Students tour the Structural Component Systems facilities in Fremont, where Governor Jim Pillen and other officials celebrated Manufacturing Month in Nebraska. The employee-owned SCS employs more than 570 workers, about double the number five years ago, according to Human Resources Director Diane Mallette. She said the fast-growing industry will benefit from new talent pipelines, such as the Career Technical Education Center at Fremont High School, which opened in August and offers courses that provide college credit for both high school and Metropolitan Community College. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
FREMONT, Nebraska – Governor Jim Pillen and other state and local officials on Wednesday focused attention on a growing industry in Nebraska – manufacturing – whose job numbers just reached their highest point in more than two decades.
But the stars of the event, held at Structural Component Systems, a Fremont-based building materials manufacturer, were a dozen local high school students dual-enrolled in trade-oriented college courses.
The Fremont teens, who are learning construction, welding and other skills at their high school’s newly opened Career Technical Education Center, represent a growing number of talent pipelines that are helping drive manufacturing.
It’s an industry second only to agriculture in the state, said KC Belitz, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. He said it contributes $21.6 billion to Nebraska’s annual gross domestic product — a 57% increase from five years ago.
“Pretty extraordinary what manufacturing is doing in the state of Nebraska,” Belitz said, saying young people’s career choices are driving growth. “Manufacturing creates great careers – well above the state average in terms of salary.”
The average annual salary for the state’s manufacturing industry was $81,000 last year, Pillen said.
‘Coolest Thing’
The winner of the 2024 “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” will be announced Oct. 29 during the annual Production top.
The two finalists are toilet paper created by Omaha-based Outlook Nebraska, the state’s largest employer of the blind and visually impaired, and Valley Center Pivot made by Valley Irrigation, a Valmont company.
Public voting in the bracket-style competition has closed. The competition, hosted by the Nebraska Manufacturing Alliance and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recognizes the manufacturing industry and the more than 100,000 Nebraskans who work in the sector.
The top 16 finalists who launched this year are invited to showcase their products at the summit, which will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha in La Vista.
According to the Nebraska Department of Labor, the industry employs approximately 109,000 workers.
Production month
Wednesday’s event at Structural Component Systems (SCS) attracted approximately 30 guests. It was part of a series of stops Pillen and Belitz made to highlight the impact of the manufacturing sector on Nebraska and to declare October as Manufacturing Month in the state.
They also visited the growing Mighty Giant farm equipment company in Beemer and Cargill in Schuyler.
SCS has grown its workforce by 165% in the eight years that human resources director Diane Mallette has been there. The company, which is one of the largest wood component manufacturing facilities in the country, currently has approximately 570 employees.
SCS, one of Fremont’s largest employers, designs, manufactures and supplies roof and floor trusses, wall panels and engineered wood products for homes and other buildings.
Mallette said the company has about 20 openings, including for designers and estimators. She said the new pipeline of talent expected through the Career Technical Education Center at Fremont High School, which opened in August, is integral to the company’s growth. SCS team members often visit the high school and hold career fairs to encourage students to explore career options in manufacturing.
The students will receive free tuition to earn college credits downtown through Metropolitan Community College, said Metro President Randy Schmailzl, who also spoke at the event.
He said more than 8,500 high school students in a four-county region took an MCC class this past school year, many exploring free career options in the skilled construction and manufacturing sectors.
“Those are not small numbers,” Schmailzl said. “It’s very important that we have a pipeline.”
Of the 1,700 Fremont High students, about 700 enrolled in career center courses that count as college credit toward both high school and college, said Jason Novotny, a construction technology teacher.
The students include Levi DeBoer, who wants to become an electrician, and Elaine Steinbach, who is pursuing welding technology like her grandfather.
“I could hang out with him for hours,” Elaine said of her grandfather and his workshop. “I mean hours.”
Levi said he likes working with his hands.
“I like to learn,” he said. “But I don’t like the traditional classroom environment.”
Renewed interest
Mike Johnson, executive vice president of manufacturing for the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said renewed interest among young people has helped boost employment in the industry.
Young people start their careers, he said, and then realize they can “upskill” in the same industry that is investing more in automation and higher-tech solutions.
In Nebraska, Johnson said, many manufacturers, such as farm equipment makers, are supported by the state’s longstanding agriculture industry.
“These sectors support each other and make each other strong,” he said.
Another growth factor, he said, is the post-pandemic drive to produce supplies and materials in the US. Many companies were frustrated by supply chain issues, Johnson said, and saw the importance of manufacturing closer to home.
The SCS event featured speakers including Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg and Mark Shepard, superintendent of the Fremont Public Schools.
Shepard said the career center concept really took off after companies got involved, offering practical guidance on what the industry needs.
Courses include robotics, automotive, health professions, construction technology, business and entrepreneurship.
Shepard said the community paid for the structure through a voter-approved bond issue. He said Metro and the Fremont school district used state and federal funds to apply for grants to equip the facility. He said the industry has also contributed.
“It’s a model that works,” Shepard said.
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