MINNEAPOLIS – Donaldson Co. Inc. has announced patent recipients and winners of the company’s 13th Annual Inventor Awards, which are given to employees whose work on various technology innovations have contributed to Donaldson’s continued success as a leader and filtration innovator.
Employees are eligible to win one of five annually designated awards. The Richard M. Negri Manufacturing Excellence Award is presented to a Donaldson employee who has created and implemented significant process technology and/or product improvements to the company’s manufacturing operations. This year’s winner is Tark Ji YP, operations manager, based in Wuxi, China.
The Technology Achievement Award is given to employees who have developed a material, product, process or method that has made an extraordinary contribution to Donaldson’s long-term success. This year’s recipients are recognized for their work with Synteq XP filter media and include: Greg LaVallee, corporate technology, senior principal engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.; Rakesh Yadav, corporate technology, principal scientist based in Bloomington, Minn.; Vijay Kapoor, corporate technology, engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.; Derek Jones, corporate technology, senior engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.; Joan Gao, corporate technology, principal scientist based in Bloomington, Minn.; Bob Rogers, retiree based in Bloomington, Minn.; Dan Little, engine air, senior engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.; James Barsness, corporate technology, senior engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.; Greg Tronnes, corporate technology, engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.; and Emily Nykiel, advanced manufacturing technology, senior engineer based in Bloomington, Minn.
The Emerging Innovator Award recognizes innovative technical leadership from those with fewer than 10 years of experience at Donaldson. This year’s winner is Mark Boyce, aerospace filtration systems, principal engineer, based in St. Louis, Mo.
The Technology Champion Award recognizes an individual who advances a technology or process against popular opinion, which is later recognized as the right thing to do. Dan Adamek, engine air filtration, director of engine air filter development, based in Bloomington, Minn., is this year’s recipient.
The Frank A. Donaldson Award, named after the company’s founder, recognizes a long-term engineering achievement. This year’s awardees are Andrew Dallas, corporate technology, fellow, and Thom Weik, corporate technology, senior engineer, both based in Bloomington, Minn.
Donaldson also recognizes 61 company employees who received patents in calendar year 2014: Dan Adamek, Marty Barris, Mark Belcher, Wayne Bishop, Bruce Boehrs, Mark Brandenhoff, Steve Campbell, Michael Carlson, Bruce Crenshaw, Andrew Dallas, Rick DeJong, Julien Dils, James Doyle, Joseph Einberger, Randall Engelland, Christopher Fischer, Steve Gieseke, Mike Hebert, John Herman, Derek Hiemstra, Al Hovda, Doug Iddings, Philip Johnson, Veli Kalayci, Matt Kalis, Vladimir Kladnitsky, Josh Kundert, Greg LaVallee, Mary Lorenzen, Brian Mandt, Anitha Mathew, Stanley Miller, Tom Miller, Jarren Mills, Troy Murphy, Ben Nelson, David Nelson, Larry Nepsund, Gary Nygaard, Cary Olson, Thomas Olson, Richard Osendorf, Kirit Patel, Scott Peters, Timothy Ricke, Eli Ross, Kevin Schrage, James Scott, Tim Sporre, Rodney Switzer, Todd Taubert, Dan Tuma, Karthik Viswanathan, Tom Vranken, Paul Way, Darrel Wegner, Thom Weik, Paul Wendt, Robert Wood, Nathan Zambon and Dustin Zastera.
“As customers’ equipment and technology advances, Donaldson’s engineering, technology and operations staffs are continually developing innovative solutions that anticipate and exceed evolving requirements,” said Sheila Peyraud, Donaldson vice president and chief technology officer. “With over 1,600 active patents and the design of industry-leading materials and products, our employees have been vital to Donaldson’s 100-year history of success. These awards allow Donaldson the opportunity to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to our global filtration technology leadership. I congratulate each of them on their outstanding achievements.”
