Manufacturing
Made in Washington #1: Vigor Shipyards
Ship Shape: A photo gallery by Hayley Young.
You’re looking from below at the forward (and aft) end of the hull of the MV Suquamish, the newest vessel in the Washington State Ferries fleet. Being built concurrently with the MV Chimacum at Vigor on Harbor Island, the 362-foot-long Suquamish will be an Olympic Class car ferry capable of carrying 144 vehicles and 1,500…
Virgin on Business: Pondering the Manufacturing Question
Who has the right answer? Well, maybe both sides do.
Theres a fight going on. Then again, when isnt there one at the intersection of business and politics over the past woes, present condition and future prospects for American manufacturing? On one street corner are those who contend theres nothing wrong with American manufacturing that wouldnt be cured by vigorous assertion of pro-U.S. policy against…
Made In Washington #4: Cascade Hardwood Group
A photo gallery by Navid Baraty.
Day shift supervisor J.R. Flores, above, walks between stacks of Western red alder ready for the dry kiln at the sawmill of Port Angeles Hardwood. A division of Cascade Hardwood Group, Port Angeles Hardwood produces lumber from alder and other local hardwoods. Cascade Hardwood operates another sawmill in Chehalis; together, they employ 210 people. Cascade…
The 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards: Nonprofit Manufacturer of the Year
Gold: Skills Inc., Auburn
GOLD AWARD Skills Inc., Auburn Skills describes itself with a one-two-three mnemonic: one mission (creating a stable, rewarding workplace for people with disabilities), two bottom lines (financial and social) and three paths to achieve its goals (employing people with disabilities, offering vocational programs and serving as a role model/resource to the community). It could add…
The 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards: Sustainability
Gold: Feed Commodities, Tacoma; Silver: Composite Recycling Technology Center, Port Angeles
GOLD AWARD Feed Commodities, Tacoma Bakeries often have leftover ingredients and finished goods that are past their sell-by date. Feed Commodities turns these cereal and grain-based bakery byproducts into animal feed in a certified safe-feed facility. From a small operation launched in 1996, the company has grown to more than $12 million in annual sales…
The 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards: Innovation
Gold: Gear Aid, Bellingham; Silver: Sterlitech, Kent
GOLD AWARD Gear Aid, Bellingham Outdoor gear takes a beating in rugged conditions. Gear Aid makes the adhesives, tapes, water repellents, cleaners, lubricants and deodorizers to restore camping equipment and sporting goods to prime condition. In recent years, the company added accessories, such as towels, knives and portable lights. Formerly McNett Corporation (after the name…
The 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards: Manufacturer of the Year Midsize Firms
Gold: Accrafab Inc., Liberty Lake; Silver: Vaupell, Seattle
GOLD AWARD AccraFab Inc., Liberty Lake AccraFab needed room to expand its contract manufacturing and machine-shop operations. It scouted possible locations in Washington and across the state line in Idaho. The decision? Stay put in Spokane County, which is good news for the state and the region. AccraFab already has 180 employees and expects to…
The 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards: Manufacturer of the Year Small Firms
Gold: AeroGo Inc., Tukwila; Silver: Aeroforge, Puyallup
GOLD AWARD AeroGo Inc., Tukwilia Moving something big and heavy like a nuclear-reactor pump, a boat or an entire spacecraft can be tough even with wheels. So why not let compressed air do the job? AeroGo built a company off the novel idea of air casters, in which a tiny layer of compressed air does…
The 2017 Manufacturing Awards: Manufacturing Executive of the Year
Kent Wall: President and CEO, Portco Packaging, Woodland
GOLD AWARDKent Wall, President and CEO, Portco Packaging, Woodland The only thing people ask of product packaging is that it organize, protect and market whats inside, doing so as efficiently as possible. Three generations of the Wall family have built a successful packaging business that continues to grow and innovate. With production plants in Woodland…