PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLA – On March 13, 2019, the South Florida Manufacturers Association (SFMA) announced its Runners-up and Finalists for their esteemed Employees and Manufacturers-of-the-Year Award. Forty-eight (48) employees and sixteen (16) companies from Miami-Dade County through the Treasure Coast were unveiled. Companies were judged on Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Measurement, Knowledge Management, Workforce, and Operations.
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) is proud to share that almost all of the winners for “South Florida Manufacturer-of the-Year” categories were Palm Beach County-based companies. HABCO of Boca Raton won the “Manufacturers 1-25 Employees”, Tellus Products of Belle Glade won the “Manufacturers 76-200 Employees”, and Lockheed Martin’s Rotary & Mission Systems of Riviera Beach won the “Manufacturers 201+ Employees”. Two Palm Beach County companies won the South Florida Employee-of-the-Year categories, which included S.V. Microwave of West Palm Beach for “Administrative” and Lockheed Martin of Riviera Beach for “Engineering and Information Technology”. The Nature’s Bounty Company of Boca Raton was a runner-up for the “Supervisory” category. SV Microwave was also a runner-up for the “Production and Supervisory” categories.
“From Boca Raton to Belle Glade, the winning companies demonstrate that manufacturing companies of any size can really thrive in Palm Beach County. The BDB congratulates the 2019 winners and is proud to have them call Palm Beach County home,” said Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board.
In fact, there are over 20,000 manufacturing jobs in Palm Beach County with average earnings exceeding $76,000. Palm Beach County’s diverse manufacturing cluster includes industries such as aviation, aerospace, engineering, and marine components, biomedical devices, pharmaceuticals, IT hardware and software, printing and construction products.
The South Florida Manufacturers Association selected finalists from among over 80 nominated companies. The SFMA plans to feature some of the finalists in webinars, plant tours, and events that share best practices to benefit Florida’s manufacturing sector.
“We are so proud of all our manufacturers throughout South Florida”, said Matthew Rocco, President of the South Florida Manufacturers Association. “Our nominees for employee-of-the-year represented the best and brightest our companies employ and our finalists for manufacturer-of-the-year demonstrated the strength of manufacturing in South Florida and what made the finalists among the elite.”
Click here to view the full list of the 2019 Runners-up and Winners.
About the SFMA’s Recognition of Excellence Ceremony: The South Florida Manufacturers Association each year hosts a Recognition of Excellence Ceremony that symbolizes distinction and celebrates excellence by honoring companies and individuals that excel through its Manufacturer-of-the-Year and Employee-of-the Year Awards. This year’s finalists represented an outstanding group of companies and employees that take pride in dedicating their resources and expertise to make manufacturing in South Florida second to none. Attendees also heard from the immediate, past CEO of General Electric Digital – Bill Ruh – as the keynote speaker. The keynote address was on a topic that affects all major industries: “Defining Digital Disruption.”
About the South Florida Manufacturers Association (SFMA): The SFMA has held the distinction of being the dedicated resource for manufacturers in South Florida since 1961 saving its members time and money through advocacy, networking and resources. SFMA prides itself on being member driven – creating new products and services as members’ needs change. The mission of the SFMA has remained constant though out its history: To Serve Manufacturers. The SFMA advocates for manufacturers across the South Florida Region covering 8 counties that include: Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee, and Indian River. This territory serves 6,000 manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.sfma.org.
About the Business Development Board (BDB): The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County is the official public/private economic development organization for Palm Beach County and Enterprise Florida. Founded in 1982 as a not-for-profit corporation, our primary purpose is to attract and retain new industry, business investment, high quality jobs and workforce development through corporate relocations, expansions and international trade. During the past five years, the BDB has assisted companies that have created more than 12,822 direct jobs with average salaries greater than $69,062, resulting in more than $777 million in capital investment to Palm Beach County and an economic impact that exceeds $6.87 billion. Additional information can be found at the BDB’s web site, BDB.org.
