Craig Hanela, president and owner of Kent-based Buyken Metal Products, is the new board chairman for Impact Washington.
Hanela, who joined the board in 2017, replaces Joe Heim, who has led the group for 15 years. Impact Washington is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Program.
Impact Washington focuses on creating value and strengthening manufacturers’ competitiveness by boosting growth, improving productivity, reducing costs, and increasing capacity through customized and hands-on solutions and implementation, according to its website.
“We are also pleased to have Craig take the helm as our next chairman,” said Deloit, R. Wolfe, Jr., president and center director of Impact Washington. “His extensive background in manufacturing, coupled with his engineering and engineering and business acumen with a passion for team development and customer advocacy, will bolster the board’s capabilities to advise how we scale up and meet the growing demands and opportunities of manufacturing Washington state.”
Hanela is an experienced leader with an outstanding record of developing and managing world-class operations across 30-plus manufacturing and distribution sites in 15 countries, according to Impact Washington. Buyken is a precision sheet metal forming, stamping, and fabrication enterprise focused on individual customer needs. Under Hanela’s leadership, they have strengthened and diversified their services to manufacturing many types of products from numerous metals, in quantities from one to one million.
“I am excited to take on this responsibility as Impact Washington continues to drive support and solutions to counter the disruption caused by COVID-19, which impacted the operational, social and financial aspects of many manufacturers in our state,” Hanela said. “I look forward to supporting Impact Washington’s ambitious plans to tackle workforce development opportunities, supply chain constraints, cybersecurity compliance and more. Along with the Impact Washington corporate staff and the board, we are well suited to continue to make an impact in these critical areas and ensure a resilient build back better plan for our state.”
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