FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
Christian Luna
christian@mhub.org
Kim Blomquist
kim@mhub.org
Announcing Recipients of Honorary Inudstry Awards at the 2026 Fourth Revolution Awards
(CHICAGO, March 3, 2026) – mHUB announces the 2026 Fourth Revolution Awards honorary award recipients, who will be recognized at the March 5 ceremony in Chicago. Held as the culminating event of the mHUB HardTech Summit, the evening celebrates the region’s most innovative and impactful hardtech startups, manufacturers, and organizations across Illinois and the broader Midwest. Inspired by the convergence of advanced manufacturing, physical products, and digital technologies, the Fourt Revolution Awards spotlight leaders translating this transformation into real-world impact, accelerating innovation, and shaping the future of industry.
In addition to five judged categories, mHUB presents honorary awards each year that recognize companies making an outsized contribution to the region’s manufacturing competitiveness. This year, mHUB will recognize Gensler as Corporate Champion for its leadership at the intersection of technology, design, and the built environment and Ferrara as Manufacturer of the Year for being woven into the fabric of Chicago manufacturing since 1919.
The 2026 Honorary Awards Recipients
Manufacturer of the Year: Ferrara
Ferrara first opened as an Italian pastry and candy shop in 1908 in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood. The company launched its first manufacturing plant in 1919, laying the foundation for more than a century of confectionery craftsmanship and innovation in Illinois.
Through a series of strategic acquisitions and mergers, Ferrara has grown into a leading global candy manufacturer and now operates 20 manufacturing and distribution facilities nationwide from its Chicago headquarters as an affiliate of Ferrero. Ferrara’s portfolio features iconic brands including Jelly Belly®, Black Forest®, Lemonhead®, and SweetTARTS®. Among its most recent product innovation successes, NERDS® Gummy Clusters® candy, has created a new candy sensation, becoming Ferrara’s top-selling product and expanding internationally.
Illinois is home to the nation’s second-largest food processing cluster, with the confectionery sector contributing more than 50,000 jobs statewide, including over 8,000 manufacturing jobs. From its Innovation Lab and employee recognition programs to its commitment to sustainability and community engagement, Ferrara continues to invest in expanding its footprint and impact in Illinois. These investments have made the company a sweet contributor to the industry’s continued growth.
Corporate Champion: Gensler
Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm shaping the future of the built environment. Anchored in Chicago, the firm's Midwest practice invests in projects that strengthen cities, neighborhoods, and communities across the region. Current work includes the Ironworkers Local 63 Training Center, a next-generation workforce development facility that reimagines trade education through hands-on learning while celebrating craftsmanship, and the master plan for The 78, a mixed-use district organized around the Chicago Fire FC stadium designed to support long-term economic vitality.
Alongside the repositioning of Willis Tower, The Post Office, Columbia College Chicago Student Center, 167 Green, and other transformative projects, Gensler's body of work earned a 2025 AIA Chicago Firm Award for sustained design excellence. Through civic projects and innovation at every scale, Gensler advances Chicago and the Midwest with resilient, forward-looking design.
Join the Ecosystem at the Fourth Revolution Awards and HardTech Summit
The Fourth Revolution Awards is an evening reception following the mHUB HardTech Summit. This two-part event will gather top hardtech entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and industry, to celebrate the flourishing Midwest innovation ecosystem.
7:00 - 10:00PM | Fourth Revolution Awards
A ticket to the Fourth Revolution Awards grants you access to both the evening awards ceremony AND the daytime HardTech Summit.
Register here: https://luma.com/mHUB4REV2026
2:00 - 7:00 PM | mHUB HardTech Summit
Your ultimate destination to explore cutting-edge advancements in smart manufacturing, medical devices, clean energy, sustainability, and beyond.
Register here: https://luma.com/mHUBHardTechSummit2026
Thank you presenting sponsors Dell Technologies & Nvidia and supporting sponsors Bank of America, Clayco, ECI Foundation, Ferrara, Gensler, Nicor Gas and Schneider Electric.
About mHUB
mHUB is a leading independent hardtech and manufacturing innovation center enabling the commercialization of solutions that impact humanity and strengthening U.S. based manufacturing. The mHUB community includes over 500 active and alumni startups and small businesses supported by a deep talent pool of product designers and developers, entrepreneurs and engineers, manufacturers and corporate leaders, mentors, and investors. mHUB provides a hyper-resourced environment to entrepreneurs with the goal of commercializing new hardtech innovation that will lead to new businesses, intellectual property, investment, revenue, and job creation. Since launching in 2017, the mHUB community has generated more than $1.96B in revenue, launched more than 1,700 products, hired more than 6,800 employees, and raised over $2.02B in capital. To date, mHUB has invested in 54 startups across smart and sustainable manufacturing, energy tech, and MedTech.
