Students, teachers, and industry partners attended DMI Monongahela’s ninth annual Manufacturing (MFG) Day event on October 8, 2025. Approximately 60 students from Belle Vernon Area High School, Charleroi Area High School, Elizabeth Forward High School, Ringgold High School, Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, and Pittsburgh Hardball Academy joined us for a day of career exploration and hands-on activities.
To begin the day, CEO Ray Yeager and President Doug Gudenburr welcomed students and teachers with a warm introduction to DMI and the opportunities that it and the manufacturing industry offer. Workforce Development Manager Katie Hager provided a comprehensive overview of MFG Day and its significance. Safety Manager Nick Dadig conducted a review of our safety-focused practices and procedures, ensuring the safety of attendees throughout the facility.
Throughout the day, students rotated through six engaging activities, including building and launching a working catapult, designing products for manufacturability, improving a process using Lean principles, exploring the importance of sustainability, programming robots to complete basic automation tasks, and learning about chemical reactions through the creation of elephant toothpaste. The elephant toothpaste experiment mirrors a reaction used in the application of gaskets on the GSI pipeline. These activities were skillfully developed and led by our experienced team members, further exemplifying that students can achieve their goals through curiosity-fueled dedication.
Later, students reassembled to hear Katie Hager discuss the variety of career pathways manufacturing provides. Throughout this presentation and with the support of our career tables, students were able to visualize these program pathways and opportunities for advancement.
Recruitment and Training Coordinator Sarah Good concluded the day with a game of Kahoot, quizzing students on the knowledge they had gained throughout the day.
DMI has hosted MFG Day events since 2016, providing students with the opportunity to learn about manufacturing processes and the various career paths available. Many of these students have returned to DMI for participation in other Workforce Development programs, such as internships and co-ops, and eventually return as full-time employees.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many mentioning that they enjoyed the opportunity to connect with our employees and gain a better understanding of career options. They also commented on how nice everyone is and how well they work together.
Thank you to all who attended our MFG Day event and made it such a great success! We are immensely proud of our team and look forward to making our tenth MFG Day even better.
