Dream It. Do It.

Reasons to Celebrate

Newspaper Articles

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Reasons to Celebrate

December 2007

National: Nebraska’s Career Dream Team was the leadoff feature in the NAM/Manufacturing Institute’s quarterly e-newsletter. A photo of the Career Dream Team with Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman was front and center on the publication. What’s Working is the quarterly newsletter from the Center for Workforce Success (CWS), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Institute. For more information, please visit our Web site at Center for Workforce Success.
Lincoln: Tony Raimondo addressed 50 state-wide leaders of the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and shared the 2007 progress of the NAMC, which is supported by this group. Raimondo highlighted our 501(c)3, Career Dream Team accomplishments, and Area Directors expansion. Raimondo asked for more participation as we move west and momentum continues to help young adults understand the exciting careers in our Nebraska economy resulting in helping them select education paths to qualify for the good-paying career opportunities.
Hastings: The Future Force Nebraska Strategic Planning group asked Hastings Area Director Kelly Christensen to be on the manufacturing subcommittee.
Columbus: After Rick Davis of the U.S. Department of Labor spoke to the Columbus Dream It. Do It. Committee, Columbus Area Director Angie Ramaekers distributed the registered apprenticeship information to 944 contacts in the Columbus Area.

November 2007

Hebron: MetalQuest hosted Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy during a meeting in Hebron. Some of the topics covered were Dream It. Do It. and training and education both at MetalQuest and state-wide. On the same day, he gave a tour to nine students from the Southeast Community College Manufacturing Engineering 1st and 2nd quarter classes.
Lincoln: Tyler Theillen, a Dream Team Member, and Nancy Meinzer of Lincoln Machine hosted a booth at the North Star Career Fair. Tyler shared his experiences in manufacturing with the students and helped them understand the many different careers and career paths.
Hebron: Scott Volk gave 12 people from the Leadership Plenty class a tour of MetalQuest. This is a community leadership class comprised mainly of students.
Lincoln: NAMC Chairman Tony Raimondo was interviewed on Lincoln radio station KLIN 1400 with host Coby Mach to talk about the efforts of the Dream It. Do It. campaign.
Lincoln: Scott Shaw from Molex talked to four career education classes at Lincoln Southeast High School on November 15. He spoke to 100 students who were mostly sophomores, but did include some juniors and seniors. Part of his presentation focused on jobs in manufacturing, while he also talked about resumes and filling out job applications and how to go about getting jobs.
Nebraska: The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry News Update spotlighted Gov. Heineman’s Luncheon with the Career Dream Team as its lead story. The article described the occasion and the mission of the Dream It. Do It. campaign and listed our web site.
Grand Island: Hastings Area Director Kelly Christensen presented to the Higher Education Committee at the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce to discuss linking together to support the DIDI campaign.
Lincoln: Cheston Coffin of TMCO presented 82 students at Lincoln Southwest High School. One of the students approached him about interest in job shadowing.
Grand Island: The Nov. 24 issue of The Grand Island Independent included an article about the city hosting its first Dream It. Do It. meeting, hosted by Hastings Area Director Kelly Christensen at the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce. Grand Island chamber President Cindy Johnson was quoted as saying "The importance of manufacturing to Grand Island's overall economy cannot be underestimated. It is important that young adults are aware of the many career opportunities in the manufacturing companies right here in Grand Island. As we continue to address work-force issues, ensuring manufacturing companies have a solid workforce base is critical."
Lincoln: Governor Dave Heineman hosted a luncheon at the Governor’s residence to celebrate the successful 2007 Nebraska Career Dream Team campaign. More than 55 people attended the luncheon, including 11 of the 12 Career Dream Team members, their guests and supervisors. Each of the Career Dream Team members gave a short speech about their career choices and their companies, followed by speeches by the Gov. Heineman and NAMC Chairman Tony Raimondo.
Holdrege: Allmand Bros of Holdrege included the Dream It. Do It. campaign during its segment of a 30-second TV advertisement.

October 2007

Milford: DIDI hosted a table at Southeast Community College’s “Women in Technology” day that drew 89 high school students. The students browsed booths that included all of the school’s technology career fields, were involved in a student discussion panel, and toured the school’s facilities with guides that told them about every department.
Lincoln: Square D (Schneider Electric) hosted Lincoln’s monthly meeting.
Wayne: Jeff Scherer of Smeal Fire Apparatus presented DIDI to 900 high school sophomores at the Northeast Nebraska career fair at Wayne State College.
The Dream It. Do It. campaign was an integral component of the recent Industrial, Manufacturing and Engineering Systems (IMES) Career Field Fall In-Service for IMES teachers. Tony Glenn and Greg Stahr, representing the Nebraska Department of Education, made stops at six community college campuses around the state and worked with both secondary (middle and high school) and postsecondary (community college) teachers on the latest information in the IMES Career Field. During the workshops, approximately 90 teachers around the state were given a packet of Dream It. Do It. materials and also had the opportunity to view the promotional DVD. The workshops were held in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Hastings, Milford, Omaha and Norfolk. “The workshops were an excellent opportunity for secondary and postsecondary teachers to collaborate on ideas for programs and understand the need for a skilled workforce in Nebraska manufacturing” said Glenn, IMES Specialist for the Nebraska Department of Education.
Omaha: Three students from Papillion-LaVista High School used a day to job shadow at Tri-V Tool and Mfg. Co. The students included Tim Scott, Andrew Adams and Conor Dworak.
Columbus: DIDI was represented at “Career Central,” a college/career fair hosted by Central Community College. An estimated 190 students and parents attended the event that included several Columbus manufacturers. More than 40 people requested information at the DIDI table, where Jon Misfeldt talked to them about manufacturing careers.
Waverly: Diane Blazer of Workforce Development and Tim Dettmann of Schneider Electric presented Dream It Do It to two classes at Waverly High School. Tim explained some of the manufacturing processes used at Square D. Murleen Bellinger, the Waverly instructor, is making plans to take the students on tours of three manufacturing facilities.

