By Al Pscholka, for MoodyontheMarket.com
Edgewater Automation in St. Joseph today inked another top recruiting class and its’ largest by signing four new machine build apprentices. Surrounded by the entire Edgewater Team along with local, state, and federal officials on hand, Edgewater used the signing day sports theme to celebrate four new apprentices.
“Good starts mean good finishes,” explained Edgewater CEO Rick Blake. “Sometimes in manufacturing we go to work every day; we build and create great things; but we don’t celebrate the milestones,” he stated. “This is a milestone – we have our whole team here, our apprentices have brought spouses and parents, this is a big deal.”
The new recruiting class inked deals with Edgewater and with Lake Michigan College for the Machine Builders Apprenticeship. Dave Goodenough of Edgewater Automation started the presentation this morning, “this is a great trade for everyone to be involved in,” he said. Goodenough also talked about recent manufacturing activities that included Kinexus Group and the Manufacturing Education Awareness Group (MEAG). Workforce, business, and educators have been working together to forge a strong partnership to build the future talent pipeline for advanced manufacturing.
The top ranked class includes the company’s first female machine builder, 26-year-old Ashley Tanksley, who started as a temporary employee. Tanksley, a 2012 graduate of New Buffalo High School, said manufacturing is a great choice for women. “Women can do this, this is a terrific job for females, we are organized and detailed oriented,” Tanksley explained. She said she didn’t know what career path to take in high school, and after six months as a temp, she was anxious to sign her offer today.
Also signing today was Marshall Zavoral, a 2009 grad of Lakeshore High School who served in the United States Army and did two tours in the Middle East. “I kicked around high school a little bit, wasn’t as focused as I should have been, but this is just an outstanding opportunity,” said Zavoral.
The rookie of the team is 18-year-old Daniel Fairchild, who graduated in June from New Buffalo High School. He played football and baseball for the Bison, but was also the captain of the robotics team, which fueled his interest in manufacturing. Kyle Oviatt graduated from Countryside Academy in 2011, attended Lake Michigan College, then joined Edgewater Automation as a temporary employee in 2013 before joining the company full time in 2014.
Joining the festivities today were Dr. Ken Flowers, Dean of Career and Workforce at Lake Michigan College; Tiffanie Clawson from the United States Department of Labor; along with Erin Venno and Paul Brohman from Kinexus Group.
Established in 2001, Edgewater Automation helps customers automate their operations through innovation and quality, custom equipment. You can learn more about the company at www.edgewaterautomation.com.
