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• 10/22/2014

• N.E.W. Plastics Corp. Wins the 2014 Excellence in Manufacturing K-12 Partnership Award for Leadership

• • Such is the progress made by the N.E.W. Manufacturing Alliance, which hosted its third annual Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnership Awards. The event spotlights best practices of manufacturing and education collaborations in Northeastern Wisconsin and showcases top talent at manufacturing companies. Before the formation of the Manufacturing Alliance in 2006, manufacturers and educators rarely found themselves in the same room, much less talking to one another, a condition that still exists in much of the rest of the state. Mike Trimberger, principal of Sheboygan South High School, said he was asked during a conversation with a manufacturer whether they would be allowed to do what they were talking about. "He said 'Can we even have this conversation?' There are 300 of us here tonight saying it is OK to have these conversations," he said. The night was replete with examples of educators and businessmen having informal conversations that led to new breakthroughs in collaboration. "You have built the state's best-practice model," said Barb LaMue of Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Among examples of success, businesses hiring non-traditional students and apprentices, and giving tours to school groups; schools investing thousands of dollars in tech-ed programs, often with the assistance of local businesses, and making their courses more relevant. "What we do with the students and the schools are our future," said Mike Rekitzke, president of N.E.W. Plastics in Luxemburg. "These kids are going to be the new leaders in our organization. By working with Kewaunee County schools, we are building a pipeline." Jim Koronkiewicz, general manager of specialty papermaker BPM Inc. in Peshtigo, said small communities face the same labor short problems as large ones. Plus, they get extra satisfaction from helping non-traditional students. "They make presentations to the incoming class that will make you cry," he said of students they've worked with. In the manufacturing category, recipients were Kondex Corp., Lomira, Educational Partnership; Pioneer Metal Finishing, Ashwaubenon, Youth Apprenticeship; N.E.W. Plastics, Luxemburg, Leadership; KI, Bellevue, Brighter Image; Johnsonville Sausage, Sheboygan Falls, Manufacturing Innovation; Jim Koronkiewicz, BPM Inc., Peshtigo, Visionary. Education recipients were Mike Trimberger, Sheboygan South High School, Career Pathmaker Administrator; Robert Pruchnofski, Hortonville High School, Career Pathmaker, Educator; Tom Barnhart, Ashwaubenon High School, Career Pathmaker Technical Education Teacher; Plymouth High School, Education Innovation; Kimberly High School, Brighter Image. Mark Weber of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College was the Community Partnership recipient. This year, the Alliance awarded $25,000 in scholarships to students for post-high school education.

     

     

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