business backgrounder | industry
2011 Manufacturing Excellence Awards
Washington manufacturers prove that innovation can thrive,
even in a down economy.
Jason Hagey
In October, AWB presented its seventh annual Manufacturing Excellence Awards to seven
Washington employers that exemplify innovation and resourcefulness.
A cabinet maker looking to survive during a bad housing
market expands into new product lines. A paper and
packaging company that appeared that it might not make
it just a few years ago is now a celebrated turnaround
success story thanks in part to cost reductions and higher
efficiency. An avionics company develops a device that
solves a problem for airlines — and does it in a costeffective way.
Scroll down through the list of this year’s winners of
AWB’s Manufacturing Excellence Awards and you’ll notice a
common thread: Companies that are finding ways to not only
survive in a bad economy, but innovate.
“It’s encouraging to see this kind of resourcefulness from
Washington’s manufacturing sector,” said Kris Johnson,
AWB’s vice president of operations. “The economic
recovery we have all been waiting for is dependent on
employers like the ones we recognized with our 2011
Manufacturing Excellence Awards.” This year marked
the seventh annual AWB Manufacturing Excellence
Awards, and the program has seen a repeat winner: The
Bogert Group, winner of multiple AWB Manuf