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America Makes Executive Director Rob Gorham Receives the Business Advocate of the Year Award from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber

August 30, 2018 | Categories: America Makes News

Youngstown, Ohio — August 30, 2018. America Makes proudly announces that today Executive Director Rob Gorham was honored by the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber with its Business Advocate of the Year Award at its annual Salute to Business breakfast and award ceremony. The Regional Chamber presents the Business Advocate award to an individual or organization that has had a positive and significant impact on the development or advancement of a business in the Mahoning Valley.

“I am beyond honored to receive this year’s Business Advocate award from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber,” said Rob Gorham, America Makes Executive Director. “It means a great deal to me to be recognized for the impact that my efforts at America Makes are having on our local community. Our mission at America Makes is to increase domestic manufacturing competitiveness by accelerating the adoption of additive manufacturing technologies in the United States. It is very rewarding that our community is directly benefiting from our work and the many collaborations that have been fostered during the last six years. I want to thank the Regional Chamber for this honor and for all that they do to support and drive the Mahoning Valley’s economic success.”

James Dignan, President, Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber and Rob Gorham, Executive Director, America Makes

The Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber is dedicated to provide economic development, advocacy, and business services to promote the growth of its members and the Valley. The Regional Chamber is the single point of contact for all business-related services, coordinating local development efforts among the many organizations working to serve the business community.

For its Salute to Business awards, the Regional Chamber’s award committee suggests and discusses those individuals in which the committee feels have accomplished much in their business and their community during the year to receive recognition.

“We are honoring Rob this year because of his hard work and dedication as the Executive Director of America Makes,” said Kim Calvert, Vice President, Marketing & Events, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber. “The committee noted that Rob has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support to build the additive manufacturing supply chain for the Department of Defense, and along the way, has helped many local manufacturers become more competitive by applying additive technologies to their processes. Furthermore, with the America Makes Members Meeting & Exchange (MMX) conference being held in our community again this fall, Rob is not only showcasing the industry, but also enabling local businesses and the Youngstown-Warren area as a whole to shine in front of executives from companies across the nation.”

In addition to Mr. Gorham, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber also recognized the following individuals with awards:

Entrepreneur of the Year: Charles T. George, CEO, HAPCO

Nonprofit Professional of the Year: Penny Wells, Executive Director, Sojourn to the Past

Small Business Person of the Year: Tyler Harden, President, Exospec

Business Professional of the Year: Ryan Behenna, Vice President of Operations, Melt and Mill Operations, Arconic Engineered Structures

The Salute to Business event also featured Administrator Linda McMahon of The U.S. Small Business Administration as the keynote speaker and was sponsored by PNC Bank and Western Reserve Building & Construction Trades Council. It was held at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center in Youngstown.

For more information about America Makes or how to become a member, please visit the America Makes Web site at https://americamakes.us.

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About America Makes

America Makes is the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM), America Makes is the nation’s leading and collaborative partner in AM and 3DP technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources, we are working together to innovate and accelerate AM to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is the first Institute within the Manufacturing USA infrastructure and is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). For more information about America Makes, visit https://americamakes.us.

About NCDMM

NCDMM delivers innovative and collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness. NCDMM has extensive knowledge and depth in manufacturing areas—both commercial and defense—to continually innovate, improve, and advance manufacturing technologies and methodologies. Our experienced team specializes in identifying the needs, the players, the technologies, and processes to attain optimal solutions for our customers. We connect the dots. That’s the NCDMM methodology. NCDMM also manages the national accelerator for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP), America Makes—the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. For additional information, visit the NCDMM at http://ncdmm.org/.

About The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is a private, non-profit organization that provides leadership and business services to promote the growth of its nearly 2,600 members—representing more than 125,000 employees in the Valley. It offers its membership access to a range of benefits, from discounts on healthcare and workers’ compensation to networking opportunities at more than 100 events annually. As the lead economic development organization representing Ohio’s Mahoning and Trumbull counties, the Regional Chamber is the single point of contact for all business-related services, coordinating local development efforts among the many organizations working to serve the business community. For more information, visit the Regional Chamber at www.regionalchamber.com.