Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/737526
F a l l 2 0 1 6 • S T U F F 3 Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com Digital Editor, Sam Bonacci, sbonacci@wbjournal.com (Real estate, construction, retail) Staff Writer Laura Finaldi, lfinaldi@wbjournal.com (Manufacturing, energy, technology, higher education, finance, nonprofits) Contributors Susan Shalhoub Livia Gershon Research Director, Stephanie Meagher, smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com Research Assistant, Heide Martin, hmartin@wbjournal.com Production Director, Kira Beaudoin, kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com Art Director, Mitchell Hayes, mhayes@wbjournal.com Senior Accounts Manager Matt Majikas, mmajikas@wbjournal.com Custom Publishing Project Manager Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com Marketing & Events Manager Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com Events and Sales Assistant Clare Hyland, chyland@wbjournal.com COO, Mary Rogers, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Assistant, Valerie Clark, vclark@nebusinessmedia.com Collections Manager, Raki Zwiebel, rzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com Human Resources, Kim Vautour, kvautour@nebusinessmedia.com Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Associate Publisher, Mark Murray mmurray@wbjournal.com President, Joseph Zwiebel jzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-6595) is published bi-weeky, 24x per year, including 5 special issues in April, July, September, November and December, by New Engand Business Media. 172 Shrewsbury St., Worcester, MA 01604. Periodicals postage paid at Worcester, MA. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Worcester Business Journal, PO Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894. Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions are available for $54.95. For more information, please email wbjournal@ cambeywest.com or contact our circulation department at 845-267-3008. Fax: 845.267.3478 Advertising: For advertising information, please call Mark Murray at 508-755-8004 ext. 227. Fax: 508-755-8860. Worcester Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials and in general does not return them to the sender. Worcester Business Journal 172 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MA 01604 508-755-8004 tel. • 508-755-8860 fax www.wbjournal.com A division of: f s t u f m a d e i n c e n t r a l m a s s a c h u s e t t s Welcome to STUFF Made in Central Massachusetts CONTENTS The manufacturing industry is alive and well in Massachusetts, especially in Worcester County, but you'd hardly know it. That's because manufacturing often gets a bad rap. Our goal with STUFF is to try and turn many of the chronic misperceptions about manufacturing on their ear. Is manufacturing a dark, dirty and dangerous industry? While it may have earned that reputation in the distant past, it is hardly true in today's high-tech, advanced manufacturing environment. Would you be stuck in a low-paying job in manufacturing? Wrong again - the median wage in advanced manufacturing is in the high $70,000 range, and hard working, dedicated employees can advance up the ladder and receive good wages and strong benefits packages from hundreds of firms in the region. Many positions, including engineering and senior management can pay in excess of $100,000. But how are you supposed to know about all the exciting stuff being made by area manufacturers? Many of them are located in big buildings in an industrial park, and unless you know someone who works there, many of us will drive by their facility for years and never know what they make or what it is like to be part of a team creating and selling products around the country and around the world. There are some great stories about manufacturing, and we've set out to tell a few of them in STUFF. Young people are finding great career paths in the industry - whether in production, engineering, sales, marketing, human resources or IT. Between the stories and the company profiles, this issue highlights several of them. Manufacturing represents a major employment sector in the state and our region. While there are more than 250,000 manufacturing jobs in the state, it is projected that in the next 10 years more than 100,000 of those employees will be retiring or leaving the workforce. That spells a major opportunity for those considering a career in the industry. Our region is lucky to have several schools working with the manufacturing community to help prepare the next generation of employees. From technical high schools to community colleges and others, you'll find rich training resources in our region. Whether you're a student looking to develop a career or a business leader who wants to learn more about the local manufacturing sector, this issue should serve you well. A special thanks to all the manufacturers and others who supported this first-time production. Let us know what you think! Peter Stanton, publisher pstanton@wbjournal.com Letter from Quinsigamond Community College ........................................................5 Special Advertising Section: Mass. a leader in manufacturing ..............................6 The Bold Next Generation: Millennials are cashing in on manufacturing careers ..................................................................10 Made in Central Mass: The cool stuff we use every day ........................................14 From Death & Dirt to Jokes & Riches: Pop culture's portrayals of manufacturing. .........................................................................................................18 Started from the Bottom, Now We're Here: A manufacturing success story .......22 Special Advertising Section: Profiles in manufacturing ........................................25 The List: Top 50 manufacturers in Central Mass ......................................................60 State & industry resources for manufacturers ...........................................................63 Manufacturing support programs from higher education .......................................65