MAMC grad finds his niche as professional machinist
James Adkins of Mason County has always enjoyed working with his hands, but it wasn’t until high school that he realized machining could become a career. Growing up near Apple Grove, just outside of Point Pleasant, he enrolled in machining courses at the Mason County...
Student finds her niche in SMART program, lands internship at Niterra
When Madeleine Turley began college, she envisioned a future as an engineer. While life took her in a different direction, today she’s back on the path she always wanted – building, troubleshooting and solving problems as a Systems Maintenance, Automation &...
MAMC Machinist Technology/CNC grad making his mark at Cyclops
Devin Null of Hurricane didn’t take long to prove himself after joining Cyclops Industries in South Charleston. When Null first arrived there for his position as a CNC machinist, the company’s computer-numerical-control mill was out of service. Rather than wait for...
Angler turned entrepreneur reels in new markets with MAMC assistance
Matt Steele has gone from frustrated fisherman to enterprising entrepreneur. The Spring Valley resident and his cousin – avid anglers – weren’t satisfied with the commercially available lures they were casting to try to reel in West Virginia's largest fish – the...
Welding program grad fills market niche by starting his own business
Dustin Blankenship travelled a long and winding road to a career in welding. Now his journey has paid off. A native of Barboursville and a 2015 graduate of Huntington High School, Blankenship spent his early career on the road, driving trucks across the region. What...
Global company IKO Industries adopts MAMC apprenticeship model at 10 U.S. locations
IKO Industries, a global manufacturer of roofing, insulating and waterproofing products, is in the midst of significant growth. Headquartered in Canada, the company operates nearly 40 production facilities that manufacture products for customers in close to 100...
Tri-State manufacturer achieves quality standard with MAMC assistance
A Tri-state area manufacturer operating from facilities in Ironton, Ohio, and Wheelersburg, Ohio, has achieved for its first-ever registration to ISO 9001: 2015, an international quality management standard that strengthens its position in manufacturing and...
Growing fastener manufacturer with aging workforce turns to apprenticeship
Like other long-established companies across the nation, Crescent Manufacturing of Burlington, Conn., is confronted with an aging workforce nearing retirement. That dilemma is compounded by the fact that the Burlington, Conn., maker of precision fasteners (think...
Blenko infuses glassmaking with advanced manufacturing techniques
Milton’s renowned Blenko Glass Co. is preserving its handcrafted legacy while adopting advanced manufacturing techniques that will ensure its continued success for years to come. For more than 130 years, molds for many iconic Blenko pieces were hand carved from wood....
Major auto parts manufacturer turns to MAMC to grow skilled talent
With parts in the vehicles of nearly every major automaker, Magna International has quietly shaped the driving experience for millions around the world. For nearly seven decades, the company has built its reputation as one of the largest and most reliable automotive...
Fogo excels at telling MAMC’s story
Marketing and public relations often demand simultaneously combining skills that seem paradoxical: accuracy, creativity and speed. Olivia Fogo has proven she’s up to the challenge. As marketing/public information intern for the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center...
MAMC helps aviation company achieve coveted quality certification
A leading aviation company in North Central West Virginia has secured a strategic advantage by earning registration to AS9110C, an international quality management standard that ensures the company’s processes meet global standards – enhancing safety and reliability....
MAMC celebrates achievements of machinist, welding, SMART students
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) honored the hard work, dedication and competencies of its career skills students and graduates during a celebratory luncheon May 8 in Huntington. Dozens of machinists, welders, and SMART (Systems Maintenance,...
Statewide pre-apprenticeship partnership to benefit students, industry
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) announced a statewide partnership this month to create new pre-apprenticeship opportunities for students and strengthen the talent pipeline for Mountain State...
MAMC helps develop first-of-its-kind apprenticeship for fasteners industry
The fasteners industry now has a new pathway for developing the skilled talent required by the more than 7,800 U.S. companies in this crucial manufacturing sector. The Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) partnered with the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center...
MAMC helps Marshall professor parlay misfortune into innovation
For Dr. Brad Profitt, associate professor in the Marshall University School of Physical Therapy, innovation is born from experience. After suffering a knee injury himself, he realized firsthand the challenges patients face during rehabilitation. “I had an unfortunate...
MAMC celebrates 35 years of service
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) is celebrating a milestone: three-and-a-half decades of service to West Virginia – and beyond. That’s 35 years of providing access to the latest technology and expertise so manufacturers across the Mountain State can...
Step Up grads persevere, pursue degrees while working as machinists
Less than a year ago, Tamara Shinn of Sissonville was struggling to figure out what to do with her life. The mother of a high schooler and two adult children had worked a series of relatively low-paying jobs and was searching for something better. “I was looking for...
MAMC assists one-of-a-kind WV manufacturer with workforce development needs
Ferrosilicomanganese isn’t a word uttered in everyday conversations. Most people probably haven’t even heard the multisyllabic moniker, let alone know what it means. But ferrosilicomanganese is a critical component in steel production, improving the stiffness,...
