Company Highlight: American Castings
11/02/2018
American Castings, a metal casting company located in MidAmerica Industrial Park has a history of influence on the eastern Oklahoma community. Their valuable partnership with many education institutions proves their commitment to local workforce development.
American Castings has been in the metal casting for roughly 45 years. The parent company, American Cast Iron Pipe Company, located in Birmingham, Alabama, has been in the metal casting business for over 100 years and acquired the Pryor location in 2003.
Metal casting is a modern process with ancient roots—it is the process of pouring liquid metal into a mold to achieve the desired shape. Although casting is the livelihood of American Castings’ business, they go well beyond meeting the demands of their daily business. The company’s history and influence it has on its community demonstrate why MAIP is proud to have American Castings in the park.
An example of American Castings’ commitment to the community is their Teacher Externship program. The program, now in its second year, is designed to provide educational professionals the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of American Castings, and manufacturing in general, ultimately assisting educators in preparing their students for careers after high school.
During the Externship teachers get an overview of American Castings and the jobs offered—both those that require a bachelor’s degree such as engineering and those that students can do after high school.
The Externship is invaluable in the ways it opens communication between the company and local educators, both learning the best possible way to serve the students.
“The dialogue between us and the teachers is eye-opening,” said Lori Nichols, Human Resources Manager and Teacher Externship coordinator. “For example, we learned that when we refer to “maintenance positions” the students thought we are talking about janitorial positions when in fact we’re referring to automation, electrical, mechanical and welding. Our highest paid hourly positions.”
The Externship is a paid, five-day course and hosts teachers from Pryor, Chouteau, Salina, Locust Grove and Adair Schools. Superintendents select two teachers from each school. American Castings plans to expand the program to more schools in 2019.
American Castings is also committed to the local community through their participation in Pryor High School’s Job Shadowing program and the Pryor Chamber of Commerce’s 3rd Graders Go to Work program. American Castings had four seniors job shadowing during the 2017-2018 school year. The students shadowed two hours each school day. They shadowed American Castings’ Quality Engineer, Automation Engineer, and Information Technology and Human Resources officers.
The 3rd Graders Go to Work program is designed to foster STEM disciplines. Students learn why math, science and reading are important and how they apply to everyday work. American Castings visited third-grade classrooms and performed their “Foundry-in-a-Box”. They melted tin, poured it into a sand mold and made a casting (Oklahoma Medallion) in the classroom. The students loved it! Students also completed an employment application and did mock interviews.
American Casting’s participation in these programs is only a glimpse into their commitment to the community. Year after year they prove themselves dedicated to not only their company and employees, but the entire area. MAIP is proud to have American Castings call MidAmerica home.
“American Castings is an incredible partner in local workforce development initiatives and sets the example for private sector involvement. The message is so much stronger and impactful when it comes from our businesses. We are extremely fortunate to have their partnership and are very grateful for their leadership in this realm.” - Scott Fry, Director of Workforce Development at MAIP
American Castings is one of seven companies in the AMERICAN family of manufacturers across the US and in South America. American Castings currently employs 355 employees locally and is a subsidiary of American Cast Iron Pipe Company founded in 1905 in Birmingham, Alabama. American is a Golden Rule company that believes in treating others – our customers, our employees and our communities – the way we want to be treated, The Right Way.