{"436751":{"#nid":"436751","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Daughter finds challenge and fulfillment in manufacturing and joining family business in Toccoa, Georgia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a youngster, when Ashley Jordan tagged along with her dad to his Toccoa, Georgia, machining shop, it was a place to have fun and play with her sister in the front office.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;A self-described \u201cgirly-girl\u201d who envisioned becoming a schoolteacher when she grew up, Jordan never saw herself as being part of \u2014\u0026nbsp;or even took an interest in \u2014 the family business, Meadowbrook Machine \u0026amp; Tool (MMT).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cI couldn\u2019t have imagined working in manufacturing,\u201d said Jordan, who is the assistant office manager. \u201cNow I can\u2019t imagine working anywhere else.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Jordan is the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership\u2019s (GaMEP) August Face of Manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;As a sector, manufacturing continues to play a vital role in the Georgia economy. And through the individual stories of Jordan and others in the series, the Faces of Manufacturing seeks to showcase how each of them \u2014 like the 365,000 Georgians who work in the industry \u2014 help their communities remain strong and economically viable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJordan\u2019s journey to the industry is not atypical of a young woman who didn\u2019t imagine herself in manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I was younger, I thought manufacturing was for men,\u201d she said. \u201cIn reality there are thousands of women in manufacturing, who work in all types of jobs, both on the plant floor and in office settings.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs it turned out, Jordan \u2014 who was once fired by her dad as a teen for not calling in to report she would be absent from work, \u2014 had a natural talent for machining. It was a skill she realized she had after enrolling in classes at North Georgia Technical College.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough she had already earned her education degree, the manufacturing tug pulled at her until she told her dad she wanted to go into the family business. Her dad, who always encouraged his children to follow their own career paths, advised if she was serious about it, she should enroll at the technical college.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough it was an adjustment, she quickly found her rhythm, learning not only to read blueprints, but also to make t-slot cleaners and parts on many machines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJordan was even recognized statewide \u2014\u0026nbsp;placing second in a recent CNC Turning competition for SkillsUSA. The organization\u2019s mission is to collaborate with industry, teachers, and staff to ensure America retains a highly skilled workforce in manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJordan has received other accolades as well and has been tapped to speak at the North Georgia Manufacturing Summit. She also has been featured in videos showing the contributions and opportunities young women have in the manufacturing industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe plans to use her teaching degree at MMT to create an in-house training program for employees to teach them about the use of the plants\u2019 machines and the company processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe also wants to continue to be a voice and example for other women considering a career in manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Each month the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership profiles Georgians who are involved in manufacturing."}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ashley Jordan never saw herself as having a career in manufacturing, but now can\u0027t imagine doing anything else."}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2015-08-18 18:50:25","changed_gmt":"2022-05-26 17:09:36","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"}],"keywords":[{"id":"138221","name":"Ashley Jordan"},{"id":"121581","name":"Faces of Manufacturing"},{"id":"136201","name":"Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EContact Information - For media inquiries contact: - Laura Diamond - Georgia Tech Media Relations - For more information about GaMEP contact: - Katie Takacs - GaMEP Marketing Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}