Valley Industrial Association celebrates Chicago-area manufacturers with Spark Awards
Over 200 members of the greater Fox Valley manufacturing community gathered at Arrowhead Golf Club for Valley Industrial Association's 2023 Spark Awards.
The celebration was made more special with the association's celebration of its 120th anniversary.
Since the founding of the Valley Industrial Association in 1902, the group has grown from 16 to more than 200 members with one higher goal in mind: to learn from one another.
The Spark Benchmarking tool was developed so that companies could compare their best practices against one another in six categories: Culture, Innovation, Operational Excellence, Safety, Social Responsibility, and Workforce Development.
Attendees of the event received the chance to learn more about the Benchmarking process, celebrate the latest great news in manufacturing, and most importantly- build relationships with one another.
"The Spark Awards make us better every year," Aurora Specialty Textiles President Marcia Ayala said. "This proves the power of the awards."
In the large and small categories, respectively, 2023 Spark Award winners include Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. and Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. for Culture; Flexco and Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. for Innovation; Bison Gear & Engineering Corp. and Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. for Operational Excellence; Custom Aluminum Products, Inc. and Tek Pak Inc. for Safety; The Suter Company and MTH Pumps/MTH Tool Company Inc. for Social Responsibility; and Amsted Automotive and Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc. for Workforce Development.
New this year was the introduction of the GCAMP awards. GCAMP, or the Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, is VIA's philanthropic arm, creating awareness about manufacturing and connecting students and manufacturers to one another.
Joshua Canete of West Aurora High School received the 2023 Outstanding Manufacturing Student Award, and Alex Rodriguez of Oswego High School won the 2023 Outstanding Manufacturing Educator Award.
Dukane Precast accepted the VIA Spark Award, an honor recognizing outstanding improvement across each of the six Spark Award categories over a two-year period.
"We're lucky to share the joy of making stuff," Don Dardis, President of Dukane Precast, said during his acceptance speech.
The 2024 Spark Benchmarking Tool opens for member companies' use this coming October 2023.