FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Rebecca Kruse

December 14, 2011Telephone: 1.630.305.0003

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence Announces Recipient of

Inaugural Award Honoring Late AME Leader, Dr. Sherrie Ford

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.—December 14, 2011—The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is pleased to announce Cammie Bell-Garrison of Power Partners as the recipient of the first AME Culture Governs Success Award, an honor given in memoriam of late AME leader Dr. Sherrie Ford.

“This scholarship is designed to recognize someone who excels in the work that Sherrie fostered — bringing vision, passion and commitment to AME and the manufacturing community, as well as a challenge to always excel,” says Elizabeth King, Director-at-Large of AME. “Sherrie will certainly be missed, although her legacy of ‘work culture governs success’ will continue to make an impact and gain recognition through this coveted award.”

Award recipient, Cammie Bell-Garrison, is Director of Information Systems and Technology Services for Power Partners, Inc., as well as Materials Leader. She is responsible for network and communication infrastructure and information systems, along with managing materials on a day-to-day basis. Before joining Power Partners, she was a managing partner in an information systems consulting firm, and worked in application development for Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics and Georgia Pacific.

“Sherrie worked with each functional area within Power Partners to build culture-based leadership and teams, resulting in excellence across the organization,” says Maria Elena Stopher, AME Chairman. “Cammie was selected because she emulates the behaviors that Sherrie was always inspiring. Cammie’s team was the first to pilot and successfully implement this cultural approach, and her leadership, behavior modeling and ability to create a high-performing team inspired and created momentum for Power Partners.”

Ford was Chairman and Executive Vice President of Culture at Power Partners, a manufacturing company that she purchased in 2003, along with business partner Steve Hollis. Under their leadership, Power Partners grew to be named one of the 10 largest women-owned businesses in the U.S. Ford served as president of AME’s Southeastern Region, and was the initial chair of the AME 2011 Annual “Excellence Inside” International Conference in Dallas.

For more information, contact Rebecca Kruse at 630.305.0003.

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About the Association for Manufacturing Excellence

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is the premier not-for-profit organization dedicated to the journey of continuous improvement and enterprise excellence. AME’s membership is composed of a trusted network of volunteers who are committed to leveraging the practitioner-to-practitioner and company-to-company shared-learning experience. Through engaging workshops, seminars and plant tours, and industry-leading conferences, AME members are continually discovering and implementing new continuous improvement strategies and best practices. AME offers its members a multitude of valuable resources to help them stay abreast of current industry developments, and improve the skills, competitiveness, and overall success of their organizations. Join AME in leading the “Rebirth of Manufacturing Jobs in North America.” For more information, visit or email .