The virtual event, hosted by Hobbs and Jim Gerlach, president and CEO of GRCA, was attended by manufacturers, members of the business community, educators and others to discuss challenges and opportunities confronting the manufacturing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 video contest encourages students to “explore and get excited about cool manufacturing careers” and to produce profiles of companies throughout Pennsylvania, according to the MRC.

More than $5 million to help provide technical assistance to manufacturers with changes to markets, new technologies and competition, was awarded Thursday to Pennsylvania’s Industrial Resource Centers (IRC), according to officials.

For more than 30 years a local nonprofit has helped companies train employees, increase productivity and open the doors by introducing students to the career possibilities in manufacturing. Now, it is looking to capitalize on that growth and offer more services and education to its clients.

The Manufacturers Resource Center,  a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating manufacturing jobs in eastern Pennsylvania, is sponsoring the fourth annual "What's So Cool About Manufacturing?" student video contest, in which 36 Berks and Schuylkill county student/manufacturer teams will compete this school year.

Richard Hobbs is the third president and CEO for the Manufacturers Resource Center since its inception, some 30+ years ago.