victoria.kickham@reedbusiness.com

What do the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building and Route 66 have in common? They were all built by skilled tradespeople—a vanishing commodity in today's marketplace.

To honor such workers, and to celebrate its 100th anniversary, Red Wing Shoe Co. has launched a search for "America's Master Trades-men." The search began on Feb. 21 and will continue until June 30.

Red Wing seeks to honor 100 artisans who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to quality in their respective trade. Nominees will be judged on their level of expertise and quality craftsmanship, their commitment to the community in which they live, how they pass along skills to others learning the trade, and their dedication to American workmanship. Each of the 100 Master Tradesmen will receive:

• A $500 scholarship in his or her name to an accredited vocational or technical school of his or her choice.
• A pair of limited edition Red Wing 100th anniversary boots.
• Local recognition in his or her hometown market.
• A certificate of recognition from Red Wing Shoe Co.

"We're launching the America's Master Tradesmen program to honor the unsung heroes of our country's workforce and to show our commitment to the future of the skilled trade industry," said Dave Murphy, president and COO of Red Wing."

For an entry form and official rules, visit www.redwingshoe.com.

Carborundum, an abrasives maker and division of Saint-Gobain, is now a preferred supplier to the Industrial SupplyPlus division of distributor alliance IBC. IBC also announced the addition of Air King America, Inc.; Ruch Carbide Burs, Inc.; Techni Edge Mfg. Corp.; and Hospeco as preferred suppliers to the same division, and the addition of Horizon Industrial, a division of Miller Bearings, Inc., as a distributor member...Motion control distributor Minarik Automation & Control unveiled a new Web site, www.minarikval-add.com. The site includes information on and pictures of actual projects the company's Value Added Services division has completed...Electrical products maker Schneider Electric announced a $3 million donation to the Asian tsunami relief effort. The donation includes $1 million in cash to support emergency relief efforts in the hardest hit areas in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand; $1 million in electrical equipment and services; and another $1 million in employee-matched contributions to support select projects, such as reconstruction of orphanages and schools... Toolmaker Greenlee formed a joint venture with plumbing tools manufacturer Rothenberger AG to expand the companies' service and product offerings in the United States' and Canadian professional plumbing products and pipe tool segments... Cleaning equipment maker Tornado Industries launched a new e-newsletter, Tornado Watch, aimed at the company's customers, distributors, manufacturers' reps and employees around the country... Three distributors joined Canadian distributor alliance IDI Independent Distributors: M&M Nord-Quest Inc., Amos, Quebec; RDM Industrial Ltd., St. John's, Newfoundland; and Solutions Industrielles, Chicoutimi, Quebec...Toronto-based distributor Brafasco, Inc., opened its first Chicago-area showroom and warehouse in February. Located in Elk Grove Village, in Chicago's northwest suburbs, the site marks Brafasco's first entry into the Chicago area, and is part of a Midwest expansion that will include three new locations this year... Leviton Manufacturing Co. and MechoShade Systems formed a strategic alliance to offer integrated lighting control solutions for commercial facilities...

Tooling manufacturer Kennametal, Inc. announced plans to acquire Extrude Hone Corp. for $137 million. The deal is expected to be complete by the end of March... Industrial products maker Gardner Denver acquired XCEED Compressed Air Control Solutions, formerly of Honeywell Automation & Control Solutions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed...Austin, Texas—based software company Activant Solutions announced plans to acquire Montreal-based Speedware Corp. The transaction is expected to close by the end of March.

East Penn Manufacturing won the Future Vision Award from MAC Engineering.