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Louisville, KY. (October 28, 2011) Sekisui S-Lec America, Calgon Carbon Corporation and Emerson Industrial Automation/Power Transmission Solutions have each won 2011 "Kentucky Manufacturer of the Year" awards and Jim Myers of Whip Mix Corporation has won the 2011 "Kentucky Manufacturing Employee of the Year" award, according to Greg Higdon, President and CEO of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM). The awards were presented today at KAM's Manufacturer & Employee of the Year Awards Luncheon in Louisville.

Emerson Industrial Automation won in the Large Business Category; Calgon Carbon Corporation won in the Mid-Size Business Category; and Sekisui S-Lec America won in the Small Business Category. Each was selected based on the following criteria:

•    Innovative and entrepreneurial leadership with regard to products, production method, or services;
•    Recognized leadership in making a key contribution to the quality of life in the Commonwealth and the community; and
•    Active involvement in organizations that advance industry and manufacturing.

Employee of the Year nominees were judged based on four criteria:

•    Innovation, Teamwork, Community Service and Leadership.

The independent 2011 awards selection committee consisted of Rich Cleary (Committee Chair), Member in Charge - Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, Louisville; Dr. Larry Ferguson, Dean of Community, Workforce and Economic Development - Ashland Community & Technical College; Steve Kerrick, Partner - Mountjoy Chilton Medley, LLP, Louisville; Mitch Skaggs - Director, Worldwide Operations, Ashland, Inc., Lexington; Charlie Martin, Director of the Field Services Group of USEC, Inc., Paducah; Becky Naugle, Director - Kentucky Small Business Development Center, Lexington; and Gary Stewart, Retired - Crowe Horwath, Louisville.

"On behalf of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, I congratulate all of the winners of the 2011 Manufacturer & Employee of the Year Awards," stated Greg Higdon, President & CEO of KAM. "They all truly represent the best of the best in Kentucky's manufacturing community."

Jim Myers - Employee of the Year

Read the dossier of Jim Myers and you’ll understand why Whip Mix is considered a leader in their industry. As the leader of overall manufacturing for Whip Mix, Jim has lead the way to better customer service at lower direct and indirect labor cost through lean manufacturing.  Jim has led this change not only internally, but with customers.  Acting as a “lean ambassador” to customers, Jim has identified several new products and product enhancements leading to $200 million in sales.  Creating a climate of teamwork is a top priority for Jim.  By fostering an environment of security where employees are encouraged to contribute ideas for increased productivity, teams have identified an average of $1 million in savings over the last 10 years.  Being the leader of the largest division at Whip Mix Corporation, Jim has taken it upon himself to be a leader, enrolling himself in a master’s program in world-wide logistics.  Using that knowledge, Jim argued that outsourcing to low-cost markets was short-sighted because of unanticipated costs associated with long supply chains, quality issues, lead times, and inventory bulges. His knowledge and wisdom proved to be ahead of the curve, and has allowed Whip Mix to keep its Louisville manufacturing operation intact by successfully implementing the LEAN concepts that he has taught throughout the company to increase productivity, reduce labor costs,  and increase market share. Jim Myers tackles every new challenge with the same spirit of innovation and teamwork, bringing leadership and expertise to every project he leads.  Congratulations to Jim Myers, winner of the 2011 Manufacturing Employee of the Year Award.

Sekisui S-Lec America - Small Business Category

Sekisui S-Lec America prides itself on being committed to innovation, beginning with its building. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility was recognized with a 2007 design award.  Sekisui encourages all employees to continually look for ways to improve by forming Kaizen teams that complete internally with the winning teams moving on to complete in the Sekisui North America competition.  Training plays a key role on the success of Sekisui, with every employee participating in classroom training and webinars.  Going even further, Sekisui designates several weeks throughout the year to focus on training with specialty speakers, workshops, videos and competitions.  Sekisui has set a goal of being landfill free by 2013 and with that in mind, has put into practice an aggressive recycling program and encourages employees to recycle at home as well.  Their commitment to the environment doesn’t stop there--in 2011, Sekisui held an ECO Camp for youth in their community.  Its purpose was to provide young people in the community with an opportunity to learn how to care for our natural resources and protect our environment.  Projects included a creek clean up at Natural Bridge State Resort Park and working together with community volunteers to build a trail and picnic area. Congratulations to Sekisui--their innovative spirit, their commitment to their employees though ongoing training, and their environmental involvement have earned them recognition as the 2011 Manufacturer of the Year in the small company division.

Calgon Carbon Corporation - Mid-Size Business Category

Calgon Carbon is a recognized world leader in the manufacture of activated carbon.  The Big Sandy facility is the largest activated carbon manufacturing plant in the world and central to the development and growth of new products that are used to purify drinking water and foods, in personal protective equipment for military and first responders, for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, and more than 700 other applications.  As a leader in the activated carbon industry, Calgon Carbon strives for innovation in all they do.  New products such as FLUEPAC are recognized by the EPA as the leading abatement technology for mercury removal at coal power plants. Calgon Carbon’s commitment to the community is significant, through financial and volunteer support of many local organizations and events for the community.  Additionally, managers and employees of the Big Sandy plant have contributed thousands of dollars to the Ashland March of Dimes and the local United Way.  Furthermore, Calgon Carbon is committed to driving economic growth in their community by recently investing $40 Million in the Big Sandy plant to upgrade and restart idle manufacturing capacity.  In an effort to represent their industry and manufacturing in general, Calgon Carbon is an active member in the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, the Ashland Alliance, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and many other advocacy groups, including presenting a technical seminar to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  Calgon Carbon’s continued leadership and innovation, commitment to their community, and corporate advocacy makes them the perfect choice for the 2011 Manufacturer of the Year Award in the mid-size company category.

Emerson Industrial Automation/Power Transmission Solutions - Large Business Category

Emerson Industrial Automation is a leader in high-tech manufacturing with three of its most high-tech facilities located in Kentucky.  Emerson has over 800 employees working to serve diverse industries, including HVAC, steel production, aviation, agriculture, pumps, compressors, concrete production, forest industries, road construction, material handling, energy, marine, food, beverage, and packaging.  Emerson Industrial Automation strives to be innovative in all areas of its business, oftentimes combining manufacturing innovation with product benefit innovation.  To drive innovation, Emerson consolidated several manufacturing operations to Kentucky; these facilities produce performance windmill couplings and couplings used in the marine, turbo machinery and refining industries.  Emerson Industrial Automation is using its technology to support global water conservation by manufacturing specially formulated conveyor chains designed to reduce local fresh water used by global beverage producers.  Innovation requires investment and Emerson continues to invest in Kentucky. They recently invested $1.6 million to consolidate R&D in Maysville and have expanded their facility in Florence by more than 50%.  Being a positive member of the community is taken very seriously at Emerson, starting with management.  Several of the key tenets of their management framework ensure this standard is upheld.  Emerson is actively involved in supporting the Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Club, United Way, Habitat for Humanity and many other community organizations.  Emerson also is active in advocating for their industry by being a long-time member of organizations that represent markets they service, such as Power Transmission Distributors Association, American Bearing Manufacturers Association and several more.   Emerson takes environmental sustainability very seriously and is an active member of Water Footprint Network; through this organization, Emerson is advancing knowledge about water shortage and pollution. For their drive to continually innovate, their willingness to invest in advanced manufacturing, and their dedication to community and environmental initiatives, we congratulate Emerson for being selected the 2011 Manufacturer of the Year Award winner in the large company division.

Again we congratulate all of our winners!