AGAWAM, MASSACHUSETTS – September 10, 2026 – For 30 years, the Western Massachusetts Chapter of NTMA has demonstrated what can happen when manufacturers come together not only to enjoy one another’s company, but to invest in the future of their industry.
That tradition continued Thursday as 155 golfers gathered at St. Anne Country Club in Agawam, Massachusetts, for the Western Massachusetts NTMA Annual Golf Classic. The event once again raised needed funds for the vocational and technical schools preparing young people for careers in precision manufacturing.
This year’s proceeds will benefit Career Technical Academy in West Springfield and Westfield Technical Academy in Westfield, providing equipment, tooling and supplies that directly enhance the education students receive in their manufacturing programs.
A Tradition That Began in 1996
The Western Massachusetts Chapter began using its annual golf tournament to raise money for local vocational education in 1996. In the three decades since, the tournament has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for area technical schools.
Those contributions have put equipment, cutting tools, inspection tools and other supplies directly into school machining programs, giving students hands-on experience with the technology they will encounter in industry.
The impact is particularly important in Western Massachusetts, where generations of manufacturers have supported demanding industries including aerospace and defense. Preparing students for those careers requires much more than teaching the fundamentals of machining. Students need exposure to modern equipment, tooling, processes and technology – and that requires resources.
For Western Massachusetts NTMA members, supporting those programs is more than charitable giving. It is an investment in the future manufacturing workforce.
Industry Supporting Industry
The tournament’s success would not be possible without the many companies that support it through sponsorships, donations and participation.
Tsugami America served as the Grand Tournament Sponsor for this year’s event. The Robert E. Morris Company, part of Morris Group and Tsugami’s longtime machine tool distributor in the region, continued what has become one of the Golf Classic’s most distinctive traditions: bringing a CNC machine tool to the golf course.
Arriving on a Kenworth flatbed was a Tsugami BW329Z CNC machine, providing golfers with something rarely seen alongside the fairways of a country club – and an unmistakable reminder of the industry everyone had gathered to support.
The machine also offered a preview of the technology visitors will see at IMTS in Chicago this September, where Tsugami machines and other technologies represented, sold and serviced by Morris Group will be on display.
The Robert E. Morris Company was incorporated in 1941 and has grown into one of North America’s leading machine tool distributors while maintaining an extraordinary continuity of family involvement. Morris Group CEO Brad Morris represents the third generation of the family in the business. His son, Bradley R. Morris II, recently joined the company, representing its fourth generation.
Their presence at an event dedicated to educating the next generation of manufacturing professionals was particularly fitting. It is a theme that runs throughout the Western Massachusetts manufacturing community: generations of manufacturers passing along not only businesses and technical knowledge, but a responsibility to ensure that the next generation has an opportunity to succeed.
Serious Business – and Plenty of Fun
The day was also designed to be fun. Putting a CNC machine tool on a golf course is evidence enough.
This year’s event featured two hole-in-one contests, each offering a new Mercedes-Benz to any golfer fortunate enough to make an ace. No one drove home in a new Mercedes, but there were plenty of winners.
With beautiful weather, 155 golfers, friendly competition and the camaraderie of people who share a connection to manufacturing, the tournament offered a day to reconnect with old friends, make new ones and enjoy an industry that has been an important part of Western Massachusetts for generations.
Fundraising continued through the awards dinner with a raffle and 50/50 drawing, further adding to the contributions that will ultimately make their way into the two beneficiary schools.
35 Years of Chapter Volunteerism
The awards dinner also provided an opportunity for the Western Massachusetts Chapter to recognize one of its longtime volunteers.
Chapter Chairman and 2026 NTMA Chairman Eric Hagopian was presented with a certificate of appreciation recognizing 35 years of volunteer service to the Western Massachusetts Chapter and NTMA.
The Chapter made sure the recognition wasn’t entirely serious. Along with the certificate came a surprise: a custom-made bobblehead created in Hagopian’s likeness – a lighthearted tribute that generated plenty of laughs and was very much in keeping with the spirit of the day.
The Real Winners
Ultimately, however, the Golf Classic isn’t about who posts the lowest score, wins a raffle or comes closest to driving home in a new Mercedes-Benz. The real winners are the students.
Equipment purchased with tournament proceeds remains in machining labs long after the last foursome leaves the golf course. Tooling and supplies allow instructors to provide experiences that otherwise might not be possible. Students graduate better prepared to enter sophisticated manufacturing environments, and local companies gain access to a stronger pool of skilled employees.
Thirty years after Western Massachusetts NTMA members first decided to turn a golf outing into a way to support vocational education, the formula continues to work.
There is something particularly appropriate about an organization whose members spend their careers building things using its annual gathering to help build the next generation.
The companies have changed. Technology has advanced enormously. Another generation is entering family manufacturing businesses. And the students being supported today weren’t even born when the tournament began.
But the mission that started in 1996 remains the same: manufacturers coming together to invest in the young people who will become the future of American manufacturing.
