Katie Warner, a Kris-Tech ERP specialist, provides school supplies from the company’s parking lot.

Kris-Tech is a niche wire manufacturer, but it has a broad sense of mutual trust for employees, customers and community. Below, Wendy Calabrese, director of employee engagement, discusses how that mindset translates to its community in Rome, New York.

Back-to-school can be a difficult time for families in the Mohawk Valley. But sometimes, a little kindness, a handful of volunteers, and a mission to support the community are all it takes to make a significant difference in their lives.

It was a gloomy, humid August morning, but cars started lining up nearly an hour before the gates opened for our “Hungry for Education” giveaway. By the time our team handed out the first backpack stuffed with school supplies, more than 60 cars were stretched around the corner.

The community spirit has never been lost on our Kris- Tech team. When I first asked for volunteers, we had an incredible outpouring of support and had to tell some team members that we had enough help. Eight people stuffed more than $150 worth of school supplies into each backpack. There were 500 backpacks in total. Another 10 employees helped collect food and distribute supplies as part of an assembly line in the Kris-Tech parking lot. All told, nearly $40,000 worth of school supplies were given to needy families, and the Salvation Army’s pantry received about three months of food.

We live, work and play in this community, from working with local schools to getting their school supply lists to ensuring every parent who showed up had everything their child needs to be successful, it’s part of Kris-Tech’s DNA to give back. We love this community and want to do everything possible to help it thrive.

This isn’t an uncommon scene for our team. It’s only the latest in a long series of events Kris-tech has hosted to support our community. Two years ago, we hosted a “Drive ‘n Dine” food drive. For a bag of groceries, donors were awarded a $100 gift card to one of 35 local restaurants.

By day’s end, we gave out $50,000 worth of gift cards while collecting enough food to keep the Salvation Army’s pantry stocked for four months.

Sometimes our efforts go far beyond Rome. The company has donated 16,000 ft of custom cable to two non-profit organizations to help build water purification systems in Kenya.

Kris-Tech feels obligated to do more than just pocket profits. We make monthly donations to local causes based on performance. We have a mission to support our team members and community because they make us who we are.

Manufacturers GIVING BACK

This is part 5 of Wire Journal International's first-ever feature presenting 16 manufacturers that have given back to their communities: hundreds others could just as easily have been here. Each entry has a unique story, yet the common thread is the people—of all ranks—who care about their companies as well as their communities. Big volunteer efforts deserve applause, but so do smaller ones as they all head in the same direction. In a time when there is seldom a lack of daunting news, one can take pride in the industry spirit.

Not currently subscribed to Wire Journal International? Start your free subscription here. Not a Wire Association International member? Become a WAI member now.
We are the leading monthly publication and technical society for the wire & cable manufacturing industry. 

Looking for other parts of this feature series?

Companies Featured:
Hitachi Cable America (now Proterial Cable America), Viakable, Acme Wire Products, High-Performance Conductors (HPC), Kris-Tech, Allied Wire, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., Cerrowire, Belden, Fort Wayne Metals, Optimus Steel, Prysmian, Minnesota Wire, Southwire, Service Wire, Alloy Wire International
Bonus Content:
> Employer alert! Volunteers make for a better workforce.
> How can a small business start a ‘giving back’ program?

A small business may not have much flexibility in their budgets when it comes to volunteer work, but there are ways to make a meaningful contribution. Below are some suggested measures that can be considered.

• Donate some of your products. Manufacturers of electrical wire can designate some organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity or Building Homes For Heroes, to help out. If there are local opportunities, you can also encourage employees to help. You don’t need to be a carpenter or electrician, so just about anyone could take part.
• Partner with community institutions. Supporting an existing organization that is already serving the community makes volunteering simpler. There are many causes where employees can take part, from cleaning up a public space to bringing food to a local food bank or homeless shelter. An employee given even a half-day off to help out will appreciate the change of pace, and respect the commitment to giving back.
• Match company expertise to needs. Tying in an industry core competency to the community can be a good approach. That could range from management serving as mentors to local businesses to HR employees hosting workshops on resume writing, practice interviews and job hunting. Individual employees often have interests that could lend to similar purposes.
• Organize a volunteer program. The best way to get people to buy into a process is to ask for their advice. Employees could be asked to list what fields they would be willing to share their knowledge in. It could also be a special dedicated meeting where everyone could provide not just their possible contributions, but discuss what focus the community might most benefit by.
• Pick a specific month. Setting a defined period during which the company will support given activities makes it easier for employees to see how they can best fit in. Outline some specific plans. Asking for suggestions, may result in strong employees response. Make sure to follow up on the results. Post it on social media so everyone can share in the positive results.

Manufacturers GIVING BACK

This is a sidebar from Wire Journal International's first-ever feature presenting 16 manufacturers that have given back to their communities: hundreds others could just as easily have been here. Each entry has a unique story, yet the common thread is the people—of all ranks—who care about their companies as well as their communities. Big volunteer efforts deserve applause, but so do smaller ones as they all head in the same direction. In a time when there is seldom a lack of daunting news, one can take pride in the industry spirit.

Not currently subscribed to Wire Journal International? Start your free subscription here. Not a Wire Association International member? Become a WAI member now.
We are the leading monthly publication and technical society for the wire & cable manufacturing industry. 

Looking for other parts of this feature series?

Companies Featured:
Hitachi Cable America (now Proterial Cable America), Viakable, Acme Wire Products, High-Performance Conductors (HPC), Kris-Tech, Allied Wire, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., Cerrowire, Belden, Fort Wayne Metals, Optimus Steel, Prysmian, Minnesota Wire, Southwire, Service Wire, Alloy Wire International
Bonus Content:
> Employer alert! Volunteers make for a better workforce.
> How can a small business start a ‘giving back’ program?

An HPC team ready to clean up their adopted road.

It’s a two-mile stretch of Campton Road in Inman, South Carolina—also known as State Rd. S-42-11—and it’s been adopted by High-Performance Conductors (HPC), a business unit of the International Wire Group. Below, Baine Fairley, director of EHS & HR, explains why it was not a hard sell to get volunteers.

HPC has about 160 employees, and of those, about 40 volunteered for the adopt-a-road initiative that to date has seen three clean-up sessions. The initial foray was the toughest one, involving a lot of heavy lifting over the fourhour- long session. Subsequent return visits were easier and took about half the time. It might not seem like an especially important task, but there was a reason why people were willing to do this on their own time.

HPC has occupied a building on this stretch of Campton Road since 1970. There are only four other manufacturing plants in the area, and the rest is residential. The road was chosen because we wanted to give back to the community, which has put up over the years with our operations, including a lot of trucks coming and going. One thing we could do was clean for those people. Our volunteers were provided with yellow vests, trash pickup sticks and orange bags. We kept count of the number of collected trash bags and posted it internally. We also highlighted the initiative in our marketing newsletter, which was distributed between our employees and posted on IWG website and in social media. We did that not for recognition, but to give back to the community we operate in.

There is a sense of pride in doing this. The road had previously been adopted by another company, but no actual cleaning of the grounds was ever done. Since we adopted the stretch, it has been cleaned. There’s a sign with our company name and logo, so passengers on the road know who adopted the stretch and really keeps it clean. We now do this four times a year, and a few employees have been known to do more on their own. It’s our turf, and we like seeing it look right.

Manufacturers GIVING BACK

This is part 4 of Wire Journal International's first-ever feature presenting 16 manufacturers that have given back to their communities: hundreds others could just as easily have been here. Each entry has a unique story, yet the common thread is the people—of all ranks—who care about their companies as well as their communities. Big volunteer efforts deserve applause, but so do smaller ones as they all head in the same direction. In a time when there is seldom a lack of daunting news, one can take pride in the industry spirit.

Not currently subscribed to Wire Journal International? Start your free subscription here. Not a Wire Association International member? Become a WAI member now.
We are the leading monthly publication and technical society for the wire & cable manufacturing industry. 

Looking for other parts of this feature series?

Companies Featured:
Hitachi Cable America (now Proterial Cable America), Viakable, Acme Wire Products, High-Performance Conductors (HPC), Kris-Tech, Allied Wire, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., Cerrowire, Belden, Fort Wayne Metals, Optimus Steel, Prysmian, Minnesota Wire, Southwire, Service Wire, Alloy Wire International
Bonus Content:
> Employer alert! Volunteers make for a better workforce.
> How can a small business start a ‘giving back’ program?

Acme Wire Products’ Michael Planeta explains to visiting high school students how the company manufactures products.

A second-generation family business specializing in custom formed and welded-wire components, Connecticutbased Acme Wire Products Co. supports the local business and manufacturing communities. Below, President Mary Fitzgerald explains how the Mystic company—run by her and siblings Edward Planeta, Jr., and Michael Planeta— goes beyond financial contributions.

Acme Wire Products has long provided donations to local organizations that provide shelter, food, childcare and literacy support to New London county residents. We help causes from The Riverfront Children’s Center in Groton to the Noank Community Support Services (NCSS) in Noank.

Beyond those efforts, we support local initiatives that encourage and advance manufacturing skills education including robotics, technical education, tooling and machining. We are active participants in local, state and national manufacturing groups to enhance skills training and manufacturing career awareness.

Earlier this year we had a “Manufacturing Month” that included a tour for students of Grasso Tech (a local technical high school). We also participated in a career/ college fair at a local school (Stonington High); a Manufacture Your Future event for high school students held at Quinebaug Valley Community College and the Fall Manufacturing & Health & Wellness Expo in Norwich, which included numerous manufacturers and healthcare and community organizations.

I make many presentations. My goal is to engage and inspire the next generation to learn about and pursue careers in manufacturing. I explain to students about the different jobs, what training/skills are required, and which jobs are in demand and high paying (tool & die makers, machinists, CNC programmers, maintenance/robotic technicians, etc.). I highlight apprenticeship opportunities and note that some employers (including us) have tuition-reimbursement programs for job specific classes and provide paid industry specific training as part of the job benefits.

