Day 1 opened with remarks from NCMEP and Business NC, followed by an economic outlook keynote from Jim Reichard of Bank of America. Breakout sessions tackled workforce strategies, operational growth through EOS, and federal export financing support. The evening featured the NC Manufacturing Leadership Awards, honoring seven outstanding manufacturers for innovation, workforce development, sustainability, and leadership.
2025 Award Recipients:
- Bharat Forge Aluminum USA, Inc. (Sanford) – Manufacturing Excellence Award
- Ketchie, Inc. (Concord) – Advanced Talent Management/Workforce Development Award
- Equilibar, LLC (Fletcher) – Community Outreach Award
- Fjord, Inc. (Burlington) – Manufacturing Innovation Leadership Award
- Core Technology Corporation (Greensboro) – Manufacturing Leadership Award for Developing Markets and Economic Development
- Fibertex Personal Care (Asheboro) – Sustainable Manufacturing Leadership Award
- We Pack Logistics (Southeastern N.C.) – Continuous Improvement Manufacturing Leadership Award
Day 2 kicked off with a panel on AI’s role in manufacturing, moderated by NC State’s Adrianne Kroll. Industry leaders discussed AI integration, cybersecurity, employee retention, succession planning, and the value of community partnerships and engineering internships. The conference closed with an inspiring keynote from Lindsey Crisp of Carver Machine Works on building lasting employee engagement.
Special thanks to all our sponsors and our two inspiring keynote speakers!
Stay tuned for more photos from the two-day event!
