ATTLEBORO |@Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey Thursday presented local manufacturer Rika Denshi America with the Governorfs Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.
The award recognizes Massachusetts firms for innovation, sprit, job growth and community participation.
gRika Denshi America is proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Attleboro ,h Healey said. gCreating innovative high-performance products for the semiconductor packaging and assembly markets has helped Rika Denshi compete effectively in a global economy.h
Rika Denshi, with 70 employees at a plant at 112 Frank Mossberg Drive , designs and manufactures test probes for the semiconductor and electronics industry.
Rika Denshi Vice President and General Manager Larre Nelson accepted the award.
Rika Denshi, which means high-tech electronics in Japanese, was started in 1991 as a three-person operation.
Barbara Berbe, director of the state Department of Business and Technology, commended Rika Denshi for being a small company with a diverse workforce---one with many ethnic and educational backgrounds. gFirst and foremost, it is all about job creation,h she said.
The company was hit with a major downturn at the end of 2000, with the crash of the worldwide semiconductor industry, and lost 40 percent of its workforce, but was able to rebound.
gIf our effort is recognized by other small companies who follow suit, that will be encouraging,h Nelson said. gBusiness is a lot more fun than when one is sitting around and doing nothing.
|
