COMING UP! Shoptalk (11/7), WorkAdvance Info Session (11/13), and Lunch & Learn Webinar (11/20)! Be sure to scroll down to the Events section to find out more.

Check your email box! Membership renewal invoices are being emailed TODAY! 

Speaking of membership, take of our new Premier Sponsor program, which includes your membership, brand exposure, and event participation throughout all of 2025! This opportunity will elevate your organization's brand presence and allow you to leverage DRMA's membership base. This exclusive opportunity is available to only 10 members on a first-come basis. Contact Kaitlin today to learn more!

THANKS to the 17 members who hosted MFG Day student tours this month (see some great pics here). If you’ve hosted a tour and haven’t let us know, email Amy today! Remember, we’re doing student tours year-round, so you didn’t miss your opportunity to build your pipeline of future workers. Learn more here.

Want to increase your brand exposure and support the DRMA? Get your name in front of attendees by sponsoring one of our most essential events of the year, our Annual Meeting on 12/5 at the Steam Plant with 100+ attendees. Contact Amy for more details.

How does saving an extra $4,392 on your workers’ compensation premium sound? That is the average savings of members in our Workers’ Comp Group Program. You need coverage, and DRMA is here to help! Time is running out to enroll in the 2025 Group Rating Program. The enrollment deadline is 11/18. Contact Paul Feck with Sedgwick at (614) 906-0535 today!

Did we catch you at the Trap Shoot fundraiser event last month? See photos here. Congrats to the top two teams who tied for first, Bruns General Contracting and Maker’s Supply, and to the individual category winners, Dirk Meckstroth (Bruns General Contracting), Ben Myers (Norwood Medical), and Luke Frazier (LJB, Inc.)!

LAST CHANCE to register for these upcoming workshops, exclusively for DRMA member companies. Limited space is left. Contact Shay to register.

• Supervisory Excellence - Designed to unlock your employees’ leadership potential with practical insights that are vital for excelling in a supervisory role. Presented by Brixey & Meyer. $1,500 for 6 half-day sessions + accountability and coaching sessions.
• GD&T - Learn to read and interpret engineering drawings. Presented by the Workforce Division of Sinclair College. $195 for 2 sessions.



Tap into the DRMA “brain trust” by joining the DRMA private LinkedIn Group, exclusively for people at DRMA member companies. The group provides an on-line venue to ask questions, learn from each other, and collaborate on a private platform dedicated to our members. Click here to request to join the group!

Interested in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment? America Makes and CAST are presenting a free workshop to help employers create more equitable recruitment, retention and training processes. 11/13, 9 - 2 p.m., at Central State. Lunch included! Register/info here. 

THANK YOU to our Trap Shoot Event Committee for planning another amazing event! Brian Ault (Bruns General Contracting), Chuck Dryer (Industrial Tube & Steel Corp.), Garry Jankowski (Sandvik Coromant), Josh Kneidl (Benjamin Steel Co., Inc.), Chad Martin (Barnes Dennig), Matt Miller (Rieck Services, LLC), Brian Roos (Morris Bean & Company), & Dan Schock (Huntington National Bank). This group has worked hard to put on this fun event to help raise funds for the DRMA Foundation! DRMA appreciates and thanks the entire Trap Shoot Event Committee for their commitment to our organization and to the Dayton Region manufacturing industry as a whole.

Member exclusive! WorkAdvance, a proven initiative to supplement your recruitment strategies, will bring you quality candidates to fill your entry-level positions. Candidates are ready now to interview! Contact Susan to learn more.

Want $$ to offset your training cost? Get funding from Ohio with TechCred, a workforce program that reimburses employers for employee training up to $2,000 per industry-recognized credential, and up to $30,000 total per application round! The application period is OPEN and will close on 11/29! Don’t miss out! Contact Amy with questions or see more details here. 

Taking advantage of work-based learning programs such as offering job shadow or internship opportunities to students exposes them to great careers the region’s manufacturing industry offers AND is a powerful strategy to build your future workforce. Learn more here. 



Have you heard about IMAP? The Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) enables your workers to gain new skills and credentials at no cost to you. The program covers tuition, fees, and other costs, ensuring your employees can enhance their skills. Details here. 

