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Congratulations, Harrison Lavoie, Silver Toaster Award Winner

We couldn’t be prouder to see our own Harrison Lavoie receive the 2026 GBMP Consulting Group & The Northeast Lean Conference Silver Toaster Award!

The Silver Toaster recognizes people who truly live continuous improvement — not just through big projects, but through the way they solve problems, help others, and make things better every day. That’s Harrison, to a “T”.

Over the past year, he’s helped cut cycle times on select automated processes nearly in half, redesigned other processes to triple output, improve our distribution operations, help build a homegrown SCADA system for machine monitoring, and mentored the people around him through the TWIST program. He’s someone who sees a problem and immediately starts thinking about how we can do it better. Not only that, but in an age where the conversations revolve around AI, Harrison is a responsible visionary, utilizing tried-and-true lean priciples

One of the best parts of today was seeing how excited Francisco “Cisco” Santos, our 2025 recipient, was to pass the torch to Harrison. Having two teammates recognized in back-to-back years is a pretty special moment for all of us at Sanderson MacLeod.

Congratulations, Harrison. Well earned.

And congratulations to all of this year’s nominees. It was great to see so many people recognized for the work they’re doing to move manufacturing forward.

See our recent TWIST podcast where Harrison details some of his recent projects, his history at SanMac, and his outlook on the years to come.

Thank you to Associated Industries of Massachusetts for recognizing Sanderson MacLeod with the Excellence in Manufacturing Award

More than 10 decades of manufacturing knowledge doesn’t come from machines. It comes from people.

That’s what makes this recognition especially meaningful.

Thank you to Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) for recognizing Sanderson MacLeod with the Excellence in Manufacturing Award.

Today, our team is building on generations of brushmaking experience through automation, digital technology, continuous improvement, our Brush Innovation Center, and programs like TWIST that give the next generation an opportunity to learn manufacturing by doing it.

We’re proud of where SanMac has been, but even more energized by where this team is taking it.

Thank you to AIM for recognizing the work happening in Palmer and for supporting the future of manufacturing across Massachusetts.

#Manufacturing #MadeInMassachusetts #Innovation #WorkforceDevelopment #ContinuousImprovement

View company: Associated Industries of Massachusetts

Businesses Of All Kinds Thrive In Palmer

Proud to see Sanderson MacLeod featured in a recent BusinessWest article highlighting our commitment to growing talent locally through our TWIST program.

Our co-op program, Technical Work Instruction and Skills Training or TWIST, partners with Pathfinder Regional Tech High, giving students hands-on experience, mentorship, and real-world exposure to modern manufacturing.

As CEO Mark N. Borsari shared:
“We have a unique opportunity to be producing here in Palmer… if we’re making three to four impacts a year over time, that’s an incredibly meaningful reinvestment back into the community.”

As this year’s program wraps up, we’re already preparing for the next cohort — with big shoes to fill.

Take a minute to read the full article to learn more.

https://businesswest.com/blog/businesses-of-all-kinds-thrive-in-palmer/