About Us

OWIB Manufacturing Workforce Committee

In recognition of manufacturing as one of the state’s critical economic development priorities, the Oregon Workforce Investment Board (OWIB) established a Manufacturing Workforce Committee in the fall of 2009. The Committee has developed an Action Plan for implementation in 2010-2011.

• Criteria for Action Plan: doable/achievable, focused, realistic, practical, requires limited resources, measurable outcomes.
• Reflect 3-4 “hot buttons” issues that other manufacturing groups and various stakeholder groups can support. Where can we leverage needed change?
• Implement in partnership with and through regional manufacturers, workforce boards, education and training providers, and economic development entities.
• When possible, join/lend support to existing efforts where there is already momentum around an issue (as opposed to launching new, parallel initiatives).

• Increase innovative and sustained industry involvement at a variety of levels.
• Get the word out about existing programs/models that are producing results. Stop funding/doing more pilots and scale up what we already know is working.
• Improve the image of manufacturing and increase information about career opportunities within the sector to students, teachers, guidance counselors, parents and elected officials.

Mark Lewis, President of Woodfold Mfg., Inc. and a member of the OWIB, has been appointed Chair of the Manufacturing Committee. Mark’s has built a business dominated committee that: represents a cross-section of sizes, industries and geographic locations. The Committee is strategically populated with members who are willing to look at statewide and crosscutting manufacturing issues, have connections beneficial to Committee work and maintain a large network of contacts through which ideas can be generated and tested.