Lincoln: Jerry Young from Masport spoke to 75 students in four career classes at Lincoln Northeast High School. He used a Power Point that he had made about his company and the opportunities in manufacturing. The instructor complimented Jerry on the content and the students’ interest.
Lincoln: Elaine Vavra took 14 students to tour Duncan Aviation on Oct.11 as part of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers monthly meeting. On the tour, we saw the avionics, wiring, engine, interior cabinets, paint, parts & service, and machine shop departments, as well as many makes and models of aircraft in the hangers for repairs. Duncan provides design, installation, repair and support services for nearly every major small aircraft manufacturer. We saw Learjets, Astra, Gulfstream, Falcons and other planes from all over the world in the hangers for repairs.
Elgin: Jon Misfeldt attended a Career Fair at Elgin Pope John Catholic High School in Elgin. The fair drew approximately 200 students from five area schools, including Elgin, Chambers and Clearwater. Students had several businesses and organizations from which to choose for 15-minute informational sessions. Dream It. Do It. attracted 15 students, with five of them filling out forms to get more information. Three instructors also requested more information on how to get the DIDI message into their schools.
Lincoln: The Lincoln Journal-Star featured Dream It. Do It. in a Sunday edition article tilted “Manufacturing jobs going begging in Nebraska.” The story quoted Monte Specht from Southeast Community College, Jaime McDonald from Square D and NAMC Executive Director Dwayne Probyn. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and appeared as a scrolled item on KOLN-KGIN TV. The story also was heard on local radio stations.
Omaha: Millard West High School Industrial Tech teacher Steve Besch brought four of his Millard West students for an Oct. 3 tour of Tri-V Tool and Mfg. Co. in Omaha.