Quality runs deep at Berkeley Springs furniture manufacturer Gat Creek
Gat Creek is an American manufacturing success story. The furniture maker produces high-end contemporary furniture from its factory in the historic Morgan County town of Berkeley Springs using sustainably sourced Appalachian wood, most from West Virginia. Not only has...
Four more W.Va. manufacturers turn to apprenticeship to develop skilled talent
Four additional West Virginia manufacturers have joined the ever-increasing number of U.S. companies leveraging the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center’s (MAMC) Apprenticeship Works initiative to tackle pressing workforce challenges. Felman Production of Letart,...
WVA Manufacturing turns to MAMC to help develop skilled workforce
WVA Manufacturing of Alloy has joined the growing list of Mountain State companies taking advantage of the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center’s (MAMC) Apprenticeship Works initiative to meet the company’s workforce needs. A subsidiary of Ferroglobe – a global...
Career skills programs nearly full for spring term
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) is accepting applications for its nationally recognized career skills programs in machining, welding and industrial maintenance, with only a few open seats remaining for upcoming January term. Students may apply at any...
MAMC to double size of South Charleston facility, add new technology
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) has announced another major expansion, this one doubling the size of its Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center on the Marshall University South Charleston campus. In addition, MAMC was just awarded more than $1...
New SMART students land jobs with Nucor
Two Mason County individuals who just started college already have landed jobs with Nucor Steel West Virginia. Point Pleasant residents Ethan Jordan and Cole Miller, recent graduates of Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School, will work in the maintenance department...
Major DOL apprenticeship award to fund national manufacturing hub at MAMC
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) will receive more than $7 million from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to develop and accelerate the implementation of manufacturing apprenticeship programs nationwide, federal officials announced in July. MAMC’s...
Walhonde’s innovative alignment tools save major companies time and money
Walhonde Tools Inc. of Charleston may not be a household name in the hills and hollows of West Virginia, but the small manufacturer has built quite a national reputation. The company primarily designs and manufactures precision tube and pipefitting alignment tools...
Manufacturer re-certified to global quality standard with MAMC assistance
Quality matters in manufacturing, especially when the components you produce affect vehicles safety. But it is not enough to simply say that your products meet stringent standards. Rather, it is imperative that your operation develop, implement and maintain a quality...
MAMC helps Blenko preserve handcrafted legacy
Perhaps nothing says Blenko Glass Company like the iconic 384 Water Bottle, a favorite of collectors since production began during The Great Depression. With its dimpled sides and double spouts, the bottle is one of the most recognizable and desirable pieces of...
MAMC workforce efforts honored with Change Maker Award
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) has been recognized by The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (GKVF) for its contributions to community and economic development. GKVF honored MAMC May 21 with the Change Maker Award, bestowed annually to honor...
Wissmach celebrates 120 years of glassmaking
Company turns to MAMC apprenticeship partnership to enhance workers' skills West Virginia’s rich deposits of silica sand, lime and natural gas supplied more than 400 glass factories throughout the 20th century. Today, Mountain State glassmakers have dwindled to a...
Manufacturing Center interns learn by doing
Marshall University students from a variety of backgrounds accrue real-world experience through hands-on internships at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC). This semester, four interns from varied fields of study discovered that MAMC offers a rich...
MAMC, Mountwest launch in-demand career skills program
The Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) and Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC) have responded to industry demand by creating a new career skills program in enhanced industrial maintenance technology. Registration is open for the fall term. The...
Barrel maker infuses ancient art with high-tech
MAMC lends hand with workforce needs The first thing visitors notice on entering West Virginia Great Barrel Company in Caldwell is the aroma. The sweet smell of freshly hewn wood mingles with the smoky scent of toasting and charring white oak to waft throughout the...
Apprenticeship Works delivers workforce solutions for composites maker
Like manufacturers throughout the United States, Re: Build Composite Resources of Rock Hill, SC, faces an all-too-familiar problem: how to find the skilled manufacturing talent it requires in a specialized industry. This skills gap in American manufacturing has been...
MAMC helps manufacturer secure coveted quality certification
Tad Robinette, owner of Liberty Hill Company, is working to expand his Huntington metalworking operation. In business for less than two years, Liberty Hill produces components for a variety of industries, including the energy and defense sectors. With assistance from...
RCBI develops 3D printed model to help E&H Manufacturing market bridges
As an astute businessman, David Haney doesn’t put all of his eggs in one basket. He puts some of them in bridges! And not just any bridges. Haney’s company, E&H Manufacturing, builds pre-engineered, easy-to-install, environmentally friendly bridges unlike any...
RCBI Machinist Program boasts 100 percent job placement rate
All upcoming grads also are employed Every 2022 graduate of the Robert C. Byrd Institute’s (RCBI) Machinist Technology/CNC Program found employment in the manufacturing sector and each student who is expected to complete the career skills program this spring already...
Businesswoman scales production of sweet treats with RCBI assistance
A Charleston business owner is reaching new markets with help from the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI). Millie Snyder owns the Shape Shop, which has been selling healthy snacks and meals since the 1970s. Snyder is the former president and CEO of Weight Watchers in...
