Hometown Trolley has been nominated to receive the prestigious Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award (MOTY), which honors excellence in manufacturing in northeast Wisconsin. The accounting and advisory firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLC, and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce sponsor the MOTY awards program. The sponsors will reveal and celebrate the winners at a ceremony Feb. 28, 2013, at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Last year there were more than 50 nominees statewide. This has been a year of recognition for Hometown Trolley, already a finalist for the Advance Economic Development Award of Distinction.

The Manufacturer of the Year awards recognize Wisconsin companies that demonstrate a commitment to business excellence that have a positive impact on the company and the state, making Wisconsin a better place to live, work and play. Kristina Pence-Dunow, CEO of Hometown Trolley, said, “For us, this award is all about the great people at Hometown Trolley as well as the city of Crandon. Our employees will be very excited about this nomination. At Hometown Trolley, everyone is involved in a lean-like process, where they can measure what they do, take ownership and measure their success; they are each key to the team. This nomination is an acknowledgement of their individual successes. Crandon and Forest County are home to open and endearing people that are hard-working employees, and that is the root of Trolley’s success.”

Hometown Trolley was nominated by Forest County Economic Development Partnership’s executive director Jim Schuessler. “Hometown Trolley has a long history of quality products dating back to the late 1970s,” stated Schuessler, “and with the cutting-edge new products they are introducing to the marketplace, they have the potential to be the leader both nationally and internationally for many years to come.”

Hometown Trolley produces custom trolley buses for the public transit industry. Several models are available, beginning with the front engine model named the Villager and the rear engine model, Mainstreet. The newest product will be in high demand for heavy transit areas with major transit agencies. Hometown Trolley is also innovative in providing the flexibility to operate buses on several standard or alternative fuels including diesel, gasoline, compressed natural gas, LP and full electric.