When we are speaking with a tour group of students on site, we stress the importance of some attributes that matter both in school and work: be on time, be ready to work, be eager to learn, but also to listen and follow directions. These are all skills that employers require, not “request,” and individuals that have them will be successful.

Four of our 50 employees were featured in the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Inc. (CCAT) Maker Multiplier website promoting manufacturing career awareness in underserved communities. We have participated in Women in Manufacturing state events, hosted a local high school student for an internship and coordinated a welding merit badge workshop for local Boy Scouts. We also coordinated a video challenge that paired teams of high school students with local manufacturers in Eastern Connecticut to produce videos with themes such as “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” “Manufacturing: A Path to Success” and “A Day in the Life of Connecticut Manufacturing.”

All these activities take time, but they are worthwhile, which is why we continue to support them.

Manufacturers GIVING BACK

This is part 3 of Wire Journal International's first-ever feature presenting 16 manufacturers that have given back to their communities: hundreds others could just as easily have been here. Each entry has a unique story, yet the common thread is the people—of all ranks—who care about their companies as well as their communities. Big volunteer efforts deserve applause, but so do smaller ones as they all head in the same direction. In a time when there is seldom a lack of daunting news, one can take pride in the industry spirit.

Not currently subscribed to Wire Journal International? Start your free subscription here. Not a Wire Association International member? Become a WAI member now.
We are the leading monthly publication and technical society for the wire & cable manufacturing industry. 

Looking for other parts of this feature series?

Companies Featured:
Hitachi Cable America (now Proterial Cable America), Viakable, Acme Wire Products, High-Performance Conductors (HPC), Kris-Tech, Allied Wire, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., Cerrowire, Belden, Fort Wayne Metals, Optimus Steel, Prysmian, Minnesota Wire, Southwire, Service Wire, Alloy Wire International
Bonus Content:
> Employer alert! Volunteers make for a better workforce.
> How can a small business start a ‘giving back’ program?

Photo of some of the Viakable volunteers that gathered in October to plant trees in Durango.

A leading producer and seller of electrical conductors, Mexico’s Viakable, a Xignux company, employs more than 4,000 people in Mexico and the U.S. Below, Maritza Almanza, communications and social responsibility manager, outlines one focus from the company’s range of charitable and social responsibility efforts.

During October, more than 120 Viakable employees and their families joined forces with local authorities and Mar y Sierra Salvaje—an organization dedicated to conservation of ecosystems and their species—to plant 188 trees in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Durango.

The first of the reforestations took place on Oct. 22 in a local park located in the municipality of San Nicolas de los Garza in the state of Nuevo Leon. There, Viakable’s volunteers planted 38 trees native to the region, and 100 Texas sages in a park close to the company headquarters in the city. On Oct. 29th, Viakable’s employees also planted 50 red oaks in a park located near the Multipak facility in the state of Durango. Multipak is a Viakable company that produces wood reels and packaging solutions.

More than 4,000 Viakable employees actively take part each year in multiple social responsibility activities, which are based on Xignux’s Social Responsible and Sustainable Development Model. These generate high impact in three areas: economic, social, and environmental, transforming its stakeholder’s quality of life and improving society.

In 2021, Viakable volunteers dedicated 6,532 hours to social responsible activities, benefiting more than 7,340 people, including students, senior citizens, people with disabilities, people in vulnerable conditions of living, and neighbors of the local communities where it has operations.

This year, Viakable was granted the Socially Responsible Company Certificate, which is given by the Centro Mexicano para la Filantropía, A.C. (CEMEFI), and recognizes companies that integrate Corporate Social Responsibility guidelines as part of its culture.

With these permanent actions, Viakable reaffirms its commitment to the environmental care and development of the communities where it has operations with strategically focused initiatives for the construction of a sustainable future.

Manufacturers GIVING BACK

This is part 2 of Wire Journal International's first-ever feature presenting 16 manufacturers that have given back to their communities: hundreds others could just as easily have been here. Each entry has a unique story, yet the common thread is the people—of all ranks—who care about their companies as well as their communities. Big volunteer efforts deserve applause, but so do smaller ones as they all head in the same direction. In a time when there is seldom a lack of daunting news, one can take pride in the industry spirit.

Not currently subscribed to Wire Journal International? Start your free subscription here. Not a Wire Association International member? Become a WAI member now.
We are the leading monthly publication and technical society for the wire & cable manufacturing industry. 

Looking for other parts of this feature series?

Companies Featured:
Hitachi Cable America (now Proterial Cable America), Viakable, Acme Wire Products, High-Performance Conductors (HPC), Kris-Tech, Allied Wire, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., Cerrowire, Belden, Fort Wayne Metals, Optimus Steel, Prysmian, Minnesota Wire, Southwire, Service Wire, Alloy Wire International
Bonus Content:
> Employer alert! Volunteers make for a better workforce.
> How can a small business start a ‘giving back’ program?