EDASC board member Amelia Cook honored for Innovation and Leadership in Manufacturing

Amelia Cook, owner and managing member of Goodwinds Composites, a composite component manufacturer in Mount Vernon she co-founded with her brother, has been named a winner of the 2026 Enterprising Women of the Year Award. 

This long-running awards program recognizes the world's top women entrepreneurs. It is widely considered one of the most significant recognition programs for women business owners in the United States and globally.

“It is an honor to be recognized as an Enterprising Woman of the Year,” said Cook. “It’s always been important to me to contribute to my community as I have grown my business, and this award recognizes both the entrepreneurship and the leadership. I hope I can inspire other women to work hard and get involved in their communities.”

“Amelia is a shining example to anyone that you can be tireless both in pursuit of entrepreneurial success and in support of your community,” noted EDASC CEO John Sternlicht. “Amelia served two years as our Board Chair while engaged in various other volunteer leadership positions locally and statewide, all while running a very successful enterprise.”

Goodwinds Composites manufactures carbon and fiberglass rods and tubes for structural support components in a variety of industries including industrial equipment, sporting goods, musical instruments and aerospace. Notably, the company contributed to NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter mission to Mars when they designed and manufactured its landing gear.

Cook earned a bachelor’s degree in Honors History from Whitman College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Western Washington University. Following jobs in the tourism and business development sectors, Amelia joined forces with her brother to found Goodwinds Composites in 2008. 

Cook, who served as the Skagit Rotary Club President in 2020-21, was named Rotarian of the Year in 2022. She is a member of the Skagit Manufacturing Roundtable and Washington Women in Manufacturing, is immediate past board chair of the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County, sits on the executive board of the Association of Washington Business, the Skagit Valley College Manufacturing/Technical Education Advisory Committee, and the Mount Vernon High School CTE Advisory Committee, serves on the Skagit County Civil Service Commission, and regularly volunteers in her community. When she’s not working, she can often be found running trails around Mount Vernon with her dog and enjoying time with her husband and three children.

Cook will be honored at the annual Enterprising Women awards celebration in New Orleans in March.

Learn more about the Enterprising Women of the Year Awards at enterprisingwomen.com and Goodwinds Composites at goodwinds.com.