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Students from Collins Career Technical Center work on simulators the school brought to Manufacturing Day on Thursday in Hanging Rock. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Lawrence County Clerk of Courts Mike Patterson serves up beans at Manufacturing Day on Thursday in Hanging Rock.(The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Adam Pittis, superintendent for Collins Career Technical Center, chats with Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce director Shirley Dyer as she works the food line (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Objects, 3-D printed by students from Collins Career Technical Center, on display at Manufacturing Day on Thursday in Hanging Rock. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Manufacturing Day took place at Southern Ohio Industrial District in Hanging Rock on Thursday, (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

HANGING ROCK —  A sizable crowd gathered under a tent on the lot of  the Southern Ohio Industrial District on Thursday, as the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation and the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce with Jobs Ohio and Ohio Southeast Economic Development hosted the sixth annual local celebration of Manufacturing Day.

The site of the event rotates each year, taking place in a different area in the county that is home to industry.

Last year’s observance took place at the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, next to The Point industrial park, while, this year, it moved to Hanging Rock, where PureCycle and AmSty are nearby and Capchem will be building a facility.

“October is Manufacturing Month,” Marty Conley, director of the Lawrence County Convention and Visitors Bureau said. “And this is where we take the opportunity to show the manufacturers, workers and employees that we value them and know the value they are to our community.”

Workers lined up for a meal, served by Chamber director Shirley Dyer and others, with beans cooked in a kettle by Lawrence County Clerk of Courts Mike Patterson.

The event was also attended by representatives from public offices, with spokespersons for U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted speaking.

Conley said the plants at the site had donated a number of items, which were given out as prizes through a drawing.

Also on hand was King’s Daughters Medical Center, who recently opened a new primary care center in South Point, providing health screenings in which people could have blood sugar and blood pressure checked. 

Conley said they were a new part of the event, as was the participation of Collins Career Technical Center.

Adam Pittis, superintendent for CCTC, said the vocational school had several of their programs on hand for the event.

Bryan Ward, supervisor for the Trades and Construction Academy for CCTC, said the school brought a number of simulators to demonstrate.

For instance, the auto program had a painting simulator, in which students used 3-D goggles to paint cars and industrial steel.

Ward said the simulator scored the students and, when they attained a high enough score, “they can move on to real painting and coating.”

Similarly, a welding simulator also scored students.

“And when they’re ready, they can move on to real materials,” Ward said.

For other programs, he said carpentry students brought parts of footstools, which they were assembling on site, while the machining program brought several items that they had 3-D printed.

“This is a great experience for our kids to get out and see leaders in the industry,” Ward said. “And these are people who could be hiring them in the future.”

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