RCBI hires Mullins to oversee makerspace, STEM outreach
Kara Mullins of Huntington has joined the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) at Marshall University as makerspace / STEM coordinator. She replaces Deacon Stone who has transitioned to a new role as RCBI’s EDA University Center director. In her new position, Mullins will...
Veteran hopes minority-owned business inspires others
Milford Zeigler Jr. wasn’t looking to start his own business. The Charleston resident already had retired more than once. Interwoven with a career in the private sector was more than 20 years of military service, including stints as a gunner with the First Cavalry...
When chemical maker experiences breakdown, it’s RCBI to the rescue
When a costly mechanical failure disrupted production at a manufacturing facility along the Ohio River, one of the world’s leading chemical producers turned to Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) for solutions. Wear and tear caused an impeller that...
RCBI helps aerospace company overcome supply chain shortages
With technical expertise from the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI), a major aerospace company with a large presence in West Virginia is able to produce the difficult-to-find replacement parts it needs to refurbish popular regional jets. Introduced in 2001, the...
RCBI assists Cyclops Industries in achieving international quality certification
Cyclops Industries of South Charleston has been manufacturing quality for 63 years. The family-owned business’s industrial sight glasses provide a window through which processes that are under extremely high temperatures and/or high pressure can be monitored safely....
RCBI programs offer hope, a pathway forward
David Myers is learning valuable new skills and gaining a new lease on life through programs at Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI). The 30-year-old Hurricane native recently completed Recovery Works, a one-of-a-kind short-term training program for...
Confectioner makes her mark with RCBI assistance
Even the sweetest of small businesses can face challenges. When Faye Dunford, the namesake of Mama Faye’s Fudge & Confections of Lewisburg, decided to whip the treats loved by her grandchildren into a small business, she wanted to make sure she got the details as...
Industrial Bolting brings manufacturing home to W.Va.
Mike McCown, owner of Industrial Bolting Technologies in Kanawha County, knows a thing or two about reshoring American manufacturing. By 2005, McCown had become a successful distributor of industrial tools. However, the hydraulic wrenches he was selling across the...
Former RCBI manufacturing intern earns U.S. patent
Chris Shreve was a summer intern at the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) in 2004 and again in 2005. Today, he’s a talented engineer working on cutting-edge projects in McKinney, Texas, as part of Raytheon’s Department 22, focused on rapidly developing the next...
Cyclops named family-owned small business of the year
Cyclops Industries of South Charleston has been named Family-Owned Small Business of the Year in West Virginia by the District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Founded more than 60 years ago, the company manufactures safety sight glasses for...
RCBI transforms ideas into innovations
Every day, mechanical engineers and industrial technicians working collaboratively with clients of the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) at Marshall University assist in tackling complex manufacturing challenges. With 700 years of combined industrial experience, the...
RCBI assists Tri-State Coating in achieving ISO certification
RCBI’s experienced Quality Implementation group regularly helps develop and put in place documented quality systems that enable manufacturers to become more attractive suppliers. One of the latest companies to benefit from RCBI’s Quality assistance is Tri-State...
Fine craftsmanship is hallmark of family net business
Nate’s Nets was born from a passion for fishing, a commitment to conservation and a dedication to quality products. Nate Arndt of Inwood in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle has been fishing for as long as he can remember. He and his brother were little more than...
Archery entrepreneur taps into RCBI services to start, market business
Archery isn’t a hobby for Scott Depot resident David Powell: It’s a self-described way of life. When he’s not fulfilling his duties as an executive with a large commercial roofing manufacturer, Powell often embarks on hunting expeditions across the country – and...
Inventor’s fiber optics switching technology expands possibilities
As a general contractor, Tom Stewart of Charleston had worked on hundreds – if not thousands – of electrical switches. Then one day, about 10 years ago, while performing the seemingly routine task of replacing a wall switch – eureka! – a lightbulb went off in his...
Delta Tech Operations to partner with aviation maintenance program
Delta Air Lines Technical Operations has announced that it will designate the new Marshall University/Mountwest Community & Technical College Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) Program as a partner educational institution. The partnership – the first of its...
Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, Inc.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia Inc. is one of West Virginia’s great success stories, and the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) is proud to have played a part in its growth. The international company started construction on...
New helicopter manufactured in West Virginia now commercially available
A new helicopter resulting from a collaboration between Carbon Fiber Composites, Safari Helicopters, and the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) at Marshall University is now commercially available and has made its first sales. “What makes the Safari helicopter different...
RCBI assists aerospace company in tackling challenges of expansion
An international company is teaming with the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) to develop the skilled workforce it requires to undertake a major expansion of its manufacturing operations. Meggitt PLC, which specializes in high performance components for the aerospace,...
A tote for the harvest
While hunting in the fall of 2004, Robert Peyton harvested a deer on the top of a mountain in Fayette County, but he couldn’t lift it onto his ATV to take home. He struggled for more than two hours before he finally was able to hoist the deer up and onto the vehicle...
Marshall University’s RCBI partners with new WV aerospace company
Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) is partnering with Novus Aero Development, a newly created West Virginia technology company, to manufacturer a concept aircraft and aerospace components that will enhance the safety and affordability of the general...