The Wood Industry Association (WIA) presented its 2024 Wooden Globe Awards at the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) in Atlanta during the Night at the Tabernacle event.
The Commitment to Excellence through Technology Award was presented to Greyloch; and the Educator of the Year Award was presented to Mark Smith of Reed-Custer High School, Crestwood, IL.
Commitment to Excellence Through Technology – Greyloch
The “Commitment to Excellence Through Technology” award recognizes companies that continuously invest in the most recent woodworking machinery technology. The recipients of this award are companies that provide a shining example that continued investments in high technology machinery provide the necessary competitive advantage to compete successfully in today’s global market.
Greyloch, which was founded in 1991 by Shaun and Dianne Fickes, is a family-owned business dedicated to crafting exceptional custom cabinets that transform any space. Their mission is to deliver the highest quality, handcrafted cabinetry that reflects the unique style and needs of each individual customer. The Wooden Globe Award was accepted on behalf of Greyloch by Harrison Fickes.
In 2023, Greyloch introduced their new 96,909 square foot advanced cabinet manufacturing facility located in Star, Idaho. The $44M project features a fully automated facility equipped with the latest technology manufactured by HOMAG. They efficiently create custom cabinetry for both residential and commercial projects in a facility designed to deliver the highest quality product while minimizing waste and product lead times.
The manufacturing line is designed to take sheet good materials to a completely assembled product boxed and ready for delivery. It is able to accomplish this production through state-of-the-art machines capable of cutting, edgebanding, drilling, and gluing. This process is able to maximize the yield of raw products through the optimization and reuse of off-cut material reducing the total amount of waste. With the new Sorteq sorting system, the line is able to cut, band, and store up to 2,500 cabinet parts ready for assembly. This allows Greyloch to maintain production at a consistent flow through the drill and assembly process keeping production times down and product moving to the customers sooner.
Educator of the Year
The “Educator of the Year” award acknowledges an instructor, educational institution, or company with a structured curriculum tailored to training individuals for careers in the woodworking industry. These recipients are advocates for the industry, and work to enhance the lives of others by sharing the opportunity and knowledge of the wood industry.
Mark Smith accepted the Educator of the Year award in recognition of his work for Reed-Custer High School in Crestwood, Illinois. Smith is an industrial arts teacher that has developed a curriculum that builds student interest in the industry and exposes them to the tools and methods used in modern woodworking. The curriculum at Reed-Custer High School offers coursework in Orientation to Technology; CAD 1, 2, and 3; STEM 1 and 2; CAD/CAM 1 and 2; and Production 1 and 2. These courses provide students credit toward their high school diploma, college credits, and Woodwork Career Alliance of North America credentials.
In addition to the curriculum, Smith works to expose his student to the industry through career days, manufacturing days, and attendance at industry events. He also has a broad network of supporters and contacts to connect students to future career opportunities.
