AWS Honors 2008 Image of Welding Award Winners at Welding Show in Las Vegas

The American Welding Society (AWS) announced its Image of Welding Awards winners who were honored in an award ceremony in Las Vegas on Monday, October 6, at 11:30 a.m..  The winners are listed in their respective categories as follows:

  • Individuals Category: Barbara Henon, Lisa Legohn, Clyde Shetler, Ray Wilsdorf, James Owens and Richard Bryant all served as an inspiration to their peers and continue to motiviate others in their field.
  • Educators Category: Jim Goetz, Roy Lanier, Lisa Legohn, James Owens, James Burnett and Ralph Young, for their outstanding dedication to welding educcation and providing high quality instruction.
  • Educational Facility Category: Bucks County Technical High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania; We-Mo-Co Welding in Livonia, New York; Odessa College Welding Training Center in Odessa, Texas; Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa; and Pima Coummunity College in Tucson, Arizona.  These winners all strived for excellence in enhancing their students' learning experience.
  • Small Business Category: The Advanced Science and Automation Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana, developed a virtual welding lab to teach welding at low cost; and the Westfield Steel Co. in Westfield, Indiana, supported welding education and donated steel for welding competitions.
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  • Large Business Category: A&B Process Systems in Stratford, Wisconsin.  The 25-year-old company has implemented community outreach for welders and promotional efforts at local state and national levels.

  • AWS Section Category: Tulsa and Western Carolina Sections both won the AWS Section category.  Tulsa Section performed extensive work on welder shortages, and Western Carolina's Bob Humphrey and Bob Fellers worked with support of local industries to revive the section.
  • Distributor Category: Rywal-RHC Ltd., founded by Robert Pyka. The company is receiving this award for its accomplishments in modernizing the Polish market, breaking barriers of socialist ideologies, and motivating teams into collaborative work.
The Image of Welding Awards ceremony is one of many events organized by AWS.  The Fabtech International and AWS Welding Show ran from October 6-8, 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and also featured a variety of seminars, conferences, professional and educational programs along with a Weld-Off competition.

2009 Image of Welding Awards will be announced at the Fabtech International and AWS Welding Show in Chicago this November.