R&D Plastics rewarded for promoting careers in plastics manufacturing

R&D Plastics (Hillsboro, OR) was honored as the 2015-2016 School to Career Business of the Year by the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce at the 11th Annual Crystal Apple Awards celebration. The award was accepted on February 26.

R&D Plastics is a full-service custom injection molding company that provides mold manufacturing, rapid prototyping and product design and assistance, as well as a variety of secondary operations. Press sizes range from 40 to 720 tons (shot sizes from 0.10 g to 8 lbs.)

In addition to recognizing the Hillsboro School District staff, the Crystal Apple Awards honor businesses and volunteers who support the School to Work program, which connects students to job experiences through internships, career days and job shadowing opportunities.

Charlie O'Bosky, R&D General Manager, accepted the award for the company at the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce. "This award recognizes us for our work promoting careers in plastics manufacturing to high school students," O'Bosky told PlasticsToday. "We have been very involved in hosting national Manufacturing Day events, Job Shadow Discovery programs [as instructors and career counselors] and student internships. Last year, we provided four high school students with internships. We have asked two students to work for us after graduation in the spring."

O'Bosky noted that R&D focuses its efforts on students who are not planning on going to college and on those attending local community colleges. "We just finished another intern session with Glencoe High School senior Luke South," said O'Bosky. "Of his internship time, Luke said, ‘R&D Plastics was able to guide me through what a manufacturing job looks like, and helped me set a path for my future.'"

Dedicated to promoting careers in the plastics industry, R&D Plastics provides tours, guest lectures and seminars for Western Washington University, Oregon State, University of Oregon, Washington State (Vancouver Campus), Portland Art Institute, and Portland Community College.