NCDMM honours former director with the 2019 Lawrence J Rhoades award
May 13, 2019
From left–right: Randy Gilmore, NCDMM VP & CTO; Mark Huston, NCDMM’s Founding Director; Ralph Resnick, NCDMM Vice President-Strategy (Courtesy NCDMM)
The National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), Blairsville, Pennsylvania, USA, has awarded the 2019 Lawrence J Rhoades Award to Mark F Huston at its annual summit event. Each year, the NCDMM awards the Lawrence J Rhoades Award to an individual who displays commitment, vision, and dedication to the defense manufacturing industry.
Award recipient, Mark F Huston reportedly spent thirty-five years at Kennametal Inc., a global provider of metalworking tools and technologies, and held numerous positions of increasing responsibilities. During his tenure at Kennametal, Huston also served as the inaugural Director of the NCDMM from 2003–2006. He has since retired from Kennametal and currently serves as a metalworking manufacturing consultant.
According to NCDMM, in his role as Vice President of Engineered Solutions at Kennametal, Huston was responsible for a 300+ person global engineering team focused on the design, development, and implementation of comprehensive manufacturing solutions. These incorporated standard tools, custom tools, and process recommendations that ensured the most efficient and profitable process for customers within the aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, and machine tool builder (MTB) industrial segments. He also served as Engineering Director, Engineering Manager, and Sr. Product Engineer at Kennametal. Huston also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College, Pennsylvania, USA.
“There’s no question that Mark’s vision, leadership, and engineering experience during its inception were incredibly instrumental in paving the way for the NCDMM to be the organisation that it is today,” stated Dean L Bartles, Ph.D, newly appointed NCDMM President and CEO.
Ralph Resnick, Vice President of Strategy, NCDMM, commented, “Mark set the NCDMM on the course to becoming a sustainable industry leader and innovator. Our reputation for delivering proven advanced manufacturing solutions that result in significant cost-savings to the defense supply chain supporting the U.S. Armed Forces began with him. Therefore, in recognition of his tireless commitment, steady leadership, dedication, and actions on behalf of the national manufacturing community and the mission of NCDMM, we congratulate Mark Huston as the 2019 NCDMM Lawrence J Rhoades Awardee.”
