WETHERSFIELD — When Karl Drasgow was planning his factory, he chose an out-of-the-way location on Poplar Tree Road. Eleven years later, Drasgow Inc. has 23 employees and ships 250,000 finely-honed components weekly for big-name automakers. And he’d like to hire more, he said Friday, as he opened the facility up to visitors, as part of Wyoming County’s Manufacturing Day 2014. “I like rural,” Drasgow said. “That’s why I’m here. I like the workforce in rural counties. They seem to have a good, blue-collar work ethic. I like the type of employees that I find here.” Manufacturing Day was designed to highlight one of the lesser-known aspects of the county’s economy — that good-paying jobs are available in the field, and there’s demand for skilled employees. Organizers said the county has more than 55 manufacturers, making a wide variety of products. But there’s still a lingering and inaccurate belief that such jobs don’t exist locally anymore. “With approximately 55 manufacturers, there is a great deal happening behind the scenes that might surprise the general public,” said President Scott Gardner of the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce. “We’re also interested in exposing young people to manufacturing careers, to show them we are making things right here in Wyoming County, and that you can have a good job, close to home, that pays a competitive wage.” The negative job perception has been a frustration for businessmen such as Drasgow. They offer genuine opportunities, but have often encountered a limited employment pool. He describes himself as a private person, who wants to increase awareness of what his company offers, so people know it exists. “I’m working with GCC to improve the course offerings they have for manufacturing,” he said. “I think lack of education for manufacturers is kind of a national problem anyhow. It’s not just specifically this area.” Friday’s scheduled tour included a mix of area officials and residents. Drasgow led them through the plant, giving a basic overview of its operations, while employees worked throughout. Drasgow cited a specific need for people skilled in machining, welding and similar skills. He cited a study which recommends that 50 percent of the population could use two-year technical degrees, because that’s where the job demand will be. Drasgow Inc. itself hired five employees over each of the past two years, and is looking at hiring three more, he said. The business currently operates two shifts. “Manufacturing is now very much back in America, but we’re looking for a little bit better-educated person, for jobs that are a lot more technically-oriented,” Drasgow said. Those attending the tour included Client Development Manager Annette Brenner, of the High-Tech Rochester group, which covers a nine-county region. She said she was there to support Wyoming County manufacturers, along with learning more about the plant, and finding ways to attract new people to the field. Roger Becker and his grandson Brandon, both of Johnsonburg, also showed up for the tour. “I’ve seen them place advertisements in the paper a bit for jobs,” the elder Becker said. “I really didn’t know what they made, so I wanted to see what was going on. ”Besides touring the plant, Brandon, 22, picked up an application. He’s one of the kinds of employees area businesses are targeting. “I just got laid off from a plastic mold injection factory — different work, but still machinery operation,” he said. “It was definitely bigger than I thought it would be.” Roger Becker said he works at Graham Corporation in Batavia, on similar machinery. “I’m thinking the location here, in the middle of Wyoming County here, out in the middle of the country,” he said. “I haven’t been up this road in probably five years ... We pulled up today, and went ‘Wow!’ It’s impressive where it’s located, and as (Drasgow) says, there are jobs here in Wyoming County, if the people know it.”
The Daily News
Posted: Saturday, October 4, 2014 12:02 am
Updated: 12:38 am, Sat Oct 4, 2014