37th Annual (2025) Manufacturer of the Year Finalists

Over 40 Wisconsin manufacturers were selected as finalists for the 37th Annual Manufacturer of the Year (MOTY) Awards.

The program highlights manufacturing as the state’s top industry, employing 1 in 6 Wisconsin workers and generating $73.7 billion in economic output each year. The finalists represent the diversity and power of Wisconsin’s manufacturing industry and its wide-reaching impact.

Four Grand Award winners will be recognized for their impeccable performance across all benchmarks. This year, the program organizers have also launched a Spotlight Award track to recognize specialized excellence in a specific benchmark. Spotlight Awards will be awarded in four categories: Business Resilience & Growth, Community Impact & Investment, Excellence in Product & Process Innovation, and Commitment to Workforce.

Grand Awards

  • Small Category (1-149 employees)
    • Blended Waxes, Inc. – Oshkosh
    • Endres Manufacturing Company – Waunakee
    • Lemke Industrial Machine LLC – Marathon City
    • Reader Precision Solutions, Inc. – Elkhorn
  • Medium Category (150-499 employees)
    • E.K. Machine Co., Inc. – Fall River
    • Eck Industries, Inc. – Manitowoc
    • Fraser Industries LLC – Superior
    • Gamber-Johnson LLC – Stevens Point
    • Inland – La Crosse
    • Redline Plastics – Manitowoc
    • Sentry Equipment Corp. – Oconomowoc
    • Steele Solutions – South Milwaukee
  • Large Category (500-999 employees)
    • Alto-Shaam, Inc. – Menomonee Falls
    • Bassett Inc. – Kaukauna
    • Bell Laboratories, Inc. – Windsor
    • Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. – Wausau
    • Robinson, Inc. – De Pere
    • The Lawton Standard Co. – De Pere
  • Mega Category (1,000+ employees)
    • Brakebush Brothers Inc. – Westfield
    • Eaton Corporation – Waukesha
    • Eli Lilly – Pleasant Prairie
    • Generac Holdings Inc. – Waukesha
    • M2S Group (Material and Science Solutions) – Appleton
    • Milwaukee Tool – Brookfield

Spotlight Awards

  • Business Resilience & Growth
    • AMPCO METAL Inc. – Sturtevant
    • Aries Industries, Inc. – Waukesha
    • Brakebush Brothers Inc. – Westfield
    • Custom Fabricating & Repair, Inc. – Marshfield
    • Dairy State Cheese LLC – Rudolph
    • E.K. Machine Co., Inc. – Fall River
    • Eck Industries, Inc. – Manitowoc
    • Everbrite, LLC – Greenfield
    • Imperial Industries, Inc. – Rothschild
    • Omnia Wood Products LLC (DBA Smokey Woods™) – Crivitz
    • Royle Printing Co. – Sun Prairie
    • VARC – Viroqua
  • Commitment to Workforce
    • Alto-Shaam, Inc. – Menomonee Falls
    • Gamber-Johnson LLC – Stevens Point
    • Kapco Inc. – Grafton
    • Kenosha Metal Products – Pleasant Prairie
    • Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. – Wausau
    • Royle Printing Co. – Sun Prairie
  • Community Impact & Investment
    • Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC – Arcadia
    • Drylock Technologies, Ltd – Eau Claire
    • Inland  – La Crosse
    • Kapco Inc. – Grafton
    • Radius Packaging – New Berlin
    • The Lawton Standard Co. – De Pere
    • VARC – Viroqua
  • Excellence in Product & Process Innovation
    • Drylock Technologies, Ltd – Eau Claire
    • IPMF, LLC (dba NaturPak) – Janesville
    • Spacesaver Corporation – Fort Atkinson
    • Spark Ops Metalworks LLC – Fond du Lac

Baker Tilly, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce sponsor the annual MOTY awards program.