Made In SWVA The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing

The latest series of SVAM's Made in SWVA podcast features winners of the 2021 Manufacturing Awards presented at our last Manufacturing Awards Banquet. Each year, SVAM hosts a Banquet to recognize the significant contributions of manufacturing to our community. SVAM awards manufacturers who have gone above and beyond to better our community in various ways. This episode will feature the winner of SVAM’s Excellence in Safety Award. We provide this award as a way to try to change the perception ...

In the third installment of our Manufacturing Mythbusters series we are going to bust one of the most pervasive myths about manufacturing: that manufacturing is all about the bottom dollar and is bad for the community. Manufacturers are doing great work to care for the environment, their community, and most importantly, their employees. Listen to learn how.ReferencesSamuel Family FoundationGeneral Dynamics ECACMohawk talent developmentUniversal Fibers Health ClinicOther companies mentionedWes...

In the second episode of our Manufacturing Mythbusters series, we address many of the myths that are often associated with careers in manufacturing. We talk about the amount of jobs available right now (Hint: It's a lot!), the manufacturing environment,, the diversity of job offerings and company environments, how much manufacturing jobs pay (it's more than most people think), and much more!This is a very timely episode, because right now there are literally HUNDREDS of job openings...

For this next series we will talk about the many myths associated with manufacturing. You’re going to learn how manufacturing is the largest industry in Southwest Virginia and offers rewarding careers for over 17,000 people. We’ll talk about the products being made, innovation occurring through manufacturing, what the manufacturing environment looks like today, as well as career opportunities. The first myth we want to address is the idea that we aren’t making a difference. There’s an idea th...

The first series on our podcast features Women in Manufacturing. Through this series, we will speak with several women holding careers in manufacturing. We’ll talk about their companies and careers, how they found themselves working in manufacturing, and advice they would give to women considering careers in manufacturing. For our fourth episode in the Women in Manufacturing series, we spoke with Melinda Roberts, Human Resources Manager of Scholle IPN in Chilhowie, VA. We discussed...

The first series on our podcast features Women in Manufacturing. Through this series, we will speak with several women holding careers in manufacturing. We’ll talk about their companies and careers, how they found themselves working in manufacturing, and advice they would give to women considering careers in manufacturing. For our third episode in the Women in Manufacturing series, we spoke with Melanie Protti-Lawrence, President of Lawrence Brothers, Inc in Bluefield, Virginia. Me...