September 2007

Falls City: Elaine Vavra represented DIDI at College Access Day on Sept. 27 at Falls City High School. The day started with a general assembly with Gov. Heineman and Miss Nebraska as guest speakers. Education Quest kicked off the new KnowHow2Go campaign, which was presented to all middle and high school students. The campaign uses four simple steps to help students and parents plan for college. All high school students attended breakout sessions throughout the day in a conference-like atmosphere. Speakers presented on a host of subjects which included four sessions presented by Elaine Vavra, who represented Southeast Community College and Dream It. Do It. Her presentation on manufacturing, engineering and Dream It Do It drew the interest of 43 high school students with the following description on the registration sheet. “You may not realize it, but almost everything you touch every day involves manufacturing. Do you like to figure out how things are made? Do you ever wonder how many parts are in a Boeing 747 airplane? Do you like robotics? Do you like Math and Science? Do you like problem solving? Whatever you like to do, there are lots of great careers available in manufacturing. If you can dream it - you can do it.” Many of the students attending this session also went on a factory tour of AIRLANCO, which is the nation’s leading name in aeration. AIRLANCO manufactures and distributes Air Management equipment which includes air filtration systems, centrifugal fans, ducting, transitions and other sheet metal aeration products. The day ended for the students with a College Fair with representatives from numerous colleges and military available to talk with students and their parents.
Snyder: Jeff Scherer of Smeal Fire Apparatus discussed DIDI at the Nebraska Diplomats meeting with about 75 present.
Hastings: Executive Director Dwayne Probyn presented DIDI to the Hastings Rotary Club, with 41 in attendance.
Nebraska: The Buzz, along with facts about manufacturing, was distributed via email to 230 students who have registered with the Nebraska Dream It. Do It. campaign during stops at high schools, colleges and career fairs.
Lincoln: Dream It. Do It. host a table at the Nebraska Counseling Association Fall Conference at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln on Sept. 24-25. An estimated 200 attended the conference.
Lincoln: Cheston Coffin of TMCO presented to 85 students in five career classes at Lincoln Southwest High School. The students were very interested in getting more information about manufacturing. From these presentations Cheston also brought four students to TMCO to job shadow.
SCC-Milford Campus hosted 37 high school counselors and industrial technology teachers at its campus on Sept. 14. Counselors and teachers came from Lincoln Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools, Southeast Nebraska Schools, and as far away as Pierce took part in the campus experience from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. After a brief registration and continental breakfast, they were officially welcomed to the campus by Joel Dickinson, Robin Moore, Lyle Neal, Dr. Jack Huck, and two SCC-Milford Campus Students. The day included a thorough tour of the campus, lunch and a Q&A session that included a panel discussion with current students, instructors, and some past graduates. The SCC-Milford graduates were Ashley Wick (from Automotive and Auto Collision), Kirby Taylor (from Machine Tool), and Jenny Smith (from Graphic Design). The panel was a big hit as they gave out some great information about their current careers and about their days at Milford. And the audience had many questions and participated very well. Elaine Vavra set up an informational table in the lobby where we held registration for the visitors. The table had SME, Manufacturing Engineering, and Dream It. Do It. information for the high school counselors and teachers. Several of the visitors took information with them and asked questions about the DIDI campaign. We concluded at approx. 2:00 with a few more question and door prize drawings. It was a very successful day of orientation with the special visitors!
Lincoln: Rich Jedlicka, Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A., spoke to four Career Classes totaling 90 students at Lincoln East High School. One of the communication tools he used was the Dream It. Do It. “Manufacturing Myths.” Many of the students were directing their college prep curriculum toward UNL and other four-year institutions, so he appreciated the chance to enlighten these students on good opportunities in manufacturing. The students had good questions about what type of assignments Rich encounters on a typical day and how much he uses CAD design. Rich encouraged them to consider looking into a variety of careers in manufacturing including welding, accounting, planning, purchasing, manufacturing engineering and information systems. He stressed that they should not overlook the possibility of pursuing an associate’s degree, which can be completed faster and will put the students in interesting and challenging positions that offer excellent opportunities for personal growth and success. Quoting Rich: “There are usually one or two students in each class that I connect with during Q & A, and that makes it very satisfying.”
Hastings: A DIDI presentation in Hastings included 49 members of the Hastings Area Manufacturing Association at the Lochland Country Club that produced tremendous results. The audience mix was heavily in manufacturing with 34, followed by four from Hastings College, four from local high schools, and one each from Workforce Development, a local bank, the HEDC, Associated Staffing, Chamber of Commerce and a Hastings utility. This all started with a presentation Dwayne Probyn gave to their executive group several weeks ago. The group was so taken by the message they felt the entire membership should hear it. This resulted in taking Dream It. Do It. to the next level, with the HAMA group recruiting Kelly Christensen for the Area Director in their locale. Kelly is Associate Dean of Instruction Trades and Industry at Central Community College, Hastings Campus. Next, at the same meeting, Dave Morgan attended and volunteered to cover the Mid-Plains and Scottsbluff/Gering area. And finally, at the same HAMA meeting, Mike Henke of Associated Staffing agreed to be a part of the speakers’ bureau for DIDI presentations in his area around Grand Island.
Columbus: Angie Ramaekers had a successful Dream It. Do It. presentation to 26 enthusiastic high school juniors and seniors at Columbus High School. They discussed the multitude of career opportunities in and around the Columbus area and what wages can be expected. They also talked about some of the unexpected jobs that will be found within manufacturing environments, including legal counsel, laboratory, marketing, etc. Many of these students hadn’t realized the variety that comes with manufacturing – that there’s more involved than “general assembly line” work. Ramaekers noted that “There is a disconnect between the perception and the reality, which is why we have Dream It. Do It. So it was nice to be a part of their perception changes.” The class also looked at the Buzz for both July and August and read about the two young people who have chosen careers in manufacturing. Not only was it a great testimonial for the kids, one of the students is a cousin of Stacy Schrieber, a summer intern at Behlen Mfg. Co. who was featured in the July issue.
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented Dream It. Do It. to 54 students at the careers class at Columbus Middle School on Sept. 18.
Dave Morgan and Roger Allmand of Allmand Bros. Inc. in Holdrege are the latest to join the Nebraska Advanced Manufacturing Coalition. Morgan, the President of Allmand Bros., will serve as the Holdrege Area Director, while also coordinating the efforts for the Mid-Plains and Scottsbluff/Gering contacts. Allmand, the CEO of the company, has agreed to chair the Education Extension committee for the areas. Allmand Bros. Inc. was founded in 1938 based on the reliability and affordability of their electric arc welder. Today, Allmand is a leader in the construction industry and continues to develop innovative products for ever-changing markets, including lighting systems, message boards, industrial heaters, and tractor loader backhoes. Although Allmand Bros. Inc. no longer manufactures the arc welder, it still maintains the high standards of quality and value established by Walter and Les Allmand more than 60 years ago.
Omaha: Devin Meisinger, David Eldridge, Katie Beach and Jim Vyhlidal hosted a booth recently at the Omaha Product Show for Business and Industry at Qwest Center. Among the approximately 190 visitors at the event were 45 students from Columbus High School and more from Southeast Community College. The booth stayed consistently busy and the team was pleasantly surprised to hear people tell them that they were familiar with DIDI!

August 2007

Hebron: The Deshler High School drafting class took a tour of MetalQuest Unlimited on Aug. 29.
Columbus: A coordinated effort from Central Community College-Columbus Campus, Nebraska Workforce Development, the Columbus Economic Council, and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce has resulted in a new Welding Certificate training program. The program will include two classes. One will be for English speaking students and will run three evenings a week starting Oct. 9 and ending Dec. 7. The other will be for those who are limited English-speaking students (class taught by bilingual instructor) and will be offered on Saturdays starting Oct. 6 and ending Dec. 15. The most this will cost the student is $100.00. Those who are eligible for Workforce Development's training program will not have to pay anything for the class. This would be a great opportunity for those who are unemployed, underemployed, those who need to upgrade their skills to get a better job, as well as high school seniors (must be 18 years of age by Jan. 1 and be graduating mid term) as there are many job opportunities in the welding career. Females are being encouraged to consider this opportunity as well.
Kearney: Jon Misfeldt and Dwayne Probyn hosted a Dream It. Do It. table at the Nebraska Council of School Administrators conference in Kearney.

July 2007

Lincoln: Dwayne Probyn and Linda Lichtenberg were involved in a DIDI presentation to the Bio Nebraska Collaboration Committee July 10 at LICOR Inc. Nineteen people attended, including Nebraska Community College System President Dennis Baack. Julie Karavas, President of Bio Nebraska Life Sciences Association, was the chair of the meeting.

June 2007

Hastings: Dwayne Probyn presented Dream It. Do It. to the Hastings Economic Development Corporation. The leaders of the group said it was the best turnout they have had at their meetings. While usually getting six or seven to show, the importance of the manufacturing message drew 16 people after only 12 had registered. The group included CEOs from three companies, the GM and three representatives from ThermoKing, along with executives from the Chamber of Commerce, Department of Economic Development, and Central Community College. Probyn reported that they were so taken by the message they want it repeated to their entire membership.
Omaha: Dwayne Probyn was the guest speaker at the June 1 Kiwanis meeting in Midtown Omaha. Twenty nine people attended, including a State Legislator in Midtown Omaha, John Nelson. Nelson visited with Probyn about DIDI and how it was needed in his district. Also, host Ann Rourke, the Development Director from the Christian Urban Education service, requested a 50-copy set of the Career World Magazine to provide to 7th- and 8th-graders next fall.
Columbus: Central Community College hosted a Future Force Manufacturing Summer Camp to help raise the awareness about careers in manufacturing June 4-5 Twenty middle school students participated in designing, AutoCAD and CNC activities. A team-building exercise and Dream It. Do It. exploratory activities were used to keep the students busy while other teams of students would machine the medallion they had designed. Each medallion had a hole close to the edge and was incorporated into a key ring when finished. "During the introductions, we noticed the majority of students said they wanted to be a doctor or lawyer some day," Matson said. "Junior High is probably the perfect time to expose young learners to high tech manufacturing." Future Force also helped fund Teacher Training workshops in Basic Electrical Theory and Pneumatics on June 8. Participants learned about teaching using basic training units which they can check out through the Mechatronics Education Center. There are several other workshops more specifically designed for industry scheduled throughout the summer. The Mechatronics Center is also coordinating a program where educators are "paired up" to shadow in a manufacturing facility. Manufactures get to show what modern manufacturing is like and educators (counselors and principals included) get to take their experience back to the classroom.
Kearney: Dream It. Do It. hosted a booth at the Nebraska Career Educators annual conference at the Holiday Inn, where Tri-V Tool & Mfg. was honored by the NCE as the 2007 recipient of the Outstanding Business/Industry Partnership Award for Career Education.

May 2007

Columbus: John Vyhlidal of Tri-V Tool & Mfg. Co. attended a steering committee luncheon for the Mechatronics Education Center project hosted by Central Community College. The members of the steering committee are asked for input so that the project can meet the needs of industry, secondary and post-secondary schools. The group discussed technical training needs, methods and lessons learned.
Fremont: John Vyhlidal participated in a Fremont Area Career Development Coalition meeting hosted by Midland Lutheran College. The group is planning a career development day that would include manufacturing careers.
Omaha: Tri-V Tool & Mfg. Co. hosted a tour for students from Papillion-LaVista High. Industrial technology teacher Scott Kneifl brought 20 students to tour Tri-V's facilities and to also hear about educational opportunities for manufacturing careers. Jim Vyhlidal of Tri-V took half of the visiting students on a tour and Joel Dickinson of Southeast Community College spoke with the other half about careers in manufacturing. After 25 minutes the groups rotated and started over with the other group.
Lincoln: Dwayne Probyn and Jon Misfeldt met with Nebraska Library Commission communication coordinator Mary Jo Ryan to discuss putting Dream It. Do It. literature and videos into Nebraska libraries. The project would include sending an email to all libraries and distributing the information and materials to all those community libraries that respond.
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented the DIDI campaign to a group of 40 industrial technology instructors from the Central Community College system at the Columbus campus. The instructors would shown information on the statistics about the number of jobs available for students with 2-year technical degrees in order to stress the importance of their missions. Angie Ramaekers, the Columbus Drive 4 Five coordinator and the Columbus Area Dream It. Do It. coordinator, also presented the challenge about finding and recruiting the people with technical skills to work in the Columbus community.
Lincoln: Tony Raimondo and Dwayne Probyn attended the Manufacturing Council Business Meeting May 1 at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel. Raimondo gave a presentation on the Dream It. Do It. campaign and distributed materials to a group of 58 in attendance. The business meeting was followed by a luncheon meeting attended by 77, which included 12 state legislators. The keynote address at the luncheon was delivered by Jason Henderson, an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank.
Milford: Kirby Taylor and Elaine Vavra represented Dream It. Do It. on May 6 at the Southeast Community College Open House in Milford. The DIDI display was set up in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program, which represented all types of manufacturing careers. Several manufacturing companies brought displays with the SCC graduates they employ in order to answer questions about jobs in manufacturing and explain what their daily work consists of. Visitors included families of current students and past graduates of the college, as well as many prospective high school students.
Omaha: Katie Beach of Nebraska Machine Company went to Zion Lutheran Church to present the Dream It. Do It. booth at Concordia High School's College/Career Fair, speaking to several students about potential careers in manufacturing. Katie also spoke with Concordia's guidance counselor, who organized the college fair. The counselor commented how happy she was to have the DIDI booth at the fair and that she was interested in having more similar type booths for next year's event.
Omaha: Members of the Omaha Education Extension committee, including Jim Vyhlidal, John Vyhlidal, Katie Beach and Joel Dickinson, met with eight high school teachers and college instructors to network and brainstorm about Dream It. Do It. and how to work together better. Each high school teacher had the opportunity to talk about their school, their needs, and their special projects that involved their students connecting with industrial technology. Some of the best discussions included talk about the "Build A Robot Competition" and summer internships for high school students with local companies.
Snyder: Twelve members of the West Point-Beemer Senior High School Industrial Technology class took a tour of Smeal Fire & Apparatus Co., which is known throughout the United States and Canada as today's premier manufacturer of aerial ladders, platform aerials and pumpers. The session focused on welding techniques used at Smeal. The students were given a classroom demonstration on the company's welding training techniques, then viewed several of the different types of welding used in the manufacturing process.

April 2007

Omaha: Joel Dickinson and Jim Vyhlidal presented to 63 middle school students April 30 at Russell Middle School. "The students were fun to work with and they asked great questions," Dickinson said. "Even better - we struck up good relations with the two teachers who liked the message we had for their students and asked if we could do more than one presentation throughout the year.
Lincoln: Doug Badje, an engineer from Molex, spoke to the 8th-grade Industrial Tech students at Dawes Middle School about Careers in Manufacturing. There were 15 students present for the 30-minute career exploration class held during their Career Fair. Doug gave an overview of Molex, which manufactures electrical connections for everything from automotive to household appliances. He showed a capabilities video of the operations in the Lincoln plant which includes molding, stamping, plating and assembly processes. He told the students about the wide range of jobs available and what kind of education is required to get into the electronics manufacturing fields.
Omaha: Katie Beach and Steve Nell hosted a booth at the Metro Career Fair on April 20 at Metro Community College-South. The career fair was hosted by OPS for 7th-graders in the Omaha Metro area. Each booth was responsible for a 10-minute presentation for every class. The Dream It. Do It. booth was able to set up a laptop and showcase our website and interactive game.
Omaha: Jim Vyhlidal, Devin Meisinger and Courtney Dunbar attended Northwest High School career fair on April 19 from 11-1 in the school gymnasium. The group presented Dream It. Do It. to the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors in attendance. In all, they spoke to more than 100 students and considered the career fair to be very successful.
Nebraska: A feature story on the success of Tri-V Tool & Mfg. Co. of Omaha appeared in The Midlands Business Journal in April and included a mention of the Dream It. Do It. campaign from Omaha Area Director John Vyhlidal.
Kansas City: Jon Misfeldt and John Vyhlidal traveled to Kansas City, Mo., to observe the Kansas City Dream It. Do It. Expo hosted by Metropolitan Community College-Business & Technology. The event drew more than 500 students from 26 schools and included presentations by manufacturers, tours of several manufacturing facilities, and several representatives from other colleges with manufacturing education tracts. Misfeldt and Vyhlidal gleaned as much information as possible, with the hopes that Nebraska committee sites will host similar events.
Lincoln: Diane Blaser, Tony Glenn, and Andy Schultz presented Dream It. Do It. to approximately 30 students at Lincoln North Star High School Career Education Class in Lincoln on April 21. The students were very enthusiastic about the information, and 22 who were intent on pursuing manufacturing as a career option filled out registration cards.
Lincoln: Nancy Meinzer of Lincoln Machine hosted a Dream It. booth at Lincoln North Star and collected information from 119 students with an interest in manufacturing careers.
Omaha: Jim Vyhlidal and Joel Dickinson represented Dream It. Do It. at the OPS Technology Career Day at Benson High School. They met with several OPS Industrial Technology teachers, including Ken Spellman, Director of Curriculum Development for Industrial Technology for OPS. They also talked with a few parents and students who were among approximately 200 in attendance for the competition.
Milford: Kirby Taylor, a tooling designer for Lincoln Machine, presented to a group of 17 high school superintendents at the Educational Service Unit 6 in Milford on April 12. The superintendents were very receptive to the Dream It. Do It. message. Kirby spoke on raising the awareness of manufacturing as a high-impact area of Nebraska's economic structure. He explained how a career in manufacturing is an excellent entrepreneurial path and can be a viable option as a source of small business growth and population retention in rural Nebraska. With more than half of U.S. businesses in the manufacturing sector employing 50 people or less, there is a huge opportunity in rural Nebraska communities to bolster the economy. Statistics for 2006 show that 85 percent of all items exported from Nebraska were from the manufacturing sector, whereas agriculture exported less than 10 percent.
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented Dream It. Do It. to 75 students at the Columbus Middle School's career class. The class got the opportunity explore the web site thanks to teacher Bernie Fleischacker, who made arrangements to bring an SPED mobile lab with portable computers into the classroom.
Omaha: Dwayne Probyn hosted a table at an after hours event hosted by the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, held at the DC Center at 120th and Maple. The DIDI message drew a solid response from parents who attended the event, which drew more than 320 visitors and 50 exhibitors.
Lincoln: Dream It. Do It. hosted a booth at the Governor's Summit at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln. The booth made several connections to leaders in business, education, and many other outreach programs that fit well with the campaign.
Omaha: Dream It. Do It. hosted a booth at the Papillion-LaVista South High School career fair. Steve Nell (Linweld), Devin Meisinger (OPPD) and Jon Misfeldt (NAMC) collected information from more than 100 students who showed an interest in pursuing careers in manufacturing and related business. Joel Dickinson (SCC) and Katie Beach (NMC) were responsible for setting up and organizing the event.
Omaha: Dream It. Do It. will host a booth when the Omaha Public Library hosts the 2nd annual Teen Job Fair April 2 at the Omaha Public Library Swanson Branch.

March 2007

Beatrice: Manalle Keefover of Gage County Economic Development and Jody Easter of Nebraska Workforce Development presented to a Beatrice High School class with nine students. While the size of the class was small, the advantage was that each of the students had their own laptop computer available so that they were able to play MakerManiac, research careers, and maneuvering through the Dream It. Do It. web site on their own.
Lincoln: Dream It. Do It. shared a booth with Southeast Community College at the FFA state competition at the Cornhusker Hotel. Approximately 1500 students attended the event, and DIDI volunteers spoke to several instructors while gathering several interest cards from students.
Omaha: Scott Kahler of Southeast Community College and former SCC student Andrew Deutschmann of North Platte went to Millard South for a presentation to their machine tool & welding classes. They talked to approximately 60 students about manufacturing career paths. Kahler said he was invited by Millard South teacher Jeff Banker, who heads up the school's vocational program.
Hastings, Grand Island: Scott Kahler of Southeast Community College and Justin Pfenning from Dramco Tool & Die in Grand Island went to Hasting High School & Grand Island Senior High to promote careers in manufacturing. They talked to approximately 25 students at Hastings in the morning and the same number of kids in Grand Island in the afternoon. Kahler reported that Hastings has an outstanding program in place for students to pursue a manufacturing career path. In Grand Island, a reporter from the Grand Island Independent attended and wrote front-page story in the March 31 edition.
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt hosted a booth at New World Inn during the SkillsUSA state competition, speaking to a number of talented students about potential careers in manufacturing-related businesses. Several connections with educators and business also arose.
Columbus: Amber Mestl of Behlen Mfg. Co. was one of the guest speakers at the State SkillsUSA competition in Columbus. Mestl, a graduate of Central Community College in Columbus, spoke of her experience as a student indecisive about her career until she found a career opportunity at Behlen. In a short time, she has risen to the role of quality control supervisor, and urged high school students to explore all the opportunities manufacturing companies have to offer.
Beatrice: Terri Dageford of Gage County Economic Development represented Dream It. Do It. March 21 as Southeast Community College hosted a Transition Fair that included 270 high school juniors, while guest speakers represented 55 different companies. Dageford was at two different sections representing DIDI, including "Scientific Research & Engineering" and "Manufacturing" sections. She was joined by David Blythe from Beatrice BioDiesel, LLC. She provided the students a list of Bio-science-type industries in the state and also provided the students in that section with Dream It. Do It. wrist bands.
Lincoln: Cheston Coffin from TMCO made a presentation on March 19 to 30 students in the Career Education class at North Star High School. The school has academies of unique hands-on classrooms where students with similar interests are together. The teacher, Bonnie Malcolm, has also set up an Interview Fair on March 30 and has asked for Dream It. Do It. business people to assist in holding 15-minute mock interviews with the students in her class. The students prepare resumes, cover letters and practice job interviewing skills.
Norfolk: Jon Misfeldt hosted a DIDI booth at the Northeast Community College job fair. Northeast boasts several manufacturing-related curriculums, and a majority of them showed up at the fair to consider employment and career opportunities.
Lincoln: Lincoln Plating hosted the monthly DIDI meeting, and was one of 13 Lincoln-area manufacturers who were present. Others included Molex, Square D, Kawasaki, Reinke, Teledyne Isco, Nebraska Boiler, MetalQuest, TMCO, SourceOne, Masport, Novartis, and Lincoln Machine.
Norfolk: Northeast Nebraska Area Director announced that three businesses have promised to make contributions to the Dream It. Do It. campaign, including Nucor Steel/Vulcraft Group, $10,000 per year for 3 years; Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., $1,000 per year for 3 years; and West Point Design, EIS Implement, $500 per year for 3 years. The total three-year commitments total $34,500.
Omaha: John Vyhlidal and Dwayne Probyn attended the Fremont Area Career Development meeting at the UNL Extension Office in Dodge County in Fremont.
Lincoln: Jack Jenkins from Norris High School brought 32 students for a tour of Lincoln Machine, Inc.
Lincoln: Joel Dickinson from Southeast Community College will share his booth with Dream It Do It and Linda Lichtenberg at the Future Farmers of America Convention on March 29th. Approximately 2,500 students are expected to attend the event.
Omaha: Lozier Industries hosted the monthly DIDI meetings, which was attended by 23 people. Jon Misfeldt was the keynote speaker, taking members through the protocols used for presentations at high schools, civic clubs and high school and career fairs in order to attract committee members to the extension committee.
Lincoln: 40 students from Jack Jenkins's technical classes at Norris High School will be touring Lincoln Machine on March 14th.
Nebraska: During Entrepeneur Week, Public Relations Coordinator Jon Misfeldt wrote an article in an interview with Scott Volk of MetalQuest of Hebron that appeared on the NAM blog "Shopfloor." The article can be viewed by going to the Nebraska Dream It. Do It. web site. Find it in the library under articles.

February 2007

Lincoln: Teledyne Isco hosted the monthly DIDI campaign meetings, which included the Media, Skills Gap, and Extension committees prior to the meeting of the whole. A total of 27 attended the meetings. The guest speaker was Lincoln Journal-Star business writer Richard Piersol, who told DIDI members that it's important to stress the message that our state has a great deal to offer youth. "Lots of people (in Nebraska) wish kids didn't feel like they had to move somewhere else to get a good professional life. I don't think it's true at all, but when people pass it on others believe it."
Lincoln: Cheston Coffin of TMCO presented Dream It. Do It. to more than 400 Lincoln Public School students in February, and has 400 more scheduled in April. Coffin will be telling the students about the great opportunities available in manufacturing. He also showed them some of the cool things he makes in his job. In his first appearance, Coffin already gleaned interest from a student wishing to job shadow.
Columbus: The Columbus Middle School will be the first school to implement the Career World Program as part of the Nebraska Dream It. Do It. campaign. The agreement was reached between Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Hillyer and Nebraska Dream It. Do It. chairman Tony Raimondo. The program will be used with the CMS 8th-grade careers class, which has 268 this session.
Lincoln: Jack Jenkins, Industrial Instructor at Norris High School, visited Lincoln Machine recently to spend part of the day learning about Master Cam programming in an effort to bring back information to his classroom. Jenkins' interest derived from a recent Dream It. Do It. presentation to his school.
Milford: Monte Specht of Southeast Community College reported that the welding program has benefited from all the advertising exposure in that they sold out their 21 spots and had to add two sections and two instructors to accommodate another dozen or so students for the next quarter.
Beatrice: Jon Misfeldt presented to the Beatrice Human Resources Association at Beatrice Community Hospital.
Falls City: Renee Bauer, Executive Director of the Falls City Economic Development and Growth Enterprise (EDGE), announced that her group has a new web site and has included a link to Nebraska Dream It Do It. The Falls City group's web site can be found at www.fallscityedge.com
Scottsbluff: Dwayne Probyn was featured on radio station KNEB Scottsbluff/Gering and did a 17-minute interview with host Rob Barney. Probyn talked about the Dream It Do It. campaign and the Feb. 22 launches in Scottsbluff and North Platte.
Wayne: Jon Misfeldt of the NAMC and Susan Jensen of Thurston Manufacturing Co. of Thurston, Neb., hosted a Dream It. Do It. booth at the Wayne State College career fair and collected information from 15 students who expressed interest in manufacturing career paths.

January 2007

Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented to 30 members of the Columbus Noon Lions Club.
Norfolk: A 30-second commercial began running Jan. 14 at the Norfolk 7 Theatres in Norfolk. The spot will run for six months, appearing before approximately 4,300 movies and in front of an estimated 75,000 people.
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented to 25 members of the Columbus Sertoma Club.
Hastings: Dwayne Probyn and Linda Lichtenberg hosted a Dream It. Do It. booth at the Hastings High School Career Day.
Lincoln: Lynn Willey of Southeast Community College, working with the Lincoln-area extension committee, has contacted several local high schools and compiled a list of contact information for parent representative groups. The committee is working on ways of reaching the parents of high school students in order to raise the awareness about the exciting careers and needs for manufacturing.
Omaha: Dwayne Probyn hosted a DIDI booth for "Business After Hours" at the Double Tree Hotel in Omaha, hosted by The Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Omaha: John Vyhlidal represented NAMC & DIDI at a meeting with the "Fremont Area Career Development Coalition."
Omaha: John Vyhlidal represented NAMC & DIDI at "Millard South's Vocational Tech Career Fair."
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented Dream It. Do It. to 71 students at the Columbus Middle School's career class.
Omaha: John Vyhlidal represented NAMC & DIDI at the Omaha Public Schools "Superintendents Career Education Advisory Council."

