Manufacturing companies from all over La Porte County gathered at the Civic Auditorium Friday morning to show off the area’s impressive trade industry. As the third “Made in La Porte” trade show, this year’s event was the largest yet. Approximately 50 different companies participated and over 700 students from local area schools attended the show in addition to the general public. Sponsored by the Greater La Porte Economic Development Corporation (GLEDC) and the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the event represented a collaborative effort between the cities and townships of La Porte County to educate students, bring awareness to the public, and provide an atmosphere for companies to build relationships with one another.
“First and foremost, we hope to familiarize juniors and seniors at the local high schools with the companies and products that are manufactured here in La Porte County and the types of jobs that these companies have available,” said GLEDC Executive Director Bert Cook. “On another level, there’s a sense of pride that is generated when people understand that the products are made in their community and go worldwide,” Cook said. “Our third goal is to help build the business to business relationships that are developed at a trade show like this,” Cook continued.
Students from local area high schools’ career and technical education programs were seen examining the many displays provided by the companies. Companies such as J & L Dimensional showed actual examples of their work such as the metal parts that the company finishes and shapes for medical and aerospace industries. J & L was especially interested in teaching students about their trade.
“We are growing fast and are always looking for people that want to learn, but we’re having trouble finding them,” said CFO of J & L Dimensional Dave Dykstra. “We want students with strong math skills, that are good with 3-D recognition,” said Dykstra. “We’ll take them and teach them the trade.”
Not only were the students given the opportunity to learn about careers available in La Porte County, but they were also shown how vast the array of goods is being produced, in addition to the national and global reach of the companies present.
“I believe that the students are the future of this county,” said Audra Peterson, principal of the Michigan City High School AK Smith Career Center and Director of Career and Technical Education for La Porte County. “It’s nice for them to see some of the exciting things that are being produced, not only from a local stand point, but also globally,” she continued. “It’s very interesting to see some of the things, like American Licorice, that are produced in La Porte County but are national companies.”
Not only did the students and general public benefit from the show, but also the companies themselves. The show provided a way for the different companies to learn about other local businesses and establish new relationships.
“As I talked to these companies in preparing from the event, a lot of them are buying from one another,” said ‘Made in La Porte’ Coordinator Bob Schaefer. “A lot of them use the products they make from each other and are realizing that there are companies here they could buy from,” Schaefer continued. “A lot of new connections are being made today.”
The event also represented a coming together of the cities within La Porte County. Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer, La Porte Mayor Blair Milo, Dr. Eason-Watkins of the Michigan City School Corporation and Frank Cardello of the box company Packaging and Logic addressed trade show attendees with topics regarding work readiness, and the opportunities students have to develop relationships with La Porte County companies.
“This is an important event to be able to showcase that manufacturing is alive and well,” said La Porte Mayor Blair Milo. “I’m so glad to see that so many folks, especially our students, are taking advantage of seeing what kind of opportunities exist here in La Porte County and that manufacturing is not the dirty grimy work that a lot of people envision it to be. There are tremendous things being made here, that you wouldn’t be able to recognize without opportunities like this.”
“It’s so important for our students to have the opportunity to know that you [the vendors] are here in La Porte County, know that you are doing some extraordinary things,” said Dr. Eason-Watkins. “We know that La Porte County is going to be the greatest in Indiana!”
Frank Cardello discussed what employers seek in potential employees. “These are the kinds of things that employers are looking for: to be reliable, to have great initiative, learning new skills…most important thing is to show to work, to be on time,” he shared. "Always go the extra mile!"
“[This event] is important in establishing our existing businesses in La Porte County and how they are the backbone of our community and the support that our community and the people in the communities have to have for these companies,” stated Mayor Meer. “There are products that are being utilized all over the world that are made by our citizens county-wide.”
The presentation ended with the robotics team from Michigan City, demonstrating equipment they created that shot t-shirts into the crowd.
Click here to see more photos from the show!