Weekly Newsletter
November 30, 2017
In the News  
Virginia Ranks #5 Best State for Business 
 
Spending your weekend in the Gateway Region? Attend the Petersburg Symphony's holiday concert and visit Chesterfield Historical Society's Open House 
Partner Spotlight
AdvantaStaff is in the business of putting qualified workers where clients need them most. They believe a prepared workforce is the backbone of the economy. Every day AdvantaStaff recruits, prepares and puts to work a small army of good people - ready to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.
 
AdvantaStaff is excited to announce their new website. This will be their new destination for recruiting new field employees, as well as providing valuable information resources for employers and employees.

Local Manufacturers Donate Thousands to Hopewell High School

By Caitlin Davis | Progress-Index | Full Article      

HOPEWELL - In a continued effort to support students in science, technology, engineering, and math related fields, Evonik and the Hopewell Manufactures Association donated a a combined $11,000 to the Blue Devils Robotics Team, an effort they have supported for several years.

Philip Munson, site manager for Evonik, and president of the Hopewell Manufactures Association, HMA, said the industrial companies in the city are committed to working with students with an interest in technology, as many of those skills are needed in today's growing workforce.
A Skills-Based Job Approach to Fulfilling Workforce Needs 
 
By Tom Gresham | Area Development |   Full Article  
    
Finding young workers with a strong interest in manufacturing has become a perpetual challenge, says Jay Schmidt, executive vice president and general manager of Silicon Forest Electronics, an electronic services manufacturing company based in Vancouver, Washington. Many young people simply don't believe financially rewarding and professionally fulfilling skilled manufacturing jobs exist in the United States, he notes. In response, Schmidt and his company devote time and resources to a number of outreach efforts to counter this narrative. Sometimes, that work provides striking dividends.