FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2021
Contact: Kim Plyler
kim@sahlcomm.com
484-554-5582
Voting Begins for “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest
Vote Now for Viewers Choice Award, Show Airs on WFMZ TV and WFMZ.com
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. – April 6, 2021 – The Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) is proud to announce online voting for the eighth year of the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) student video contest will commence Wednesday April 7, 2021 at 12:01AM and remain open until Friday April 9, 2021 at 11:59 PM.
To vote, log on to https://www.whatssocool.org. This year’s hybrid awards program will be taped in advance and aired on WFMZ, Gold Media Partner, TV station and streamed on WFMZ.com on April 26, 2021 at 7:00 PM.
Student videos compete for the most votes to win the coveted “Viewers Choice Award.” The videos will also be reviewed by a panel of judges for awards in six other categories, including Outstanding Career Pathway and Outstanding Creativity.
“Although this year has had some changes and challenges, we anticipate a high vote count by the public, with the contest broadcasted in the Lehigh Valley and its popularity continuing to expand across Pennsylvania,” said Karen Buck, Manager of Workforce Initiatives at Manufacturers Resource Center. “We’re excited that this program, started eight years ago right here in the Lehigh Valley, is affording students the opportunity to learn so much about careers in manufacturing, and the online voting really allows them to share their message with the community.”
Partnering with MRC for the project are eMediaWorks, Sahl Communications, Inc and EmpowerStar Marketing. Educational media resources, digital assets, professional media technology training from eMediaWorks, materials, and project costs were funded and made possible by the following:
Platinum Technology Sponsor; Workforce Board Lehigh Valley Platinum Event Sponsor; Air Products Platinum Sponsor; ATAS International, Capital BlueCross, Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. Gold Sponsors; Aerotek, Ametek, Inc., B. Braun Medical Inc., Bracalente Manufacturing Group, Crayola LLC, eMediaWorks, EmpowerStar Marketing, Fulton Bank, Insulation Company of America, LLC, Lehigh University, Lehigh Valley Health Network, M &T Bank, Mack Trucks, Northampton Community College, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc, PNC Bank, PPL Electric Utilities, RETTEW, Riverview Bank, Sahl Communications, Inc., and WFMZ-TV Gold Networking Sponsor; Venture X Bethlehem Silver Sponsors; BRD Noise and Vibration Control, Inc., C. F. Martin & Co., Inc., Eastern Surfaces, ESPI, FMI, Fromm Electric, HMK Insurance, Just Born Quality Confections, Lehigh County, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, Penn State Lehigh Valley, ProtoCAM LLC, Bronze Sponsors; Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, Bio Med Sciences, Carbon Career & Technical Institute, Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation, Career Institute of Technology, County of Northampton, Express Employment Professionals, Gross McGinley, LLP, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute Media Sponsors include; 99.9 The Hawk, Lehigh Valley Business Journal and WFMZ-News.
Original funding for “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” was furnished by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
Visit WhatsSoCool.org for more information and resources and follow on Facebook.com/wscmlv and Twitter @wscmlv.
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About “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing”: Developed by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), WSCM program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths and technology in manufacturing. MRC developed this innovative career awareness program that at its core is “peer marketing” (kids telling kids what’s so cool about manufacturing jobs). The contest is showcased on the What’s So Cool Website, and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms. The Lehigh Valley contest is expanding across the Commonwealth and the country. The WSCM Video Library was created as a digital resource showcasing more than 500 Pennsylvania manufacturers, https://www.whatssocool.org/video-library/. This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students towards manufacturing career paths, and CTE and STEM education.
About Manufacturers Resource Center:
For more than 30 years, the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) has helped small and mid-sized manufacturers become more competitive, adopt lean and agile processes, strategically grow their companies and invest more effectively in their existing human capital. MRC is a nonprofit organization partially funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NIST-MEP program, as well as the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. MRC is dedicated to creating jobs and economic opportunity in eastern Pennsylvania’s Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties.