03.13.24

Announcing the 2023 Honorary Fourth Revolution Industry Award Recipients

Industry celebration recognizes the companies that are driving the Midwest’s leadership in the fourth industrial revolution

(CHICAGO March 14, 2023) – Today, mHUB announced the recipients of the 2023 Honorary Fourth Revolution Industry Awards. These awards will be presented the evening of Thursday, March 23 at the Fourth Revolution Awards Evening Reception, following the mHUB HardTech Summit that same day.

The 2023 Fourth Revolution Awards Honorary Industry Award Recipients:

The Manufacturer of the Year award recognizes an individual or manufacturing company that has demonstrated its excellence in business practices, innovative production processes, and productivity enhancements, and has made a significant financial investment to manufacturing capacity in the region.

S&C Electric Company has been headquartered in Chicago for more than 110 years and is the city’s second largest manufacturer, employing more than 3,500 team members globally. S&C has been a long-term supporter of workforce development, consistently ranking as a Top Workplace year over year. The team is dedicated to advancing a modern, intelligent grid that meets the energy needs of today and tomorrow. S&C will be pivotal in supporting the transition to clean energy by advancing energy infrastructure to provide reliable and resilient power.

The Corporate Champion of the Year award recognizes a corporation that has made an impact on manufacturing through community-focused efforts, and significant financial investment through the region.

Kirkland & Ellis is one of the world’s leading law firms, with over 3,000 lawyers practicing from 18 offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Kirkland has extensive experience helping founders and emerging and high-growth companies navigate key capital inflection points and guide transformative transactions. The firm also supports the venture capital and private equity sponsors that invest in them. Through the support of mHUB, Kirkland has impacted Chicago’s manufacturing ecosystem by providing insights to its cross-sectional competencies and forward-thinking perspective that understands the priorities and pressure points of a diverse set of constituencies.

The Fourth Revolution Champion award recognizes a prominent industry figure whose contributions to the hardtech and manufacturing ecosystem have further established the region as a leader in the fourth industrial revolution.

Throughout her career, Chandra Brown has been dedicated to building the US manufacturing economy. Brown retired from the national digital manufacturing and cybersecurity institute MxD in 2022. During her tenure, MxD grew from 35 to 54 employees, won more than $56 million from the Department of Defense, gained more than 320 members, uncovered private grant opportunities, and expanded to establish the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing and MxD Learn, the institute’s workforce development initiative. Prior to her contributions at MxD, Chandra led multiple manufacturing companies, served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the International Trade Administration from 2013 to 2016.

mHUB congratulates S&C Electric Company, Kirkland & Ellis, and Chandra Brown on their unwavering excellence that has impacted the Midwest regional economy through national and global efforts to support innovation, energy, and US manufacturing.

Additional Fourth Revolution Award Finalists

After being reviewed and selected by an esteemed panel of judges, 25 finalist companies have been announced and will be acknowledged at the mHUB HardTech Summit on March 23 from 1 PM – 6:30 PM.

These awards include:

  • Community Empowerment Award
  • Product Design of the Year
  • Innovation of the Year
  • Rising Star Award
  • Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturer of the Year

Click here to learn more about the 25 finalists.

Finalists for the Rising Star Award will be pitching at the mHUB HardTech Summit. The winner will be announced at the Fourth Revolution Awards Evening Reception. See the full event program and register for the mHUB HardTech Summit and Fourth Revolution Awards Evening Reception here.