McGladrey Announces North Carolina Manufacturer of the Year Winners

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Sept. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- McGladrey LLP, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, along with Fifth Third Bank and the North Carolina Chamber, are pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 North Carolina Manufacturer of the Year award.

"This was the second year of the award and we continue to be impressed by the quality of the nominations submitted," said Steve Menaker, McGladrey's Southeast region industrial products practice leader. "The successes shared with us by various manufactures across North Carolina combined with the optimism for growth prospects reported in the 2013 McGladrey Manufacturing and Distribution Monitor (http://mcgladrey.com/Manufacturing-and-Distribution/2013-Manufacturing-and-Distribution-Monitor) prove to be encouraging as the industry moves forward in a recovering business environment."

As one of the larger manufacturing states in the country, nominations for the award included numerous high-caliber manufacturers across North Carolina. Winners were selected in each of three categories:

Small manufacturer (up to $25M)
Aquanomix, LLC, was named the winner in the small manufacturer category. Based out of Davidson, N.C., Aquanomix designs treatment skids engineered to filter and disinfect harvested rainwater, greywater, foundation, storm and process for reuse as cooling tower, toilet, and irrigation makeup water. Aquanomix skids feature a controls system to monitor onboard diagnostics and integrate with an existing building management system. The company has experienced significant growth over the past year and secured a national distribution channel covering the United States and the Ontario Province of Canada.

"Aquanomix is proud to be recognized as N.C. Manufacturer of the Year," said Kristin Mullane, Partner, Aquanomix. "We are humbled to share this achievement with Parata and Lenovo. Our unwavering commitment to North Carolina is demonstrated by our dedicated team members who strive for excellence daily. We are determined to redefine manufacturing in North Carolina through innovative technologies and our passion for the environment; thus preserving our resource rich state. We wish to thank McGladrey, Fifth Third Bank, and the North Carolina Chamber for this award."

Honorable mentions included GreenWave Scientific Inc. (Raleigh, N.C.) and IMPulse Inc. (Mount Olive, N.C.).

Mid-size manufacturer ($25M-$250M)
Parata Systems, LLC, was named the winner in the mid-size manufacturer category. Parta is headquartered in Durham, N.C. The company is a leading provider of pharmacy automation, dispensing technology and medication management solutions to improve safety, efficiency, medication adherence and customer experience. They have filled more than 2.5 billion prescriptions and helped pharmacists avoid an estimated 20 million medication errors. By accurately anticipating the need to support medication adherence in an evolving health care reform market, Parata was first to introduce its new strip packaging system product for the Long Term Care market. Now it is in pilot with multiple large national pharmacy chains and has been selected as the vendor of choice for one large national chain.

"We are very excited and proud for Parata Systems to be named North Carolina's Mid-sized Manufacturer of the Year," said Tom Rhoads, Parata CEO. "Community partnerships have supported us in the growth of lean manufacturing where our people and their vested interest are our greatest assets."

Honorable mentions included ATI Automation (Apex, N.C.), Stabilus Inc. (Gastonia, N.C.) and TharpeRobbins Company (Statesville, N.C.)

Large manufacturer (more than $250M)
Lenovo was named the winner in the large manufacturer category. With a headquarters in Morrisville, N.C., Lenovo is the largest PC maker worldwide and an emerging PC Plus (PC+) leader – serving customers in more than 160 countries. In manufacturing, Lenovo led the way among the PC companies by bringing back computer manufacturing to the United States specifically to North Carolina and Guilford County – to its Whitsett U.S. Manufacturing and Fulfillment Center. Building on Lenovo's rich history of technological breakthroughs, the company is investing more than ever in innovation that differentiates its products and sets the standard for quality, reliability, style and speed.

"We are extremely honored to receive this award. Lenovo not only brought tech manufacturing back to the U.S.—we brought it back to North Carolina," said Jay Parker, President, Lenovo North America. "We're invested in this state, creating jobs and continuing innovation. There's a North Carolina flag on every system that ships out of our Whitsett facility as a sign of our commitment."

Honorable mentions included Keihin Carolina System Technology, LLC (Tarboro, N.C.) and Lord Corporation (Cary, N.C.).

About Fifth Third
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $121 billion in assets and operates 18 affiliates with 1,325 full-service Banking Centers, including 104 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,440 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 28% interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2013, had $318 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $27 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® National Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

About the North Carolina Chamber
The North Carolina Chamber is a nonpartisan business advocacy organization that works in the legislative, regulatory and political arenas to proactively drive positive change to ensure that North Carolina is a leading place in the world to do business. Strengthening the state's ability to attract, retain and grow jobs is the Chamber's highest priority. Central to that effort are four "Pillars of a Secure Future" for North Carolina which include Education and Talent Supply, Business Climate, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Infrastructure and Growth Leadership. For more information, visit www.ncchamber.net.

About McGladrey
McGladrey LLP is the leading U.S. provider of assurance, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, with more than 6,700 people in 75 cities nationwide. McGladrey is a licensed CPA firm and serves clients around the world through RSM International, a global network of independent assurance, tax and consulting firms. McGladrey uses its deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of clients to help them succeed.