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Good morning:

Are you a manufacturer? Or do you know or work with one? We need your help.

Secretary Pritzker has asked us to cast a wide net to identify participants for National Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing Day is an annual, nationwide event designed to improve the perception of manufacturing careers and showcase the value of manufacturing to the U.S. economy. This year's Manufacturing Day will take place on October 3, 2014.

We need your help in this effort. Elevating the status and public perception of manufacturing careers is a cross-sector undertaking, and past Manufacturing Day events have achieved success largely due to participation of business leaders at the local level. We encourage manufacturing businesses to engage with students and host factory open houses - a critical and experiential way to expose young people to careers in modern manufacturing. You can find targeted resources (such as toolkits for planning events) and register your events at the official Manufacturing Day website, www.mfgday.com<http://www.mfgday.com>.

This year, the Manufacturing Day organizers have set an ambitious goal of 1,500 local events nationwide. If you or your partners are hosting a Manufacturing Day event, please let me know and we will help to amplify.

We hope that you will find Manufacturing Day an effective opportunity to engage with your local community and to tell your company's story to the workers and leaders of tomorrow. The manufacturing sector is essential to economic competitiveness and stability, and the Department of Commerce believes strongly in recognizing the ongoing contributions of manufacturing employers to communities nationwide.

Finally, we hope that your participation in Manufacturing Day will help you engage with local and regional partners in carrying the positive message of manufacturing careers beyond our annual event. Manufacturing Day is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST-MEP), whose regional presence is designed as a flexible resource for American companies looking to innovate, export, hire and grow. Partnering in a Manufacturing Day open house can serve as an opportunity to develop a relationship with your state's MEP Center.

Help us reach our goal of 1500 events nationwide by registering your event here<http://www.mfgday.com/user/register>.

Thanks and best regards,

Bert

Bert Kaufman
Senior Advisor
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce