Dozens of fifth graders bounced with excitement around one of the meeting rooms at Myers Spring Co. Friday morning. They studied a 3-D printer nicknamed "Carl" and stood fascinated at the images being produced by a giant scanner on the other side of the room. They also toured the machinery floor and learned about how the company makes springs for everything from John Deere tractors to race cars.

And while Friday's field trip in honor of Manufacturing Day was all fun and games for them, Myers Spring owner Todd Miller took the day very seriously.

According to its website, Manufacturing Day is a nationwide celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. So on Oct. 6, millions of elementary school students around the country toured factories and facilities that are often the backbones of their communities.

During Friday's session, Miller told the students that one out of every five jobs in Indiana is in manufacturing, and it's the largest sector of the state's economy. So while fifth grade students from Columbia, Fairview, Franklin and Landis elementary schools spent the day playing with springs and lasers, Miller was busy planting seeds in the young students' minds.

"It's a workforce development issue for us," Miller said, "and as far as the kids, it's trying to expand on the types of opportunities we have in our area. We want them to know that there is a seat for every rear end, and there's a million ways to learn. We've got to make sure what we're telling kids is that there are options out there, and they aren't just pigeon-holed."

For colleague Audrey Winegardner, Friday was also about making people aware of what's in their own backyards.

"There are people in this community that don't know what we do here and what we make here and the impact manufacturing has on your everyday life," she said. "They don't realize what goes into making some products, and so we want to bring the kids in early and show them what we do here."

Winegardner pointed out that Manufacturing Day is just as exciting for Myers Spring's employees as it is the students.

"We love it," she said. "It's a morale booster. Everybody gets to show off what they do. When you get kids in here, they give you a refreshing look at your job, and it makes it exciting. It's just really a feeling of teamwork."

Ralph Kauffman has been with Myers Spring for 15 years now. Myers Spring has participated in Manufacturing Day for the past three years, and Kauffman said he's always impressed at how much the students listen and pay attention during the tour of the facility.

"I think it's pretty neat to see the kids all come through and for them to see how the different springs are made," he said. "To see their faces when they see different things, and you know they're learning what it takes to do this stuff for a living and as a career. It then gives you pride, and it makes you feel good."

And it wasn't just the employees and students that benefited from Friday's field trip either. Columbia Elementary School teacher Patty Piercy said an event like Manufacturing Day inspires her students to "dream big."

"It opens their eyes to options," Piercy said. "These kids sometimes don't really know what's out there and what's available. I don't think they understand what they have here in Logansport and what these different places have to offer. Anytime we can sort of open up their vision a little bit more, that's really important."

Myers Spring is in the third year of a 10-year commitment to Manufacturing Day. On Thursday, the facility also hosted students from Lewis Cass and Caston elementary schools, as well as Hoosier Academies from Indianapolis, and Miller estimated that roughly 1,200 students have toured Myers Spring since the company began celebrating Manufacturing Day in 2015.

Reach Kim Dunlap at kim.dunlap@pharostribune.com or 574-732-5150.

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