ERIE – The Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) will announce the winners of the 2019 Patrick R. Locco Scholarship Awards during the sixth annual Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) celebration at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 9, in the Ballroom of the Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier. All media are invited to attend.
“These students represent the best and brightest in vocational-technical education,” said Association President John Krahe. “We are thrilled to recognize their accomplishments and also assist them financially with the training and education that will be needed to pursue their future careers.”
2019 nominees include: Cody Nikolai, Deviaughn Hansbrew, Jason Campbell, Abdulah Sadeik and Emma Johnson from Erie High School; Caleb Kafferlin, Drake McCray, Hannah Brewer, Ryan Weidner and Kadyn Grow from Corry Area Career Technical Center; Adrik Mattis, August Lasko, Jarrett Huber, Sean Wheelock and Kiersten Roncaglione from Crawford County Career and Technical Center; Aden Mitchell, Dakota Mitchell, Dan Swanson, Elaina Lawson and Salwa Salem from Erie County Technical School; and, Brayden Smiley, Cole Simpson, Colin Grove, Hunter Garland and Molly Rimko from Mercer County Career Center.
The Locco Awards, which are named in honor of the late Association Vice President Patrick R. Locco, a strong advocate of vocational education, were created in 1972 (then known as the Golden Watch Awards) with the sole purpose to recognize outstanding high school students who distinguish themselves in the pursuit of technical and academic excellence. To be considered for this prestigious honor, students must apply and be nominated by a teacher. Each school then narrows the nominees to their top candidates. Students are then interviewed by local businesspeople who ultimately choose the winners.
Manufacturing Day is an annual event, observed nationally, designed to highlight the importance of manufacturing to the economy and draw attention to the many rewarding jobs available in manufacturing fields. The goal of Manufacturing Day is to introduce as many people as possible to the important role played by manufacturing through open houses, tours, workshops and other events.
In 2014, the MBA hosted the premiere of the “American Made Movie” at its Conference Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. In 2015, approximately 500 manufacturers and more than 1,500 area students, educators, parents, and business and community leaders attended the MFG Day celebration at the Bayfront Convention Center — one of the largest Manufacturing Day celebrations in the country. Today, the event has grown to over 2,000 participants and is marking its sixth anniversary celebration in 2019.
From 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Wednesday, October 9, the Bayfront Convention Center will be converted into a spectacular display and celebration of American manufacturing and technology, including interactive exhibits and displays, as well as educational breakout sessions. More than 2,000 students, educators and community leaders from the region are expected to attend.
MFG Day is presented by the MBA, along with partners the Northwest Pennsylvania National Tooling and Machining Association, Career Street, along with sponsors Ridg-U-Rak, Inc., UPMC Health Plan, Logistics Plus, MacDonald Illig Attorneys, American Turned Products, Eriez Magnetics, Widget Financial, Ellwood National Forge, Welders Supply, Penn State Behrend, National Fuel, Curtze Food Service, Channellock, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, McInnes Rolled Rings, Reddog, PHB, Inc., Eastern Alliance, Matric, Plastikos and Micro Mold, the Erie Regional Chamber of Commerce, Edinboro University, Erie Strayer, AirBorn, Times Publishing Company, Z102.3, Jet24, Fox 66 and YourErie.com.
For more information, visit www.mbausa.org.
