2016 Manufacturers’ Appreciation and Awards Dinner

Nearly one hundred and fifty business, government and community leaders from all across Southwest Virginia gathered at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center on Thursday, October 6th, to celebrate manufacturing and its contributions to the economy in the region.  At its annual Manufacturers’ Appreciation and Awards Dinner, the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing reviewed its successful year of promotion of manufacturing as a career and renewed its commitment to continued growth in this all-important sector of Southwest Virginia’s economy.

This year SVAM invited Tim Long, Director of Macromolecules and Interfaces at Virginia Tech, to join us for the evening as our keynote speaker.  Professor Long’s speech was entitled “How 3D Printing Will Change Our World.”  Universal Fibers of Bristol, Virginia provided 3D printed whistles as favors for the guests; they brought a 3D printer to the dinner and guests were delighted to see how their favors were produced.

Five manufacturers received awards to recognize their growth and contributions to the community. The Environmental Stewardship Award was presented to Tadano Mantis Corporation of Tazewell County, Virginia; The Innovations in Manufacturing Award was presented to Bristol Compressors of Bristol, Virginia; The Excellence in Safety Award was presented to General Dynamics of Smyth County, Virginia; The Community Involvement award was presented to Scholle IPN Packaging of Smyth County, Virginia; and the Manufacturer of the Year award was given to Strongwell of Bristol, Virginia. The Trailblazer of the Year award was presented to Jeff Dunnack for going above and beyond to support the SVAM mission. The 2016 Outstanding Woman in Manufacturing, Vicky Kiser, was also recognized during the evening.

SVAM would like to thank its sponsors for this event: Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board, The Manufacturing Technology Center, United Way of Southwest Virginia, The Southwestern Virginia Technology Council, and The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.

Stay tuned for future events from SVAM!