CMP Assists with Ottawa County Career Showcase

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – On Friday, Oct. 7, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) hosted the Ottawa County Career Showcase – an event that uncovers professional opportunities throughout Ottawa County for freshman high school students planning their future careers.

Marking its eighth year at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry, the Ottawa County Career Showcase welcomed all six school districts within Ottawa County. Overall, 500 freshman roamed the facility throughout the day, interacting with the interesting and informative business displays.

A total of 29 local businesses were represented at the event including the Allen-Clay Joint Fire District, Catawba Island Club, Davis Besse, Erie-Ottawa International Airport, Genoa Bank, Jet Express, Magruder Hospital, Materion, Northern Manufacturing, Ottawa County Department of Job & Family Services and the Soil & Water Conservation District.

Students at the Showcase had the opportunity to use CMP’s air rifles and electronic targets.

“The Ottawa County Business Advisory Council (BAC) greatly appreciates the relationship we have with CMP,” said Jessica Grzechowiak, manager of communications & programs at the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation. “The location is perfect to house 500 students plus 80-100 business representatives and volunteers that assist with the event. It’s centrally located and works great for our schools and businesses.”

To date, the event has welcomed over 4,025 students and is held every year in conjunction with National Manufacturing Day, which is meant to show students, parents and the public what modern manufacturing is all about.

The Showcase included interactive displays by area businesses, offering hands-on activities.

Ottawa County, where the CMP Headquarters and Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center sits in Ohio, is home to over 40,000 residents. It’s the heart of Vacationland, nestled along the western shore of Lake Erie. The county greets thousands of visitors each year while supporting locals through agriculture, education, production and other industries.

“Throughout the years, we’ve invited non-manufacturing businesses to showcase other in-demand jobs, such as healthcare, construction and hospitality, so that students have the opportunity to see everything Ottawa County has to offer,” Grzechowiak said. “The BAC believes that 100 percent of Ottawa County students should graduate from high school with a plan for their future.”

The Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center is open every week for public use.

“While Ottawa County school graduation rates are above the state average, the BAC believes that every student should graduate from high school with a solid foundation and plan for future career, college, military and/or vocational employment,” she went on. “The BAC aims to educate and expose Ottawa County students to the skills and continuing education needed to fill in-demand jobs in Ohio, with an emphasis on Ottawa County.”

Outside of browsing company booths, students at the Showcase were able to try out CMP’s air rifles within the indoor range attached to the Gary Anderson facility. Trained CMP employees assisted students on the firing line as they took shots upon the range’s electronic target system – used regularly in local, state and national air gun events. The range is also open each week for public use.

CMP Staff members assisted students with marksmanship safety on the range.

Learn more about the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, including hours of operation, through the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/ranges/cmp-competition-centers/. Take a further look into the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation and its initiatives at https://ocic.biz/.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto  www.TheCMP.org.