Industry Day 2025

July 14, 2025

Our fourth Annual Industry Day was a success and we had the largest attendance of educators yet – we had 37 attendees! We partnered with Economics Arkansas to put on an event aimed at connecting educators to industry. This year we toured Kiswire Pine Bluff and heard from Kiswire leadership on career opportunities. The group also heard from a panel of industry leaders to learn about their needs and how to connect area students with them.

Industry leader panelists:
-Kris Kline, Vice President, Strong Manufacturing
-Garrett Lee, VP of Operations, CMI (Central Moloney) Components Plant
-Jeff Vanderpool, EVP Manufacturing & Operations, Graphyte

A new addition to this year’s program was the Be Pro Be Proud Mobile Workshop Bus. This bus has state-of-the-art augmented reality simulators that give students, and educators, a firsthand look at high-tech, high-paying careers in the manufacturing sector. Teachers had the opportunity to tour the bus and speak to Be Pro Be Proud staff during the afternoon portion of Industry Day.

Special thank you to the Pine Bluff School District for providing transportation for this event!