DeWITT, N.Y. — The Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York (MACNY) has tabbed Feldmeier Equipment’s director of engineering as its Innovator of the Year.
MACNY will honor Kyle Brown during its annual dinner on May 19 at the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse.
The MACNY Innovator of the Year Award, which Corning, Inc. sponsors, recognizes individuals within a company “who consistently demonstrate forward thinking ideas in the areas of technology, innovation and advancement of products and production,” according to MACNY.
Jeanne Jackson, Feldmeier’s VP of human resources, nominated Brown for the honor.
“Brown demonstrated his ability to lead and innovate and we feel he sets an example for others,” Jackson said in a MACNY news release.
He joined DeWitt–based Feldmeier Equipment as a design engineer in 1997. Brown then served as general manager (GM) of Feldmeier’s Little Falls facility from 2000 to 2015.
Brown has since relocated to the company’s DeWitt site to serve as the firm’s director of engineering.
Brown’s efforts at the firm have contributed to the “growth and continuous innovation at Feldmeier Equipment,” MACNY said.
During his 15 years as GM, the Little Falls location expanded to two facilities and grew from 110 to 180 employees.
Brown also recently received his first patent for a “thru-shaft cleaning” strategy that cleans hard-to-inspect areas on mixers. Using the mixer shaft as a rotary-spray device, the method reaches areas that are “typically a cleaning liability,” according to MACNY.
“We received numerous submissions celebrating employee innovation within MACNY member companies, and we commend all of this year’s nominees. We were particularly impressed with Kyle’s leadership and commitment to developing competitive solutions. MACNY and its members look forward to recognizing Kyle’s exemplary innovation at the 103rd annual dinner,” Randy Wolken, president of MACNY, said in the release.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com