Craig Van den Avont

In 1998 Craig was a founder of GAM Gear LLC. Over the years the company grew from a startup to a market leader. Craig led the company to implement full manufacturing at its Mount Prospect, IL location. Craig is proud of GAM’s role in bringing manufacturing back to the United States. Craig is also the Board Chairman for the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC). IMEC is the official Illinois representative of the MEP network under the US-Dept. of Commerce, NIST. The MEP National Network is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing. IMEC is dedicated to providing manufacturers in Illinois with the tools and techniques to create sustainable competitive futures in the global marketplace. Prior to GAM Enterprises, Craig was the Chief Engineer at Rexroth-Indramat (now Bosch-Rexroth), a German manufacturer of servo-based motion control systems used in factory automation. Craig started as a mechanical engineer at the company and was promoted to Chief Engineer in only 4 years. Prior to Rexroth, Craig was a Design Engineer at McDonnell Douglas, where he worked on the DC-9/MD-80 aircraft at the Douglas plant in Long Beach CA. Born and raised in the Chicago area, Craig earned his BS in Aeronautical-Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois, in Urbana-Champaign and his MBA from DePaul University. Craig is passionate about US manufacturing and actively works to promote its success on a local, national, and global level. He has participated in a roundtable discussion with the US Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council’s Sub-Committee on Innovation and Research and Development. Craig has been recognized by the Northwest Educational Council for Student Success (NESS) for the company’s involvement with the local middle, secondary, and post-secondary schools, helping to promote careers in STEM and manufacturing. Craig is married to his wife, Sandy, has two sons, is an avid cyclist and a Chicago Cubs fan.