November 2018
F
rom start to finish, the 2018 MFG Excellence
Awards in East Lansing was a night for
manufacturers to build their legacy and inspire
others to go one step further.
The idea of legacy is important to so many
manufacturers. Whether you have built a business
from the ground up or are carrying on its tradition,
manufacturers are passionate about seeing their company
and their products live on long after they’ve gone.
How a manufacturer achieves their legacy varies
from one to the next. It can be the way they lead. It
can be how they create awareness of manufacturing
career opportunities, locate next generation workers
and provide training for the skills of tomorrow.
Some manufacturers establish a legacy with clever
innovation of new technologies while others look to
philanthropy and community engagement.
While most manufacturers don’t look for praise,
adulation or accolades; many are deserving of it.
Without the industry, Michigan’s economy and the
global economy would be far worse off.
The MFG Excellence Awards celebrates and
recognizes Michigan manufacturers for their hard
work and provides an opportunity to share their
stories with peers, supporters and those ready to
follow in their footsteps.
“If you think about it, there’re only three
industries that really better our economy,” said Harry
Leaver, executive director of the Central Michigan
Manufacturers Association (CMMA) and recipient
of the 2018 MFG Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Natural resources, agriculture and manufacturing.
Everything else provides a service for one of those three
sectors. That’s why I love manufacturing. It can
provide tremendously rewarding career opportunities,
not just for me but for everybody who is willing.”
Leaver continued by saying, “this is an industry
that rewards hard work and dedication. You don’t
have to be the brightest person in the room; you
only have to work the hardest and want it the most.
What do you want your legacy
to be when you are done?”
MiMfg Magazine
Honoring Lifelong MFG Leaders
The evening ceremony was highlighted by
Michigan manufacturers celebrating the awarding
of the MFG Lifetime Achievement Award to two
pillars of the industry.
Al Glick • Alro Steel
If any manufacturer in Michigan deserved a
standing ovation from a room full of industry leaders,
it was Al Glick. For 70 years, he has represented
Michigan manufacturing. From the values he sets
on the shop floor to the example he sets in the
community — the Glick family has given millions
back to a variety of charitable efforts ranging from
next generation skills training to pediatric care —
few have achieved what Al Glick has, yet he remains
more humble than almost anyone you’d meet.
“Any success Alro has had over the years hasn’t
been because of me, it’s because of the great people
that I’ve been fortunate to work with,” said Glick,
decked out in his University of Michigan cap.
“You don’t do this by yourself.”
Learn more about Al, from his father’s arrival in
Jackson in 1916 to the advice that changed his life
and what makes him deserving of the MFG
Lifetime Achievement Award, on page 32.
Harry Leaver • CMMA
Harry Leaver has worked in the industry for nearly
50 years, adapting and innovating processes which
remain in use around the world, before choosing to walk
away. As it turns out, once you’re in manufacturing,
it is hard to leave it behind. He was soon back at it,
now working with the Central Michigan Manufacturers
Association (CMMA) to help manufacturers and,
now in the latter stages of his career, work to give
back to current and future workers.
“What are some of the things I’ve learned,”
Leaver asked of himself. “Don’t be afraid to look
past where you are and past those intermediate
goals to what you want your end game to be.
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