FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6th, 2022
Contact:
Kim Plyler
kim@sahlcomm.com
484-554-5582
“What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Announces 2022 Lehigh Valley Awards
Online Votes Tally 128,620 and over 1,000 People Attended the Event, Broadcast Live on WFMZ
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. – April 6th, 2022 – The Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) is proud to announce the award recipients for the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Lehigh Valley student video contest awards. The ceremony was broadcast live on WFMZ, thanks to generous contributions from Air Products, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley and WFMZ-TV in partnership with Manufacturers Resource Center. Over 1,000 people attended the event, held Tuesday April 5, 2022 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks Bethlehem, PA. The WSCM program, created by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) in 2013, and teaming partners eMediaWorks, Sahl Communications and EmpowerStar Enterprises received 128,620 votes over a three-day voting period.
The video with the most votes received the “Viewers Choice Award.” The videos were also reviewed by a panel of judges for awards in ten other categories, including Outstanding Brand Placement and Outstanding Creativity.
Preceding the main program, culinary arts programs from Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, Carbon Career & Technical Institute, Career Institute of Technology, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, and Warren County Technical School hosted a dessert reception and Cupcake Competition, judged by Piece a’ Cake in Macungie and Lehigh University. Water and candy were provided by BlueTriton Brands and Just Born Quality Confections.
The WSCM contest, presented by MRC, partners students from 28 schools in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties with 28 local manufacturers. Each student team created and promoted a short video that documented their experience, highlighting what is “cool” about manufacturing at their assigned manufacturer. The winning videos in the region will be considered to represent the Lehigh Valley at the annual statewide competition in May.
“The student video contest is gaining more and more momentum every year. The combination of the way this creative program is structured, the hard work of the students, teachers and manufacturers and the excitement within the community make the WSCM contest a unique experience and an effective career awareness program,” said Rich Hobbs, President and CEO at MRC. “Being able to broadcast the awards event live amplifies the message throughout the community about exciting career opportunities and today’s manufacturing environments.”
This year’s awards are as followed:
- Outstanding Overall Program: Bangor Area Middle School – L&M Fabrication & Machine
- Outstanding Editing: J.T. Lambert Intermediate School – Lehigh Valley Plastics
- Outstanding Creativity: Northeast Middle School – Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
- Outstanding Cool: Northampton Area Middle School – ABEC
- Outstanding Team Spirit: Northern Lehigh Middle School – Piramal Critical Care, Inc.
- Outstanding Educational Value (TIE): Broughal Middle School- Lehigh Heavy Forge Corporation
- Outstanding Educational Value (TIE): Nazareth Area Middle School- Orbel Corporation
- Outstanding Videography: Eyer Middle School-BlueTriton Brands
- Viewers Choice: Springhouse Middle School- Stanley Black & Decker
- Outstanding Outreach Plan: Saucon Valley Middle School HindlePower, Inc.
- Outstanding Career Pathway: Lower Macungie Middle School- Solar Technology, Inc
- Outstanding Brand Placement: Penn-Kidder Campus-T.M. Incorporated
- Sweet Manufacturing Cupcake Award Winner: Career Institute of Technology
Visit WhatsSoCool.org for more information and resources and follow on Facebook.com/wscmlv, Twitter @wscmlv and Linkedin.com/company/what-s-so-cool-about-manufacturing-lehigh-valley
Program Sponsors:
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About “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing”™: Developed by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), the WSCM program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths and technology in manufacturing through “peer marketing” (kids telling kids what’s so cool about manufacturing jobs.). The contest is showcased on the What’s So Cool Website and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms. The Lehigh Valley contest has expanded across the Commonwealth and the country. The WSCM Video Library was created as a digital resource showcasing more than 500 Pennsylvania manufacturers. https://www.whatssocool.org/video-library/.
This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students towards manufacturing career paths, and CTE and STEM education. Original funding for “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” was furnished by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PADCED).
About Manufacturers Resource Center:
For 33 years, the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) has helped small and mid-sized manufacturers become more competitive, adopt lean and agile processes, strategically grow their companies and invest more effectively in advanced technologies and their existing human capital. MRC is a nonprofit organization partially funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NIST-MEP program, as well as the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. The MRC is dedicated to creating jobs and economic opportunity in eastern Pennsylvania’s Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties
Watch Replay of Live Stream and/or NEWS video: https://bit.ly/3ufwRpU