Aimee Herrick, director of events and emerging talent for the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, joins co-hosts Kate Bruns of Insight on Manufacturing and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance on this week’s new episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Rice Companies.
Herrick, a former educator who leads the Chamber’s innovative Emerging Talent Alliance program, talks with Bruns and Franz about building the alliance between businesses and educators, upcoming events and how to get involved.
Herrick taught high school English in Janesville and later in Wrightstown. When the role at the chamber came up, she was happy for the chance to support educators from that broader level — and, in fact, she is able to work with 16 school districts.
One of her best in-service days as a teacher in Wrightstown was touring local businesses, “and I was able to take that back and tell my students about it, then,” Herrick says. “And so that is one of our biggest goals, to really inform teachers (and) parents what’s going on, because you don’t know what
you don’t know. So the more that we can share with them, the better informed they’ll be.”
The Emerging Talent Alliance, now in its third school year, launched as a way to “focus on how we can bridge gaps between schools and businesses,” Herrick says. The aim of the alliance is to prepare and develop emerging talent in the Fox Valley, offering students the tools they need to be successful in the constantly evolving workforce.
“I believe that the background of a solid community is your school systems,” Herrick says. “You need a strong workforce to have a thriving community, and it starts with teachers and it starts with school districts,” Herrick says.
Herrick also has spent much of her time strengthening the Chamber’s existing educational programs, including Smart Girls Rock!, which is an opportunity to show girls what’s available in manufacturing and STEAM careers.
The Chamber also has its Excellence in Education Awards, which celebrates 10 local teachers, and a career expo that will bring in more than 2,000 local students. That expo is coming April 15, and companies from the Fox Cities can participate. At that expo, the Emerging Talent Alliance is also planning a hiring event for high school seniors.
“It’s a neat opportunity to show students the careers in manufacturing and the careers in the area right in their backyard,” Herrick says.
Listen to all of the insights from Herrick by downloading the full episode on Spreaker or anywhere you listen to podcasts. NEW Manufacturing Insights is produced by Woodward Community Media; new episodes are released on Thursdays.
NEW Manufacturing Insights will be celebrating its anniversary and the start of Manufacturing Month 2025 with a special recording in front of a live audience next Thursday, Oct. 2 at Schreiber Foods. Register for Manufacturing First to receive your exclusive invitation to this event, which will also include a panel discussion and tours of Schreiber Foods. Manufacturing First attendees may register for the live event online here.
