Award-Winning Campaign Offers Blueprint for Solving a Critical U.S. Workforce Crisis

FRANKLINTON, NC – May 21, 2026 – In an era defined by rapid technological advancement, the American manufacturing sector is facing a paradox: while it evolves into a hub of high-tech innovation, its public perception remains stuck in the past. This disconnect has created a looming workforce crisis, with a projected 2 million unfilled jobs by 2030. Now, a strategic campaign that directly confronted this challenge has earned one of the nation’s highest honors in public relations.

Novonesis, a global leader in biosolutions, and Rinck Advertising, a behavior change agency, were recently awarded a 2026 PRSA Silver Anvil for a campaign designed to inspire the next generation of biomanufacturing talent. The award, presented by the Public Relations Society of America in New York City, is considered the “Oscar of the PR industry.” This year, only 42 Silver Anvils were awarded nationwide, signifying the campaign's exceptional strategy and measurable impact. The recognition highlights a powerful new model for how targeted communications can address critical national challenges, from workforce shortages to public perception.

The Challenge: A Widening Skills Gap and Outdated Perceptions

The campaign arrived at a crucial moment for the U.S. economy. The Manufacturing Institute projects that the country could face more than 2 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2030, a figure that some analyses suggest could climb toward 3.8 million by 2033. This shortage is particularly acute in advanced sectors like biomanufacturing, a cornerstone of the burgeoning U.S. bioeconomy, which is valued at over $1 trillion.

Despite the growth of high-paying, purpose-driven careers in the field, research shows that many young people still associate manufacturing with outdated, low-skill assembly line work. This perception gap poses a direct threat to domestic innovation and economic competitiveness. Recognizing this, the federal government has taken action, with President Biden’s 2022 Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation calling for expanded training and education to grow the bioworkforce.

The challenge, therefore, was not a lack of opportunity but a lack of awareness. It required a strategic effort to dismantle old stereotypes and showcase the reality of modern manufacturing: a field driven by science, engineering, and a mission to solve global problems. This is precisely where Novonesis and Rinck Advertising focused their efforts.

A Blueprint for Change: The Immersive Campaign

At the heart of the award-winning initiative was Novonesis’s role as the national flagship host for Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) in October 2025. The company opened the doors to its North American headquarters in Franklinton, North Carolina—home to the largest multipurpose enzyme manufacturing facility on the continent—to over 300 students, educators, and community leaders. Similar events were held at Novonesis facilities in Virginia and Wisconsin.

This was far more than a simple factory tour. The campaign was meticulously designed as a research-informed, behavior-change initiative. The goal was to create an immersive experience that would fundamentally shift how students view careers in the industry. Students were guided through advanced research and development labs, observed engineers in state-of-the-art control rooms, and saw firsthand how fermentation processes are scaled to create world-changing biosolutions.

“Students can’t aspire to careers they’ve never seen,” said Kathy Humphrey, Head of Communications for Novonesis North America. “We approached this as a strategic effort to open our doors at scale and give students firsthand exposure to biomanufacturing, showing how biosolutions, science, and innovation come together to create meaningful careers that help solve real-world challenges.”

The campaign brought the abstract concept of “biosolutions” to life, connecting it to everyday products like the food people eat, the detergents they use, and the renewable fuels powering vehicles. By engaging directly with scientists and engineers, students could see a clear path for themselves in an industry that is both technologically advanced and deeply impactful.

Redefining an Industry: The New Face of Manufacturing

The campaign’s success was rooted in its ability to redefine what manufacturing means in the 21st century. Novonesis, formed from the 2024 merger of industry giants Novozymes and Chr. Hansen, exemplifies this transformation. The company operates at the intersection of biology and technology, investing approximately 11% of its annual sales into R&D to unlock the power of microbes and enzymes. With a portfolio of over 10,000 patents, Novonesis develops solutions that improve food sustainability, create cleaner energy, and promote human health.

This commitment to innovation is matched by a deep focus on sustainability. The company is pursuing net-zero emissions by 2050 and is a key player in building a more circular, bio-based economy. The MFG Day campaign made these values tangible, showing students that a career in biomanufacturing is a career dedicated to creating a healthier planet. It demonstrated that the factory floor of today is often a clean, highly automated environment where skilled technicians and scientists work to address some of the world’s most pressing issues.

By showcasing this reality, the campaign directly challenged outdated stereotypes and presented a compelling alternative: a career that is intellectually stimulating, financially rewarding, and personally fulfilling. It reframed manufacturing not as a relic of the past, but as a critical engine for the future.

The Power of Partnership and Specialized Expertise

The Silver Anvil award also serves as a powerful case study in strategic collaboration. The partnership between Novonesis, an industry leader with deep technical knowledge, and Rinck Advertising, a specialist in behavior change communications, proved to be a winning formula.

This award marks Rinck’s third consecutive PRSA win for behavior change work, cementing its reputation as a leader in the field. The agency previously earned a 2025 Silver Anvil for a youth suicide prevention campaign and a 2024 Award of Excellence for a campaign addressing alcohol misuse, both with the Maine CDC. This track record demonstrates a consistent ability to translate complex social and public health challenges into resonant, effective communications.

“We approached this campaign as more than an event. It was a research-informed behavior-change initiative designed to help solve a growing workforce challenge facing the biotech industry,” explained Katie Greenlaw, Vice President of Public Relations and Influencer Marketing at Rinck Advertising. “Audience insights helped shape every aspect of the experience... The measurable shifts we saw in student perceptions afterward reinforced the power of immersive, insight-driven communications.”

By combining Novonesis’s industry leadership and commitment to workforce development with Rinck’s data-driven approach to changing minds and actions, the partnership created a campaign that was greater than the sum of its parts. The national recognition it received validates this collaborative model as an effective blueprint for tackling large-scale societal issues, proving that the right story, told in the right way, can indeed inspire the next generation and help build the workforce of tomorrow.