Thursday, December 22, 2016

Nixon announces new jobs at Custom Powder Systems, Missouri economic progress

(From Gov. Jay Nixon)

Gov. Jay Nixon today visited Springfield manufacturer Custom Powder Systems to celebrate the economic progress Missouri has made over the last eight years, including a recent report showing Missouri leading all eight contiguous states in job growth. The Governor touted the state’s balanced budgets and smart investments in programs like Missouri Works Training, which will help Custom Powder Systems create 15 new jobs in the next year.

“In a rapidly changing global economy, a skilled workforce is the best economic development tool there is. That’s why helping workers like those here at Custom Powder Systems gain new skills and move up the economic ladder has been a top priority of my administration,” said Gov. Nixon. “Eight years ago, many Missouri jobs were getting sent overseas. Now, we’re bringing those jobs back to the heartland – to make products that are in demand around the globe.”

Since the start of this administration, Missouri has provided nearly $98 million in training funds to hundreds of businesses to train nearly 300,000 workers throughout the state as well as create more than 10,000 new jobs in next-generation industries. In Fiscal Year 2017, a total of $10.2 million has been approved through Missouri Works Training to help 317 companies throughout the state, including Custom Powder Systems, to improve the skills of their workers and expand their businesses. These companies will train 1,200 employees for new jobs and more than 29,200 current employees, in addition to making a combined $1.2 billion in capital investments through facility and equipment expansions.

“These smart investments in our businesses and workers are only possible because we’ve kept our fiscal discipline: balancing the budget every year, paying down debt, and protecting Missouri’s spotless AAA credit rating,” said Gov. Nixon. “State government is smaller than it has been in decades – and more efficient than ever.”

Custom Powder Systems, LLC has been in business for 11 years and is a leading manufacturer of systems to contain, blend and transport dry materials for the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries.

Missouri Works Training has played an integral part in Custom Powder Systems’ growth. Since Fiscal Year 2009, Custom Power has received $219,013 to train its workforce, helping the company grow its workforce from 52 to 84 employees over the last eight years, with an expected 15 new jobs in the next year. Missouri Works Training is currently helping Custom Powder Systems partner with Ozarks Technical College to train its workers in Manufacturing Practices, Process Systems, Engineering and Automation, PLC Programmable Logic Training, Welding and Finishing Processes, Leadership Development, Quality and Lean Processes, New Product Development, Material Handling and Logistics, Technical Development and Documentation Development. Custom Powder Systems is also a participant in the Governor’s Show-Me Heroes Program, created in 2010 to encourage companies to recruit and hire Missouri’s veterans.

Enhancing Missouri’s workforce through training and continued education has been a top priority of Gov. Nixon’s administration. In 2011, the Governor unveiled Missouri’s Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth, a plan that gathered input from business and community leaders, educators, and workforce developers to target the state’s resources on the fastest-growing industries that were creating next-generation jobs.

To ensure Missourians had the skills needed to fill these positions, Gov. Nixon worked with the General Assembly to sharpen and improve the state’s workforce training resources, creating Missouri Works Training. This legislation also consolidated Missouri’s workforce training programs and aligned them more closely with the state’s other economic development programs, creating Missouri Works Training.

Administered by the Department of Economic Development’s Division of Workforce Development, Missouri Works Training partners with community colleges and technical education institutions to develop and offer a variety of training. Examples of training include specific technical skills, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Team Building, Communication, Safety, and International Quality Standards and Leadership.

State-by-state numbers released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Missouri’s net gain of 57,100 jobs over the last year led all eight of its neighboring states; the Show Me State also ranked in the top ten nationwide in new jobs. The same data showed Missouri was tied for the largest statistically significant decrease in the nation in the unemployment rate in November.

The BLS report also showed Missouri’s nonfarm payroll employment grew by 1,900 jobs in November, reaching a new record high for the state with 2,842,200 jobs. The state’s unemployment rate for November also went down by four-tenths of a point to 4.7 percent.

In August, Missouri was named the 6th best state in the nation for its annual advanced manufacturing industry job growth in a new report (link is external) from the Brookings Institution. The same report also found that Missouri is the 8th best state in the nation for output growth of its advanced manufacturing industry.

Exports under Gov. Nixon’s leadership have also reached record highs and are on pace to set another record this year. Through September, Missouri’s 2016 exports reached almost $10.6 billion, an increase of more than 6 percent for the same period in 2014, when Missouri’s annual exports achieved an all-time record of just under $14.2 billion.

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