Posted: October 06, 2020
Press Release from FloridaMakes
ORLANDO – The Florida Sterling Council and FloridaMakes announced today the five manufacturing companies that have been named as winners for
the Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence (SMBE) Awards. The winners, chosen from among ten finalists, were announced at the 2020 Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Awards Virtual Celebration on October 1.
The Florida Sterling Council and FloridaMakes collaborated on these statewide awards to recognize the state’s high-performing manufacturers. Companies were judged in six categories of criteria, including leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce and operations.
Gold: Eastman Chemical Company, Pace
Bronze: Bausch + Lomb, Tampa
Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CIT), St. Augustine
CEREX, Cantonment
Fort Walton Machining, Inc., Fort Walton Beach
“Congratulations to all the winners,” said Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes. “They are a sterling example of manufacturing business excellence, beacons of what is possible. This recognition is a testament to the leadership of all these companies and their continued commitment to the pursuit of excellence. This is a rigorous process and Florida manufacturers, once again, showed the vitality and competitiveness of this vibrant sector.”
A team of Florida Sterling-trained examiners and manufacturing community representatives contributed their time and expertise to evaluate nominations, including site visits and management interviews of semi-finalists.
In addition to recognizing Florida companies, the awards provide a framework for sharing manufacturing best practices and take advantage of opportunities for improvement. FloridaMakes will be working with the finalists and their corresponding regional manufacturers association to network and share knowledge through activities likeplant tours, webinars, and leadership events to benefit Florida’s manufacturing sector.
“Florida is proud to be a manufacturing state as we are home to over 20,000 manufacturers employing more than 373,000 workers. The Florida Sterling Council applauds these winning role model organizations for their excellence in manufacturing and business,” said Florida Sterling Council Chairman John Pieno. “Through their improvements and focus on doing the very best in the nation, they’ve earned this coveted recognition.”
Established in 1992, the Florida Sterling Council is a public/private not-for-profit corporation supported by the Executive Office of the Governor. The Council oversees the Governor’s Sterling Award for Performance Excellence, presented annually by the Governor to high performing, role-model organizations, both private and public, who demonstrate superior management approaches and role model results. Sterling's Conference teaches participants how to elevate performance and increase productivity. Nearly 600 executives and professionals gather at this event for a one-stop source for education, information and inspiration. The conference concludes with the recognition of best practices, the Team Showcase Champion, and the presentation of the Governor's Sterling Awards, the highest award an organization can receive for performance excellence in Florida. For more information, contact John Pieno at (850) 922-5316 or visit www.floridasterling.com.
FloridaMakes is a statewide, industry-led, public-private partnership operated by an alliance of Florida's regional manufacturers associations with the sole mission of strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity and technological performance of its manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on small- and medium-sized firms. It accomplishes this by providing services focused on three principle value streams: technology adoption, talent development, and business growth. FloridaMakes is the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in the state of Florida, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. For more information about FloridaMakes, please visit FloridaMakes.com and follow @FloridaMakes.
