Ronni Hannaman: Manufacturing provides lucrative employment

As we celebrate National Manufacturing Day on Oct. 1, we wish to shed a bright light on the impact of manufacturing in our region and most specifically Carson City.

About 175 manufacturers — large and small — work quietly daily to fulfill the manufacturing needs of aviation, health care, robotics, precision instrumentation, food production, and so much more employing thousands.

When one thinks of manufacturing of yore, what comes to mind is spewing smokestacks and mindless repetition. That is how manufacturing may have looked in your great-grandfather’s time way before computers and robots, but as you drive through Carson’s Industrial Airpark off Arrowhead Drive or along Fairview Street, you won’t see any smoke or evidence of pollution. What is being manufactured inside won’t even be evident.

While there is still some piece work done by humans, that is generally not the rule. So much is now computerized, and today’s workers need to be skilled to operate the machinery. That’s where our Western Nevada College comes in to train those who want a career in the new manufacturing requiring CNC operator skills as well as computer operators to run robotic machinery. While robots may have taken some of human labor out of more repetitive type of manufacturing, humans are needed to design, operate and repair sensitive machinery. And, the pay can be quite rewarding.

Although manufacturing is ranked fifth in terms of numbers of jobs in America, manufacturers are needed to produce the materials and complex machines for state-of-the-art health care (1), keep the shelves stocked within the retail sector (2), craft the tools needed to create great meals within restaurants and the beds and furniture needed for hotels (3), and create the computers and specialized equipment to keep those who work in high tech and administrative roles (4) up-to-date.

Those who live in Carson City may not be aware of the extent and diversity of our manufacturing community that send parts and products across the globe, all with the stamp “Made in Carson City, Nevada.”

Just to cite a few: Chromalloy and Click Bond are highly specialized manufacturers providing aircraft parts for commercial and military airplanes. Redco has spent over 70 years producing all types of custom molded rubber products used in some of the most precise health care machines.

The bricks you use in your yard may have been produced by Basalite, a manufacturer that is almost completely controlled by robots. CGI, Inc. produces advanced products for robotics and automation. Corbin Custom Design helps those through the pre-manufacturing design process as well as providing custom engraving and design for customized apparel and promotional products.

Within the food industry, Ganesha Enterprises proudly focuses on making amazing and versatile food products. Their Gold Cardamon Fruitas can be addictive! Nature’s Bakery produces healthy snacks. Starbucks Roasting (in Minden) roasts the coffee everyone craves. San Franciscan Roaster creates beautiful coffee roasting machines. That’s just the very tip of the iceberg!

How did manufacturing come to a city known mostly for jobs in state government?

It all began around 1976 when the forward-thinking Carson City Mayor Gene Scrivner and then-City Manager Henry Etchemendy decreed Carson City needed more diversified employment opportunities. They plotted out 75 one-to-four acre lots around the airport in the 158 acres generously deeded to the city by JohnD Winters to be known as the Airpark Development Project.

Letters were sent to potential manufacturers — mostly from California — offering them a “deal” to lease acreage at $100 per acre for the first 20 years, $150 per acre for the next 20 years, and $200 per acre for the remaining 20 years. Those who wanted to buy their acreage also received a deal too good to refuse. Redco took up the challenge to purchase five acres and built a 40,000-square-foot building.

As Redco Vice President Gordon Gagnon cites, “We moved our entire operation from Hayward, California because of the quality of life offered here, no state taxes, and what was then a stable workforce.”

Still today, there is plenty of space at the airpark for the newer type of manufacturer that will no doubt be created as we enter the new Net-Zero future of renewable energy and sustainability. One of those new companies already here is Redwood Materials, Inc. planning to recycle electric car batteries as we look to driving all electric cars in the future. The company just received $50 million from Ford Motor Company to make this happen.

As Brookings Institute reports, “Advanced manufacturing is essential to the U.S economy because it is the main source of innovation and global competitiveness for the United States.”

This sentence was never truer than today as we experience first-hand our reliance on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., to supply the sophisticated chips to power just about everything. Only Intel computer systems based out of Santa Clara produces chips – for their own products.

As we celebrate our manufacturing community and those who work within this lucrative field, it is the hope of local manufacturers that today’s students will consider this well-paying career and fill some of the current employment shortages. For a list of our some of our top manufacturers, visit http://www.carsoncitychamber.com/directory/C472.