The Hannah Grimes Center announced that Ken Abbott, president and founder of ABTech, has been named Entrepreneur of the Year for the Monadnock Region. Abbott will be presented with the Entrepreneur of the Year award and recognized at Hannah Grimes’ upcoming CONNECT 2012 Event, October 24, 2012, at Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole.
“Ken has envisioned and grown a technologically sophisticated global business. At the same time, Ken’s priorities clearly revolve around his family, his employees, and his community,” said Mary Ann Kristiansen, Executive Director of the Hannah Grimes Center. “Ken is a true community wealth-builder: his business success, his personal integrity, and his active involvement in our region strengthens our local economy and adds to the overall quality of life in the area. Ken is very deserving of this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.”
ABTech, located in Swanzey, manufactures precision motion systems with an emphasis on air bearings. Air bearings use a thin layer of pressurized air to create a low-friction interface between objects. Beginning with a single employee in 1998, ABTech has grown to 15 employees. Despite a struggling economy, ABTech is experiencing record sales in 2012. The company’s customers include NASA, Boeing, GE Aviation, Los Alamos National Labs, Rolls Royce Jet Engine facilities, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, MIT and Timken.
“I have worked very hard at ABTech to develop a company culture that is supportive and fulfilling,” said Abbott. “ABTech is not about me, the building or the machines. It’s about what we can achieve as a group with the right ethics, integrity, training and support. My role is to help each employee at ABTech be as successful as possible.”
Abbott will receive the Entrepreneur of the Year award at Hannah Grimes’ 7th annual CONNECT event. This year, CONNECT will feature a lively, interactive panel discussion with several area community wealth builders. The panel will discuss how any person, business or organization can take steps to contribute to a healthy, vibrant community and a thriving regional economy. The discussion will be facilitated by Daniel Henderson, Corporate Gift Officer at Keene State College, and former legal counsel for Markem.
The event will be held Wednesday, October 24, 2012, from 5:00 through 8:00 p.m., at Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole, NH. Everyone is welcome. For more information and to register, please visit www.HannahGrimes.com. $30 per person; $40 per person after Tuesday, October 23rd. You may also call the Hannah Grimes Center at (603) 352-5063.
