Tyson Foods, Inc. has announced nine companies as winners in its twelfth annual “Supplier of the Year” awards program.

The awards were presented at a luncheon at Tyson Foods’ World Headquarters attended by Tyson Foods’ president of Poultry Operations Doug Ramsey, Senior Vice President of Procurement Melanie Russell and Senior Vice President of Corporate Research and Development Craig Bacon.

Winners of the 2016 Supplier of the Year award include:

• Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, a national supplier of mechanical components, bearing power transmissions and fluid power

• POET Ethanol Products of Wichita, Kan., a specialty supplier of liquid CO2.

• ColorMasters, LLC, of Albertville, Ala., a supplier of innovative flexible products.

• Symrise, Inc., of Teterboro, N.J., a supplier of seasoning and flavor products.

• Wabash Valley Produce, Inc., of Dubois, Ind., a supplier of liquid eggs.

Additionally, several companies were honored for their excellence in specific areas.

• Select Technologies, Inc. of Belmont, Mich., and Mid States Electric of Sioux City, Iowa, were named “Contractors of the Year” for their service in the Poultry, Prepared Foods and Fresh Meats divisions.

• Kerry of Beloit, Wis., was recognized as “Innovation Supplier of the Year” for its strong commitment to culinary, consumer insights, research and development, and application resources.

• Heartland Supply Company, Inc., of Fayetteville, Ark., a minority-owned supplier of food ingredients, along with a healthy distribution network, was recognized by Tyson’s Supplier Diversity program as “Diversity Supplier of the Year.”

The recognitions were based on supply-chain performance, total cost of ownership, pricing programs, customer-service performance, innovation, sustainability initiatives, and other performance metrics observed throughout the year.

“We are deeply appreciative of our suppliers as they are critical to Tyson Foods’ success as a company,” said Melanie Russell, senior vice president of procurement, Tyson Foods. “The 2016 winners have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to helping us assure our customers and consumers of the safety and quality of our products.”