Does your company have a young professional who goes above and beyond and displays exemplary leadership qualities? Recognize their hard work by nominating them for PMMI's On the Rise Awards, produced by the Young Professionals Network. This program allows young professionals to further their professional development in packaging and processing, meet others in the industry, and learn more about PMMI. Nominations will be open from April 30 - July 15, so be sure to submit a nomination before the deadline and recognize a rising leader at your company!
Nomination Criteria:
- Must be 35 years old or younger by July 15, 2024.
- Employed by a PMMI member company for at least one year.
- List three examples of how the nominee impacted your business - i.e., improved processes, increased sales, creation of a new program, etc. These achievements can benefit any department of your company, from sales, to marketing, to engineering and more.
- List an example of how your nominee is further his/her career through professional development i.e., extra training or pursuing further education.
Nominators will be notified on August 2 if their nominee has been selected. All winners receive free registration to the 2024 PMMI Annual Meeting and Young Professionals Conference, airfare and hotel stay, an interview in OEM Magazine, and will be recognized during the Chairperson's Dinner at the Annual Meeting.
Learn more about the 2023 On the Rise Award winners below:
2023 Winners
Andrew Bates System Engineer JLS Automation
Andrew Bates has demonstrated meticulous attention to detail and technical aptitude. He wrote a custom routine to automate 60% of JLS’ 2D CAD Robot Height Analysis. He generated multiple two-hour-plus training courses about JLS core software technology. Andy also has an incredible aptitude for training. He volunteered as a mentor for an associate systems engineer, leading to the associate’s promotion to a full-fledged systems engineer. Andy was recently named as the primary systems engineer for the Integrated Systems Business Segment. These systems require integration with various other equipment suppliers, further broadening his knowledge of the industry.
Stacey Harimoto Senior Engineer FANUC America Corporation
Stacey Harimoto helped create simulations, demonstrations, and proofs of concept to show robotic capabilities to the customer, resulting in a large win of several robots. She participates in activities to promote the growth and hiring of young engineers by volunteering at college career fairs. Stacey is working toward obtaining her MBA at Penn State University and recently received her Project Management Certificate.
Michael Horth Senior Controls Engineer Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT)
Michael Horth is a consummate professional, skilled in controls and robotics automation and integration. He was instrumental in the development of company standards including the creation of software used to generate pallet patterns from the HMI screen. His thoughtful approach to system integration encourages users to grow in their skills, knowledge, and understanding of the efficiency gains realized through automation. Mike’s largest impact can be felt through his mentorship of other employees. He is patient and dedicated to seeing the team succeed. He has developed documentation and tips/tricks that the team can use to efficiently complete projects.
Jessica Juhasz Engineering Manager General Industry Applications, FANUC America Corporation
Jessica Juhasz has significantly contributed to the growth and development of the high-speed picking and packaging market for FANUC robots and automation. She became the high-speed picking application expert and led training initiatives for regional engineers and integrators to expand knowledge nationally. She developed several robotic demos to showcase new robotic products, software, key technologies, and emerging applications at key trade shows. Jessica served on a steering committee to help start FANUC America’s first employee resource group for women. She contributes to the employee growth of FANUC America by being a mentor to new hires/interns along with strong leadership in both Product and Engineering Management.
Becky Jurvis Senior Marketing Coordinator JHFOSTER
Since starting as marketing coordinator, Becky Jurvis quickly demonstrated incredible leadership qualities managing interns, vendors, consultants, and agencies, as well as collaborating with internal stakeholders during the company’s first experience at PACK EXPO International. Within a year, she was promoted to senior marketing coordinator because of her amazing project management capabilities, work ethic, attitude, and contagious energy. Becky added a fresh design and brand perspective that increased organic traffic by 80%, conversions by 50%, and generated over $15M in new business revenue. She helped increase JHFOSTER’s database from 60k contacts to over 120k in less than two years. She played an instrumental part in boosting morale throughout the company through her positive energy and kind gestures.
Naveen Nagarajan Industrial Engineer HSAUSA, LLC
Naveen Nagarajan has been an asset to HSAUSA and has significantly contributed to the growth of the company in many ways. He increased customer satisfaction and efficiency of the machine manufacturing process by over 80% through the implementation of several new systems he designed. This resulted in a significant reduction in costs and an increase in productivity. He developed an internal program for all sales team members to get trained in packaging/inkjet machinery and how to integrate them into a process in production facilities across the U.S. Naveen built a library of more than 5,000 parts that continues to be a platform for the development of HSAUSA’s core machinery. He is on track to become an engineering project manager soon and will have his own team of engineers to manage.
Kyle Seitel Vision Engineering Manager & Marketing Coordinator Norwalt
Kyle Seitel displays exceptional adaptability and leadership qualities. He seamlessly assumed the role of department manager, taking charge of operations and overseeing multiple projects concurrently. He initiated and guided the creation of a product line, the Norwalt Vue, which revolutionized the vision inspection industry. He led the successful development and execution of a dynamic LinkedIn campaign, collaborating closely with Norwalt’s website coding company to create a new logo and implement cutting-edge SEO techniques. Kyle actively pursues training in the latest 2D, 3D, and AI-based vision systems.
Ryan Swanson Applications Engineer Massman Companies
Ryan Swanson began his career as a design engineer, transitioning to applications engineering approximately three years ago. Since that time, Ryan has advanced the capabilities of applications in the following ways. He developed specific templates with standardized option costing, risk and inflation costing, as well as improving their usability and future referencing. He created a process and tool for reviewing and responding to customer machine specification documents. Ryan volunteers as a high school robotics team coach and offers summer enrichment programs to inspire kids to become interested in STEM.
Alex Torda Regional Sales Executive Accraply, Inc.
Alex Torda has helped develop channel partner relationships with key integrators, automation companies, and engineering firms. These relationships have allowed other customers to bring opportunities to Accraply, despite not interacting with the end user. The growth within this network has allowed Alex’s territory to bring more business to Accraply. He took over a historically low-revenue territory and over the last two years, grew revenue by 35% year over year. He netted the highest quote-to-close ratio on the Accraply team.
Jacob Wall Packaging Engineer Manager PPC Flexible Packaging
Jacob Wall excels at his partnership with PPC’s sales team and customers. He leverages his extensive technical knowledge base and translates this for customers in an easy-to-digest and actionable way. Jacob plays a critical role in PPC’s trialing process related to sustainability. He guides customers about potential sustainable solutions and navigates the features and benefits of each. Jacob leads a team of four packaging engineers, has a quiet, yet confident demeanor, and is excellent at working cross-functionally within the internal network. He is a Certified Solidworks Associate (CSWA) and is completing the Project Management Professional Certification.
