Celebrate Women Makers During Manufacturing Week October 6-13

This October, San Leandro is celebrating the contributions of women in manufacturing. Each year, we participate in Bay Area Manufacturing Week, a regional effort aligned with National Manufacturing Day, to promote and recognize the value of local manufacturing, which generates job creation, technological advancements, and innovation. This year, we will be holding events and sharing videos highlighting the positive and unique impacts that San Leandro women have in manufacturing.

San Leandro has been a manufacturing town for as long as we can remember. Today, the city is home to nearly 140 manufacturing businesses, providing good, living wage jobs with career pathways to nearly 5,000 skilled workers and staff. Overall, roughly 1/3 of all San Leandro jobs are in the Manufacturing, Construction, Transportation and Wholesale sectors, employing over 16,000 people. Additionally, business to business and construction activities generate around 33% of the City’s sales tax revenues, contributing over $10.8 million to the City’s General Fund annually.

San Leandro is also home to a number of cutting-edge companies developing new and more sustainable ways to manufacture food, provide power through batteries, and improve biological and manufacturing processes. These companies are tackling today’s tough problems through science – including Porifera, whose natural carbon nanotube filtration system removes water out of liquid substances so that they may be transported more sustainably; and New Culture, which is creating cheese without the cow.

San Leandro also boasts a number of successful women-led manufacturing and related businesses, who are a visible force in the business community. Women-led businesses are in a variety of sectors, including construction (Eric F. Anderson), builders (UrbanBloc), cosmetic manufacturers (Columbia Cosmetics), food production (Torani), as well as cutting-edge biotech (Aralez Bio), food science (Air Protein) to name a few.

This year, Bay Area Manufacturing Week will begin on National Manufacturing Day (Friday, October 6) and run until the following Friday, October 13. But events will continue – on November 3, Eden ROP and local school districts will be bussing students to local makers for in-person tours, so we’ve really got a Manufacturing Month in the making.

Manufacturing Week Events:

Celebrating Women in Manufacturing Videos: During the week of October 9-13, videos will be released daily, documenting the journeys of women in San Leandro manufacturing businesses such as Torani, UrbanBloc, House Kombucha, Aralez Bio, and Porifera. Check the City of San Leandro YouTube page for these releases.

Friday, October 6, 2023, 4PM-6PM – Industrial Meet-Up: Hosted by the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, this meet-up invites San Leandro manufacturers to network and socialize at Drake’s Brewing Company. This event is specific to San Leandro manufacturers and requires registration.

Student Manufacturing Day (aka Advanced Manufacturing Day): Eden ROP, Chabot College, and local high schools are collaborating on a day of exploring careers in manufacturing, including morning tours of local makers, and an introduction to Chabot College’s Industrial Technology Pathway program and a tour of their facilities.

Manufacturer Events: During the week of October 9-13, maker events will take place, and manufacturers across the Bay Area will be offering tours of their facilities. Event details are available on the SFMade Manufacturing Week calendar. This calendar is updated regularly, so be sure to keep checking for updates!

For a glimpse into the student event, watch this video from the first Student Manufacturing Day event in 2015: