graduate in August.

Castlen Steel is located in Owensboro Kentucky. Castlen Steel now has over 90 employees and has expanded to a 92 acre steel mill and storage facility, with river and railroad access, they are able to ship large equipment by barge and railcar, and are ready to tackle any industrial or agricultural project. The two Going Pro signees are Graceon Bell, from the Tech X program, and Luis Cruz, a Welding graduate.

Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline is a leading transporter of natural gas to America's heartland, with approximately 5,800 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline in the Midwest and Mid-Continent regions of the United States.Everyday, more than 500 employees located in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas, with our headquarters in Owensboro, KY support our communities and help deliver natural gas to homes and businesses across the country. Southern Star's Going Pro signee isBen Fulkerson from the Electrical Technology program.

TTMA was established in Owensboro, KY in 2001, and is part of Toyotetsu North America. With nearly 750 team members, TTMA supplies several Toyota facilities with welding and stamping operations. Primary products from TTMA are structural components for the Toyota Highlander and Toyota Sienna. TTMA's Going Pro signees were Jessica Wimsatt and Nick Clouse, both graduates of the GO FAME program.

UniFirst is one of North America's largest workwear and textile service companies, providing managed uniform, protective clothing, and custom corporate image apparel programs to businesses. With over 250 service centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe, companies are able to rent, lease, and purchase work attire depending on their needs. Unifirst celebrated their 21th year of business at our Owensboro Distribution center, a state of the art facility with nearly 450 employees. The Unifirst Going Pro signees were Hunter Bridgmon and Baylen Pickle both from the GO FAME program.

Metalsa is a tier 1 automotive solutions provider with over 60 years' experience in providing the automotive industry with metallic structures for both heavy and light trucks and passenger cars. Metalsa added its Owensboro facility in 1997 and is currently expanding the facility to accommodate robotic welding cells, assembly line robots, and infrastructure and building expansions, adding 113 new jobs to the facility. Metalsa recognized Gage Camron, Sean Steele and Parker Humphrey, all GO FAME participants.

Dart Container Corporation began in 1937 with products such as plastic key cases, steel tape measures, and identification tags for the armed services. In the late1950s they introduced a line of high quality insulated foam cups. Dart has led the way in creating and manufacturing a wide range of single use products including: foam bowls, dinnerware, interchangeable lids, plastic cutlery, drink lids, and Solo brand products. The Polymer Plant in Owensboro Kentucky was acquired in 1983 and is one of their 31 facilities located in the United States, with 5 others around the world. They are proud to recognize their Going Pro studentMontana Goodman, a graduate of the GO FAME program.

"Currently in Kentucky there are more than 8,000 career openings in manufacturing. It is vital that we continue to work with our manufacturing partners developing a pipeline of skilled workers to support our region and state. Only through our continued efforts can we hope to close the employment gap. Because of the partnerships with the colleges and industry these students were prepared to walk out of college and into an in-demand, high paying career." Added Williams.

The OCTC programs that support advanced manufacturing include: Industrial Maintenance Technology, Computerized Machining and Manufacturing, Welding, Engineering and Electronics Technology, Electrical Technology, Air Conditioning Technology, GO FAME, and Tech X.

For more information about OCTC's Going Pro signing event, contactbernie.hale@kctcs.edufor photos please visitthe OCTC Facebook page.

Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC

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OCTC Going Pro with TTMA

TTMA was established in Owensboro, KY in 2001, and is part of Toyotetsu North America. With nearly 750 team members, TTMA supplies several Toyota facilities with welding and stamping operations. Primary products from TTMA are structural components for the Toyota Highlander and Toyota Sienna. TTMA’s Going Pro signees were Jessica Wimsatt and Nick Clouse, both graduates of the GO FAME program.