Please help grow your future workforce by purchasing a sponsorship of our student giveaways! We are preparing for our winter and spring career outreach events, and we need your help. Your sponsorship of $500 will help us cover the costs of things like lanyards, stickers, dog tags, and wood gliders (all items that students love to get!) and will include your organization’s name. Contact Kara for more info.

Supplement your recruiting strategy by attending the following career fairs:

• College and Career Fair at Stebbins High School, Dayton, 11/12. Email Jeff to register.
• College and Career Fair at Tippecanoe High School, Tipp City, 11/15. Email Rachel to register.
• Job Fair at Kettering Fairmont High School, 4/3/25. Register here.

11/7, 4 - 6 p.m., Shoptalk: Voice of the American Workforce, AIDA, Dayton. Hear a short presentation from ResourceMFG about the results from their Voice of the American Workforce survey, followed by peer-to-peer networking and drinks at this impressive manufacturing facility! Register here.

11/20, 12 - 12:30 p.m., Lunch & Learn Webinar: How AI is Impacting the Manufacturing Industry, presented by Airwave. Join us to learn how AI-driven tools can streamline operations, reduce troubleshooting time, and capture the expertise of seasoned employees—ensuring your team is always prepared to perform. Register here.

12/5, 4:30 - 7 p.m., Annual Meeting, The Steam Plant, Dayton, presented by Sunbelt Business Advisors. Join us for our most essential meeting of the year. The short program will cover 2024 accomplishments, the 2025 budget, and the ratification of new board members, followed by networking festivities—cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, socializing with your DRMA peers. Register here.

WorkAdvance Info Sessions, 1 - 1:30 p.m., Virtual. This grant program is designed to bring you quality candidates to fill your entry-level positions. Attend a FREE info session to learn more.

• 11/13 - Register here.
• 12/11 - Register here.

DRMA 101 - Whether you are a new member or a seasoned member, kickstart your membership ROI and learn what DRMA does to help you strengthen your business. Contact Shay to sign up!

• 11/20, 8 - 9 a.m., at Mont. Co. Economic Development, Dayton (breakfast provided)

For more information on any of our events, visit our website.

Community Events:

• 11/19, 8 - 10 a.m., Edison State's Regional Workforce Summit, Piqua. More information/registration here.
• 11/21, 8 - 9 a.m., Dayton Miami Valley Safety Council Breakfast with the Experts. More information/registration here.

Membership renewal invoices are being emailed today, 11/5. We trust that you find value in your DRMA membership and will choose to renew for 2025. From workforce to advocacy to business and economic development to peer-to-peer connectivity, DRMA continues to be the voice of the manufacturing industry in the Dayton Region. Contact Shay if you have questions.

Elevate your organization’s brand presence by leveraging DRMA’s membership base through our new Premier Sponsor program! Your sponsorship covers the full year and includes your membership! This opportunity takes the hassle out of planning ahead, allowing you to pay once for a year of participation with DRMA. Spots are limited! Contact me today!

Did you see the blurb above about our Annual Meeting? This is the most essential meeting of the year BUT it won’t be boring! We’ll do a short program, then we’ll have some fun with networking festivities – cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and socializing! Remember your membership is corporate-wide, so bring your employees to the event! Register here!

Results of the 2024 Wage and Benefit Survey are in! The survey report helps you benchmark the value of your jobs and your benefits plan. Current trends for compensation are covered, as are topics including employee benefits, work schedules and retention strategies. Results are free to those who participated. For details on how to purchase the survey report and more, contact Shay.

Looking to upgrade your team’s tech skills? TechCred might be the answer. All Ohio companies are eligible to apply – applications are now open thru the end of the month (11/29). DRMA’s training partners provide the industry-recognized training and can even help you apply. Learn more here.

Attention Manufacturer members: Click here to see manufacturing-pertinent resumes I have received.

Congratulations to DRMA Member EzKin Company and Maria Perez for being featured in the Dayton Daily News Women in Business article.

Welcome new DRMA members:

• American Quality Fabrication
• PrideStaff