Four companies honored at Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission awards breakfast | VIDEO LINKS

ALBANY — Albany area business and community leaders gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Albany Wednesday morning as the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission presented its annual Industry Awards at a special Rise N Shine breakfast hosted by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce.

Each year during the organization’s Industry Celebration Week, the EDC presents four awards to four area companies that have made a significant impact in their industries and the community.

The 2015 winners were MillerCoors, Sasco Chemical Group, Thrush Aircraft and Central Monitoring.

“Every time our staff tours one of our existing industries I’m amazed at the innovation and resourcefulness employed everyday by our talented workforce,” EDC President Justin Strickland said as he prepared to present the awards. “I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, as an Albany native and as the economic development director here, I take no greater pride than when one of our existing industries chooses to expand in my hometown.

“Now you have a chance to see the incredible work being performed by four of our community’s existing industries.”

The first presentation, the Global Commerce Award, was given to MillerCoors. That award is based on a company’s primary market area, global exports over the past three years and percentage of export sales as a percentage of total sales. According to an EDC video about MillerCoors that was produced and shared by the EDC at the breakfast, over the past few years the Albany brewery has led the way in the company’s export business.

The Albany plant currently produces nearly 9 million barrels of beer, or 32 billion 12-ounce servings. Four million gallons are exported globally. The plant is responsible for 50 percent of the global exports within the MillerCoors’ North American network.

“About seven or eight years ago, we were exporting next to nothing out of Albany, Georgia,” said MillerCoors Vice President Tim Dill, who accepted the honor. “About one out of every six bottles or cans that come out of Albany now are exported product. We have been working on this for the past four or five years, but we’ve really gotten intense on it in the last year.”

The Economic Impact Award was given to Thrush Aircraft. The areas of focus for this award are the number of years in operation at current location, the company’s economic impact on the community/surrounding area, expansions in the last three years, jobs either created or retained, capital investment, and increased sales.

As evidenced in the EDC video about Thrush, the company met all of the criteria, thanks in large part to its recently designed plane that mostly will be used for surveillance and fire suppression. To handle production of the new plane, the company plans to expand in Albany, which is expected to have a $10 million economic impact on the community and create 100 new jobs. That would bring Thush’s employee base to nearly 300 people.

“We appreciate the city of Albany and the commission,” Thrush owner Payne Hughes said in his acceptance remarks. “We will not let them down.”

The Excellence in Innovation Award was awarded to Sasco Chemical Group. The criteria for that award includes work force excellence, breakthrough technology, innovative practices and procedures, clean energy programs, and environmental improvements.

According to information presented in the EDC video about Sasco, the company earned the award thanks to its longevity and its history of innovation, which continues today. Sasco is a third-generation-owned manufacturing company that has operated in Albany for 67 years. During that time, the company has continued to embrace an innovative culture which has lead to expansion and growth for the company.

Recently the company developed a breakthrough product for the engineered wood industry that has alleviated the industry’s historical issues with corrosion, adhesion release and cleanliness. Sasco CFO Paul Joiner, on hand to accept the award for the company, shared a little about the importance of innovation in Sasco’s future.

“I’m lucky to work for a company that realizes that the key to growth in manufacturing is positive innovation,” said Joiner. “The company’s gone through some growth over the past seven years and we hope to do that again over the next few years,” said Joiner. “We’ve got a research team of five chemists who spend 3-4 years at a time working on new chemistries for our existing customers and new customers.

“That’s a three- or four-year lead time, plus about one year scale-up time going into our new facility. That’s a substantial investment of both time and capital but hopefully it will pay off for decades to come. Thank you all so much for the honor. We’re proud to be a part of Albany’s growth.”

The final award presented was the EDC’s Good Life City Award for Corporate Community Citizenship. That award, which is based on a company’s community involvement programs, company invested volunteerism, civic involvement programs, and educational partnerships, was presented to Central Monitoring.

The EDC video about Central Monitoring, presented a company that has not only continued to grow over the past 30 years, but has also been a leader in community activism, providing in-kind services to area schools, churches and charities, along with countless employee volunteer hours. Most importantly, however, for the past nine years the company has conducted its One Warm Coat drive where it has collected over 13,000 coats for needy adults and children in the Albany area.

Accepting the award, Central Monitoring owner Judy Randle said she believed it was a company’s duty to both take care of its customers and its community.

“I believe one of the reasons that we have been as successful as we have is that we’re really concerned about our customers,” Randle said. “We believe that it’s important for us to give back and that our customers are both our neighbors and our friends, so when we see a need we try to do what we can to help with that need.

“Local industries are leaders in the community as a general rule and when they step up and support the community it’s an example for the community.”

After the presentations, Strickland again thanked the local industries. He also challenged to those in attendance.

“We are fortunate in Albany and Dougherty County to have the diversity and caliber of industries that we do,” Strickland said. “We have so many industries that do outstanding things for Albany and Dougherty County. My challenge to each one of you today as you leave here, is what are you doing to make Albany and Dougherty County great?”

Albany Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chris Hardy closed the program, offering his thoughts on the climate of business in Albany.

“Congratulations again to all the recipients of the awards this morning,” Hardy said. “It’s not only an honor to sit here and watch you be recognized, but its also an honor to call each and every one of you members of our chamber of commerce. We thank you not only for your support of our community, but of our chamber of commerce.”

Celebration of the four award winning businesses, along with all of the businesses and industries that create positive impact in Albany and Dougherty County will continue through the rest of the week, including during a Business After Hours set for 5 p.m. today night at Doublegate Country Club.

To learn more about the awards or the EDC, visit the organization’s website www.choosealbany.com. To learn more about the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, visit www.albanyga.com.