Seven Florida Manufacturers Recognized with 2017 Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Awards

June 21, 2017

ORLANDO – Seven Florida companies received statewide recognition as the 2017 winners of the first Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Awards.  The awards, recognizing high performing manufacturers in six categories, were announced and presented June 2 at the Governor's Sterling Awards Banquet in Orlando.

The Florida Sterling Council and FloridaMakes collaborated on these statewide awards. Companies were judged on leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce and operations.

The 2017 Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence winners are:

Companies with less than 40 employees:

Winner: GloFX, Tallahassee, which manufactures dimensional eyewear, LED, glow products and other flow arts equipment for EDM, festival and rave markets.

Runner Up: Shurhold Industries, Palm City, which manufactures premium detailing supplies, brushes, innovative handle system, chemicals and polishers.

Companies up to 100 employees:

Winner: EEI Manufacturing Services, Clearwater, which designs and manufactures hardware for military applications.

Runner Up: Dyplast Products, LLC, Miami, a manufacturer of insulation products.

Companies up to 200 employees:

Winner: Southern Manufacturing Technologies, Inc., Tampa, which makes custom, precision machined components for the aerospace, aircraft and defense industries.

Runner Up: Aerospace Technologies Group, Inc., Boca Raton, a manufacturer of aircraft window shade systems, composite components aircraft interior panels, structural and acoustical liner kits and panel upholstery.

Companies with more than 200 employees:

Winner: Nautique Boat Company, Orlando, which designs and manufactures competition towboats for the waterski, wakeboard and wakesurf markets.

Runner Up: Beaver Street Fisheries, Jacksonville, produces seafood products, meat items, protein combination meals and condiments for retail and food service customers.

National companies with up to 500 employees:

Winner: Rayonier Advanced Materials, Fernandina Beach, a global leader in highly purified softwood cellulose specialties products.

Runner Up: UTC Aerospace Systems – Engineered Polymer Products, Jacksonville, which designs, manufactures, services and tests composites and urethanes for the defense and aerospace markets.

National companies with more than 500 employees:

Winner (TIE): Johnson & Johnson Vision, Inc., Jacksonville, which designs and manufactures medical devices to correct vision disorders; and

Winner (TIE): Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Ocala, which produces seekers and guidance sections, fire control optical/mechanical pods, power supplies, and electronic ground support equipment for Department of Defense customers.

Runner Up: Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, St. Augustine, which designs and manufactures high performance wire and cable, fiber optic cable, RF/microwave connectors, avionics trays, racks and integrated system and complex cable assemblies.

The winners were selected from among 28 award finalists; 120 manufacturers were nominated. FloridaMakes will feature the finalists in plant tours, webinars, and events that share best practices to benefit Florida’s manufacturing sector.

About the Governor’s Sterling Award
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. More at www.floridasterling.com.

About FloridaMakes
FloridaMakes is an industry-led nonprofit public-private partnership established in 2015 to improve the productivity and technological performance of Florida manufacturers and strengthen the state’s high-wage manufacturing sector.  FloridaMakes is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) and provides services through a network of Regional Manufacturers Associations and other partners to support Florida’s more than 20,000 manufacturers. Services are customized to meet the needs and opportunities of individual companies. FloridaMakes operates with support from the State of Florida, NIST and Florida’s manufacturers.  More at www.floridamakes.com.

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