Don't for one minute say that manufacturing doesn't matter in the Buffalo Niagara region - or, anywhere else for that matter.
It does matter.
That's why the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance is leading a "Manufacturing Month" campaign to not only showcase the importance of manufacturing but also as a recruitment tool for the next generation of workers.
"Job opportunities are there, but we have to make people aware of it," said State Sen. Patrick Gallivan (R-Elma).
This is not your father's manufacturing world anymore.
Far from it.
Walk through any plant and you will see banks of computers and high-tech machinery.
Stephen Tucker, Northland Workforce Training Center president and CEO, says those images matter, especially when it comes to recruiting younger workers.
Northland has 450 students enrolled this semester and the East Side training center complex has a waiting list. More than 83% of its students land jobs fresh out of the center - many earning $50,000 or more to start.
Historically, manufacturing has played a major role in the region's economy. It still does.
"It is the backbone of our economy," said Assemblyman Patrick Chludzinski (R-Cheektowaga). "It hasn't left Western New York, but it has changed."
The Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance reports that in Erie County alone, there are more than 1,000 manufacturers - big and small. And, those companies employ more than 43,000 people - or 10% of the county's entire workforce.
Collectively, the companies and workers have a $16 billion local economic impact.
"The impact manufacturing has is very real," said Peter Ahearns, Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance executive director.