The Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs® (NBT) silent auction donations at the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International®, (FMA) Annual Meeting lit up the room at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio. Hundreds of FMA members and industry colleagues gathered at the welcome reception to kick off the 2020 FMA conference on March 3.

A variety of items and experiences were up for bid such as vacation packages, autographed sports memorabilia, techie gadgets, golf experiences, and many more. Unique, handcrafted items created at summer manufacturing camps including beautiful steel fabricated tables, wooden art décor, an NBT-logoed cheese slicer, and a sheet metal waterjet-cut wall hanging of Wisconsin sports teams logos were some of the most sought-after items. As a result, auction proceeds of $28,300 will support NBT’s summer manufacturing camp and scholarship programs.

The Annual Meeting silent auction is an important fundraiser that supports the programs of NBT. The camp program introduces younger students, ages 12-16, to many aspects of manufacturing they may not be aware of and exposes them to manufacturing career options. During camp, students make projects with their hands, tour local companies, work with machines and tools for the first time, and learn from dedicated instructors and knowledgeable staff members.

The scholarship program helps dozens of students each year pay for college expenses as they learn the skills they need to pursue their manufacturing career.  NBT’s mission is to introduce the next generation to manufacturing and inspire them to pursue manufacturing careers. Fundraisers, such as the silent auction, help make that happen.

Thank you to the following individuals and companies for auction donations who contributed to this successful fundraising event! 

Advanced Fabricating Machinery Inc

Advanced Manufacturing Solutions

Butech Bliss

Chicago Bears

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Tube & Iron Co — CTI

Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District

DuPage Machine Products Inc

Ed and Donna Dernulc

Ernst Enterprises LLC

FABLAB Jackson County

FMA

FMA Communications Inc

Fox Valley Technical College

Fred Moss Fine Art

Gary Bjorkquist

Georgia Trade School

Grand Steel Products Inc

Green Bay Preble High School

Higgins & Brancheau LLC

Huntington Bank

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa

Jay Phillips

Joe and Dayna Moser

KOOIMA Co

Lapham-Hickey Steel Co

Laser Technologies Inc

Mazak Optonics Corp

MEC Inc

Merrill Lynch

Mitsubishi Laser / MC Machinery Systems

Northcentral Technical College

PNC Bank

Precision Stamping

Production Tube Cutting Inc

Progressive Metal Manufacturing Co

Randall & Kenig LLP

Robert and Joellen Higgins

Russo Power

SigmaTEK Systems LLC

Steel Market Update

Temple University

Tom Doherty

TopSpot Internet Marketing

TRUMPF Inc

USA Dutch Inc

Ways you can help support NBT’s mission

Contact the foundation to get involved in next year’s silent auction. Volunteer by serving as a scholarship reviewer, share your expertise as a speaker at a summer camp, or host a plant tour at your company for a local camp. Donate to the foundation and help NBT recruit more workers to join the manufacturing workforce. Learn more at nbtfoundation.org or contact us at foundation@fmanet.org.