Mercury Marine was recognized Thursday with a 2005 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Grand Award for excellence among the state’s largest manufacturers.

The Fond du Lac-based company won the mega category, which encompasses businesses with 1,000 or more employees. Mercury has about 3,500 employees in Wisconsin, most of them in its headquarters city of Fond du Lac.

Mercury Marine is the world leader in recreational marine propulsion, manufacturing products from the steering wheel and gauges to the propeller. It is best known, however, for its industry-leading marine engines.

The award was accepted by David Michaelson, Mercury’s vice president of outboard manufacturing, and Chief of Staff Jim Hubbard at a black-tie banquet Thursday at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Michaelson said the award is a tribute to the cooperation that exists between all facets of Mercury’s Wisconsin work force.

“To me the total work force is our most valuable resource and how you tap into that creativity is what makes us able to compete on a global basis,” he said.

Mercury President Patrick C. Mackey said the company is humbled to receive such a prestigious award in its home state.

“It’s always gratifying to discover you have been deemed the best at what you do, and we’re extremely appreciative of this honor, in particular,” Mackey said. “Wisconsin is the home of Mercury Marine and always has been. We’re a homegrown company that started with the genius and hard work of Carl Kiekhaefer in 1939.

“But equally important is the acknowledgement that we’re doing the right things. Mercury Marine has undergone a complete transformation in the past five years, and the result is awards such as this and our recent pair of awards from J.D. Power and Associations.

Like Michaelson, he gives Mercury’s employees much of the credit.

“I want to congratulate not only the 3,500-plus Mercury employees in Wisconsin, but the nearly 7,000 Mercury employees worldwide,” Mackey said. “It’s simply great to be part of this team.”

Mercury is the only marine engine manufacturer to be 100 percent ISO 9001:2000 certified, and it has embraced the principles of Lean Six Sigma, which empowers employees across the organization to make tremendous contributions to product quality and operational efficiency.

This latest accolade comes on the heels of two of the biggest awards in the company’s history. On Feb. 16, Mercury Marine was presented a pair of customer satisfaction awards from J.D. Power and Associates for its direct-fuel-injected outboards and its sterndrive engines. 

Mercury MerCruiser, Mercury’s sterndrive company in Stillwater, Okla., was recognized by the highly regarded global marketing information firm as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Sterndrive Engines.” Mercury OptiMax – the marine industry’s leading direct-fuel-injected (DFI) two-stroke outboard that is built in Fond du Lac, Wis. – was recognized as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Two-Stroke Outboard Engines.”

Mercury products have also won an Innovation Award each of the last two years from the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

The Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards are co-sponsored by Michael Best and Friedrich LLP, a preeminent Midwest-based law firm; Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP, the nation’s 15th largest accounting and consulting firm; and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business association. An independent panel of judges, which includes leaders in business, government, education and the business media, evaluate the nominations. Five other companies won grand awards in other categories and three more were recognized with special awards at the banquet. In all, 40 companies were nominated for 2005 WMOTY awards.