Fairfield Manufacturers Appreciation Luncheon is Wednesday

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce will show its gratitude to local industry at the Manufacturers Appreciation Luncheon Wednesday.

The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Fairfield Golf & Country Club. It will feature a taco bar and a program that revolves around local manufacturing issues.

Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mendy McAdams said the event gives the chamber an opportunity to say “thank you” to manufacturers in Fairfield. At previous events, representatives of local manufacturing firms have given updates on their business, but McAdams said she wanted to try something new this year, and have a guest speaker talk about the industry.

This year’s guest speaker will be Krista Tedrow, Executive Director of South Central Iowa Workforce Development Board.

“I’ve known Krista for years,” McAdams said. “She just spoke last week at the Chamber of Commerce Fall Conference in Ottumwa, talking about our workforce and what’s causing the shortfall in jobs and job-seekers. She spoke bluntly about how more people are retiring than joining the workforce. She’s full of great ideas.”

The sponsor of this year’s Manufacturers Appreciation Luncheon is Carl A. Nelson & Company.

McAdams said the Manufacturers Appreciation Luncheon comes on the heels of another chamber appreciation event on Sept. 21, which was directed at teachers. That event invited the community to donate toward providing school supplies for teachers at Fairfield, Maharishi, Pekin, Cardinal and Van Buren school districts. McAdams said the event raised $2,500 in donations.

“We’re going to help as many teachers as we can from our list,” McAdams said. “It’s amazing what some of them need. Not one but several of them just wanted an office chair with wheels. Teachers are underappreciated, and they should be making at least twice what they are.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com