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Art Hoelke of Knight's Armament Receives Prestigious 2024 Bob Provitola Manufacturing Leadership Award

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 14, 2025

Art Hoelke of Knight's Armament Receives Prestigious 2024 Bob Provitola Manufacturing Leadership Award

ORLANDO, FL - FloridaMakes announced today that Art Hoelke, Vice President of Operations and General Manager at Knight's Armament Company (KAC), has been named the recipient of the 2024 Bob Provitola Manufacturing Leadership Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the state's manufacturing sector.

Hoelke was selected for his exceptional commitment to advancing manufacturing excellence and workforce development in Florida and has worked for over 20 years in helping to advance education in manufacturing and  helping create and promote a qualified workforce. His leadership in establishing hands-on training programs and apprenticeships, including helping establish Florida's first approved additive manufacturing apprenticeship program, coupled with innovative approaches to integrating local businesses into educational initiatives, has created lasting impact across the industry.

"Art Hoelke embodies the very spirit of manufacturing leadership that Bob Provitola championed throughout his career," said Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes. "When we first conceived this award, I envisioned recognizing someone exactly like Art – not just a leader who excels at their core responsibilities, but someone with a genuine passion for seeing the entire manufacturing sector grow and flourish. His dedication to workforce development and commitment to fostering the next generation of manufacturing talent perfectly exemplifies Bob's legacy of leadership, mentorship, and advocacy."

The award recognizes Art's unwavering dedication to advancing manufacturing and empowering the next generation of professionals has transformed our industry's landscape. “Having worked alongside him for years, particularly in developing apprenticeship programs,” stated Marcelo DosSantos, Workforce Development Director for FloridaMakes, “I've witnessed firsthand how his innovative approach to integrating local businesses into educational initiatives has created real-world opportunities that are shaping the future of manufacturing in Florida. His ability to bring together industry partners and educational institutions has created a blueprint for successful workforce development that others throughout the state are now following."

Upon receiving the award, Hoelke expressed his gratitude: 

"Being recognized with an award that honors Bob Provitola's remarkable legacy is truly humbling, especially given that Bob and I worked together on the MACF board for many years and I saw his efforts on how he continued to help our manufactures create a way of sustaining their business and to help build the talent pipeline , Bob was someone who I held in high regard and I loved his passion for making a difference.  This recognition reflects the collaborative spirit of Florida's manufacturing community and reinforces our shared commitment to developing tomorrow's manufacturing leaders. I'm deeply grateful to FloridaMakes and our industry partners who make this vital work possible, and I hope to continue paying forward the invaluable friendship Bob provided to me." I would like to personally thank a great mentor /friend and boss, Mr. C Reed Knight Jr. , owner of Knights Armament Company. He has allowed me the opportunity to help make a difference in our education system which has been a passion of mine for over 20 years. I'm grateful to be a part of a great team of Individuals that are all carrying the torch to help shape our great state and shaping how we can continue to fill the needs of manufacturers with a qualified workforce and to make strong our manufacturing base. With these efforts of advanced manufacturing we will be able to compete here In our country as well compete as globally . We have great advancements in how we manufacture and with the coming age of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes and the use of AI and many other tools we will see our abilities well surpass what we have done in years past.”

Founded in the late 1970s by C. Reed Knight, Jr. in Vero Beach, Florida, Knight's Armament Company has grown to become a premier small arms, accessory, and suppressor designer and manufacturer. The company, which primarily supports U.S. and allied military forces with a focus on Special Operations Forces (SOF), operates from a 460-acre campus in Titusville, Florida, with over 600,000 square feet of manufacturing space. KAC is known for its commitment to innovation, maintaining an aggressive in-house research, development, and manufacturing capability that enables rapid response to military requirements.

The Bob Provitola Manufacturing Leadership Award was established to recognize individuals who demonstrate excellence in advocacy, leadership, mentorship, and volunteerism within Florida's manufacturing sector. The selection process involves nominations from members in industry, government, and academia, throughout Florida’s  manufacturing ecosystem, with winners chosen by a committee of experts from throughout that community .

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For More Information:

Frances Nevill, Director of Communications

FloridaMakes (407) 491-9543

 About FloridaMakes:

FloridaMakes is a statewide, industry-led, public-private partnership operated by an alliance of Florida's regional manufacturers associations with the sole mission of strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity and technological performance of its manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on small - and medium-sized firms. It accomplishes this by providing services focused on three principal value streams: technology adoption, talent development, and business growth. FloridaMakes is the representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in the state of Florida, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. For more information about FloridaMakes, please visit FloridaMakes.com.

Photo details:

Featured photo above: Knight's Armament's Art Hoelke Receives the 2024 Bob Provitola Manufacturing Award

Attached photos below: FloridaMakes CEO Kevin Carr congratulates Art Hoelke; Kevin Carr and Art Hoelke; Group photo: Manufacturers Association of Central Florida team with 2024 Bob Provitola Award Winner Art Hoelke and Knight's Armament Founder and CEO C. Reed Knight


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