Valley Industrial Association of Illinois

Did you read about the Mostardi Platt factory tour recap in the latest edition of the Ezine? Checkout the article by K+L Storytellers on page 45: https://lnkd.in/gJvNiViK VIA loves partnering with member organizations who generously open their doors for tours for our members. It's a great way for our community to continue networking and learning from one another! #factorytours #viaeffect

💥 Official Announcement! 💥 To stay ahead of the curve, we are rebranding as the VAI - Valley Artificial Intelligence. From now on: 🎯 All Member 411s will be hosted by chatbots. 🤖 🎯 Our VIA Golf Outing? ⛳ Fully Automated! Your swing 🏌 will be analyzed by sensors and scored by an algorithm. 🎯 Instead of Hugs... you will receive a firmware update 💻 HAHA. Just kidding! We are still the Valley Industrial Association of Illinois - powered by people, not processors! Happy April Fool's Day - from your very human VIA Team! #AprilFools #VAI #HugsNotFirmware

VIA was excited to offer OSHA 10 Hour Training on Thursday & Friday. Not only did participants earn an OSHA 10 card after the training, but they focused on best practices to recognize, avoid, and mitigate hazards in the workplace. Thanks to Jeffrey Bowers American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and Tom Fitzgerald of Safety Fitz LLC for leading the training! Checkout our calendar for more events coming up soon: https://lnkd.in/gPA-yMG2 #safety #osha #manufacturing

A little late, but the luck of the Irish was still with us! 🍀 Our belated St. Patrick's Day celebration was worth the wait—green drinks, good vibes, and great company. Attendees learned more about VIA & Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership's offerings, heard about upcoming events, recapped the Spark Awards, ✨ and kept the holiday festivities going! Hope to see you at another event soon 💚 https://lnkd.in/gPA-yMG2

How is AI changing the manufacturing landscape? Find out in an article by K+L Storytellers, highlighted on page 32 in the most recent edition of VIA's Ezine, The Voice: https://lnkd.in/gJZsS_gp #manufacturing #AI

Missing Spark? So are we! 🌟 Head to page 8 in The Voice to relive the night through an article by K+L Storytellers , more pictures, and exclusive Spark content: https://lnkd.in/g6EEwmmM The good news is that while the event may only be once a year, continuous improvement and community building are year-round endeavors at the VIA 🙂 Join us at an event soon to keep learning and growing with the VIA/Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership network! https://lnkd.in/gPA-yMG2 #viasparkawards #viaspark #sparkawards #benchmarking #excellence #manufacturing #innovation #workforcedevelopment #safety #culture #socialresponsibility #opex

Still feeling lucky? 🍀 Join us for a belated St. Patrick's Day Member 411 this Thursday! Networking, updates, drinks, and shenanigans included. 🌈 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gt9bYQsD

Extra extra, read all about it! 📣 The latest edition of VIA's quarterly Ezine, The Voice, is out now! Look inside for articles on AI, pictures, factory tour recaps, VIA benefits, and all things SPARK AWARDS! 🏆 Read here!: https://lnkd.in/gAAT2Aph

We're feeling very lucky this St. Patrick's Day as we reflect on last week's Spark Awards... what a night! We're so impressed by all the incredible finalists and winners and the best practices they display through their hard work. Very lucky and very thankful to be part of this special manufacturing community. 🍀 Announcing the 2025 VIA Spark Award Winners 🏆 Culture: MTH Pumps & Flexco Innovation: MTH Pumps/MTH Tool Company & Gripple USA Operational Excellence: Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc. & Amsted Automotive Safety: Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. & Flexco Social Responsibility: MTH Pumps/MTH Tool Company & Hoffer Plastics Workforce Development: Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. & Amsted Automotive Impact Award: Chris Leuck, Rieke Interiors GCAMP Outstanding Mfg Student of the Year: Alejandro Vazquez, West Aurora HS, West Aurora School District 129 GCAMP Outstanding Mfg Educator of the Year: Mark Williams, West Aurora HS GCAMP Developing Our Future Award: Custom Aluminum Products, Inc. Congratulations to all!! ✨ A HUGE thank you goes out to our sponsors for their support: Platinum sponsors IMEC Illinois, Silver sponsor Illinois Manufacturers' Association, Bronze sponsors Continental Envelope and Manpower, Dessert sponsor Gierach Law Firm, LLC, and Coffee Bar sponsor Huntington National Bank. Your support is invaluable. We would LOVE to see you again soon- remember, there are 34 more events before the summer's golf outing!: https://lnkd.in/gPA-yMG2 😉

A HUGE congratulations to the graduates of our Stepping Up to Lead in Spanish class! We are so inspired by your dedication and hard work the last 5 weeks. We can't wait to see the amazing impacts you continue to make on your companies and team members! Custom Aluminum Products, Inc. Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions Check out more leadership opportunities on the calendar: https://lnkd.in/gPA-yMG2