Award-winning crating and Logistics Company and Southwest Regional Manufacturing Association member will exhibit at the first manufacturing show in Southwest Florida.
Craters & Freighters of SW Florida is announcing its participation in the new “Made in SWFL” manufacturers trade show. The 2014 show is the first of its kind in the region and is sponsored by the Southwest Regional Manufacturers Association (SRMA). The show will encourage students to pursue manufacturing, help local manufacturers to connect and network together, and draws on state and national resources to highlight the importance of manufacturing to the economy.
The “Made in SWFL” show is focused on helping bridge the skills gap for manufacturers by including students from local STEM schools to participate. The shortage of skilled workers is a common complaint among manufacturers, and activities are planned to help students understand the opportunities available in the trade.
Gary McKinley, the owner of Craters & Freighters of SW Florida, is President of the SRMA for 2014. Gary plans on taking full advantage of the opportunity with a prime show location to network with the public and other local manufacturers. “People don’t realize we exist in this market and how good we are at what we do.” Gary feels exposure such as this trade show, brings recognition to how much manufacturing takes place in this area. “We feel that the exposure can help our marketing efforts and our supply chain needs by connecting with people right here in our back yard,” says Gary McKinley. “Southwest Florida is blessed with visitors from around the world because of our warm weather in the winter and this can be a real advantage to us as manufacturers.”
As a leader in the crating and logistics industry with over sixty-five locations nationally McKinley is looking forward to the program and discussions about successful growth companies. Craters & Freighters has five locations in Florida alone doing domestic and international shipping for manufacturers. According to McKinley, Craters & Freighters is the leader in the industry and the SW Florida location has won multiple awards for the performance in their group.
Additional details are available at the SRMA’s website, http://www.srma.net. The exhibitors at the “Made in SWFL” show include local SRMA manufacturing members and a limited number of affiliate vendors. Dave Powers, President of Power Strategy, is the keynote speaker at the event and will focus on how companies grow successfully. The program concludes with an award ceremony for the annual “Manufacturer of the Year” and “Manufacturing Employee of the Year” award.