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Manufacturing is Alive and Kicking... for Generations to Come

Mark Twain famously said that, "the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." The same can be said for manufacturing. Bruce Yandle's insightful analysis shows that, "while fewer and fewer people are employed in manufacturing, more and more goods continue to flow from U.S. manufacturing plants." Bruce also points out a misconception that the growth in services is disconnected from manufacturing. "The strength of U.S. manufacturing relies heavily on our powerful services economy. It is services that supports patent production, scientific research, product design and packaging, and the process of getting innovations to market."

On May 15, 2007, the Silver Crescent Foundation will hold the twelfth annual Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon at the Carolina First Center in Greenville. Salute to Manufacturing will recognize the best existing manufacturers today, as well as celebrate young people who will be the future of manufacturing tomorrow.

At the luncheon, Silver Crescent Foundation, in partnership with the South Carolina Education and Business Alliances/School-to-Work Consortium, is pleased to announce the finalists in the sixth annual South Carolina Manufacturing Design Competition. Students in grades 1 – 12 create graphic designs portraying a dynamic, positive image of manufacturing in the state and in local communities. In doing so, young people become aware of the importance of the industry in addition to exploring career opportunities within technology and engineering. The finalists (listed here in alphabetical order) are:

o Arielle Berrios, Gray Court (Hickory Tavern Elementary School), placemat design
o Ariel Black, Westminster (Westminster Middle School), tote bag design
o Roman Her, Spartanburg (Fairforest Elementary School), placemat design
o Amanda Rickert, Greenville (Charles Town Center School), placemat design
o Gabe Roper, Duncan (D. R. Hill Middle School), tote bag design
o Katie Scardo, Greenville (J. L. Mann High School), t-shirt design
o Emily Todd, Walhalla (Walhalla High School), t-shirt design
o Mia Janay Ulmer, Orangeburg (William J. Clark Middle School), tote bag design
o Lauren Verez, Duncan (Byrnes High School), t-shirt design

At the luncheon, winners of the 2007 Silver Crescent Awards for Manufacturing Excellence will be announced. Approximately 450 leaders in business, government and education will attend the event to honor outstanding small, medium and large manufacturers and promote the importance of manufacturing to our standard of living and quality of life in the Palmetto State. The 2007 Silver Crescent Award nominees are:

Small Manufacturer (1 – 100 employees)

BASF Corporation, Spartanburg
Carter & Crawley, Inc., Greenville
JIT Manufacturing, Inc., Cowpens
PropertyBoss Solutions, Greenville

Medium Manufacturer (101 – 499 employees)

Actaris Metering Systems, Greenwood
Carolina Ceramics Brick Company, Columbia
Cox Industries, Orangeburg
Inergy Automotive Systems, Anderson
JW Aluminum, Charleston
National Wild Turkey Federation, Edgefield
Newman Technology, Aiken
The Okonite Company, Orangeburg

Large Manufacturer (500+ employees)

Alcoa Mt. Holly, Goose Creek
Bose Corporation, Blythewood
Kimberly-Clark, Aiken
Tyco Healthcare/Kendall, Greenwood
Washington Savannah River Co., Aiken
Wellman Inc., Florence

For additional information, please visit www.salutetomanufacturing.com.