Cashco Inc. of Ellsworth, Kansas, won the statewide award for manufacturing/distribution by the Kansas Department of Commerce for the 2022 To the Stars: Kansas Business Awards. The annual awards program recognizes businesses across the state for the contributions they make to the Kansas economy and to the well-being of their communities.
Stacie Schmidt, director of the Ellsworth Economic Development, nominated Cashco for the award in August.
“We learned of the opportunity to recognize our community for regional and state awards through the Department of Commerce. Annually, we try to identify at least one business that we feel strongly deserves recognition or has stood out for an outstanding accomplishment. We are proud that our nomination was selected by the scoring committee and that Cashco was chosen for a well-deserved and long waited award,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt said she was prompted to nominate Cashco after a facility tour. “On August 2, I had the opportunity once again to tour Cashco facilities with Darrin Vanderbilt, VP of operations for Cashco Inc., and I was reminded of the amazing innovation and continuous process improvement that occurs daily with the Cashco team. We are deeply grateful for Cashco's economic value to our community and its longstanding commitment to the community and education. It was a great opportunity to take that information and submit it for consideration to the State for this award.”
In response to the nomination, President of Cashco Clint M. Rogers said: “To have been nominated for this award is significant. We have enjoyed working within this community for almost 50 years. To be recognized as a valued member at the local level is special because we want to be a great partner for our employees, local towns, schools and local businesses.”
The Kansas Department of Commerce hosted a statewide awards banquet on October 20 in Topeka. A total of 237 businesses, organizations and individuals were nominated in 10 categories for this year’s To the Stars: Kansas Business Awards. Nominees were reviewed and scored for various criteria such as business expansion, employee recruitment and retention practices, training and educational programs, capital investments, and support of local community events. A total of 181 Merit Awards and 56 Regional Awards were presented at the event. Additionally, one nominee in each category was designated a Statewide Winner, making them finalists for the Governor’s Award of Excellence.
During the banquet, the Department of Commerce announced Cashco as the winner of the North Central Division for the Manufacturing/Distribution category. Cashco was then selected as the Statewide winner for the Manufacturing/Distribution category. A promotional video was shown during the award ceremony that featured a short tour of Cashco’s facility, insights on the manufacturing process and highlighted the industries that Cashco serves.
“This region and the state have so many manufacturers that do amazing work every day, that it has been an inspiration on what Cashco should look like," Rogers said. "Over the last 10 years, we have evolved at such a fast rate. It means a lot to be recognized as one of leaders now and gives every team member at Cashco some verification that we are helping to lead the way in how we operate as a business, and how we partner in our community. We want to become the standard on how manufacturers operate, how they work with local government, and local schools.”
Rogers also explained how Cashco has been able to thrive in a small, rural area. “We have made a conscious decision to be the best partner we can be. Many employees have been with the company for 20, 30 and even 40+ years. We want to make Cashco home for its employees, and a solid platform for families to build their futures with. This happens by going beyond our daily manufacturing duties and caring about our team members, their families and our surrounding community.”
Cashco is a manufacturer and marketer of industrial control products, specializing in process regulators, control valves, pressure/vacuum relief vents, and flame and detonation arrestors. The company's 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility has an additional 40,000 square feet of office and engineering laboratory where staff manages products that are shipped worldwide.
