2026 STEP Ahead Awardees
Meet the 2026 Awardees
Profile BookThe STEP Ahead Awards recognize outstanding leaders in manufacturing who are driving impact from the shop floor to the C-suite. By celebrating their stories, we help reshape perceptions of the industry and showcase the wide array of talent that powers it.
2026 Awardees
KLN Family Brands
Rockwell Automation
The Lubrizol Corporation
The Timken Company
Dow
Henkel Corporation
IBM
Toyota Motor North America
Eastman Chemical Company
Celanese
Molson Coors Beverage Company
Hydro
Nissan
Kimberly-Clark
Oldcastle Infrastructure, a CRH Company
Bardstown Bourbon Company
Parker Hannifin
AstraZeneca
Nucor
National Gypsum Company
Ford Motor Company
The Timken Company
Novelis
Whirlpool Corporation
GlobalFoundries
Pella Corporation
Biogen
Covestro LLC
Siemens
Evonik Corporation
DENSO
Chevron Phillips Chemical
Cargill
Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
BASE Engineering, a Dover Company
National Gypsum Company
Materion
Kohler Co.
Procter & Gamble
BorgWarner Inc.
Cornerstone Building Brands
Ingredion Inc.
Tilcon Connecticut, a CRH Company
Jabil
GlobalFoundries
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing
HarbisonWalker International
LP Building Solutions
INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA
Vacuworx
GE Healthcare
Dow
LP Building Solutions
Marvin
Samsung Austin Semiconductor
General Motors
The Greenbrier Companies
Nissan
PPG
Filtration Group
Pella Corporation
AstraZeneca
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Trane Technologies
L’Oréal
Antora Energy
GE Appliances, a Haier company
Shaw Industries Group, Inc.
Arkema, Inc.
Momentive Technologies
Riverdale Mills Corporation
Zimmer Biomet
Land O’ Lakes
Special Products & Mfg. Inc
Lucid Motors
The Lee Company
The Hershey Company
Dragonfly Energy
O-I Glass, Inc.
Monogram Food Solutions
Kohler Co.
STRYKER
ABB
BAE Systems
The Boeing Company
Arconic
Ecolab
Altria
ExxonMobil
The Lubrizol Corporation
LyondellBasell
ABB
BASF
Ovintiv Inc.
Ecolab
Regal Rexnord
Smithfield Foods
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Evonik Corporation
Biogen
Ovintiv Inc.
Pharmavite
Mazda Toyota Manufacturing
Materion Corporation
DENSO
Honeywell
Saint-Gobain
The Boeing Company
L’Oréal
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Dow
Kimberly-Clark
MasterBrand
Sherwin-Williams
Ingredion Incorporated
Flex
McCormick & Company
Cheniere Energy
Allegion
Covestro LLC
USG Corporation
PPG
Sukup Manufacturing Co.
Johnson & Johnson
Qnity Electronics
Eli Lilly
DeVal Lifecycle Support
Westminster Tool
BASF
Owens Corning
Foxconn
Armstrong World Industries
Skyline Furniture Manufacturing
Parts Life, Inc.
Kennametal
SealingLife, Inc.
Smithfield Foods
SABIC
Toyota Motor North America
Caterpillar Inc.
Ferrara Candy Company
Saint-Gobain
HP Singapore (Private) Limited
Honeywell