Tucker is undoubtedly one of the fastest-rising business destinations in the Metro Atlanta area. Each month, the Business Boom will seek to show different examples of how Tucker’s business scene is flourishing. This month's column is written by our Economic Development Manager, Jackie Moffo.
Nearly 60 attendees filled Stone Ridge Event Center on Thursday, May 12 to celebrate Tucker Manufacturing Day 2022. Each year, the City of Tucker brings the community together to hear from and learn more about the manufacturers that invest and help create jobs in Tucker. Thanks to event sponsors the City of Tucker, Tucker-Northlake CID, and Tucker-Summit CID this year’s event showcased major employers, industry experts, and community stakeholders on two informative panels, along with interactive games and prizes. Best of all, this was free and open to the public!
The event began with networking between community attendees and the panelists with coffee provided courtesy of The Corner Cup Coffee. Once the crowd was properly caffeinated, the program began with the first panel – “Careers in Manufacturing''. The first panel included big names in Tucker manufacturing such as Hormel, International Paper and PepsiCo, as well as Georgia Piedmont Technical College. Moderated by Mayor Frank Auman, this panel focused on the “why”; why were these panelists in the manufacturing field, and why would they suggest it as a career for our students and community? Panelists provided thought-provoking answers and provided personal anecdotes about their career paths. Panelists also spoke about the future of manufacturing, how careers are changing and how the reputation of “dirty, dark, and dangerous” manufacturing no longer holds true in their high-tech facilities.
Dialing in on technology and automation, the second panel was dubbed “Tucker Businesses of the Future ''. This panel included PepsiCo, Georgia Power, Decide DeKalb and Tucker-Northlake CID. These panelists dug deeper into what the future of automation might look like in some advanced manufacturing facilities, from AI to robotics. Georgia Power and Tucker-Northlake CID provided an economic development perspective and shared more about growing existing advanced manufacturers and recruiting new high-tech manufacturing to the community. Decide DeKalb chimed into the economic development discussion, providing some insight into manufacturing’s role in creating equitable economic development for Tucker and the region.
To commemorate the event, the City of Tucker created a “Tucker Manufacturing Day Map'', which highlights just a few of Tucker’s many manufacturers. Attendees were also able to win City of Tucker sunglasses as a part of the event games and 12 lucky winners were able to win PepsiCo gift baskets via an event raffle.
