At a luncheon held last Thursday, Gov. Nathan Deal named three of Georgia’s leading companies as the 2017 Manufacturers of the Year. King’s Hawaiian Bakery East, in Flowery Branch, Ga., won in the category of 500 or more employees; Great Dane Trailers in Statesboro won in the category of 150-500 employees; and Newnan, Ga.’s Grenzebach Corporation won in the category of 150 or fewer employees.
 
“We honor these winners for their excellence and for their contributions to our state’s economy and their local communities, said Gov. Deal. “Every manufacturer in the room is an important part of the fabric of manufacturing in Georgia that keeps us all working in the right direction, and I want to thank them for being part of what has made Georgia the best state in the nation in which to do business for the fourth consecutive year.”
 
“It really is an honor to be here,” said Mark Taira, CEO of King’s Hawaiian. “Georgia has something very, very special. It's got the 'aloha spirit,' and that means being a gracious host, sharing, kindness and collaboration. I would also like to thank Lanier Technical College and Georgia Quick Start. It was through their cooperation that we were able to build our bakery in seven months, a new record for us.”  
 
Brian Sage, Vice President of Manufacturing at Great Dane, commented, “We have deep roots in Georgia. We were founded in Savannah in 1900. In 1940, we developed the first refrigerated trailer in the industry.” Sage added, “We chose this location because of the community support, the partnership with the Ogeechee Technical College, and its strategic location. Additionally, Georgia Quick Start has been very helpful in the assessing and training of our workforce.”  
 
“It's a great honor to accept this prestigious award today,” said Martin Pleyer, Chief Operating Officer at Grenzebach. “We at Grenzebach are humbled to be recognized today. This would not have been possible without the great community that we live in – Coweta County. We are blessed there to have a school system, College and Career Academy, and a technical college that work tirelessly supporting the local industry.”
 
This is the 23rd year celebrating Manufacturing Appreciation Week in Georgia, which is staged by the Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Quick Start and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

This year’s sponsors included The Georgia Association of Manufacturers, The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Power, and HA+W | Aprio. Other exhibitors at the luncheon included APICS – The Association for Operations Management, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia’s Center of Innovation for Manufacturing, the Georgia Department of Labor, the Georgia Employers Association, the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance, Georgia Trend, Next Generation Manufacturing and the Technology Association of Georgia’s Manufacturing Society.
 
The event also included the presentation of scholarship awards to the winning entries in the annual MAW Student Design Contest, which promotes awareness of careers in manufacturing and the importance of that sector to the state and national economies.
 
In his proclamation declaring April 24-28 as Manufacturing Appreciation Week, Gov. Deal noted the tremendous contribution manufacturing makes to the state’s economic well-being. Approximately 10,059 manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia, according to the proclamation, and they provide roughly 386,600 jobs, generating nearly $20.3 billion in wages for Georgia’s citizens and contributing more than $100 billion to the state’s economy each year.