Retired Waupaca Foundry CEO Gary M. Gigante received the AFS Peter L. Simpson Gold Medal at the AFS Annual Banquet on Tuesday, 25th April for his long-term contributions to the sustainability of the metal casting industry through environmental stewardship, technological advances, and the development of people in the industry. He was nominated and supported for the award by Waupaca Foundry suppliers, customers, employees, educational partners, industry peers and past award winners. The Peter L. Simpson Gold Medal is one of six AFS Gold Medals which are generally recognized as the highest individual honor achievable in the metal casting industry.
Gigante was a Foundry Educational Foundation scholarship recipient at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and started at Waupaca Foundry in 1981 as a metallurgist. He subsequently held positions as metallurgist, plant manager, vice president of manufacturing, President & COO and was appointed CEO in 2007. During his leadership, he introduced ductile iron production to the company at its Marinette, Wisconsin foundry, led the company through two ownership changes, and flexed production to meet the challenges of the Great Recession in 2009. In the industry, he served on the board of the American Foundry Society through 2017, he was on the board of directors for the Foundry Educational Foundation, and was a member of the board of directors for the Ductile Iron Society. In his home state of Wisconsin, he served consecutive terms on the board of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Association.
Gary Gigante joins retired President & CEO Gary L. Thoe who was honored in 2007 with the AFS Peter L. Simpson Gold Medal for outstanding contributions in promoting public esteem or service which reflects credit on the Metalcasting industry.
Simpson Technologies and the Simpson family joins the American Foundry Society in congratulating Gary Gigante on this honor and on his outstanding career in the metal casting industry.
