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Governor pays tribute to manufacturers at special event

elebrating the ninth annual Manufacturing Appreciation Week, some 1,300 business leaders and economic developers gathered April 17 in Atlanta to honor three winning companies for contributing to the vitality of their communities.

Gov. Sonny Perdue delivered the keynote address at the Governor’s Awards Luncheon, thanking manufacturers for their hard work and significant economic contributions.

“Manufacturing is a critical component of Georgia’s economy,” he said. “You provide over half a million jobs and add $61 billion to our economy each year.”

Perdue then presented awards to the three Manufacturers of the Year.

The winner in the large-manufacturer category (more than 750 employees) was Kubota Manufacturing of America. Producing lawn mowers and tractor implements in Hall County for 14 years, Kubota provides jobs for more than 1,200 Georgians at its 616,000-sq.-ft. facility. It helped create an additional 100 jobs by attracting four other companies to the area. Kubota has worked closely with Quick Start and Lanier Technical College for over 10 years on manufacturing and management skills training, as well as training to promote American/Japanese cross-cultural understanding.

Rockwell Automation won in the medium-manufacturer category (151-750 employees). The company makes printed circuit board assemblies for programmable logic controllers, with an annual output of more than 3 million automation devices at its Dublin facility. Employing 365 people, Rockwell Automation has utilized the resources of Heart of Georgia Technical College and Quick Start, which developed an online training system that is a model for the industry.

Taking the top spot in the small-manufacturer category (150 or fewer employees) was Lee Container Corp., which makes plastic containers used in such industries as beverage and agriculture. Located in Homerville, the company provides 150 jobs in its southeast Georgia area and works closely with Okefenokee Technical College.

The three companies are renowned corporate citizens in their communities, playing an active role in their local chambers of commerce and a variety of civic organizations and charitable causes.

Organized by DTAE and the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, this annual event also aims to educate students about manufacturing. An art competition awards $500 scholarships to first-place winners in three age-grouped categories. This year, nearly 3,000 students from around the state submitted entries featuring Georgia manufacturers and their products for the T-shirt, poster and placemat designs.

The lineup of luncheon speakers included DTAE Commissioner Ken Breeden; GDITT Commissioner Glenn Cornell; Rick Duke, director of Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Institute; Jim Reese, CEO of Randstad North America; Phil Jacobs, president of BellSouth, Georgia Operations; and David Radcliffe, president of Georgia Power. Jerry Silvio, of Pattillo Construction, and Aaron Estis, of BearingPoint, presented awards to the design contest winners. Channel 11’s Wes Sarginson served as emcee.

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