The Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA) today announced the winners of its annual Ovation Awards, highlighted by Uline Inc., which was named the 2016 Business of the Year.
The Ovation Awards recognize top performing Kenosha County businesses and business leaders that also support the community. The award winners will be recognized at an event on Thursday, Nov. 3, from 4:30-8:30 p.m., at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. BizTimes Media is a partner with the event. For more information, or to register, click here.
Uline moved its corporate headquarters from Waukegan, Illinois, to Pleasant Prairie in 2010 building a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center and a 276,000-square-foot office building. Now the company is in the middle of a major expansion of the company in Kenosha County. The company completed a second 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center on its headquarters campus earlier this year and is building a second corporate office building, with 284,260 square feet, there. It is also building an 800,000-square-foot distribution center and a 60,000-square-foot office building in Kenosha.
Other Ovation Award winners:
Partners in Design Architects, Inc. is the 2016 Small Business of the Year. Partners in Design Architects is a full-service architectural firm based in Kenosha. Major local projects include the LakeView RecPlex, Riley Construction, numerous Gateway Technical College projects, the Sturtevant Amtrak Station, and many of the buildings in LakeView Corporate Park.
Bob Lee Jr., CEO of Lee Plumbing Mechanical Contractors, Inc., was chosen as the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year. Under their leadership, Lee Plumbing has grown significantly, adding commercial and industrial plumbing, HVAC and electrical work which has expanded its customer base.
Fast Five:
The Fast Five awards spotlight up-and-coming companies that have made a significant, recent economic impact in Kenosha County. Recipients of the Fast Five recognition in 2016 are:
- Bone Dry Products, which offers solutions for concrete moisture issues as it relates to wood flooring installations., and is based in Kenosha
- Cordeck, a full-service manufacturer of corrugated steel deck, In Floor Cellular Raceway Systems, flashing, trim and other building construction accessories, based in Kenosha.
- Leeward Business Advisors, IT consultants providing enterprise-grade technology solutions and business advisory services, based in Kenosha.
- MedTorque, which manufactures medical instruments for the orthopedic industry and provides engineering expertise and consultative services to their customers, ranging from design to development to production, and is based in Kenosha.
- Regulatory Compliance Associates Inc., which provides advising and consulting services for FDA-regulated industries including pharmaceutical, biologics and medical devices, and is based in Pleasant Prairie.
The Ovation Awards were formerly known as the Kenosha County Business Excellence Awards. The program began in 2005 and was previously hosted collaboratively by KABA and the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce. The award selection committee that chose this year’s honorees includes previous award winners; representatives from the staff and board of directors of KABA, and BizTimes Media; as well as representatives from UW-Parkside, Gateway Technical College and Carthage College.
