Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards

14th Annual Excellence Awards

The Excellence Awards celebrates industry and education partnerships in the region.

This year marks the NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s 14th annual Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards. The Alliance works collectively to attract, develop, and retain the highly-skilled workforce critical to the manufacturing industry in northeast Wisconsin. Since its inception in 2006, the Alliance has grown to over 300 members, with manufacturers partnering with educational institutions, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, economic developers, and nonprofit agencies. 

The Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards celebrate regional industry and education partnerships. Over the past 14 years, over 500 schools, manufacturers, and community partnerships have been nominated. This is just a small snapshot of examples exemplifying the strong partnerships between manufacturers and education.

The 14th annual NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s “Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards” is being held on October 28, 2025, at the Resch Expo in Green Bay. 

Nominate a worthy school, educator, or manufacturer in Northeast Wisconsin. Nominations open May 1, 2025 to June 6, 2025. Winning schools enjoy a $500 cash award and region-wide recognition!

Congratulations to the 2024 Award Winners!

2024 EDUCATION AWARD WINNERS

Brighter Image – Oconto Falls High School

Career Pathmaker – Administrator – Dirk Ribbens, Ashwaubenon High School

Career Pathmaker – Educator – David Gordon, CESA 7

Career Pathmaker – Tech Ed Teacher – Jeremy Hodkiewicz, Shawano School District

Education Innovation – Wrightstown Community School District

 

2024 MANUFACTURER AWARD WINNERS

Brighter Image – Pierce Manufacturing

Educational Partnership – Gulfstream

Leadership – The Village Companies

Visionary – Jake Schulz, Therma-Tron-X, Inc.

Youth Apprenticeship – Sargento Foods

 

2024 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP WINNER

Community Partnership – MFG 4.0 Business Education Partnership and Collaboration 

(Sargento Foods, Masters Gallery Foods Amerequip Krier Foods, Kiel, Elkhart Lake, Random Lake and Oostburg High Schools).

2024 All Star & Mentor Winners

We will also be recognizing the 2024 All Stars at the event.  Companies that have an employee being recognized are:  Fiberglass Solutions, Fincantieri Ace Marine, Georgia-Pacific, Hart Design & Mfg., KI, Marion Body Works, Nature’s Way, Nicolet Plastics and Nueske Applewood Smoked Meats.

Manufacturing Award Winners
Partnership Award Winner
Education Award Winners

The 11th Annual Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards

The Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards celebrates regional industry and education partnerships.

The 2022 Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards dinner was held on October 25th at the Resch Expo.

Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners in 2022!

The Fall 2022 Awards dinner was held on October 25th at the Resch Expo. To continue with the tradition of spotlighting best practices, this Excellence Awards publication was created. Proceeds from the sponsorships are directed to the NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s Scholarship Fund, Inc. In total, the Alliance has given over $475,000 in college scholarships.

2022 Manufacturing Awards
  • Brighter Image
    • SMT Machine & Tool
  • Educational Partnership
    • Amcor Cares Foundation
  • Leadership
    • CMD Corporation
  • Manufacturing Innovation
    • AriensCo
  • Visionary
    • Ryan Scherer, Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
  • Youth Apprenticeship
    • A to Z Machine Company, Inc.
2022 Educator Awards
  • Brighter Image
    • Manitowoc Lutheran High School
  • Career Pathmaker Administrator
    • Jason Johnson, N.E.W. School of Innovation
  • Career Pathmaker Educator
    • Kari Mueller, CESA 6
  • Career Pathmaker Technology Education Teacher
    • Jon Larson, Little Chute School District
  • Education Innovation
    • Appleton East – Tesla Charter School
  • Higher Education
    • Mary Hansen, Fox Valley Technical College
  • Manufacturer Partnership
    • Waupaca School District
2022 Community Partnership Award

Wisconsin Technology Education Association

2022 All Star & Mentor Winners Represent
  • TIDI Products
  • KI
  • Samuel Pressure Vessel Group
  • Suburban Enterprises
  • ATI
  • VIP, Inc.
  • Heartland Label Printers
  • Plexus Corp.
  • Rockline Industries/Maryland Logistics
  • HUI
  • MillporeSigma
  • EMT International