STATE AND FEDERAL NEWS FOR ARIZONA’S MANUFACTURING COMMUNITY
If you’ve been following the Arizona Manufacturers Council (AMC) or participated in recent events, you know it has been a busy October and November. October kicked off Manufacturing Month, which celebrated the invaluable role Arizona’s broad and diverse manufacturing sector plays in our state. A special “Manufacturing Day” started things off with a tour of Phoenix manufacturer PING’s impressive facility, which occupies a full city block and employs nearly 800 people.
The month continued with site visits across the state, including Local Motors in Chandler, DIRRT in Phoenix, Sub-Zero in Goodyear, and McKee Foods in Kingman. From golf to 3D printing, from construction and refrigeration technology to food distribution, Arizona manufacturers are on the leading edge of innovation and this was their month to show off!
Manufacturing Month culminated with the annual Arizona Manufacturing Summit and Awards Luncheon. Local Motors took home the award for Excellence in Innovation and BAE Systems earned honors for Excellence in Sustainability. Manufacturer of the Year awards went to Four Peaks Brewing in the small/medium category, and Intel for large. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Manufacturing-themed activity continued in November with a sold-out Air Quality Conference, which the AMC hosted in conjunction with the Maricopa County Air Quality Department. The blitz of new federal regulations in this area gave presenters a variety of issues to address. Representatives from the Maricopa County Department of Air Quality, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and Environmental Protection Agency offered updates on a broad spectrum of policy issues affecting Arizona manufacturers. County Supervisors Hickman and Kunasek were also on hand to provide opening and closing remarks. Stay tuned for an AZ Chamber blog with more on this content-rich event.
One final item: as you begin your week, I encourage you to read this column by AMC Chairman Steve Macias. Steve’s knowledge, warmth, and character come through in this personal column, which highlights his earliest connections to manufacturing and why he remains optimistic about the future of manufacturing in Arizona and around the country.
Here at the AMC we are thankful to be engaged in the important work of making Arizona a place where manufacturers can thrive.
The Arizona Manufacturers Council is the leading manufacturing lobbying association at the state capitol and is the official state affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers.
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