Manufacturers’ Summit will Showcase Locally Made Products
ONTARIO, CA (April 13, 2016) The 5th annual Manufacturers’ Summit, to be held Tuesday, April 26 at the Ontario Convention Center, will showcase the locally made products from more than 30 Inland Empire manufacturers participating in this year’s “Made in the Inland Empire” exhibits. “Our Summit guests are always amazed to see the variety of products manufactured here in the Inland Empire,” stated event chairperson Debbie Smith. “Manufacturers are welcome to sign up to display from our website (mfgcouncilie.com) and receive two free tickets to attend the event.”
Garner Holt of Garner Holt Productions (GHP) will kick off this years’ exhibits with a 12’ long, life–sized raptor dinosaur that will greet attendees as they enter the event. Known for show and ride systems, show action equipment, special effects, and sets and scenery, GHP is the internationally recognized leader in the design and manufacturing of animatronics. GHP has built nearly 5,000 animatronics characters including nearly 500 figures created for Disney theme parks around the world. Several of GHP’s figures and the works of other local manufacturers will be on display from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the large Exhibit Hall for manufacturers, distributors and suppliers.
Microdyne Plastics, Inc. will display their plastics products made at their facility in Colton. Microdyne is responsible for manufacturing millions of black plastic orbs, called conservation balls, currently used to protect the Los Angeles area water reservoirs from developing a potentially harmful carcinogen called Bromade.
Other Inland Empire manufacturers to display at the 5th annual Summit include Fender Guitar, from Corona, who will have artists playing on the main stage as well; the Frozen Bean, a manufacturer and distributor of gourmet specialty beverage and dessert mixes; Phenix Technology, an industry recognized manufacturer of high quality professional fire helmets used by thousands of firefighters in the United States and worldwide; Bluefield Associates, Inc., manufacturer of Clear Essence Cosmetics; Spray Tech, a leading manufacturer of paint sprayers; Gerard Daniel Worldwide, the world’s largest supplier of wire cloth for the Filtration, Aerospace, Automotive and Electronics industries; A&R Tarpaulins, Inc., manufacturer of engineered fabric products; Promarks, manufacturer of vacuum packaging; and Fontana Foundry, a designer and manufacturer of aluminum castings, to name a few.
A full list of manufacturers, that will be showcasing, is located at the MCIE website www.mfgcouncilie.com.
The Summit is geared toward the busy lives of manufacturers and packs a full day experience into a 6 hour event. In addition to the Made in the Inland Empire exhibits, attendees will enjoy informative breakout sessions with 11 topics to choose from, including The Urgent Need to Reshore; Lean Manufacturing; Navigating Energy Efficiency for Manufacturers; Grow Your Business Through Exports; Improve your Marketing Process and Grow; State Tax Credits; Effective Project Management Tools; Environmental Excellence; HR – Understanding Emotional Intelligence/Dealing With Bullying; and Your Talent is Retiring – a panel.
A special ceremony will be held to recognize the innovations of area manufacturers and Innovation Awards will be awarded to manufacturers who have excelled in one of three categories including: Innovation in Marketing, Innovation in Resource Efficiency and Innovation in Workforce Development. Winners will present their innovations at the event, giving the audience a glimpse into their successes. Past winners in Resource Efficiency have included AMA Plastics of Riverside and Safariland Group of Ontario. Vista Metals of Fontana, and Brithinee Electric, located in Colton, have been past winners in the category of Innovation in Marketing.
The Summit has sold out for the last four years with 600 to 800 people expected at the 2016 event. Molly Burgess, Executive Management for the Manufacturers’ Council of the Inland Empire, suggests that sponsors and vendors register now to ensure space is available. Information for registration can be found at www.MFGCouncilIE.com or by emailing [email protected].
The MCIE has provided a vital link between the manufacturers and the community for 10 years, working to develop technical training programs with local colleges and to produce the Summit, which provides a day filled with leading edge information for the industry. The organization supports and provides education on manufacturing topics to manufacturers, employees, students, and the community. It works in collaboration with Chaffey College, San Bernardino Community College District, Riverside Community College, 8 other regional colleges and the San Bernardino County and Riverside County Workforce Development Boards to create programs that will provide training to hundreds of manufacturing and distribution firms in the region.