Jackson Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Local Manufacturer At 104th Annual Meeting

EverLast® Lighting Named Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 BRICK Award Recipient

JACKSON, MICHIGAN – January 28th, 2013 – The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce hosted its104th Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 24^th of this year.  In front of an audience of over 500 people; a select few Chamber members were presented with a myriad of awards including the Ambassador of the Year, Brick, Entrepreneurial Vision, Athena and Small Business Person of the Year.  EverLast® was honored with the prestigious Brick Award.  The event began with the awards presentation in the auditorium followed by a Gala reception in the newly renovated Robert Snyder Dining Commons.  

The Brick award honors the owner of a building who has substantially upgraded the physical façade and facilities by improving the interior and/or exterior of an existing building within the last three years, or honors the owner of a new build that has occurred in the last three years.  The owner must be a Chamber member.  “We are honored to award EverLast® for the work they have done by not only creating a building that is beautiful and “green”, but for investing in the Jackson Community through their time, energy and money,” said Mindy Bradish-Orta, President of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.

The 72,000 sq. ft. building completed in April of 2010 allowed EverLast® to begin manufacturing a variety of energy-efficient induction light fixtures.  “The building is a huge statement because it practices the energy efficiency that the brand preaches by having so many “green” features,” commented Michael Nevins, CEO of EverLast® Lighting.  Several of the building's "green" features include: geothermal heating and cooling; solar/wind powered hybrid parking lot lighting; recycled energy-efficient window glass; bamboo walls; pervious concrete that absorbs rainwater and filters it back through the watershed; daylighting controls; and solar tracking skylights that track the sun throughout the day to capture more of the suns usable light by reflecting light that would be otherwise lost when the sun is low in the horizon.

In addition, the building was built on a Brownfield Redevelopment site which is unique and also rare because Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use.  As a result, Michael Nevins received a business growth loan from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in support of the construction of the building.

In regards to business growth, the building has allowed EverLast® the room to create more than 30 jobs in the past two years.  The facility qualifies as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. LEED is a green-building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000.

The previous EverLast® manufacturing facility was converted to a fabrication plant to manufacture fixture components.

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About EverLast® Lighting:  EverLast® Lighting, Inc. is a sister company of Full Spectrum Solutions, Inc. and has quickly grown into the leading manufacturer of energy-efficient lighting solutions for roadway, parking structure, facility and area lighting applications. For additional product information, visit www.everlastlight.com, call 888-383-7578 or send an email to info@everlastlight.com.

For press inquiries, contact Kyle Leighton at 517-783-3800 ext.231 or email at kyle@everlastlight.com. 

If you would like to support EverLast®, please follow EverLast® on Twitter or visit them on Facebook.

JAMA Recognizes Students, Educators, and Manufacturers At 76th Annual Meeting

EverLast® Lighting Named JAMA’s 2012 Jackson Area Manufacturer of the Year

JACKSON, MICHIGAN – January 16^th, 2013 – For 75 years the Jackson Area Manufacturer’s Association (JAMA) has held an Annual Meeting to discuss key manufacturing issues while recognizing students, educators, and manufacturers in the Jackson community for outstanding achievement.  This year the Jackson Area Manufacturer’s Association held their 76^th Annual Meeting on January 7^th, 2013 and recognized EverLast® with a prestigious award.

“We’re proud of Jackson, and how we’ve been able to contribute.  Furthering Michigan’s economy and Jackson’s economy is at the top of our list,” commented Michael Nevins, CEO of EverLast® Lighting.  “When Bill Rayl contacted us to let us know that we were Jackson’s 2012 Manufacturer of the Year, I felt like our efforts were appreciated.”

Each year, the awards program criteria outlines that an individual must have owned or principally operated a JAMA member manufacturing business for more than five years and must have demonstrated a measurable positive impact on operations over at least a three-year period. Outside of their company doors, the individual must be looked upon as a model of success in manufacturing by his/her peers and additionally must be a contributor to the success of the local community beyond the company’s economic impact through school involvement, volunteerism, or other community organization support.

The dinner event and awards ceremony brings Jackson manufacturing to the forefront and provides a great networking opportunity for those involved.  There was an exceptional attendance and overwhelming support from the manufacturing community as there were nearly 350 Jackson area manufacturing representatives in attendance.   

  

EverLast® was presented with the award in the later part of the evening held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.  The event was held at the Jackson Country Club in Jackson and featured an address by the Executive Director of JAMA, Bill Rayl, and a keynote presentation by Gus Whalen, Chairman of the Warren Featherbone Company.

 

In addition, Bill Rayl announced the JAMA Board Members and Executive Committee for the 2013 year.  Rayl also discussed several JAMA resources available to Jackson manufacturers and emphasized manufacturing talent and teamwork. 

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About EverLast® Lighting:  EverLast® Lighting, Inc. is a sister company of Full Spectrum Solutions, Inc. and has quickly grown into the leading manufacturer of energy-efficient lighting solutions for roadway, parking structure, facility and area lighting applications. 

For additional product information, visit www.everlastlight.com, call 888-383-7578 or send an email to info@everlastlight.com.

 
For press inquiries, contact Kyle Leighton at 517-783-3800 ext.231 or email at kyle@everlastlight.com.  If you would like to support EverLast®, please follow EverLast® on Twitter or visit them on Facebook.