Education can expose students to new and interesting career paths and can even introduce students to various careers within a single industry.
Forty-five Hancock High School SME Prize students had the opportunity to tour Gatorbar in Ahmeek and learn about different positions that work together to operate a successful GFRP manufacturer that is American made. Hancock Public Schools Superintendent Chris Salani says the program has grown through industry partnerships with companies such as Gatorbar and exposes students to job opportunities in the Copper Country.
“Not only the fact that there is careers available right out of high school in manufacturing, but also the effect of having a good culture in the workplace and the ability to start at the bottom and work your way up,” said Joel Mishica, systems integration technician at Gatorbar. “Can start manufacturing, but sky’s the limit with the right opportunity and the right culture. And that’s a big thing, right?”
“They’re getting skills and the training within the classroom and in our STEM lab environment, our manufacturing lab through our equipment where they can transpose those skills through the, they refer to micro-credentials, so that they’re not having to be trained in industry when they get into those career paths,” said Chris Salani, superintendent of Hancock Public Schools.
Gatorbar was established in 2013. During the tour of the Ahmeek facility, students heard from the Gatorbar sales and marketing team, saw firsthand Gatorbar’s unique manufacturing process and met engineers who are part of the team. The manufacturer’s product has been used across the nation and locally.
In 2025, Gatorbar donated GFRP synthetic rebar to the CTE program’s house build project and supplied rebar used in the construction of the Keweenaw Snowmobile Club’s Calumet garage.
