Global producer and distributor of commercial foodservice and plumbing products T&S Brass and Bronze Works has been named the 2015 Manufacturer of the Year (small/midsize category) by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

The esteemed Palmetto Vision Award was announced at a gala in Columbia on Sept. 10.

In accepting the award, Operations Manager Gary Cole paid tribute to T&S associates, saying, “The Theisen family moved their commercial foodservice and plumbing manufacturing facility to Travelers Rest in 1978 and, through the hard work and dedication of a great group of people, the company has developed into one of the premier manufacturing companies in the state. This award is not due to the effort of a small group of individuals. There is a team of 270 dedicated, hardworking, proud South Carolinians in the thriving metropolis of Travelers Rest who are deserving of all the credit. Those of us who are given the task of managing the operation have learned that if we give the team all the room they need to grow and all the responsibility they can handle, then give them an environment that fosters continuous improvement, the organization experiences incredible results. The team at T&S Brass is empowered. I once read that the best results are achieved when a fire is lit within people, not under them. While we are honored to be designated as the 2015 Manufacturer of the Year, we realize that we haven’t ‘arrived’ nor will we ever, as ‘The Road to Success is Always Under Construction.’”

Criteria considered in selecting Palmetto Vision Award winners include quality improvements, quality of life, environmental stewardship, community professional involvement, economic development and education and workforce development. Manufacturer of the Year in the large company category was The Boeing Company South Carolina; other awards went to Google South Carolina, Starbucks Coffee Company (Sandy Run Roasting Plant), Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and Tanya Weldon, MHRD, PHR, Gildan USA, Inc.

T&S was also named one of the six Best Plants in North America earlier this year by IndustryWeek magazine.