Cooper Tire—A community-focused company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company’s Texarkana plant has been an active member of the community for more than 50 years.
Committed to giving back, Cooper takes part in the United Way of Texarkana’s annual campaign and last year partnered with area entities to hold the community’s first tire amnesty day—collecting nearly 500 tires for recycling.
“We have an incredible workforce in Texarkana that is generous, thoughtful and dedicated to giving back to the community,” said Scott Cole, plant manager for Cooper’s Texarkana facility. “Being a longtime employer, Cooper is a place where families have chosen to work for generations and those new to the workforce can kick start a meaningful career. Our team is a great group of people working toward the same goal of producing the highest quality tires.”
Cole says that the opportunity for advancement brings many people to Cooper, and the organizational culture keeps them there.
“Manufacturing offers exciting career potential. The field is technology driven and fast paced. At Cooper, we have jobs for people who like working independently and for those who like to work in groups. You can start in a role and stay there if you love it, or move to another position in the company. We also often hire management from our plant floor, so when you join the Cooper team the possibilities are endless,” he added.
Jobs are available at Cooper’s Texarkana plant for those with a wide variety of skills, interests and training. Positions are currently open for those without formal post-secondary education, as well as those with technical degrees or experience in the skilled trades. From tire production to warehouse personnel, millwrights, industrial electricians, electronic technicians and more, Cooper is looking for those with a good work ethic and desire to learn.
“Like many manufacturers, it can be challenging to attract potentially qualified employees,” Cole said. “There are multiple reasons, but one is the fact that students today are not often directed toward careers in manufacturing. Through The Manufacturing Institute’s Dream It. Do It. initiative, we are working to encourage young students who are deciding their future career to consider manufacturing.”
Cooper joined Dream It. Do It. in 2015, becoming part of a network of organizations in the U.S. that share the goal of enhancing the image of careers in manufacturing among youth and addressing the widening skills gap in the nation’s manufacturing workforce pipeline. Cooper has focused its efforts on holding National Manufacturing Day events for middle school students, as this is a critical age when young people are forming their first opinions about future careers.
In Texarkana, Cooper’s “Dream Team” volunteers and others have hosted the Cooper Tire Manufacturing Experience at the Texarkana Convention Center for the past three years, with more than 1,000 students attending each of these events. Here, students experience manufacturing by learning how to measure and place building components, visually inspect products and use hand tools. A local technical school also provides information to students about skilled trade occupations similar to those at Cooper.
In addition, throughout the year Cooper volunteers execute multiple programs in local communities, including children’s mentoring efforts, teaching in local middle schools using interactive manufacturingcurricula and engaging in a number of community-based efforts to drive broad awareness about careers in manufacturing.
“It is really promising to think about how many students we’ve been able to reach over the past several years,” Cole said. “Seeing the technology required and different skill sets needed to make a tire is an eye-opening experience for young people. It’s also very rewarding for us to see them learn. From these experiences we hope they will consider jobs in manufacturing and some of the great opportunities available at Cooper.”
For more information on jobs at Cooper, visit coopertirecareers. com.