By JUSTIN FEDICH | Selma Times-Journal

National Manufacturers Day is on Friday, Oct. 2, and Selma plans to celebrate and honor the many manufacturers that live and work in Dallas County.

Tickets go on sale Monday for a Breakfast Buffet to honor local manufacturers Friday Oct. 2 at 7:30 a.m. at the Selma Convention Center.

The speaker for the event is Larry Curry, who is the manager of Supplier Quality Development within the Parts Development Organization of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama located in Montgomery.

Wayne Vardaman, the executive director of the Selma and Dallas County Economic Development Authority, is looking forward to honoring manufacturers in Selma because he realizes how important manufacturers are to Dallas County.

“The people here realize how important manufacturing is,” Vardaman said. “That’s our biggest employer is all these manufacturing companies. Do away with them, you don’t have a Selma.”

The Breakfast Buffet isn’t the only event Vardaman is planning for October. There are other events throughout the month that emphasize the importance and value of manufacturing and other skill-based jobs.

In late October, the Vardaman and the Alabama Technology Network are hosting a Gateway of Opportunities event at Wallace Community College.

The event is set up like a career day, and it is meant to give students a greater sense of what to expect if they choose a job in manufacturing.

“We’re trying to show the students what it’s like to work in a manufacturing company and the fact that there’s a lot of jobs available,” Vardaman said.

Vardaman said that students who are interested in starting a career in manufacturing should understand that there are plenty of benefits that come from working in manufacturing that sometimes are not offered with other jobs.

“The state’s pushing for career tech because technical jobs start off being a whole lot more than some of the jobs that you get right out of college and they’re very good paying jobs,” Vardaman said.

Vardaman is thankful for all the work the manufacturers put into keeping Selma running, and he hopes and expects the Dallas County community to show their support on Oct. 2.

“They’re providing jobs for our people,” Vardaman said. “They came to this town and they’re expanding in this town and they’re important to this community.”

The tickets can be purchased for $10 each at the Center for Commerce at 912 Selma Avenue. The cut-off date for ticket purchases is Monday, Sept. 28.