Neillsville Chamber of Commerce Partners With Industrial Park Businesses and Educators for Career Exploration Program

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 -- 12:00 PM

The Neillsville Area Chamber of Commerce recently partnered with businesses located in the Neillsville Industrial Park and area educators to create a hands-on career exploration program for eighth grade students.

This collaborative effort was designed to strengthen connections between students and local industry while providing meaningful exposure to career pathways within the community.

Participating Industrial Park partners included Atmus Filtration Technologies, Westwood Kitchens, Mayville Engineering Company (commonly known locally as MEC), Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), and OEM Fabricators INC.

The initiative was developed following ongoing conversations about the importance of increasing collaboration between local schools and area employers. Working together, the Neillsville Chamber, business representatives, and Neillsville Middle School staff created a three-week program aimed at giving students real world insight into local career opportunities.

During the first week, representatives from each participating business visited the eighth grade careers classroom. They introduced their companies, explained what they produce or the services they provide, and shared what daily operations look like.

For many students, this was their first introduction to the Neillsville Industrial Park and the variety of industries located within their own community. The second week focused on hands-on learning as students visited the participating businesses for guided tours.

These visits provided an up close look at manufacturing processes, machinery, production lines, ordering systems, and behind the scenes operations. While many of these businesses do not offer public tours, they opened their doors for this educational opportunity.

Feedback from the community indicated that students continued discussing their experiences at home, extending the impact beyond the classroom. The third week brought Industrial Park partners back to the school for an interactive team based activity. Students participated in a Lego engine build designed to highlight concepts such as teamwork, quality control, organization, and problem solving.

The activity helped demonstrate that manufacturing and industry involve a wide range of roles including engineering, mechanical work, technology, and coordination, not just assembly line work.

(Photo coutesy of the Neillsville Area Chamber of Commerce via press release)

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.