2026 MANUFACTURING INNOVATION AWARDS
Presented by the Manufacturers’ Council of the Inland Empire
APPLY BEFORE 2/24/2026
The Manufacturing Innovation Awards honor local manufacturers who are driving progress through smart solutions, creative strategies, and measurable results.
Four outstanding manufacturers, located in the Inland Empire, will be honored under the award categories of:
- Resource or Process Innovation
- Product Innovation
- Human Capital/ Talent Innovation
- Marketing Innovation
Awards will be presented at the
ANNUAL INNOVATION AWARDS DINNER
Winners will showcase their companies and ideas and be recognized through MCIE media including our newsletter, website and social media.
GENERAL GUIDELINES:
No specific level of technical detail is required. Clearly describe the innovation and its measurable benefits.
The innovation should emphasize originality and demonstrated impact.
Submissions should highlight innovations suitable for public recognition, with the goal of sharing best practices that benefit the broader manufacturing community.
Award Winners
History of Award Winners
- Innovation in Resource or Process Efficiency
- Innovation in Product Development
- Innovation in Human capital & Talent
- Innovation by Students
History
The title of the award came about because E=mc² is the most fundamental physics formula that allows our universe to exist. Similarly, we believe there are some basic ideas applicable to most businesses that can help them become more efficient.
The underlying theme of the Manufacturers’ Summit is finding solutions to current and future challenges. The businesses that face those challenges provide the greatest resource for those answers. The Innovation Awards are designed so those who have the solutions will have a chance to share their ideas, with a 5 minute presentation on the main stage, receiving publicity for their innovation and company.
The Innovation Awards trophy was originally designed by a budding inventor and entrepreneur named Dustin Venegas. He had an idea for a product, but could find no one to build a prototype at a reasonable cost. Determined to make the product, he bought a Haas CNC machine tool, taught himself how to use that machine and started making his inventions for sale. He was asked to use his imagination to create a unique trophy using several Turner’s Cubes for the Innovation Awards. Unique and with an elegant design, Mr. Venegas created the trophies himself, for five years.
For the Manufacturers’ Summit in years six and seven, the trophies have been a joint effort. Bar stock material was furnished by Brithinee Electric (Colton) and K-H Metals (Riverside), to the instructors at Technical Employment Training, Inc. (TET), along with a sample trophy. There, students were given the task of reverse-engineering the trophies, then making the Turners’ cubes on CNC machine tools at the school. The cubes were returned to Brithinee Electric for engraving, polishing, and final assembly.
A fine article on Mr. Venegas and the trophy can be found (in the Spanish language) at:
https://www.excelsiorcalifornia.com/2012/02/14/inland-falta-personal-profesional-en-industria-de-manufactura/