In December, the former First Lady and current Democratic candidate for president visited the University of Northern Iowa Metal Casting Center at the Cedar Valley, Iowa TechWorks campus in Waterloo, Iowa.

The facility was named the 2015 "Small Business of the Year" by a local economic development group.

Omen USA, Kibboutz Hatzor, Israel, is planning to place its first North American facility in Richmond, Indiana. According to a press release, up to 100 jobs will be created by 2019.

Tennessee Tool & Engineering Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is adding 10,000 sq.-ft. of manufacturing space and is expected to create 20 jobs. The addition is to the company’s diecasting division.

Linamar Corp., Guelph, Ontario, and GF Automotive, a division of Georg Fischer AG, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, announced they will place jointly owned GF Linamar LLC’s new aluminum diecasting facility in Mills River, North Carolina.

Waupaca Foundry Inc., Waupaca, Wisconsin, announced it will merge with Hitachi Metals Automotive Components USA LLC (HMAC). The merger is part of a larger reorganization within Hitachi Metals Foundry America designed to position the integrated organization for growth and meet customer demand.

Diana Kastenbaum, the CEO of Pinnacle Manufacturing Company Inc., Batavia, New York, has announced she is running for Congress as a Democrat in New York’s 27th district.

Polich Tallix, Rock Tavern, New York, produced the Oscar statuettes for this year’s Academy Awards.

IBC Advanced Alloys Corp., Wilmington, Massachusetts, has announced it’s been chosen as the exclusive supplier of Beralcast cast components for an unnamed global manufacturer of semiconductor and electronics assembly equipment.

Grede, Southfield, Michigan, an MPG Inc. company, has been recognized with a 2016 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year–Energy Management Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).