In 2006, Spartan Light Metal Products was awarded the Commerce & Industry Award. 

Twenty years later, the company has done it again. 

Spartan LMP was honored with the 2026 Commerce & Industry Award during the banquet, hosted by the Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce, on Oct. 20. 

“I’m the one up here, but we’ve got 350 folks that work here in our plants who are committed to delivering quality products to our customers day in and day out,” said Ted Waltemate, vice president of operations, during his remarks at the banquet. “They’re the real recipients of this award.”

The story of how the Illinois-based company got to Mexico in the first place starts with a circle on a map, according to Waltemate. When Henry Jubel, founder of Spartan Light Metal Products, wanted to expand beyond his flagship plant in Sparta, Illinois, he drew a circle with a 150 mile radius around St. Louis, where he was living at the time. But a day’s drive wasn’t the only reason for choosing Mexico.

“A lot of reasons went into why we chose Mexico, but really, I think the main theme was the support of the industry and strong workforce,” Waltemate said. 

Spartan built its first of two manufacturing facilities in Mexico in 1994. The second facility, which is dedicated to large-tonnage die casting, broke ground in 2018. Spartan’s Mexico facility has undergone four expansions since it was first built and encompasses approximately 289,000 square feet.

“I’m especially proud of what our Mexico operations have done in the past several years,” Waltemate said. 

For more than three decades, Spartan has continued to invest in Mexico. Waltemate said this year, Spartan will ship over 4 million products across the U.S., Mexico and Europe, bring in approximately $120 million in revenue, and approximately 35 million pounds of aluminum will ship out of Mexico’s facilities. 

“We’ve got some great customers, we’ve got a great workforce, and a great community backing us up, so we’re looking forward to the future,” he said. 

In addition to the 2026 Commerce & Industry Award, Spartan LMP was recognized with proclamations by Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin’s office as well as Rep. Kent Haden and Mayor Steve Haag at the banquet. 

Spartan LMP wasn’t the only winner that night. 

The E. Warren Williams Business Service Award was given to the Mexico Area Family YMCA. 

The Mexico YMCA was recognized by the chamber in 2025 as the fourth-quarter recipient of the Excellence in Business award. 

“It’s an honor to even be nominated for this award,” Brooke Oliver, executive director of the Mexico YMCA, said. 

Warren Williams, the award’s namesake, was actually a founding member of the Mexico YMCA. 

“I just wonder if he thought when he was on that committee earning our charter, that five decades later, we would earn an award bearing his name,” Oliver said. “That’s quite the legacy.” 

Jason Young, owner of Jason’s Top Shelf and the 2025 recipient of the E. Warren Williams Business Service Award, introduced the three other quarterly award recipients who were up for the title. The third-quarter recipient in 2025 was Stacey’s Place, the first-quarter 2026 recipient was Precision Eyecare, and the second-quarter 2026 recipient was Webber Pharmacy. 

“Thank you for recognizing us in this space, because we are in the business of recreation, but recreation is a business,” Oliver said. “We contribute to the local economy, we attract visitors, we employ lots of teenagers who go on to become employable adults at your services — we’re just really lucky to have the opportunity to do that.”