SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) will celebrate Manufacturing Month throughout the month of October with the “Makers on the Move” statewide bus tour. In its fourth year, the tour will visit manufacturing facilities, educational institutions and community centers across Illinois to highlight the diverse, rewarding careers in manufacturing and offer an up-close look at today’s high-tech modern manufacturing.
The “Makers on the Move” bus tour will begin at The Will Group, located at 4647 W. Polk St. in Chicago on Friday, Oct. 3, which is recognized nationally as Manufacturing Day. Founded in 1986 by Stephen L. Davis, The Will Group is a minority-owned, family business that produces state-of-the-art infrastructure solutions including smart LED lighting, capacitor banks, electrical distribution, intelligent municipal technology, and more. The Will Group is dedicated to uplifting local community members, including creating and maintaining 200 jobs at its K-Town Business Center in North Lawndale, as well as supporting community safety and nonprofit organizations including Tuskegee NEXT.
From there, the fully wrapped 56-foot bus will travel to communities throughout the state, making roughly 30 stops along the way. Industry advocates traveling on the bus will be joined by educators, students, manufacturing leaders, economic development professionals, public officials and other dignitaries. More information about the tour is available at https://makersonthemove.org.
“We’re excited to hit the road in celebration of our state’s amazing manufacturing sector and look forward to connecting with those interested in learning more about the rewarding career opportunities our industry offers,” said Mark Denzler, President & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Manufacturers are making the world a better place to live every single day. Whether it’s making life-saving medicines, producing food to feed our communities, building advanced machinery to help explore new frontiers, or creating energy to power our homes and businesses, the women and men on shop floors are driving solutions for some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
Manufacturing is the largest contributor of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, generating more than $580 billion for the state’s economy each year. The industry directly employs 662,298 workers and supports as many as 1,771,928 jobs – nearly a third of all jobs in Illinois. A new report recently released by the Midwest Manufacturing Association found that Illinois manufacturers exported nearly $69 billion in goods to countries around the globe last year, generating strong economic investment and creating jobs in communities throughout the state.
“Illinois manufacturing has a great legacy and an even more promising future. The “Makers on the Move” bus tour presents a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our industry’s exceptional achievements,” said David Boulay, PhD, President of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center. “As we travel around the state to honor the companies and leaders advancing the manufacturing sector, we will be sharing ideas about business growth, sustainability and innovating solutions to address the current challenges facing the industry.”
Nationally, there are 437,000 open jobs in the manufacturing industry, including tens of thousands of available jobs in Illinois. The IMA and IMEC are dedicated to working with employers, educators, and lawmakers to enact policies that help attract and retain a skilled workforce. These efforts are vital to ensuring Illinois can continue to experience strong economic growth in the coming decade, as more baby boomers are expected to exit the job market and companies seek to fill the resulting experience gaps.
“Today’s manufacturing is dynamic, high-tech, innovative and sustainable. This tour provides a unique opportunity to introduce students to all the possibilities a career in manufacturing holds, including strong wages, stability and opportunities for growth,” said Sarah Hartwick, Vice President of Education & Workforce Policy at the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and Executive Director of the IMA Education Foundation. “With millions of manufacturing jobs available over the next decade, there’s never been a better time to join the industry and help us build a brighter future.”
About the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA)
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is the only statewide association dedicated exclusively to advocating, promoting and strengthening the manufacturing sector in Illinois. The IMA is the oldest and largest state manufacturing trade association in the United States, representing nearly 4,000 companies and facilities. For more information, please visit http://ima-net.org/.
About the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC)
The Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) serves as the state’s U.S. Department of Commerce NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership center. IMEC is a team of industry improvement specialists dedicated to providing Illinois Manufacturers with the solutions, tools, and resources to create sustainable, competitive futures. IMEC drives growth through enterprise excellence, helping organizations become more effective and efficient through tailored solutions and support. In 2024, they assisted over 3,000 companies and helped create or retain over 7,700 jobs, resulting in over $870M aggregate impact to the Illinois economy. IMEC has seven offices statewide and 55 full-time industry improvement specialists. For more information, visit www.imec.org.
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