Holley Performance Products of Bowling Green was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Kentucky Association for Manufacturers at the 2015 KAM Manufacturer and Employee of the Year Awards ceremony.

The award is presented annually to a manufacturer in the state that showcases “exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, community leadership and policy contributions to enhance the overall prosperity of the commonwealth.”

Tom Flynn, vice president of operations at Holley, accepted the award Friday at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville.

“We’re extremely excited and humbled to be recognized as a Kentucky Manufacturer of the Year. There are a lot of great manufacturers in Kentucky and to be recognized out of all of them is a great achievement for our team. Thanks to the Kentucky Association for Manufacturers for this great award and thanks to our team in Bowling Green for making it happen,” Flynn said in a news release.

Holley Performance Products began in Bowling Green in 1951 producing the Visi-flo carburetor and has since moved on to be a leader in high-performance exhaust products, standalone EFI systems, carburetors, intake manifolds, superchargers, water pumps, plumbing components and fuel pumps for street and race applications. Holley manufactures products under the brand names Holley, Hooker Headers, Flowtech exhaust, Earl’s Plumbing, NOS Nitrous Oxide Systems, Diablosport Tuners and Weiand intakes and superchargers.

Holley focuses primarily on the high-performance aftermarket for carburetors, having powered every NASCAR team since the 1960s with products made in Bowling Green including its current EFI throttle body, according to the company.

In 2014, Holley announced the creation of a research and development facility at its Bowling Green headquarters. The facility brought an investment of $1,325,000 to southcentral Kentucky and created 20 new jobs. Holley launched more than 600 new products in the past year, which led to increased hires in engineering, R&D, sales, tech and operational support.