grain silo There are only two more days until National Manufacturing Day on October 2! You can read more about the day here, but it’s been tremendously exciting watching our favorite manufacturers amp up for the big day. The Twitter account is a great one to follow to stay updated on information and events: They have already reported that there are over 200 official events throughout the country, which is much more the number of events that were hosted this time last year.

In Nebraska, there can be a tendency to limit the scope of a focus on manufacturing to Omaha and Lincoln, sometimes throwing in Kearney or Grand Island for good measure. There are some outstanding manufacturers in those cities. Omaha and Lincoln, as the largest metropolitan areas in the state, have plenty of help highlighting the manufacturing and STEM work that’s going on there.

One of the reasons we love Manufacturing Day is that it gives smaller cities and rural manufacturers the opportunity to show their stuff. For example, the Beatrice Daily Sun reports that the Gage County Industrial Park in Beatrice will be doing their part to host a wide variety of manufacturing day events.

“It’s a great opportunity for the company to showcase what they are doing,” Industrial Park Executive Director Glennis McClure told the Sun. “It’s so different from what it used to be, and what people normally think of when they think of a plant. This gives them an opportunity to see it firsthand.”

The city of Beatrice, for those who don’t know, has a population of approximately 12,459. Historically, Beatrice is important as the county seat of Gage County. The city rests near one of the first homestead claims from the Homestead Act of 1862 (preserved at the Homestead National Monument of America west of Beatrice). There are still plenty of in Gage County, including the DeWitt Flour Mills and King Iron Bridge built in 1887 by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio. A history of manufacturing has always been important to the city, and this trajectory shows no signs of slowing down.

Last year, Beatrice only had one participant in Manufacturing Day. This year, Neapco will be joined by other companies who will open their doors! If you are in Beatrice or decide to make the trip for Manufacturing Day this year, here’s where you’ll need to stop by.

Neapco: You can read about Neapco’s manufacturer profile here. Neapco was the only company open for MFG Day 2014, and will be open again this year for an open house from 3:30-6:00pm. There will be group tours from noon to 3:00pm on Friday, October 2, and group tours can register in advance by calling 402.228.4288. According to the Sun, Neapco was the first manufacturing company to locate in Gage County Industrial Park (we’ve also written a blog post about their expansion here).

Precise Fabrication: Also located in the park, Precise Fabrication will host an open house from 3:30-6:00pm on Friday, October 2! Industrial Maid LLC, actually located in Cortland, will have a product display at Precise Fabrication.

Worldlawn Power Equipment Inc.: To learn more about this power lawnmower machine manufacturer, you can read their blog profile or stop by for tours from 9-11am and 1-3pm on October 2! Call 402.228.4255 to arrange a time.

If you head out to Beatrice for any of these tours, let us know by leaving a comment in the section below!

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