Manufacturing
The Winners: Seattle Business Magazine’s 2019 Washington Manufacturing Awards
See the full list of honorees here
By Bill Virgin April 23, 2019
This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in the May 2019 issue. See more about the winners of the 2019 Washington Manufacturing Awards here. Click here for a free subscription.
At last years Washington Manufacturing Awards banquet, Vigor Industrial Chief Executive Officer Frank Foti, having heard many of the stories of fellow honorees, exclaimed in his own acceptance speech, We make some cool stuff.
Except he didnt say stuff. Instead, he used a somewhat more R-rated term that, while perhaps lacking in refinement, conveyed an appreciation for what Washington manufacturers do.
The men and women at these companies make cool stuff, often in inventive, innovative and environmentally friendly ways. If manufacturing today is reclaiming some status as cool, here are the people and companies making that happen.
Manufacturing Company of the Year, Small
GOLD: King Machine LLC
SILVER: Aspen Power Catamarans
Manufacturing Company of the Year, Large
GOLD: Safe Boats International LLC
SILVER: Cedar Groove Composting Inc.
Food & Beverage Processor of the Year
GOLD: Skagit Valley Malting LLC
SILVER: Pasco Processing LLC
Emerging Manufacturer of the Year
Slayer Espresso
Green Manufacturer of the Year
Silfab Solar Inc.
Building Trades Manufacturer of the Year
GOLD: Henrybuilt
SILVER: Cabinet Tech LLC
GOLD: Bogert Manufacturing Inc.
Silver: Techni-Grip
Nonprofit Manufacturer of the Year
The Lighthouse for the Blind Inc.
Legacy Manufacturer of the Year
North Star Ice Equipment Corporation
Executive of the Year, Small Company
Tom Miller: president, Western Industrial Tooling Inc., Redmond
Executive of the Year, Large Company
Debbie Lee: CEO, Tool Gauge Tacoma
Loren Lyon: president, Lyon Enterprises; former president and center director, Impact Washington
Tom McLaughlin: executive director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS)
2019 Washington Manufacturing Awards Judges
Sharon Gregory, partner, Moss Adams
Loren Lyon, president, Lyon Enterprises; former president/director, Impact Washington
Tom McLaughlin, executive director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS)
Hillary Parker, principal, Clark Nuber
Bill Virgin, Seattle Business magazine columnist/writer
Tab Wilkins, president/director, Impact Washington