AWB Names Vaughan Co. 2021 Manufacturer of the Year
The Association of Washington Business honored Vaughan Co. of Montesano with their 2021 Manufacturer of the Year Award.
AWB President Kris Johnson presented the award to company officials Friday afternoon during the first day of AWB’s 2021 Manufacturing Week bus tour.
“The Vaughan Co. exemplifies the spirit of innovation and problem-solving that drives Washington manufacturers,” Johnson said. “Someone saw a problem and found a way to solve it. More than 60 years later, the company employs third- and fourth-generation family members and remains the industry leader.”
AWB’s Manufacturer of the Year Award is given to a company that has a commitment to manufacturing excellence, has found creative solutions to challenges, as well as involvement in public policy that impacts manufacturers.
Finalists for the 2021 award included:
- Jubilant HollisterStier, Spokane
- Polymer Industries, Tacoma
The award presentation was among the highlights of the first day of AWB’s fifth-annual Manufacturing Week tour.
The day started at Alaska Airlines in Seattle and continued to Vaughan Co. in Montesano, Heritage Distilling and South Puget Sound Community College in Tumwater, and Capital High School in Olympia.
Vaughan Co. founder Jim Vaughan invented the world’s first “chopper” pump in 1960 to prevent the pumps at local dairy farms from clogging and breaking down. His breakthrough led to dozens of patents and formed the foundation of a company that now employs 115 people and sells products in 92 countries around the world.
“AWB’s Manufacturing Week bus tour is a celebration of Washington’s manufacturing sector and everything built in Washington,” AWB President Kris Johnson says. “We’re excited this year not only to visit with manufacturers and highlight the good jobs they provide, but also talk about what it will take to meet the state’s goal of doubling Washington’s manufacturing jobs base in the next 10 years.
According to AWB;
- Washington’s manufacturing sector produced more than $65 billion in economic output in 2019.
- Manufacturing has a big impact on Washington’s working families and communities, too.
- The sector employed 305,000 people 7,853 manufacturing firms in 2019.
- The average compensation was more than $81,000 per year.
“Many of these jobs offer training and career opportunities without a traditional four-year college degree and are popular with those seeking to avoid student loan debt.”
Friday’s tour covered King County, where more than 105,000 people work in manufacturing jobs that pay more than $94,000 a year.
The tour also covered Grays Harbor County, with more than 2,600 manufacturing jobs, and Thurston County, with 3,000 jobs.
Follow AWB’s 2021 Manufacturing Tour on AWB’s website, Twitter or Facebook.
For high-resolution photos from AWB’s Manufacturing Week tour, including print-quality photos from each tour stop, visit AWB’s Google Photos account.
