business backgrounder | industry
students make the spotlight brighter
High school, college and art students create videos and award plaques
for 2011 AWB Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
Thanks to a unique partnership between AWB and video production
programs at Gonzaga University and The Art Institute of Seattle, all
seven winners of the 2011 Manufacturing Excellence Awards were
featured in their own short video this year.
This was the first time AWB worked with students to create video
segments highlighting award winners, and the experiment proved to
be a huge success for everyone involved, said Anne Haller, director of
member relations and events for AWB.
The students gained valuable experience traveling to the companies, interviewing company leaders about what they do, and putting
together approximately 90-second video programs. They spent about
three hours at each location, interviewing and shooting footage.
The companies gained extra exposure for their award-winning
operations. The video segments were not only shown during the Oct.
11 award ceremony at The Davenport Hotel in Spokane, but they were
also linked to a press release about the awards and embedded in a post
on AWB’s blog, Olympia Business Watch.
And AWB gained a fun, dynamic element to the awards presentation.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the talent of our upcoming workforce while providing real-world experience for the students,” Haller said.
That wasn’t the only student contribution, either. AWB partnered
with Spokane’s Mead High School for the design and manufacturing
of the award plaques.
Two junior engineering students worked with instructors to come up
with a distinctive gear-themed design for the plaques, and then made
them by hand. Andy Arnold, engineering instructor, said they ended up
using every piece of machinery in the shop.
“It let them practice what we’ve learned, but in a real-world application,” Arnold said. “Plus they got to go to the award ceremony. They
thought it was pretty cool.”
As a result of the students’ hard work, this year’s Manufacturing
Excellence Award winners went home with some attractive hardware.
And the students walked away with their very own highlight reel.
Canyon Creek is your
one-stop source for cabinet
and closet systems, with a
custom solution for every
room, style and budget.
We’re pleased to be
recognized by AWB for our
innovation, commitment to
our community and
workforce excellence.
AWB 2011
Manufacturer of the Year
___________________
EPA Evergreen Award
___________________
WA State Governor’s Award
for Sustainable Practices
___________________
Selected for the 2011
Seattle Business Green 50 List
related websites:
2011 AWB Manufacturing Award videos: bit.ly/manufacturingvideos
The Art Institute of Seattle: www.ais.edu
Gonzaga Univers