Corridor manufacturers open doors to public, offer tours

More than 35 Corridor manufacturers will open their doors to the public Oct. 19 to 26 as part of Creative Week, a series of events taking place to highlight ideas and items created in the area.

Amy Lasack, senior director of corporate training at Kirkwood Community College, said participating manufacturers have two goals for Creative Week - educating residents about advanced manufacturing and instilling a sense of pride in the industry.

"A lot of people have something in mind about what manufacturing looks like, and it often gets a bad rap," she said, adding many think of it as dirty career. "The face of manufacturing has changed so much in the last 20 years, that their ideas really aren't the case anymore."

Lasack added that the public also is unaware of variety of products Corridor companies manufacture.

"So the next time you see a tanker truck driving down the road, you can say, 'Oh, look, that was made here,'" she said.

Tours will take place at various dates and times throughout the week. To see a list of participating manufacturers and tour times, visit www.kirkwood.edu/advancingfuture.

Lasack said the week will wrap up with an event 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 24,  at Kirkwood's Jones Hall, when those interested in starting a career in manufacturing can obtain more information about education and training.