July
29, 2009
Contact: Jocelyn A.
McCabe, APR
Vice
President, Communications
Office:
360.943.1600 ext. 1019 or Mobile: 360.870.0164
JocelynM@awb.org
AWB announces
new Institute director
OLYMPIA - The Association of Washington Business has named Grant Gilmore the new executive director of the AWB Institute, an affiliate nonprofit that promotes workforce development and education. He began work with the Institute on July 23.
Gilmore has broad experience in the manufacturing sector implementing operational enhancements like Lean, Six Sigma, 5's Theory, supply chain management, process controls and value engineering for manufacturing production processes' and quality assurances. Earlier in his career, Grant was a NDT&E Specialist (Non-destructive Testing and Evaluation) that managed the compliance of large federal and state infrastructure projects throughout the United States. Over the last 12 years, he has lead teams in the manufacturing, home building and infrastructure sectors and was most recently director of the Northwest Manufacturing Alliance, a five-county alliance affiliated with the Thurston County Economic Development Council.
"Grant brings a wealth of real-world experience in manufacturing and construction management, as well as a proven ability to bring groups together," said AWB President Don Brunell. "He understands what businesses need to become more efficient, and he can work with others to quickly bring about change. These kinds of skills are particularly important now as Washington struggles to emerge from this recession," Brunell added. "We need to help the state's businesses and workforce identify new technologies and receive the necessary training to take advantage of them."
The AWB Institute was founded in 2001 to focus on improving the state's workforce. It focuses on an array of human resource and employment issues, including workforce development and education, workplace safety, environmental compliance and competitiveness.
Mike Hudson, the Institute’s founding director, will continue on as project manager.
Gilmore received a specialty degree in nondestructive testing from the College of Oceaneering in Los Angeles, now known as the National Polytechnic College of Science. He and his wife live in Lacey.
To learn more about the AWB Institute, visit www.awbinstitute.org.
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About the Association of Washington Business
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 6,600 members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.
