Heather Lyne at The Hopewell Downtown Partnership Office

Conference & Trade Show on Oct. 4 Spotlight Large Industries & Small-Batch Producers

HOPEWELL, VA, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Hopewell Downtown Partnership (HDP) is excited to announce that the first-ever Made in Hopewell Conference and Trade Show is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4, which coincides with national Manufacturing Day.

The highly interactive event will celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Hopewell and showcase manufacturing of all sizes and scales. Made in Hopewell will bring much-deserved visibility to local small-batch producers and craftspeople within the city’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem.

Highlights of the Made in Hopewell Conference and Trade Show’s agenda on Oct. 4 include:

Conference presentations from 1:30-3:30pm at the Hopewell American Legion Post 146

• Introduction to Industry: Products, Supply Chain, Innovation – Panel discussion moderated by Becky McDonough, CEO of the Hopewell-Prince George Chamber, with panelists from AdvanSix, GenEdge, Mylar Specialty Films, and others

• The Economic Impact of Industry in Central Virginia – A report on the importance of manufacturing to the City of Hopewell by Mangum Economics presented by Fletcher Mangum and Charles Bennett, City of Hopewell

• Education & Workforce Development – Panel discussion moderated by Kristina Truell, Supervisor of Career & Technical Education for Hopewell City Public Schools, with panelists from Virginia Tech, Women in Manufacturing Virginia Chapter, and Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing

• Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Sustainability – Fireside Chat with Peter Biles, Evonik Corporation Director of Engineering and Cody Jung, FounderWay AI Founder and micro-angel investor, Industrial Automation sales and business development

Trade Show from 4:00-5:30pm at the Beacon Theatre
• Small-Batch Trade Show featuring exhibits by local small-batch producers and entrepreneurs displaying their innovative products and services

• Presentation by the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD)/Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2018 (VSBEA) on small manufacturer programs as well as small business loans and financing
• Micro-business grant awards to small-batch winners based on “People’s Choice” voting at the Trade Show

“The Made in Hopewell event evolved from the Hopewell Downtown Partnership’s branding initiative to leverage our city’s longstanding industrial legacy with our ongoing strategic plans for downtown revitalization and transformation,” said Johnny Partin, Mayor of the City of Hopewell. “It’s a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit that has fueled Hopewell’s economic development in the past, present and future.”

“This unique event will shine a long-overdue spotlight on the diverse array of products that are manufactured right here in Hopewell, along with the City’s role in the national supply chain,” said Heather Lyne, Director of the Hopewell Downtown Partnership. “Made in Hopewell is a must-attend opportunity where participants can network to establish business connections and see firsthand how manufacturing can act as a powerful transformation/revitalization strategy.”

“The history of Hopewell and the business of manufacturing have been inextricably linked for over a century,” said Andrew “Andy” Girvin, President of the Hopewell Manufacturers Association and Plant Manager at AdvanSix Hopewell. “Made in Hopewell reinforces that manufacturing is in our city’s DNA and is essential to our continued growth and economic vitality.”

Jane Benito, Site Manager for Evonik Corporation’s Production & Technology Platform - Silicone, shared insights about business relationships within the close-knit manufacturing community in Hopewell. “Evonik demonstrates its commitment to supporting locally made products in Hopewell by engaging with local suppliers and manufacturers to integrate regional goods into our operations,” she said. “The company fosters community growth by prioritizing local procurement, thereby contributing to the economic vitality of the Hopewell area.”

According to a report published in April 2024 by Mangum Economics for the City of Hopewell’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism, manufacturing is an economic engine and mainstay for the City of Hopewell. Some significant findings from the report, which will be presented in greater detail at the Made in Hopewell conference, include:

• Between 2021 and 2022, manufacturing was the city’s largest employment growth sector.

• The manufacturing sector has had a demonstrably stabilizing effect on the City of Hopewell’s economy.

• In 2022, manufacturing was the city’s largest industry sector and the city’s highest-paying industry sector.

“SBSD is proud to support this forward-thinking, growth-focused event that highlights Hopewell’s best and brightest manufacturers,” said Joe Shearin, Executive Director of the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority (VSBFA). “Programs such as this one are integral to the advancement of this industry in the region, while fostering a spirit of success and expansion for economic opportunity and job creation in the Commonwealth as a whole.”

The Made in Hopewell Conference and Trade Show is made possible through funding from Virginia Main Street in the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Students from the Brandcenter at VCU created the marketing communications strategy, logo, and branding elements for the initiative.

Made in Hopewell is open to the public and there’s no fee to attend. Registration is requested for planning purposes: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/event_step2/MjEzNzM2/273002

To learn more about the Made in Hopewell event on Oct. 4 and to view at list of the small-batch producers who will be participating, visit https://www.madeinhopewell.com/

Heather Lyne
The Hopewell Downtown Partnership
+1 804-571-1068
heather@hopewelldowntown.com

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