GW Plastics Grows in Vermont with Successful Technical Development Programs
Leading Contract Manufacturer Inducted into VT Business Hall of Fame, Graduates Manufacturing Technology Leadership Program & Hires New Talent
Bethel, VT – Global healthcare and automotive contract manufacturer GW Plastics, Inc. is proud to announce that it is rapidly growing in its home state of Vermont due to its dedication to workforce development, and has been inducted into the Vermont Business Hall of Fame.
The Vermont Business Hall of Fame recognizes previous recipients of the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award who continue to demonstrate exceptional growth. Founded in 1990, the Deane C. Davis Outstanding 
Business of the Year Award was created by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Business Magazine to honor Vermont's best companies. Named for the former Governor, this annual award honors a Vermont business that shows an outstanding history of sustained growth while displaying an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique. GW Plastics was honored with the Outstanding Business of the Year Award in 2012.
This year, GW Plastics was one of five previous Outstanding Business Award winners to be inducted into the Vermont Business Hall of Fame located at the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business in Burlington. At the ceremony honoring each company, GW Plastics' name was engraved on the Vermont Business Hall of Fame plaque in Kalkin Hall on the UVM campus.
For over 60 years, GW Plastics has been a staple in Vermont's technical landscape, manufacturing lifesaving, safety-critical products for the healthcare and automotive industries right here in the Green Mountains. While expanding internationally over the decades, GW Plastics has also remained dedicated to growing in Vermont, with multiple expansions of its Bethel headquarters and Royalton Manufacturing and Technology Center, and the creation of an innovative, local workforce development programs to address the national technical labor shortage.
In addition to being inducted into the Business Hall of Fame, this year marked an exciting milestone in GW's workforce development efforts: the graduation of their second Manufacturing Technology Leadership Program class. The MTLP was founded in 2012 to address the skilled labor shortage, and together in partnership with Vermont Technical College, GW Plastics offers its employees a four-year hands-on educational program focusing on the skills necessary to be successful in advanced manufacturing.
While working full time at GW Plastics, MTLP participants enroll in two manufacturing, engineering, or technology classes per year at Vermont Tech, culminating in a final project that is selected based on improvements needed in their areas of responsibility at GW. Graduates of the MTLP earn college credits that can be applied toward an Associate Degree in Engineering Technology. In addition to receiving college courses funded by GW Plastics, every graduate is awarded a bonus after each class and a 10% pay increase upon program graduation.
After completing the MTLP, participants can utilize GW Plastics' tuition reimbursement program to finish their degree at no cost. Through the MTLP program, GW Plastics has now funded nine engineering degrees over the past eight years.
"The partnership with Vermont Tech helps our company become more competitive. Investing in our associates increases their skills, brings new ideas, and increases their productivity," said Brenan Riehl, GW Plastics President and CEO. "A vital part of the program for GW Plastics is the confidence and leadership skills each of our associates gains in the process."
Both the company and college are starting to see the fruits of their labors. This year, GW Plastics hired three engineering students directly upon graduation from Vermont Tech in the areas of quality, mold-making, and operations. One of the new hires, Greg Johnson, was a GW scholarship winner and summer intern, and has now joined his father, 27-year engineering veteran Bill Johnson, as a full-time engineer at GW Plastics. President/CEO Brenan Riehl was asked this year to be the Vermont Technical College keynote commencement speaker, and welcomed the newest GW team members at their graduation. GW now employs over 20 Vermont Tech graduates. One of the finest technology colleges in the country, Vermont Tech consistently places their graduates with leading employers such as GW Plastics year-over-year. During his commencement speech, Riehl enthused the Vermont Tech graduating class as the "ninety niners", reflecting the fact that last year, Vermont Tech placed 99 percent of their graduates.Published by GW Plastics, Inc. on Aug 19, 2019
