washington business
“ We didn’ t wait for the market or policy to catch up— we built the future of carbon capture,” said CEO Shane Johnson. finalists:
• Altek, Inc., Liberty Lake, thrives on complexity and innovation— engineering hydrogen furnaces and carbon fiber-strength plastics that drive change on the factory floor and in the community.
• Also in Liberty Lake, Premier Manufacturing’ s smart nesting system saves hours, cuts waste, and speeds production. The upgrade boosted throughput and helped teams hit tight deadlines for record growth.
“ We didn’ t wait for the market or policy to catch up— we built the future of carbon capture.”
— Shane Johnson, CEO, CarbonQuest, winner of the Manufacturing Excellence Award for Innovation legacy of leadership award— mike schwenk
For years, AWB has benefitted mightily from Mike Schwenk’ s decades of experience in technical and business management.
With nearly 40 years of leadership in corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, he retired as VP of technology deployment at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Schwenk twice chaired the AWB board— an unprecedented act of leadership and service. He helped revitalize the AWB Institute and led the launch of Washington in the Making 2040.
A longtime advocate for technology-based economic development, Schwenk has championed public-private collaboration to drive innovation, workforce growth, and regional prosperity across Washington and beyond. winter 2026 35