Lynn Strickland, executive director of the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Council, accepts the Achieve Award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) is a statewide nonprofit apprenticeship organization founded on the belief that mastery occurs on the job. AJAC was founded in 2008 to help close the skills gap in aerospace and advanced manufacturing by providing registered apprenticeship training to people pursuing high-demand occupations like machinists, industrial maintenance mechanics and tool and die makers. Apprenticeships offer paid, on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. AJAC has served 1,333 apprentices at 293 companies since 2008. The organization also supports a Youth Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship program. AJAC's work is critical to support the highly-skilled workforce needed to power Washington's strong manufacturing sector. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Tony Gonchar, the Seattle vice president for Delta Air Lines, with the finalist trophy for the AWB Connect Award. The team at Delta learned a few moments later that they were not only a finalist, but that they won the award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. The Connect Award recognizes a business that has positively impacted the way in which Washington employers and communities are connected to each other and the world through its products and/or services. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Lynn Strickland, executive director of the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Council, accepts the Achieve Award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) is a statewide nonprofit apprenticeship organization founded on the belief that mastery occurs on the job. AJAC was founded in 2008 to help close the skills gap in aerospace and advanced manufacturing by providing registered apprenticeship training to people pursuing high-demand occupations like machinists, industrial maintenance mechanics and tool and die makers. Apprenticeships offer paid, on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. AJAC has served 1,333 apprentices at 293 companies since 2008. The organization also supports a Youth Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship program. AJAC's work is critical to support the highly-skilled workforce needed to power Washington's strong manufacturing sector. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Sponsorship and event logos are projected onto a wall at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Zach Simmons of Discuss.io accepts the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. The award is given to an entrepreneur whose business is less than five years-old and has made a significant impact in their industry. Discuss.io is a Seattle company that enables online conversations with global consumers at scale. Its video conversations and market research platform allows companies to easily connect with customers around the world. In contrast, focus groups can provide valuable insights, but take months to organize. The company's live video platform can provide customer insights more quickly and affordably. Discuss.io started small a few years ago, and now connects companies to millions of customers in more than 95 countries. The firm was ranked among the nation's fastest growing companies by Inc. magazine last year. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Jim Reed, Banner Bank’s senior vice president, commercial executive Western region, and his wife, Tiffany Reed, join AWB President Kris Johnson, immediate past board chair Tim Schauer, and Evening of Excellence emcee Karen Lee of Pioneer Human Services at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Jason Thackston of Avista with the Leading Environmental Practices Award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Avista is a regional, investor-owned utility created in 1889. Founded on clean, renewable hydropower on the banks of the Spokane River, Avista has maintained a generation portfolio that is already more than half renewable, while continuously making investments in renewable energy, advancing the efficient use of electricity and natural gas, and driving technological innovation that creates a gateway to a clean energy future. The company is expanding its wind generating capacity, is piloting a battery system to store renewable energy, and has partnered with Washington State University on a major smart grid demonstration project. The company's goal is to serve customers with 100 percent clean electricity by 2045 and have a carbon-neutral electricity supply by 2027. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Anthony George, the president and CEO of Kitsap Bank, accepts the Manufacturing Excellence Award for Innovation during the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. This family bank's innovative edg3 FUND program helps create a dynamic way of funding small startup businesses. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

AWB’s Bob Battles joins team members from Emerson Salon with the Advance Award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Battles worked closely with Emerson and cosmetologists from hundreds of other studios during the 2019 legislative session as they fought against legislation that would have hurt their ability to work as independent contractors. The Advance Award recognizes a business that has had a significant cause-oriented impact in its sector and/or community and contributed to the advancement of the economy. Emerson Salon is a community of independent hair designers located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. As a commercial landlord, Emerson provides small business owners an opportunity to rent a chair and equipment, and helps them maintain profitability in a growing city. Emerson supports community organizations and offers business coaching to commercial tenants. Notably, Emerson Salon's D'Arcy Harrison (center) joined Battles and helped organize thousands of cosmetologists and small business owners in opposition to several bills that were harmful to their industry in the 2019 legislative session. The work of Harrison and other salon owners was critical in protecting their ability to work as independent contractors and create flexible schedules. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Jay Bower, CEO of Landau Associates, presents Jason Thackston of Avista with the Leading Environmental Practices Award at the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Avista is a regional, investor-owned utility created in 1889. Founded on clean, renewable hydropower on the banks of the Spokane River, Avista has maintained a generation portfolio that is already more than half renewable, while continuously making investments in renewable energy, advancing the efficient use of electricity and natural gas, and driving technological innovation that creates a gateway to a clean energy future. The company is expanding its wind generating capacity, is piloting a battery system to store renewable energy, and has partnered with Washington State University on a major smart grid demonstration project. The company's goal is to serve customers with 100 percent clean electricity by 2045 and have a carbon-neutral electricity supply by 2027. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Max Seitz of Cascade Designs accepts the Manufacturing Excellence Award for Operational Excellence during the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Seattle's Cascade Designs was recognized for its distinctive manufacturing process, including continuous improvements and innovations. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)

Jolie Rhinehart, refinery manager at the Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery, accepts the Manufacturing Excellence Award for Green Manufacturing during the 2019 AWB Evening of Excellence at Benaroya Hall in Seattle on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. he refinery was recognized for its work to maximize energy efficiency, exceed regulatory requirements and minimize waste from the production process. (Photo: Brian Mittge/AWB)