The Association of Manufacturers Bay Area (AMBayArea) hosted the AMBayArea Summit 2026 at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland on Tuesday, April 21, from 1 to 7 p.m.
The annual event, which was first held in 2018, energized the Bay Area’s manufacturing community, drawing hundreds of industry leaders, supply chain innovators, and cross-sector partners from education and government. A strong sense of momentum carried through the event as attendees engaged with forward-thinking insights from top voices in the field and forged meaningful connections, reinforcing the Summit’s role as the region’s premier gathering for manufacturing professionals.
“AMBayArea is driven to support and elevate manufacturers across the Bay Area,” said Krishna Rajagopal, Chair of the AMBayArea Board of Directors. “Our team is committed to hosting meaningful events and innovative thought leadership that strengthen and inspire our regional manufacturing community.”
Attendees then chose from a variety of engaging breakout sessions presented by subject matter experts that focused on AI, Operations, Workforce, Strategy, and Growth.
Jeff Eyet of The Berkeley Innovation Group presented The Great Reskilling: Why AI Makes Your Blue-Collar Workers More Valuable Than Ever.
Rand Morimoto of Convergent Computing shared Five Best Use Cases to Successfully Leverage AI in Manufacturing, Quality Control, & Supply Management.
George Chao of Manex and Arlen Chou of Golden Altos led From Rule to Reality: CMMC for Small and Medium Manufacturers.
Claire Michaels of East Bay Works presented Growing the Next Generation of Manufacturing Talent.
Greg Phillips of Torani, Nancy Mangold of the Small Business Development Center, and Poonum Patel of Go-Biz joined a panel on Leveraging Public Resources for Manufacturer Growth, moderated by Katie Bowman of the City of San Leandro.
Rich Mietz of Casa Sanchez Foods, Sonal Rajyaguru of Wisoman Foods, Joel Feldman of Sugar Bowl Bakery, and Vicky Bevilacqua-True and Brian Leffler of Navigate CPR contributed to Strategies for Securing and Building Profitable Big Box Partnerships, moderated by Linda Renteria of Casa Sanchez Foods.
Elizabeth Esquivel and Sarah Bridges of CMTA presented The Maker vs. Breaker Bills: What California Manufacturers Need to Know.
Pamela Kan of Bishop-Wisecarver shared her experience and knowledgewith Purpose-Driven Manufacturing: Using the 7 Ps to Build Culture, Engagement, and Sustained Growth.
As part of the event, the AMBayArea MFG Awards ceremony honored standout manufacturers for their achievements and contributions to the regional industry. AMBayArea presented the following awards:
- Wisoman Foods, 2026 Manufacturer of the Year – Category: Small Manufacturer
- Maas Brothers Powder Coating, 2026 Manufacturer of the Year – Category: Medium Manufacturer
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2026 Manufacturer of the Year – Category: Large Manufacturer
- ALOM, 2026 AMBayArea Member of the Year
The awards were presented by Award Sponsors Fremont Bank, and the Workforce Development Boards of Alameda, Contra Costa, Oakland, and Richmond. The awards were manufactured by POP Manufacturing in Emeryville.
Christine Holly Ngo, AMBayArea Board Member and VP of Operations and Business Development for Silicon Valley Elite Manufacturing, returned as the event master of ceremonies. Ngo is the host of the podcast Making Things Fun, Cool & Sexy, which promotes American manufacturers.
The Summit concluded with a happy hour from 5:30 to 7 p.m. allowing attendees the chance to re-connect with peers and make new connections, as well as visit exhibitor booths.
In addition to Award Sponsors Fremont Bank and the Workforce Development Boards, the AMBayArea Summit 2026 was made possible by Exhibit Sponsors Neele-Vat, Sensiba, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, ETP, Bank of America, Trinet, Spherion; and Event Sponsors POP Manufacturing, ALOM, Leavitt Group, CBRE, MaRCTech2, First Citizens Bank, Myto, BMO, Narish International, Baker Tilly, Silicon Valley Elite Manufacturing, and Pantheon Industries.
2026 AMBayArea MFG Awards Recipients — Photos Clockwise: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Wisoman Foods, ALOM, Maas Brothers Powder Coating, Awards Manufactured by POP Manufacturing
