President Ruth introduced Todd Tranum, executive director of the Manufacturers’ Association of the Southern Tier (MAST), who came to speak about the Dream It, Do It initiative to introduce and interest students from middle school through high school in manufacturing.
A local native, Todd graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a bachelor’s in political science and and a master’s in business administration from Penn State University/Behrend College. He has completed training in Six Sigma through Cummins, Inc. Todd started with MAST in 1999 and added the post of President/CEO of the Chautauqua County of Commerce in 2008. In 2021, he retired from the Chamber and continued his work with MAST where he is President of Dream It, Do It Western New York.
In his various capacities, Todd and MAST partnered with Jamestown Community College in the start-up of the Manufacturing Technology Institute where individuals can be trained in advanced technology. He helped launch the Chautauqua County Education Coalition. In 2013, Todd assembled a team that brought the Outdoor Channel here with a Major League Fishing tournament on Chautauqua Lake. He helped brought the Small Business Revolution, a documentary series on tv, to Fredonia, NY.
Dream It Do It was launched here by MAST in 2009 to encourage students in the region to consider careers in manufacturing with the goal of developing a stronger pipeline of talent. The program has expanded into Cattaraugus County and is currently expanding into Erie and Niagara Counties in NYS.
Todd began by saying that there are lots of manufacturing jobs open here and more employees are needed. Manufacturing is a different environment here than it was in the 1940s and 1950s as it is now clean with good pay and benefits. Nationally, he said, 4 million manufacturing employees will be needed in the next decade and that 2.5 million jobs will go unfilled. That’s why it’s necessary to build our manufacturing pipeline.
An estimated $5 billion worth of products leave Chautauqua County each year and more could be available if we had more manufacturing employees. Dream It, Do It is revamping itself, targeting middle school and high school students. Students now can earn badges electronically in the program. They can earn badges by attending Dream It, Do It events, getting work experience, attending DIDI activities, training and more. They can participate in events such as Stem Wars, a summer weeklong camp and going on manufacturers’ tours. Their badges can then make them eligible for yellow, green, black and master black belts as they build portfolios for when they enter the workforce. About 187 students are actual students involved in the DIDI Advanced Manufacturing Program and 12 have earned belts.
Spread the word that “Manufacturing is where it’s at!” and there are plenty of jobs available now in Chautauqua County.
