Thomasville Student Takes Third Place in Manufacturing Appreciation Week Poster Design Contest

Logan Griffis, a sixth grader at Thomas County Middle School had lunch with Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle last week as part of the Manufacturing Appreciation Week (MAW) Design contest.

Griffis, 12, took third place in the poster category of the 2008 Manufacturing Appreciation Week (MAW) student design contest. She received a $100 scholarship check, presented by Cagle at the MAW awards luncheon held today at the Cobb Galleria. Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Richard Warner was master of ceremonies.  “It was a tremendous pleasure to meet Logan today and present her with the third place award for the Manufacturing Appreciation Week student design contest,” said Cagle. “This is a significant accomplishment and Thomas County  should be proud.”

Griffis, who attends Thomas County Middle School, said her award-winning artwork found local inspiration. “I wanted to make it a salute to our local businesses,” she said. Her colorful poster entry highlighted local manufacturing businesses such as Flower’s Foods. “We were thrilled to have one of our local students win at the state level and appreciate the participation from our schools,” said SWGTC President Dr. Glenn Deibert. “This annual design contest helps draw attention to the importance of manufacturing in our state and locally and helps raise awareness of the products manufactured right in our backyard.”

Students from around the state submitted design entries featuring Georgia manufacturers and their products. The three design categories were placemat, poster and t-shirt. The awards luncheon is the highlight of MAW, celebrated this year April 14-18. Co-hosted by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, MAW brings attention to this significant component of Georgia’s economy. According to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s proclamation declaring Manufacturing Appreciation Week, nearly 10,000 manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia. They provide 447,877 jobs, contributing more than $100 billion to the state’s economy each year.

This is the 14th year celebrating Manufacturing Appreciation Week in Georgia. This year’s sponsors include AT&T; BB&T; Georgia Power; the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute; Fullscope; Habif, Arogeti & Wynne; and Pattillo Construction.