Since 1984, Greg and Scott Smith have been manufacturing acrylic awards, embedments, and custom recognition products.
What began with a newspaper advertisement for a small acrylic embedment company eventually grew into one of the most experienced acrylic recognition manufacturers in the United States. Today, US Acrylic Awards continues to manufacture products from its Arizona facility while serving organizations throughout the United States and Canada.
While the products, equipment, and technology have evolved over the decades, the philosophy behind the company has remained consistent: create exceptional acrylic recognition products, continue improving the manufacturing process, and make customers proud of the awards they present.
More than a company history, this is a manufacturing story. US Acrylic Awards was built through hands-on experience, equipment investment, process refinement, and decades of learning how acrylic behaves from concept to finished recognition piece.
Greg and Scott Smith have been working in acrylic manufacturing since 1984.
The Beginning of US Acrylic Awards
The story started when Greg and Scott learned about a small acrylic embedment company that was available for purchase. After meeting with the owners and learning more about the process, both became fascinated by the possibilities acrylic manufacturing offered.
The ability to permanently preserve objects inside crystal-clear acrylic created opportunities unlike anything else in the recognition industry. Coins, police badges, miniature prospectus books, patents, product samples, and commemorative items could all become part of a lasting display piece.
That early fascination with custom manufacturing eventually became the foundation for what would later become US Acrylic Awards and Clear Image, Inc.
Discovering the Potential of Acrylic Embedments
After seeing what could be cast into acrylic, Greg and Scott recognized that embedments offered a unique way to preserve important objects, commemorate milestones, and create recognition pieces with lasting display value.
In those early years, the possibilities felt almost endless. From corporate commemoratives to custom recognition projects, acrylic embedments created a way to turn meaningful objects into permanent presentation pieces.
That same idea still influences the company today. Whether a project involves a classic Lucite® embedment, a custom award, or a more modern branded recognition piece, the goal is always to create something that feels intentional, polished, and worth displaying.
Building a Manufacturing Company From the Ground Up
Like many successful manufacturing businesses, the early years required patience, experimentation, and persistence.
Building a customer base was only one challenge. Developing repeatable manufacturing processes and understanding the unique characteristics of acrylic production required countless hours of hands-on work and problem-solving.
Greg and Scott both took a hands-on approach to improving production methods, refining techniques, and establishing the quality standards that still guide the company today.
Those efforts helped transform a small operation into a respected manufacturer known for custom acrylic awards, embedments, and recognition products designed for organizations across a wide range of industries.
Four Decades of Innovation
The original shop looked very different from the facility operating today.
Early production relied on a small autoclave, a wet belt sander, a Craftsman table saw, and a limited number of aluminum molds. From there, the company continued reinvesting in better equipment, improved processes, and expanded capabilities.
Over time, those investments made it possible to manufacture increasingly sophisticated products while maintaining the craftsmanship that made the company successful in the first place.
Innovation has always been part of the culture at US Acrylic Awards. Whether expanding customization options, improving production methods, or investing in advanced equipment, the goal has remained the same: deliver better recognition products for customers.
Inside the US Acrylic Awards Facility
Today, US Acrylic Awards operates from a dedicated manufacturing facility where acrylic awards, acrylic trophies, Lucite® embedments, custom displays, and recognition products are produced every day.
A walk through the facility reveals the combination of craftsmanship and technology required to manufacture custom acrylic products. Edge-finishing machines, autoclaves, table saws, a panel saw, a lathe, acrylic buffing wheels, flatbed UV acrylic printers, screen-printing equipment, Trotec laser engravers, high-powered laser cutters, acrylic benders, drill presses, routers, and specialized finishing tools all play a role in bringing custom projects to life.
These capabilities allow the company to support everything from traditional acrylic awards to LaserCut™ Acrylic Awards, full-color printed recognition pieces, and complex embedment projects.
While equipment has changed dramatically over the years, quality standards remain at the center of every project.
Skilled people remain central to the quality and consistency of every recognition project.
The People Behind the Products
Manufacturing equipment is important, but great products are ultimately created by skilled people.
Many employees at US Acrylic Awards are cross-trained across multiple areas of production, allowing the team to maintain flexibility while preserving the high standards expected from custom recognition projects.
From design consultation and artwork preparation to acrylic finishing and final assembly, every project benefits from the experience and attention to detail of the people involved.
That commitment to craftsmanship remains one of the company’s greatest strengths.
Experience still matters. Understanding how acrylic behaves, how different manufacturing techniques affect quality, and how to transform a customer’s vision into a finished recognition piece comes from decades of hands-on production experience.
Why Manufacturing Experience Still Matters
Organizations have more choices than ever when purchasing awards and recognition products, but manufacturing experience continues to make a difference.
That experience helps customers choose the right format for the occasion, whether they need a traditional award, a dimensional trophy, a full-color branded piece using UV printing on acrylic awards, or a custom embedment designed around a meaningful object.
For more than forty years, Greg and Scott Smith have remained committed to improving the craft of acrylic manufacturing while helping organizations create recognition products that celebrate achievement, preserve memories, and tell meaningful stories.
Manufactured in America Since 1984
From traditional acrylic awards and custom trophies to Lucite® embedments and innovative LaserCut™ designs, US Acrylic Awards continues to manufacture recognition products in the United States using the same commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and innovation that started the company more than four decades ago.
Explore our Made in the USA commitment, browse our acrylic awards, or learn more about our 100% Quality Guarantee.
