Eau Claire has another reason to be proud of its businesses: Local company Realityworks Inc. has won the 2013 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Special Award for Innovation Excellence for its newest product, the teachWELD Welding Simulator. Realityworks, which creates experimental learning technology, was founded in 1994 by Rick and Mary Jurmain. Their success began with the RealCare Baby infant simulator (aka Baby Think It Over). If you took a sex-ed class in high school, you probably used one of these simulators. Today, the company offers much more than just baby simulators: They also have a couple of Business Education Simulations, including one on management and finance. When accepting the award for their welding simulation, Realityworks president Timm Boettcher said that this product was “designed to create better and more effective welders … eliminating the skills gap and strengthening our states and the nation’s manufacturing workforce.” Using a simulator allows students in secondary and post-secondary education to learn and train in this valuable skill in a safe, cost-effective, spark-free environment. For more information on Realityworks, visit www.realityworks.com or call (800) 830-1416.