It’s going to be a busy Autumn for Vermilion Advantage. As CEO Tim Dudley and Chamber of Commerce Director Nicole Van Hyfte recently told Tommy B on D102’s The Big Show, all through September will be a membership drive. Dudley says since he came aboard during the 2021 calendar year, they’ve added 100 new members, and would love for more to join the team.
AUDIO: One of the huge advantages of being a member of Vermilion Advantage is because we can network, and we do bring people together. And if you’ve got a product or just any kind of an initiative that you want to get out there, we can help you get it out there. We have all the ways of getting that done.
Van Hyfte agreed, saying anyone from individuals to different types of businesses can join.
AUDIO: We can go from maybe just a retiree, a person; all the way to a non-profit, to a manufacturer, an educator, municipalities, health care…..any business or individual that would like to become a member; we’ve got a level of membership for you. And so what we’re doing is we’re just asking people that are already members to refer other people and other businesses to join.
And yes there are prizes for the top three who refer the most new members.
Come October, which happens to be Manufacturing Month, Vermilion Advantage will launch their Skypack program. As Dudley explains, the idea is going to be get into schools, starting at the junior high level, and let students know there are good jobs waiting for them right here in Vermilion County. And then as the students get older, they will know who these companies are.
AUDIO: We have great kids here. We have great young people. We educate them, we send them to college here, and then they leave. You know, we lose all of our good talent. And we feel like this is a way to let them know what we have here; and they can say, “Wow, I can stay right here and be successful.” And that’s what we want.
Van Hyfte says the students need to learn about local manufacturers whose work they may have seen in other places, or even on TV or in the movies. Just two examples would be Danville Metal Stamping and Watchfire Signs.
AUDIO: There are several jobs that once a student graduates from high school; they can not only be in a secure place financially, but a lot of these employers will help you continue your education and pay for you to go to college.
And it can also pay off, WHILE you’re in high school.
AUDIO: They can do college express, they can work with DACC to get the training they need to have a great job when they graduate from high school.
Both Dudley and Van Hyfte say if all goes well, the Skypack program could even have a presence in kindergarten classes someday, making students aware through the years of the opportunities close to home.
For membership or Skypack questions, call Vermilion Advantage at 217-442-6202; or e-mail to nvanhyfte@vermilion advantage.com.
