FuzeHub, the statewide New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) center, announced the winners of the first-ever Millennials in Manufacturing Awards, which recognize young professionals who are driving innovation and growth for New York manufacturers.
“When reviewing the entries, we were excited to hear about so many young professionals who are helping manufacturers thrive in New York State,” said FuzeHub Executive Director Elena Garuc. “We created the Millennials in Manufacturing Awards to celebrate rising stars who are making an impact and expand statewide understanding of the career opportunities available in the manufacturing industry.
“As we mark Manufacturing Day 2019, we hope this year’s winners inspire more New Yorkers to pursue manufacturing careers,” she added. “Building a deeper bench of talented workers will help the industry grow faster and stronger.”
Nationwide, about 75 million Millennials work in the manufacturing industry. In New York State, manufacturers employ nearly 112,000 people ages 19 to 24 alone, according to Tooling U-SME.
Still, there’s a significant need for more skilled workers, as more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs are vacant today — and it’s estimated manufacturers will add 4.6 million manufacturing jobs over the next decade, according to Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.
A total of $25,000 in prizes were awarded through the Millennials in Manufacturing program. Two grand-prize winners received $2,500 awards. Additionally, 10 recipients earned $1,000 awards and 20 others received $500.
Grand-Prize Winners
• Dylan Broomfield, LC Drives, Design Engineering Manager – Potsdam
• Lauren Luranich, REDCOM, EMS Quality Engineer – Victor
$1,000 Winners
• Robert Aldi, Empire Medicinals dba Leep Foods, Production Engineer – Rochester
• Cristina Canavesi, LighTopTech Corp., Optical Engineer & President – West Henrietta
• Jason Ghyzel, Rochester Tool & Mold (Syntec), CNC Machinist – Rochester
• Corey Manahan, Optimax, Manufacturing Group Leader – Ontario
• Kyle Wood, Optipro, Optics Fabrication Manager – Ontario
• Tyler Bershad, Potsdam Sensors, Chief Product Engineer – Potsdam
• Dan Covey, ODL, 3D Printing Technician – Buffalo
• Matthew Chun, Zymtronix Catalytic Systems, Inc., Mechanical Engineering Lead – Ithaca
• Kenneth Skorenko, ChromaNanoTech LLC, Chief Technology Officer – Binghamton
• Brent Solina, MICROrganic Technologies, CTO – Castleton on Hudson
$500 Winners
• Matt Carey, Syntec Optics, Program Manager – Rochester
• Joseph Pecorello, Molecular Glasses, Laboratory Manager – Rochester
• Dustin White, Wordingham Technologies (Syntec), Set up/Programmer Level 1 – Rochester
• Eliot Giebel, Optimation, Piping Estimator – Rush
• Lee Kerwin, Buffalo Manufacturing Works, Additive Manufacturing Project Engineer — Buffalo
• Laura Marron, Curbell Medical Products, Quality Engineer – Orchard Park
• Sara Rudin, Tidy Tots Diapers, VP/CTO – Scotia
• Robert Elliott, Urban Leaf, Chief of Product – Manhattan
• Matthew Ferrell, Re-Nuble, Inc., Plant Scientist – New York City
• Max Babe, Steady Equipment, Master Tech – Brooklyn
• Colin Touhey, Pvilion, CEO – Brooklyn
• Alejandro McNab-Segarra, S&L Aerospace Metals, LLC, CNC / CMM Programmer – Flushing
• Courtney Armstrong, Diggs Inc., Head of Product Development – Long Island City
• Francesco Di Fiore, Little Bird Kitchen, Operations Manager – Plainview
• Josh Mirsky, Spectrum Designs, Lead Production Assistant – Port Washington
• Amy Ruiz, Monarch Metal, Inc., Fabrication Technician – Ronkonkoma
• Nicholas Torkos, Regent Tek Industries Inc., VP Operations – Shirley
• Ben Hogan, General Composites Inc., Production Systems & Machining Specialist – Willsboro
• Jack Mulvihill, Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings, Inc., Assistant Production Manager – Yorkville
• John Vercillo, Density, Inc., Technical Manufacturing Lead – Syracuse
FuzeHub will recognize the winners at the New York State Innovation Summit in Rochester October 7-8.
As the statewide NY MEP center, FuzeHub has worked with many of the employers of this year’s winners as well as other small- and mid-sized manufacturers to solve challenges by offering solutions that increase competitiveness and accelerate growth.