24
MiMfg Magazine
June 2019
MFG
@ Work
What’s Happening
in Michigan
Manufacturing
Kelloggsville Hosts First-
Ever Signing Ceremony
for New Hires
Local manufacturers put a
special spin on their recent hires
from Kelloggsville High School
in Wyoming, giving the hiring of
new skilled trades talent the same
pomp and circumstance afforded
to college athletic signings.
Companies including
Lumbermen’s, Lacks Enterprises,
Mark-Maker and Advanced
Interiors were on hand to applaud
and recognize nine student
participants of Kelloggsville’s
school to work program as they
inked job offers.
“Signing Day is an opportunity
to celebrate students that have
chosen to transition directly into
the workforce out of high school,”
said Laura Longstreet of Lumber-
men’s. “This day is a culmination
of their hard work throughout
their senior year in the School to
Work Program where they worked
half days at Lumbermen’s. This
was our first year in the program
and it was such a rewarding
experience! The opportunity to
have these students begin their career
with Lumbermen’s is a privilege.”
The program counts for three
elective credits and allows students
to split time between school and
on-site work for local participating
employers. The students earn an
hourly wage between $11 and $12.
“It’s a fresh start and a push in
the right direction,” said Koy Flores,
who signed an offer for a full-time
position at Lumbermen’s, a
Wyoming-based company that
fabricates and installs countertops.
Ten of the participating seniors
have already signed job offers.
Students like Efren Carbajal (left) and Dylan Ferguson (above) get the chance to
have their career decisions spotlighted through first-of-their-kind Signing Day events.
“We really want to emphasize
other career opportunities where
you might not have to go to college
right away,” said John Linker,
who oversees the program.
Byron Center High School
and other local schools have held
similar events to spotlight the
importance of classroom-to-
career training programs.
Arauco Cuts Ribbon
for Grayling Facility
The world’s largest particleboard
facility is officially open as Arauco
held a ribbon-cutting ceremony
for its new 820,000 square-foot
Grayling facility last month. The
event was the latest step in a two-
year, $450 million investment that
brought 700 temporary jobs and
225 full-time jobs to the region.
“It’s a humbling day for us to
finally bring this project to the
point where we’re ready to enter
into business,” said Kelly Shotbolt,
president of Arauco North America.
As a leading global furniture
producer, Michigan was the ideal
location for the facility and allows
for Grayling to meet the high
demand for raw and fully finished
particleboard furniture.
“For every one job that’s here
there are three other jobs in support
services,” said Matt Gibbon,
manager of the Grayling plant.
“Whether it’s in forest products,
trucking, restaurants, all that will
support this new business. Ninety
percent of the people that we’ve
hired came from Michigan —
we’re going to teach them how to
make particleboard and how to be
business leaders and business partners
in the particleboard business.”
Manufacturers Announce
Employer-Driven
PRIME ® Program for
Plymouth-Canton’s
Starkweather Academy
MMA is proud to announce
the partnership of seven Wayne
County manufacturers as they
bring a nationally renowned,
employer-driven talent program
to Starkweather Academy, part of
Plymouth-Canton Community
Schools in Plymouth. The new
initiative was announced 5/3/19