Washington Business Winter 2020 | Washington Business | Page 9

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Call for 2020 Award Nominations
Now that the 2019 Evening of Excellence event has come and gone, it is time to
think about submitting your nomination for the 2020 Washington Excellence
Awards and Manufacturing Excellence Awards. Would you like to be recognized
for innovation? Do you know of a business that excels at entrepreneurship?
There are six categories for Washington Excellence Awards and four categories
of Manufacturing Excellence Awards, all inspired by AWB’s mission and vision.
Nominate a company you know or submit a nomination for yourself in one or
many of our 2020 awards. Categories include:
• Employer of the Year
• Entrepreneur of the Year
• Leading Environmental Practices Award
• Washington Achieve Award
• Washington Connect Award
• Washington Advance Award
• Green Manufacturing Award
• Operational Excellence Award
• Innovation Award
• Washington Hiring Our Heroes Award
• Excellence in Washington Family Owned Business Award
Manufacturing Week Bus Tour Generates
Headlines
The nomination form is online at awb.org/awards. Deadline is June 30, 2020.
AWB Webinar Series on HR and Employment Law
AWB is pleased to again offer its six-month HR and Employment Law webinar series
covering common employment law topics. The six sessions, which began in February
and continue one each month, offer the latest news and updates on common topics
like wages and hours, performance evaluations, accident prevention, intellectual
property protection and more.
Webinars allow you to sharpen your knowledge and skills from the convenience of
your home, office or on the go. Check the AWB events calendar at awb.org for dates
and details as they become available.
Holiday Kids’ Tree Lighting
Jayden Nelson, a 10-year-old from Lewis County
who is on a mission to raise money for Mary Bridge
Children’s Hospital, flipped the switch on the tree
at the state Capitol in December as part of AWB’s
annual Holiday Kids’ Tree Project.
Just before the tree lighting, AWB President Kris
Johnson presented checks totaling more than
$20,000 to rural fire districts on behalf of the AWB
Institute. The fire districts in turn distribute toys and food to deserving families during
the Christmas season.
The annual tree-lighting ceremony is the culmination of AWB’s annual Holiday Kids’
Tree Project. This initiative has raised over $430,000 since 1989 to help rural families
in need with gifts of food and toys during the holiday season.
AWB’s cross-state bus tour celebrating and highlighting the state’s
manufacturing industry completed its third-annual tour Oct. 2-11.
AWB members were featured prominently in media coverage all
over Washington during this year’s Manufacturing Week bus tour.
The manufacturing story received coverage from more than 20
media outlets.
Coverage of this year’s Manufacturing Week bus tour was also
featured on AWB’s own media products, including the Olympia
Business Watch blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts,
and Vimeo channel.
The bus tour visited nearly 40 employers in every corner of the
state, and covered nearly 2,500 miles over seven days. The mission
was to raise awareness of the state’s incredible manufacturing
sector, which produces about 12 percent of the state’s total
economic output and employs nearly 288,000 people.
If your business is one of Washington’s manufacturers and you
would like to be a part of our next Manufacturing Week bus tour in
2020, please contact us! Any manufacturer can participate ­— from
the smallest breweries to aerospace giants. The tour is meant to
better educate state leaders, future workforce members and the
general public about the variety of the manufacturing sector and
what it needs to continue to provide great, hands-on jobs. Contact
AWB’s Jacob Sodeman at 800.521.9325 for more information.
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