SCHAUMBURG, IL - The American Foundry Society (AFS) has named Ted Schorn, Vice President of Quality and Technology at Enkei America Inc., recipient of the 2026 James P. Keating Founders' Freedom Award.
Named after James P. Keating of Neenah Foundry Co. This honor is awarded to those who make significant contributions to the foundry industry in the fields of government affairs, human resource management, safety and health, or education. This award is presented at the Foundry Leadership Summit. Schorn will be accepting the award at the 2027 Metalcasting Congress April 20-22, 2027 in Cleveland, OH.
Schorn has been a long time member of the American Foundry Society and has served as an Instructor for the AFS Institute, conducted AFS webinars and has lectured at several AFS conferences throughout the years.
"Ted has spent a career making foundries safer and castings better, and then teaching the rest of the industry how to do the same.” Said Justin Scott, CEO of the American Foundry Society, “The Keating award honors people whose impact reaches well beyond their own plant walls, and few have given more of themselves to this industry than Ted Schorn."
Schorn is currently responsible for quality and technology for Enkei America’s North American operations as Vice President. He has worked in the field of quality for over 42 years, spanning automotive, aerospace and medical markets. Schorn also operates his own consulting firm, Schorn Consulting, LLC which provides training, management consulting and expert witness services. Schorn’s areas of special expertise include quality management, wheel design and engineering, foundry safety and visual inspection. He is frequently called on to speak on both technical and management topics and has authored over 40 technical articles.
More information on the James P. Keating Founders' Freedom Award is available here.
The American Foundry Society is a dynamic technical and advocacy organization that serves and represents the $53.7 billion metalcasting industry. AFS is the only association serving the entire industry, including all metals and processes, with a three-part focus on advocacy, education, and innovation. AFS also publishes Modern Casting and Casting Source magazines and presents Metalcasting Congress and CastExpo, the largest metalcasting trade events in North America. Founded in 1896, the organization is based in Schaumburg, Illinois, with an advocacy office in Washington, D.C. More information is available at AFSinc.org.