Upcoming Events, Courses, and Talks

Celebrate the Midwest’s Hardtech and Industrial Visionaries

The Fourth Revolution Awards is your exclusive opportunity to honor the trailblazers shaping the future of hardtech and manufacturing in the Midwest. This prestigious event highlights groundbreaking innovation, technological advancement, and social impact, serving as the perfect conclusion to the mHUB HardTech Summit.

By attending, you'll be joining the region's most visionary leaders, innovators, and community changemakers for an exhilarating evening of celebration and connection.

Your Registration Includes:

• Full access to the mHUB HardTech Summit 2025
• Admission to the Fourth Revolution Awards Cocktail Reception
• Opportunities to network with award finalists, industry thought leaders, and peers

Don’t miss the chance to connect with the best and brightest driving innovation at the heart of the Midwest’s manufacturing ecosystem.

The Event Program:

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Cocktails & Appetizers

8:00 PM - 8:30 PM | Remarks & Award Announcements

8:30 PM - 10:00 PM | Networking & Celebrating

Honorary Award Recipients  

Each year, mHUB presents honorary awards based on exemplary leadership at the forefront of digital and technological transformation within manufacturing. Recipients of the Fourth Revolution Awards 2025 honorary awards include:

• Manufacturer of the Year: Pella Corporation
• Corporate Champion: Intersect Illinois
• Fourth Revolution Champion: Michael Fassnacht

The Awards to Be Presented

• Small & Medium-Sized Manufacturer of the Year - Honoring manufacturing excellence and community impact.
• Community Empowerment Award - Celebrating initiatives that drive diversity and inclusion in manufacturing.
• Excellence in Engineering Award - Recognizing groundbreaking contributions from outstanding engineers.
• Innovation of the Year - Showcasing game-changing technologies that disrupt industries.
• Rising Star Award - Highlighting the Midwest’s next great startup under seven years in operation.

Meet the Judges 

Community Empowerment Award

• Jeanette Tamayo, Associate Vice President, University of Illinois System
• Jennifer Kopach, CEO & SVP Marketing Communications, Science Olympiad
• Travis Hunter, Chicago Office Managing Partner, KPMG

 Innovation of the Year

• Jon Smieja, VP of Circularity, Trellis Group
• Meg Whitty, VP of Corporate Affairs, LanzaJet
• Anthony Huffman, Enterprise Architecture Strategist, Industry 4.0, Koch Industries

 Rising Star Award

• Madelyn Rutter, Sr. Dir. Collaboration, TechNexus
• Luke Tanen, President & CEO, Chicago Innovation

 Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturer of the Year

• Jela Trask, VP Membership and External Relations, MxD
• Patrick Osborne, CEO, TMA
• Nicole Wolter, President & CEO, HM Manufacturing, Inc.

 Excellence in Engineering

• Bill Fienup, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Medtech Accelerator, mHUB
• Jacob Sanchez, Industry Solutions and Community Development, igus Inc.
• Marcy Capron, EIR, mHUB

Be Inspired at the mHUB HardTech Summit

Before the awards ceremony, explore the future of hardtech at the mHUB HardTech Summit. With startup pitches, panels, and product showcases, this is your destination for thought provoking experiences and inspiration.

Key highlights:

• 30+ startup-pitches
• 3 panel conversations + a closing keynote
• 40 hardtech product demonstrations
• Endless networking

Thank you, event sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois, CSC Leasing, ECI Foundation, and J.P. Morgan