COLUMBIANA, Ohio – For the second year in a row, Humtown was honored by the National Association of Manufacturers for its efforts to inspire the next generation of workers.
Humtown won the 2025 Manufacturing Leadership Award in the Collaborative Ecosystems category. The 2025 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala was held June 18 in Marco Island, Fla.
The NAM awards recognize excellence and innovation across the industry. Finalists and winners are selected by a panel of judges with significant industry expertise and experience.
The award marks Humtown’s second consecutive national recognition from NAM. In 2024, the company was recognized in the category of Transformational Business Cultures.
Humtown’s initiative, Where Education and Manufacturing Unite to Empower Next-Gen Industrial Athletes, has created a dynamic ecosystem of collaboration across education, industry and community partners.
Over the past three years, the company has connected more than 1,000 students across northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania with hands-on manufacturing experiences – both through on-site student-led tours and in-school career exploration programs.
“When we see young adults as emerging industrial athletes, blending classroom learning and real-world experience, they begin to discover what truly sparks their interest and, just as importantly, what doesn’t,” said Mark Lamoncha, president of Humtown, a member of the Ohio State Board of Education and a board member of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Interest becomes the gateway to purpose, which fuels passion and engagement. This is how a young person moves from choosing a job they ‘have to do’ to finding meaningful work they ‘want to do’ – work they love and can engage with for a lifetime.”