Manufacturing Day Kicks Off Manufacturing Month and Highlights the Career Opportunities and Importance of Manufacturing to the Regional Economy 

Manufacturing Day Kicks Off Manufacturing Month and Highlights the Career Opportunities and Importance of Manufacturing to the Regional Economy 

The First Friday in October is Celebrated as Manufacturing Day in USA 

CHICAGO –The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership), the umbrella organization for the largest public workforce system in the country, is joining two key regional manufacturing employer-partners to mark Manufacturing Day, Friday, October 7, 2022 (annually the first Friday in October) to kick off October as Manufacturing Month. National Manufacturing Day offers manufacturers the chance to showcase the potential of modern manufacturing, and foster interest in manufacturing careers.  

S&C Electric Company is a global provider of equipment, services, and solutions for electrical power systems, and Chicago’s largest home-grown manufacturer, with nearly 2,000 employees at its Chicago campus and 3,500 worldwide.  The Eli’s Cheesecake Company, founded by Eli Schulman at his famous restaurant, Eli’s the Place for Steak, is today one of the country’s largest suppliers of premium cheesecake and desserts, with over 275 employees at its Chicago Bakery. These two Chicago-based manufacturers are creating much needed products and offering career opportunities in the high-demand, high-growth sector to the diverse regional talent pool.   

“S&C Electric Company is proud to offer employees training and growth that leads to long-term career opportunities, creating vital products that support the reliability and resiliency of our electrical grid,” said Vice President—U.S. Production Operations, US Fabrication & Polymers, Colin Cosgrove, who is also a member of The Partnership board of directors. “As weather grows more extreme, our products and personnel help get the power back on at homes, hospitals, and first responder facilities throughout the world.”  

Meet some of the men and women who have successful careers at S & C Electric Company.

(L-R Michael N., 33 years at S&C Electric Company; Ivy T., 8 years S&C Electric Company; Antonio C., 24 years S&C Electric Company.)  

“Eli’s Cheesecake has a long history of working with Wright College to provide onsite educational opportunities for Associates,” said Eli’s President, Marc Schulman, who is also a member of the Partnership board of directors. “We have a long history of partnering with Refugee One to create opportunities for newly arrived refugees including individuals from the Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.”  

Meet some of the men and women who have grown their careers at The Eli’s Cheesecake Company.

(L-R Aurelio A., 19 years at The Eli’s Cheesecake Company; Yue B., 12 years at The Eli’s Cheesecake Company; Vlora M., 19 years The Eli’s Cheesecake Company.) 

 Chicago and Cook County offer a plethora of manufacturing career opportunities, with career-ladder jobs known for their career stability and growth. Over the past 12 months, there have been nearly 60,000 job postings in the sector in Cook County alone, with a high school degree or vocational training sufficient credentials for nearly 30% of the listings. The number of manufacturing businesses in the Chicago metro area continues to grow; the sector has grown by .9% since 2019 to reach a total of 12,031 businesses.  Food manufacturing has grown by 7.7% since 2019 to reach 1,562 businesses operating within the Chicago metro area. Nationally, the sector is projected to grow nearly 17% over the next ten years, with a current median annual salary of $69,000. The sector is vital to the continued growth of our regional economy; over the past three years, the nominal GDP of manufacturing has grown 20% and of food manufacturing has grown 8%. Nominal GDP is an assessment of economic production in an economy that includes current prices in its calculation.  

A visit to S&C Electric Company and Eli’s Cheesecake Company quickly reveals the technical nature of working on today’s manufacturing floor, making it clear this is “not your father’s or grandfather’s manufacturing floor.”  The manufacturing sector requires critical thinking and problem solving to create the products we all use every day. From production workers and warehouse workers to manufacturing machine operators and building maintenance technicians – manufacturing is at the heart of some of the most impactful work done to help communities and future generations thrive throughout Chicago and Cook County. 

The Partnership is re-releasing episode 8 and episode 9 of its podcast, Hire Frequency, “No Grit, No Grease, No Grime – Manufacturing in the Modern Era,” which features special guests mHub CEO and Co-Founder, and Partnership Director, Haven Allen; Just Ice CEO and General Manager of Fat Ice Conrad Burnett; Technology and Manufacturing Association President Patrick Osborn; and Symbol Training Institute Founder and Executive Director Diana Peters 

“Today’s manufacturing workers are innovators and entrepreneurs, creators, and dreamers. Manufacturing is foundational to our economic prosperity and our everyday lives. Every product you have in your home, office, or anywhere else started at a manufacturers shop,” says Partnership Interim CEO Patrick Combs. 

Chicago and Cook County residents can learn more about manufacturing and other high-demand, high-growth industries at www.chicookworks.org.  For information about careers in manufacturing, email ManufacturingCareers@chicookworks.org.