Palmetto Vision Awards Honor Superior SC Companies, Individuals

COLUMBIA, SC – On September 18, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce recognized superior companies that excel in the fields of manufacturing and diversity and honored South Carolina’s top human resources and community diversity professionals at the first ever Palmetto Vision Awards. The inaugural Palmetto Vision Awards Gala, presented by Jackson Lewis P.C., was a special night designed to spotlight business leaders who make South Carolina a great place to work and live.

 

Congratulations to the Winners!

 

Manufacturer of the Year (large), sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

BMW Manufacturing Company

Celebrating 20 years of automotive manufacturing in South Carolina, BMW Manufacturing has invested over $6 billion since arriving in Spartanburg. The plant currently produces the BMW X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X4 and X6 Sports Activity Coupes for customers in over 140 countries worldwide. BMW Manufacturing is in the midst of a $1 billion expansion to increase production capacity by 50 percent to 450,000 units annually by 2016. The company currently employs more than 8,000 and will add another 800 jobs by 2016. BMW Manufacturing will soon add a 5th vehicle model to the plant’s model mix strategy, the all-new BMW X7.

Through the BMW’s Scholars apprenticeship program, BMW allows students who are in manufacturing-related degrees to attend class full-time at local two-year community colleges while working part-time at the plant. Since 1996, the plant has contributed more than $35 million to numerous non-profit organizations in South Carolina communities. As a leader in corporate sustainability, BMW operates the largest hydrogen fuel-cell material handling fleet in the world (350+ pieces) and uses methane gas from a local landfill to provide half of the plant’s total energy requirements.

 

Manufacturer of the Year (small/medium), sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

MTU America, Inc.

In just four years, MTU America has invested $100 million and generated 300 jobs in Aiken, while successfully training students for careers in manufacturing. MTU America relocated its production facility from Detroit, Michigan to Aiken in 2010.

In 2012, the MTU Aiken Plant Apprenticeship Program launched with six high school juniors. In 2013 the company completed a $40 million R&D center and invested an additional $22.5 million in a new expansion project. MTU has been awarded the Carolina Careers Governor’s Award. The success of the MTU Aiken plant demonstrates the company’s commitment to improving not only the facility but also the surrounding community.

 

Manufacturer Partner of the Year, sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

South Carolina Technical College System

The South Carolina Technical College System includes 16 technical colleges strategically located across the state dedicated to making quality higher education affordable and accessible to citizens in South Carolina. It is the largest higher education system in the state serving more than a quarter million South Carolinians each year.

The SC Technical College System offers two internationally renowned programs dedicated to building the state’s workforce – readySC and Apprenticeship Carolina. readySC is the System’s flagship program and continues to be held as a model across the nation as a premier economic development recruiting and training program. Apprenticeship Carolina has grown the number of apprenticeship programs and apprentices exponentially and has been recognized as a national innovator and trailblazer.

 

Excellence in Community Diversity Award, sponsored by Nexsen Pruet, LLC

JoAnn Turnquist, Central Carolina Community Foundation

The Central Carolina Community Foundation is a $75 million organization that connects donors in the Midlands with the full spectrum of charitable and nonprofit organizations in their communities. Prior to joining the Foundation, Turnquist served as chief of staff for the Moore School of Business where her primary role was stewardship. She has been active in a number of non-profit organizations. She has served as a literacy tutor for 12 years and is a graduate of the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative.

 

Excellence in Workplace Diversity (small), sponsored by Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Greenville Chamber of Commerce

CAPACITY is the Greenville Chamber’s initiative designed to foster economic development through diversity and inclusion. The Greenville Chamber’s commitment to diversity is demonstrated through the integration of diversity and inclusion into all aspects of the organization including executive engagement, business strategy alignment, employee involvement, measurement of effectiveness, continuous improvement, business operations and infrastructure and sustainability planning.

Diversity and inclusion programs executed by the Greenville Chamber include Minority Business Resource Collaborate, Diversity Leadership Pipeline, Minority Business Accelerator, Diversity Recruitment Consortium, ACE Leadership Symposium, ATHENA Leadership Symposium, Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner and NETnight.

 

Excellence in Workplace Diversity (medium/large), sponsored by Nexsen Pruet, LLC

US Engine Valve

US Engine Valve’s mission is to model diversity leadership behaviors both at work and in life. The company is committed to attracting, developing and retaining a talented workforce to reflect the global business of the company. The company’s diversity initiative helps create a better understanding of the world in which we live, and the potential consequences when individual differences are not respected.

US Engine Valve’s main efforts focus on excellence in inclusion, workforce involvement and community involvement. In addition, its Diversity Council has an ongoing initiative to build a climate of mutual respect among all employees, regardless of individual differences.

 

Human Resources Professional of the Year, sponsored by Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Ralph Young, FN Manufacturing, LLC

Ralph Young has helped develop FN’s company culture of continuous improvement through employee involvement and personal accountability. Young enjoys speaking on topics which include: Changing Company Culture, Improving Employee Performance, Getting the Most from Employee Surveys and Reducing the Cost of Health Care.

Young has been actively involved in organizations such as the Midlands Education and Business Alliance, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Manufacturing Division and NDIA’s STEM Workforce Division. He is also involved in the Governor’s State Employee Code of Conduct Task Force, working with local high schools and twice hosting the National Convention of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge for a program at FN.

 

Other Honorees Included:

Company Honorees:

AgFirst Farm Credit Bank

Arbor One Farm Credit

Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A.

Lockheed Martin

Spartanburg Community College

Starbucks Coffee Company – Sandy Run

 

Individual Honorees:

Robyn Knox, SPHR, Southern Weaving Company

Jill Menhart, SPHR, VC3

Ed Parris, Phillips Staffing

Celeste Purdie, SPHR, Verizon Wireless