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Marine Concept’s Chambers named to Hall of Fame: Manufacturer honored

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While serving on the board of directors of the American Composites Manufacturers Association, Matt Chambers was asked to chair its Government Affairs Committee.

Chambers’ strategy and leadership serving that committee helped forge alliances with manufacturers in the composites industry invited to sit down in a friendly way to draw up guidelines for workers health and safety. The results were used by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

“The use of styrene is not harmful and it’s used for many things, from drink cups and food trays to boats and cars,” said Chambers. “We developed a program to measure and report it.”

His work in that capacity was one of several reasons Chambers, 57, was selected to receive the ACMA’s Hall of Fame Award for 2016. The president of Marine Concepts and Design Concepts in Cape Coral was presented the award at the end of the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 26.

“I’m humbled and very appreciative to be presented with this award,” said Chambers. “I’m honored to join the people before me to receive this very prestigious award. I am proud to be a part of such an outstanding and prestigious organization which supports manufacturers through education, promotion and government representation.”

Chambers has been in Lee County for 11 years. Marine Concepts was founded by Cuban immigrant Kiko Villalon 40 years ago in Cape Coral and has been located on Pine Island Road the entire time. Marine Concepts is the largest supplier in the U.S. to the recreational marine industry.

It’s sister company, Design Concepts, provided design and engineering for non-marine composites applications. Non-marine applications for composites include theme parks, trucks, buses, etc.

Design Concepts was started in 2006 as JRL Ventures, Inc., and won the Manufacturer of the Year award from the Manufacturers Association of Florida in 2010.

Marine Concepts and Design Concepts has locations in Sarasota and in Cape Coral which is the corporate office. There are 280 employees milling plugs and molds for the fiberglass manufacturing industry. They supply virtually all recreational marine manufacturers, including Boston Whaler, SunRay and military projects.

“It’s like we make the cake pan so the bakers can make the cakes,” Chambers said.

Chambers has won many other awards during his 26 years of impacting the composites industry. He was the Small Business Ambassador Award for Manufacturing recipient in 2013; the Brunswick-US Marine Leadership Award recipient; and USA Today Rochester Institute of Technology Leader Award winner in 1995. He also has served as the Southwest Florida Manufacturers Association.

“Going forward, I will continue to grow and focus on the composite industry in the future, and continue to develop an award-winning team,” Chambers said.