2020 Awards Winners
POWER OF INDUSTRY AWARD WINNER
Rick Hoffman, EIMCo
Rick Hoffman is the founder of East Iowa Machine Co (EIMCo). The company was founded in 1992 in Dyersville, Iowa, with two employees and now employs 150 people in a 130,000-square-foot shop located in Farley, Iowa. EIMCo converts raw metals into finished component parts and assemblies using a wide variety of computerized numeric controlled (CNC) equipment and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes.
Owning a successful business with a diverse customer base, Rick struggles with the skilled labor shortage, but faces it head-on. EIMCo has been involved with FMA since 2011 and became an official FMA member in 2016. That is also when Rick became aware of FMA’s foundation, NBT. He realized that NBT’s programs were taking bold steps in addressing the skilled labor shortage, and in 2019 he made a sizable donation to the NBT summer manufacturing camp program. Rick’s generous gift will support camps in the state of Iowa over the next five years.
Rick’s investment in NBT extends beyond his monetary gift and is shown in his support of NBT’s mission and goals. Along with his donation, Rick has made a commitment to visiting summer manufacturing camps to serve as a mentor and example of a successful entrepreneur to the students. In addition, Rick donated a custom-made pub table to the NBT Gala art auction to help raise additional funds for the foundation.
Rick’s passion to engage the future generation of manufacturers is infused in EIMCo as well. EIMCo participates yearly in Manufacturing Day. Students from manufacturing programs at area high schools have been invited to factory tours of EIMCo to learn about robotics, plant operations, and business management. The tours give the students a clear example of manufacturing careers that are available, and EIMCo lets them experience hands-on manufacturing skills like welding and engineering.
Rick has been nominated for the Power of Industry Award because of his passion for the manufacturing industry. His generous philanthropic donation to NBT’s summer manufacturing camp program will make a major impact on the number of students exposed to manufacturing and entrepreneurship over the next five years. Rick’s willingness to support and advocate for the metals manufacturing industry by sharing his time, talent, and resources sets the bar for like-minded leaders.
IMPACT ON INDUSTRY AWARD WINNER
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation & MC Machinery Systems Inc / Mitsubishi Laser
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) was established in 1991 by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and the Mitsubishi Electric US group companies. The Foundation supports national grant programs and employee volunteer programs across the U.S. with a mission to invest in innovative strategies to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives.
With the endorsement and support of MC Machinery / Mitsubishi Laser, NBT received a grant from MEAF to develop a manufacturing camp curriculum and program focused on serving students with special needs. Over the next three years, NBT will support inclusion camps across the country and will work with manufacturing employers to encourage them to consider this underserved population in their hiring practices.
The Mitsubishi Corporation also encourages their employees to participate in M.O.V.E. — Mitsubishi Electric Organized Volunteer Efforts. Employee volunteers are on the M.O.V.E. donating their time, talent, and treasure to make Changes for the Better in the communities where they live and work across the U.S.
MC Machinery Systems Inc / Mitsubishi Laser has been a CompanyPLUS member of FMA since 2006 and a platinum sponsor of the FMA Annual Meeting for several years, along with supporting other FMA conferences and member events.
Further, Mitsubishi has been a major supporter of NBT’s GOLF4MFG® fundraising event since 2013 and the inaugural Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Awards Gala with sponsorship support totaling over $50,000. In addition, the company has donated monetary gifts and items to the Annual Meeting silent auctions, contributing over $14,000 in value to the NBT Foundation.
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation & MC Machinery Systems Inc has been nominated for the Impact on Industry award due to their community-minded philanthropic efforts along with their long-standing support of FMA, NBT, and the metals manufacturing industry.
FUTURE OF INDUSTRY AWARD WINNER
Triton College
Triton College, located in River Grove, Illinois, offers degree and certificate programs that give students the ability to learn skills they need to succeed in a competitive job market that will enable them to make significant contributions to business and industry.
Triton College has been a true partner of NBT as a summer manufacturing camp host for the past nine years. Under the direction of camp director Antigone Sharris, faculty and chairperson of the Engineering Technology Program, the GADgET (Girls Adventuring in Design, Engineering, and Technology) camp model was created in 2010 to introduce manufacturing and engineering to middle and high school-aged girls. The GADgET model has since been replicated at two Chicagoland high schools that received NBT camp grant funding. Sharris has assisted both schools in the development and operations of their GADgET camps. In 2019, the GLoW (Girls Learning to Weld) Camp was unveiled to introduce welding and careers in welding to the same target audience. For the second year, Sharris has also been nominated for the Power of Industry award for her individual contributions to NBT, especially in regard to the GADgET and GLoW manufacturing camp models.
The GADgET and GLoW camps are geared towards girls, ages 11 to 17. For many of them, it is their introduction into the manufacturing industry, and specifically the design, welding, and fabrication aspect. In many instances, it is the first time the campers actually touched equipment and created a project with their own hands. The GADgET campers learned design software to make a frame, a clock, candle holders, and a key chain. Meanwhile, the GLoW campers created laser-etched coasters and welded a metal coaster holder for a set of 4. The participants gained an understanding of manufacturing career opportunities in their area, especially with the tours they attended. The greatest impact was that the program showed campers career options that many of them had not considered until attending the camp.
Triton College’s manufacturing partnerships have been long-standing, diverse, and tremendous. Local partners helped create a successful team effort by providing additional funding, plant tours, guest speakers, and mentoring.
Triton College has been nominated for the Future of Industry award in recognition of its long-time partnership with NBT. Having created the GADgET and GLoW camp models, which encourage young women to consider and pursue manufacturing careers, Triton College has been a trailblazer for introducing girls to the NBT summer manufacturing camp program. In addition, it has provided other local schools valuable advice and assistance in holding a girls-focused camp along with curriculum tips and guidance.