Bridging Community to Industry

As the region navigates rapid economic, technological, and social change, Mechanism invites community members to help shape what comes next. This three-part series of online Listening Sessions creates space for people connected to manufacturing and production systems to share lived experiences, surface emerging needs, and imagine a more inclusive, people-first industrial future for Western Pennsylvania.

Through open dialogue and collective reflection, these sessions will inform the goals of Mechanism’s Pittsburgh Local Lab while elevating voices most impacted by past and present industrial practices. Whether you work in, around, or alongside manufacturing — or feel its impacts in your community — your perspective matters. Join one or all sessions and be part of building a resilient, community-centered future for Pittsburgh’s manufacturing ecosystem.

Are you a manufacturer in the Pittsburgh area? Do you play a role in the production supply chain? Are you a local intermediary? We want to hear from you all!

Local Labs work best when a wide range of stakeholders participate.

Making and manufacturing have long shaped Pittsburgh. Over the past fifty years, economic shifts, technological change, and community resilience have transformed what industry looks like across Western Pennsylvania – sometimes in exciting ways, sometimes in challenging ones. As we look ahead, big questions remain: What will the next fifty years hold? How can we prepare for change? And how can community benefits guide future investments so that industry remains people-first?

To explore these questions, Mechanism is hosting a three-part series of online Listening Sessions designed to uplift local voices and support a stronger, more inclusive manufacturing future in the region. These sessions provide space to hear and learn about lived experiences of people working in and around the manufacturing sector as well as inform Pittsburgh Local Lab goals and outcomes.

Pittsburgh’s landscape is ever-evolving, and the Local Lab aims to unlock pathways for innovation, resilience, and long-term success for the entire region. Join us to share your perspective and help build a people-centered future for manufacturing in Pittsburgh.

What to Expect

These sessions are designed for community members to share what’s working, what’s missing, and what kinds of support or connection would make a meaningful difference. By listening directly to communities experiencing negative impacts from extractive manufacturing, such as environmental and economic racism and injustice, Mechanism aims to develop a clearer, community-driven understanding of the region's needs and how to address them.

All are welcome to attend one or all of the sessions in this series to join peers and ecosystem members in this collaborative problem-solving effort. Do you know someone who should be in the room? Please share this invitation with them!

Agenda

• Introductions - Mechanism / Project
• Guided Discussion
• What Comes Next

Upcoming Dates

• January 20th, 2026 @ 1:00-2:00pm ET
• January 22nd, 2026 @ 9:30-10:30am ET
• January 28th, 2026 @ 5:00-6:00pm ET

For more information on Local Labs in other regions, check out Asheville Local Lab and Cincinnati Local Lab