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April 21, 2008

Spectral Response Named Manufacturer of the Year

Duluth Company Partnered with Gwinnett Tech for Quick Start Training

Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has presented Duluth's Spectral Response with this year's award for Manufacturer of the Year in the small company category (150 or fewer employees). Spectral Response joined Marietta's Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Honda Precision Parts of Georgia, which is located in Tallapoosa, as the state's top three manufacturers of the year.

The annual awards ceremony is the highlight of Georgia Manufacturing Appreciation Week, which is co-hosted by the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) and the Department of Economic Development. This year, more than 1,300 business leaders were in attendance at the ceremony held at the Cobb Galleria last week.

Kevin Melendy, president of Spectral Response, accepted the award for his company. "We've been in business for 21 years, and always in Georgia – we're very proud to be a Georgia company," he said. "Today, we compete globally with countries all over the world; we never would have been able to reach this position without help from the state."

Spectral Response was nominated by Gwinnett Technical College, who provided training to the company through the DTAE's Quick Start program.

"We've been proud to assist Spectral Response in their continued growth and advancement through the Quick Start program, helping them with training and process improvement," said Ann Sechrist, economic development director, Gwinnett Tech.

Since its 1987 beginnings with two employees in a Gwinnett County garage, Spectral Response has grown to occupy 50,000 feet of production area with 125 full-time employees. Today the company is the largest buyer of electronic components and printed circuit boards in the Atlanta market.

As a home-grown business, Spectral Response has been a reliable and generous corporate citizen in Gwinnett County. In addition to being an active supporter of the March of Dimes, the company has been the title sponsor for the "Women in Electronics Scholarship Golf Tournament" for the past three years. Spectral Response also supports the Gwinnett Children's Shelter and Habitat for Humanity.

In proclaiming April 14-18 Manufacturing Appreciation Week, Gov. Sonny Perdue noted the tremendous contribution manufacturing makes to the state's economic well-being. Providing 447,877 jobs at nearly 10,000 facilities across Georgia, manufacturing contributes more than $100 billion to the state's economy each year.

For more information about the Quick Start program or Gwinnett Tech's customized business training, call 770-995-9697. For more information about the college's more than 45 program options, call 770-962-7580.

Get the latest news about Gwinnett Tech www.gwinnetttech.edu/news.

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About Gwinnett Tech
Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia's largest technical colleges, is committed to delivering relevant knowledge to meet the workforce training needs of its community. The college offers more than 50 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs and hundreds of seminars, workshops and courses providing specialized training. GTC is Gwinnett County's largest provider of corporate training and now serves residents and businesses in north Fulton County. Gwinnett Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097,404-679-4500, www.sacscoc.org for questions about the accreditation of Gwinnett Technical College. For more information, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu.

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.