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Five Manufacturers Earn Honors in John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award Program

5/20/2004

Five manufacturing leaders who have demonstrated perseverance in guiding their companies and a commitment to their communities have been recognized as the 2004 recipients of the John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award, presented by the Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA).

Facundo Bravo, chairman and CEO
of Uni Boring Co., Inc., of Howell,
and the 2004 John G. Thodis Michigan
Manufacturer of the Year Award
recipient in the Large Tier category,
poses with John “Mac” MacIlroy,
MMA president and CEO.

Facundo Bravo, chairman and CEO of Uni Boring Co., Inc.; Jay Dunwell, president of Wolverine Coil Spring Co.; Bill Henderson, president of Aircraft Precision Products, Inc.; Preston Means, president, and Emma Brooks, vice president, of Accu-Shape Die Cutting, Inc.; and Wes Smith, owner and president of E & E manufacturing, Inc. received 2004 Awards at MMA’s annual Legislative & Executive Reception Tuesday, May 11 at the Country Club of Lansing.

Bravo, the Thodis Award recipient in the Large Tier (more than 500 employees) category, has guided Uni Boring’s growth from 92 employees when it moved to Howell in 1992 to more than 1,200 today. The company’s sales have moved into the top tier of auto industry suppliers as well, approaching the $140 million sales mark.

Along with two other Hispanic business owners, Bravo invested millions of dollars in the 60-acre Hispanic Manufacturing Center in Detroit, creating 450 jobs in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood where unemployment once hovered at 25 percent.

Jay Dunwell, the Thodis Award recipient in the Small Tier (less than 500 employees) category, is the third generation leader of Wolverine Coil Spring Co., a Grand Rapids firm founded by his maternal grandfather in 1946. Dunwell is very engaged in Grand Rapids’ and Kent County’s education and workforce development system. Dunwell serves on the Kent-Allegan workforce development board, the Education Advisory Group, the workpaths.com advisory board, the Grand Rapids Chamber business and education council and has led the Manufacturers Council workforce development committee.

Jay Dunwell, third generation
president of Wolverine Coil Spring
Co., of Grand Rapids, received the
John G. Thodis Michigan
Manufacturer of the Year
Award in the Small Tier category.

In cooperation with The Right Place Inc. of Grand Rapids, Dunwell and Wolverine Coil Spring Co. undertook a brownfield redevelopment project on their original site in 2002 to create a modern manufacturing facility and enhance service to customers.

Bill Henderson, a finalist in the Small Tier category, helped his business recover from a major loss in business in early 2003 to secure new, more diversified customers. As president of Ithaca-based Aircraft Precision Products, Henderson is also an active advocate for the manufacturing industry, testifying before state and federal government bodies on issues of concern to industry.

Preston Means, president, and Emma Brooks, vice president, of Accu-Shape Die Cutting, Inc., also Small Tier finalists, have committed to growing their business in Flint. The two leaders have also demonstrated exceptional commitment to their workforce, including helping employees find better quality housing. The firm has carved out a niche in their industry by contracting with their customers for assembly, warehousing and distribution services to help ensure future growth.

In addition, Wes Smith, owner and president of E & E Manufacturing, Inc. of Plymouth, will be recognized with a Special Achievement Award for exemplary corporate citizenship. His company was the first automotive stamping plant in the nation to receive the STAR Award for occupational safety and health excellence from the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program. The firm also donated more than $100,000 to community groups last year and spends more than $600,000 annually with other local businesses.

MMA represents thousands of businesses and corporations throughout the state, which collectively employ 90 percent of Michigan’s industrial work force.

For more information, contact Jean Eggemeyer at 800-253-9039 ext. 543 or 517-487-8543. or Brad Ritter at 800-253-9039 ext. 542 or 517-487-8542

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