Cheyenne competition caps National Manufacturing Month, with facility tours across Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyo. – Puma Steel will host the final round of the ninth annual SteelDays welding competition on Friday, Oct. 23, at its Cheyenne fabrication facility, where 44 high school finalists will compete for a share of a $45,000 scholarship fund.
The event caps a two-day competition that has grown from a Wyoming-only contest in 2017 to a regional draw now including students from Colorado and Nebraska. About 150 students are expected at the preliminary round on Oct. 22 at Laramie County Community College (LCCC), where welds are judged anonymously by certified inspectors. The top 44 advance to Puma Steel the next day. The scholarship fund has grown from $10,000 in its first year to $45,000 today.
“It started as a rather simple idea—we wanted to give back to the community and support students who were considering making a career out of welding,” said Puma Steel President Rex Lewis, who launched the event in 2017. It is now one of the nation’s most recognized skilled-trades pipeline programs and has been replicated in other regions by members of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), which champions SteelDays nationally.
Students who compete on Oct. 22 are also invited to join the college’s Career Exploration Day tour. “It’s a good opportunity to start thinking about, ‘What does my future look like?'” said Caleb Perriton, LCCC program director of trades and technical services. “Some participants might gain exposure to other skilled-trades opportunities they hadn’t considered. We will show them all of the trades programs.”
The final-round day at Puma Steel is designed to give students a full picture of modern industrial careers. While rotating through the competition floor, students take a written skills assessment, tour the fabrication facility, and watch a live demonstration by engineering firm Martin/Martin Wyoming on how Building Information Modeling (BIM) and artificial intelligence are transforming steel construction—from digital design through robotic and CNC fabrication.
This year’s awards-ceremony keynote speaker is Lucas Downey, a senior community affairs manager at Microsoft who works with Cheyenne partners to support economic growth and connect residents to careers in technology and construction.
Scholarships are administered through the AISC Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and can be applied toward any certified welding training program, public or private. Each finalist also receives a welding caddy—assembled as their competition project—along with welding tools and accessories based on their final ranking. The prizes are made possible by businesses and industries across the Rocky Mountain region and beyond—support that reflects a broader need: the U.S. is projected to require 330,000 or more new welders over the next five years.
The event is open to the public, and AISC is providing box lunches. Schools and families interested in attending the awards ceremony and scholarship presentation should plan to arrive by 10 a.m. at Puma Steel, 1720 Pacific Ave., Cheyenne. Details: pumasteel.com/2026steeldays.
Manufacturing Month tours across Wyoming
SteelDays falls during National Manufacturing Month, and communities across Wyoming are hosting facility tours throughout October to showcase modern manufacturing careers. Public tours are scheduled in Sheridan and Johnson counties, with student events in Sweetwater and Natrona counties. The full schedule is available on the Wyoming Business Council (WBC) website. To add an event, contact WBC Strategic Partnerships Director Ron Gullberg at 307.286.9519 or [email protected].
About Puma Steel: Headquartered in Cheyenne and celebrating its 40th year, Puma Steel is a leading steel fabricator serving the western U.S., with projects including the Microsoft data center campus in Cheyenne and landmark Denver high-rises.
About SteelDays: Championed by AISC and its members, SteelDays is one of the structural steel industry’s largest annual educational initiatives. Learn more at aisc.org/events/steeldays.
Media Contacts
- Jason Deckard, High Plains Steel Supply | 307.773.8669
- Matt Nolan, LCCC | 307.778.1160
Photo Credit: Ben Peterson/Wyoming Business Council; available from Ron Gullberg, 307.286.9519.
