WMIA honors Innovator, Educator and Exporter of the Year. (Trends & News).

THE WOODWORKING MACHINERY Industry Assn. named its 2001 Innovator, Educator and Exporter of the Year at its annual awards dinner on Oct. 16. The winners were: American Woodmark Corp., Innovator of the Year; Pittsburg State University Woodworking Technology Department, Educator of the Year; and Fish Construction Co., Exporter of the Year.

American Woodmark of Winchester, VA, received the Innovator of the Year Award. The company recently completed a state-of-the-art panel manufacturing facility in Humboldt, TN. The Humboldt facility uses technology and automation to ship product 48 hours after receiving an order.

The Pittsburg State University Woodworking Technology Department of Pittsburg, KS, won Educator of the Year. It was recognized for its student-to-faculty ratio of about 17:1, its 36 course offerings, its new 268,000-square-foot facility and its 100 percent placement rate of graduates. The Wood Technology Department also won the Educator of the Year award in 1988, the first year of the program.

WMIA named Fish Construction Co. of Stafford, TX, as Exporter of the Year. The company provides millwork and casework for the aviation industry in North and South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Exports account for about 35 percent of its revenue, and have been increasing at a rate of 25-50 percent annually.