Cives Steel Company, Southern Division Named Manufacturer of the Year
Cives’ Thomasville, Ga., facility named 2016 Small Manufacturer of the Year at annual Governor’s Awards Luncheon
Atlanta, GA – April 2016: Gov. Nathan Deal yesterday named the Thomasville facility of Cives Steel Company, Southern Division the winner of the 2016 Manufacturer of the Year award in the category of Small Manufacturer (150 or fewer employees).
“The manufacturing arena is one that we take great pride in because it is one of those sustained elements of a state’s economy and of a nation’s economy,” said Gov. Deal. “In fact, we have seen some 511,200 new private sector jobs created in the state of Georgia [since 2011], and of that total, 40,600 of those have been in the manufacturing sector.”
“Congratulations to the winners, and to all of you who were in the running that may not receive the actual award, because you’re an important part of our economy as well,” Deal added.
“I’m proud to be here today to accept this award on behalf of all the people at Cives Steel Southern Division,” said Greg Orff, president and general manager of Cives Southern Division, upon receiving the award. “We truly appreciate the recognition, and I really look forward to taking this award and this honor back to our employees, because they’re who deserve this award.”
In a region known for its agricultural economy, Cives is a core piece of the Southeast’s steel industry, as well as one of the most successful structural steel and plate manufacturers in the country. The company has produced top-quality products for projects such as Turner Field and the Atlanta Airport, and its sustainable and stable workforce is exemplified in the company’s zero-layoff record.
Other winners included Athens’ Caterpillar, which won in the category of 500 or more employees, and Suniva, located in Norcross, which won in the category of 150-500 employees.
This is the 22nd year celebrating Manufacturing Appreciation Week in Georgia. The annual awards luncheon, held on April 21 in Atlanta, is the highlight of Georgia Manufacturing Appreciation Week, which is co-hosted by the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. This year’s sponsors included Georgia Power, the accounting and consulting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, Georgia Tech’s Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Georgia Association of Manufacturers.
In his proclamation declaring April 18-22 as Manufacturing Appreciation Week, Gov. Deal noted the tremendous contribution manufacturing makes to the state’s economic well-being. Nearly 9,456 manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia, according to the proclamation, and they provide 364,724 jobs, generating nearly $20.1 billion in wages for Georgia’s citizens and contributing more than $100 billion to the state’s economy each year.
The three winning companies were nominated by business and civic leaders and chosen for their excellence and contributions to the state’s economy and their respective local communities.