303.991.2637A Cheyenne steel manufacturer is promoting education and innovation in the industry with an Oct. 2 student welding competition and public tours designed to kick off a week of National Manufacturing Day activities around the state.
Puma Steel, in conjunction with the David B. Ratterman Scholarship program of the Ameriscn Institute of Steel Construction, will give the top four students $1,000 scholarships and two $500 scholarships to Laramie County Community College’s welding program. The college is coordinating the preliminary competition for students in high school welding and vocational agriculture programs in southeast Wyoming.
The top eight competitors will face off at Puma Steel’s facility at 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 2 Gov. Matt Mead will award the two finalists their scholarships at 11:15 a.m. during a proclamation ceremony recognizing Wyoming Manufacturing Day.
Puma Steel will also announce a new internship to be filled by a deserving Laramie County Community College student at the end of the school year.
Company officials will celebrate National Steel Day and National Manufacturing Day with facility tours following the ceremony. Attendees will be provided a light lunch and snacks.
National Steel Day is an annual celebration of the structural steel industry sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction.
National Manufacturing Day, held by the National Association of Manufacturers on Oct. 6, is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Puma Steel is one of several manufacturing firms across Wyoming hosting community events the week of Oct. 2-6 in honor of the day.
Puma Steel is among the founding members of the Alliance of Wyoming Manufacturers, the official state representative for the National Association of Manufacturers. The group represents Wyoming manufacturers in areas of legislation and regulation that could have an impact on the growth of the industry in Wyoming.
Manufacturing is a $2.4 billion sector in Wyoming and employs about 9,800 people in the state.
The Wyoming Business Council, the state’s economic development agency, is working with companies to understand how to strengthen manufacturing across the state and add value to Wyoming resources.
Puma Steel is the leading steel fabricator and supplier in the western United States. The company recently capped the largest skyscraper raised in the Rocky Mountain region in decades. The 603-foot, 42-story office is Denver’s fourth tallest building. In Wyoming, Puma has built the steel structures for the Gateway Center and High Bay Research Facility on the University of Wyoming campus and the Microsoft data center campus in Cheyenne.
For more information about Puma Steel or the welding competition, please call Barry Bruns at 307-637-7177, or email him at info@pumasteel.com.
Companies interested in holding their own Manufacturing Day event can call Gustave Anderson, business development manager for Manufacturing-Works, at 307-766-3056 or email him at ganders1@uwyo.edu.
Manufacturing-Works is a partner of Business Council focused on helping manufacturers develop lean, efficient, profitable operations. It is a member of the University of Wyoming’s Business Resource Network.