2006

September

State: KFAB, Nebraska’s largest radio station, did a five-minute interview with Nebraska Chairman Tony Raimondo and Director Dwayne Probyn about the upcoming launch of the Dream It. Do It. campaign during halftime of the season-opening Nebraska Cornhusker football game.
Lincoln: Launch of the first ever state-wide Dream It. Do It. campaign. The event included more than 200 dignitaries from state government, education, business, industry, the NAM and MI.
Omaha: John Vyhlidal, Vice President of Administration at Tri-V Tool & Die Inc. of Omaha, is named Area Director for Omaha and surrounding counties.
Lincoln: Linda Lichtenberg, Vice President of Lincoln Machine, is named area director for Lincoln and surrounding counties.
Fremont: KHUB radio in Fremont interviewed Nebraska Director Dwayne Probyn in an on-air public service announcement about manufacturing and the Dream It. Do It. campaign.
Northeast Nebraska: Jeff Scherer, Chief Financial Officer at Smeal Fire Apparatus in Snyder, is named area director for Northeast Nebraska.
Lincoln: Nebraska Dream It. Do It. shared a booth at the Lincoln Product Show with the Society of Manufacturer Engineers.

October

Columbus: Nebraska Dream It. Do It. hosted a booth at the Nebraska Workforce Development’s career fair Columbus.
Columbus: Received $75,000 donation from Nebraska Public Power District to be spread over three years.
Omaha: Received $75,000 donation from Omaha Public Power District to be spread over three years.
Omaha: The donations of $25,000 annually from NPPD and OPPD met the requirements for a $50,000 matching donation from the Peter Kiewit Foundation.

November

Lincoln: Gerald Egsti, the Career Counselor for Southeast Community College in Milford, gave several presentations to (high school students’) parents and included information from the DIDI campaign.
Lincoln: Dianne Blaser, NE Workforce Coordinator, presented to 36 students at Waverly High School and handed out information from the DIDI campaign.
Lincoln: MetalQuest Unlimited has hosted five high school tours and had two job shadows.
Norfolk: More than 50 attended the kickoff meeting to initiate the Northeast Nebraska DIDI campaign held at Northeast Community College.
Beatrice: Nebraska Dream It. Do It. hosted a booth at the Nebraska Workforce Development’s career fair Beatrice and received 36 registrations.
Lincoln: Dream It. Do It. volunteers Kirby Taylor from Lincoln Machine and Chester Coffin from TMCO will speak to the SkillsUSA chapter at Norris High School from 11:15-11:40 a.m.
Omaha: Nebraska Director Dwayne Probyn and Omaha Director John Vyhlidal attended the NAM Businessman award to honor Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson.
Omaha: John Vyhlidal and Jon Misfeldt will give a Dream It. Do It. presentation to the Southeast Resource Network of Omaha. 10 a.m. at Omaha Security National Bank.
Lincoln: Elaine Vavra of SCC received word that the Society of Manufacturing Engineers would donate 500 "Manufacturing Is Cool" rulers to distribute during school presentations.

December

Lincoln: Elaine Vavra of SCC received word that the Society of Manufacturing Engineers would donate 500 "Manufacturing Is Cool" rulers to distribute during school presentations.
Omaha: Hosted a manufacturing tour for Papillion-La Vista Schools for eight middle and high school Industrial Technology instructors, two guidance counselors, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, the Director of Curriculum and the Career Coordinator. This was an activity of the Industrial Technology Curriculum Toolbox Innovation Grant, to update the Industrial Technology Dept. The Industrial Technology Dept. has chosen the Manufacturing Cluster as one of their clusters. The tour along with FIRST robotics, a NASA project, and the mechatronics partnership with Central Community College will assist the toolbox in making appropriate decisions that match business/industry, student and district needs. Guidance counselors are included so that they can share the information with students. The tour included stops at Tri-V Tool & Die Inc., Millard Manufacturing, Airlite Plastics, and Lozier Corp.
Lincoln: Linda Lichtenberg presented to the Rotary Club in Nebraska City. Attendance of 42, with good enthusiasm and interest in additional contacts. Story will appear in local paper about DIDI campaign.
Columbus: Jon Misfeldt presented the Dream It. Do It. campaign to two classes at the Columbus Middle School. More than 60 students heard the message about the high tech, high paying kinds of careers available in manufacturing.
Seward: Jon Misfeldt and Elaine Vavra presented to the Seward County Leadership Plenty group, which included students, educators, business leaders, civic and community leaders who work toward facilitating economic growth and awareness to Seward County.
Fremont: John Vyhlidal and Jon Misfeldt presented to the Greater Fremont Development Council leaders at the Fremont Golf Club.
Columbus: The Columbus Telegram published an article about Jon Misfeldt and James Hopkins (Behlen Mfg. Co.) and their Dream It. Do It. presentation at the Columbus Middle School.
Columbus: A 30-second commercial began running Dec. 7 at the Center 6 theatres in Columbus. The spot will run for six months, appearing before approximately 3,400 movies and in front of an estimated 52,000 people.
Fremont: John Vyhlidal presented at the Fremont Chamber of Commerce to members of the chamber, along with representatives from Midland College, both local high schools, the Boy Scouts of America, 4-H, and Workforce Development. The group wanted to gather information to focus a direction for future involvement.
Statewide: A story about the Nebraska Dream It. Do It. campaign appeared in the Dec. 19 issue of Plant Engineering Magazine. The story was written by Bob Vavra, Editor in Charge, who interviewed Lincoln Area Director Linda Lichtenberg and Dwayne Probyn during a November trip to Lincoln.
Columbus: Received the first of three $25,000 checks from NPPD, with another $25,000 coming in 2007 and 2008. Combined with other donations, the NAMC met the requirements for a $50,000 matching grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation.