Monthly Archives: April 2015
McWane Awarded Corporate Contribution Award by AFS
L – R: John Grahek, AFS Past President Paul Mikkola, Ruffner Page, Jeet Radia, Steve Johnson, and Jim Proctor
We are proud to announce that the American Foundry Society (AFS) presented McWane with the Corporate Contribution Award at the AFS Metal Casting Congress in Columbus, Ohio, on April 23. This is the first year this award has been given out by AFS which makes it extra special for McWane!
McWane received this award in recognition of the extensive in-kind contributions we have made to the metal casting industry through AFS. This includes active participation by McWane team members in AFS technical committees, local AFS chapters, and presenting and teaching at AFS conferences and Cast Metals Institute courses.
AFS established the Corporate Contribution Award in 2015 to recognize a company for superior or meritorious service to AFS and the metalcasting industry demonstrated through the contribution of time and service by company employees. The intent of this award is to recognize those organizations that have consistently sponsored the involvement of their employees in the AFS technical committee structure, local chapters, service to the AFS Institute and other volunteer activities. This award recognizes that for every individual member who is involved in AFS volunteer activities, there is a company that has approved that involvement and a corporate decision to support that contribution with financial and company resources.
Thanks to the McWane team members that spend endless hours participating in AFS committees and local chapters as well as make presentations and teach classes at AFS and CMI!
McWane, Inc. and McWane Ductile-New Jersey Recognized by JDRF of Central Pennsylvania
On Saturday, April 18, McWane Inc. and McWane Ductile–New Jersey were honored by the JDRF of Central Pennsylvania at their Rock the Cure Gala in Hershey, Pennsylvania. JDRF is the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research.
Since 2010, the McWane Foundation has provided major grants to the JDRF Central Pennsylvania Chapter to support outreach and support services.
Craig Spitzer (General Sales Manager East McWane Ductile) pictured on left and Dale Schmelzle (Vice President and General Manager of McWane Ductile-New Jersey) pictured on right, accepted the award from Susan Harral the Executive Director of the JDRF Central Pennsylvania Chapter.
Meet McWane: Jerri Penrose, Canada Pipe/Clow Canada
After 25½ years of dedicated service with Canada Pipe & Clow Canada, Credit Manager Jerri Penrose (pictured top right) is retiring on May 1. Jerri, also known as a “super” user, has been an integral part in implementing the new computer systems at Canada Pipe and Clow Canada. Though we will definitely miss Jerri’s wicked sense of humor and laughter around the office, we wish her a long and happy retirement!
Colleen Jardim (pictured bottom right) is replacing Jerri as the new Credit Manager. Colleen has over 14 years of credit management experience in the waterworks industry and has been working with Jerri for the past few months during the implementation of the new computer systems.
As we celebrate Jerri’s departure, we also welcome Colleen to the Hamilton location and know she will be a great asset to the team!
Meet McWane: Michael Barno, McWane Ductile and Mary Snell, Clow Canada
Michael Barno is retiring after 27 years of service in the “cold end of the plant” at McWane Ductile located in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Michael is a supervisor in the Maintenance Department and is respected by everyone he works with.
Michael and his wife Georgette plan to travel around the United States and spend time with their children and grandchildren.
We will miss Michael and wish him the best in this next chapter of his life!
On April 9, 2015, Clow Canada celebrated Mary Snell’s 45th year with the company. Mary is currently the Receptionist and Payroll Administrator, but she started her career in 1970 as a typist. She was hired for a short term position directly out of high school.
Rick Benoit, Clow Canada’s General Manager, presented Mary with a jacket and fruit bouquet, and Rick Allen, Union President, gave Mary a signed card at the gathering. The entire team celebrated this milestone together with cake and coffee.
Congratulations, Mary!
Corporate Social Responsibility at McWane Services Private Ltd.
Continuing the McWane tradition, the MSPL local team members in India have been personally contributing to the communities and charitable causes in and around the Coimbatore area. Last year, they decided to collectively identify a few organizations that needed help.
To that end, the MSPL Team took on a new project to help support the needs of Families For Children (FFC), a non-profit non-sectarian organization that exists to fulfill the needs of children and young adults, many of which have physical and/or mental disabilities. There are 300+ children, mostly orphans, in FFC’s care center at Podanur (a suburb of Coimbatore) which is primarily funded by philanthropists from Canada, the USA, and Australia, but the large number of children often stresses their finances.
MSPL Design Department team member Latha Ramachandran has sacrificed her personal time over the last few years supporting this organization. This year, Latha was joined by Sudhir Ravindramohan, Damodaran Murugan, and Shanmugham Kumaraswamy. On April 4, the entire MSPL team came together to contribute time and money to the children at FFC. The team collected and purchased rations, clothes, books, toys, and walkers for the children.
In addition, 25 team members spent time with the children playing games, reading stories, listening to music and dancing. It was obvious to everyone that a little time and support was all that was needed to bring happiness to the children. The two hour event was followed by a scrumptious lunch for the children and their caretakers. After the event, the MSPL team discussed the immediate needs with FFC management so the next program can be structured to support those needs. Some of the needs identified were a dining room, school kits for the children on campus, and school furniture.
The entire MSPL team was excited to have the chance to give back to the community and support the underprivileged children. They had a sense that they were giving themselves to something greater than themselves.
Kudos to the MSPL team on this noble cause!
Give Stress a Rest
April is Stress Awareness Month. It is important to be aware of our health. Here are tips to remember during the demanding times:
Stay active! Don’t let the hotter temperatures keep you indoors and away from the heat. Think of options such as swimming or biking to stay active and cool. You could also do things like parking farther away while shopping and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, when possible.
Beware of constant snacking! Prepare healthy snacks in advance. Look for seasonal fruits and vegetables, multigrain snacks and low sugar alternatives. It is important NOT to skip out on summertime treats (like popsicles and ice cream…yum!), just enjoy them in small portions and balance with healthy alternatives.
Drink water! During the spring and summer, the air is more humid, the temperature is higher, and dehydration is real. Drinking plenty of water is especially important.
Get your ZZZs! Sleep not only helps the body repair itself, but also energizes you for your next adventure.
Get organized! High amounts of stress are linked to many health complications. To-do lists or calendars help keep stress under control; just beware not to OVER schedule yourself!
“Take time to unwind…It’s healthy to relax, renew, and rejuvenate” | For more information on managing stress, please visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Federal Occupational Health stress campaign website.
Meet McWane: Dennis Searle, McWane Ductile-Utah
The McWane Ductile-Utah team recently held a retirement party for Dennis Searle who is retiring after 45 years of service! Dennis began his 4 decades of service as a bell grinder, but after a year he moved to the Casting Department where he worked for the next 29 years before transferring to the Shipping Department where he has worked for the last 15 years.
Dennis enjoys camping and is looking forward to spending most of the summer in the mountains living in his trailer. To celebrate his retirement, Dennis and his wife are heading to Reno, Nevada.
We wish you a long and happy retirement, Dennis, and thank you so much for your long dedicated service!
Tyler Union Opens New Distribution Center in Grand Prairie (Dallas), Texas
We are pleased to announce that the new Tyler Union Distribution Center located in Grand Prairie, Texas, near Dallas, began operations in February. This facility will be managed by Bob Lee who transferred from our Tyler Pipe facility.
Installation began at this new distribution center in December 2014 and after a few short weeks and with a tremendous amount of team work, they started shipping product on February 17. The facility has approximately 67,000 square feet of indoor storage which will increase efficiency in stocking and picking orders as well as greatly reduce the amount of rework of product needed while at the same time improving their LTL rates and inbound container costs.
The team, pictured from L to R in the top right photo, includes Clyde Walter (Warehouse Clerk), Bob Lee (Shipping Manager), Jose Concepcion (Warehouse Supervisor), Byron Brock (Warehouse Clerk), Mark Cotelleso (Warehouse Clerk), and Jimmy Allen (Warehouse Clerk).
Congratulations on the expansion, Tyler Union!
Celebrate #WorldHealthDay + Fruity Nutty Chicken Salad recipe
The theme for World Health Day 2015 is “Food Safety.” There are many germs and bacteria that our foods are exposed to, and sometimes those bacteria even make it into our bodies causing many of us to experience a food or water borne disease at some point in our lives. In order to help prevent these illnesses, it is our duty to make sure we always practice safe food handling practices.
The World Health Organization had this to say about food safety:
The great majority of people will experience a food or water borne disease at some point in their lives. This highlights the importance of making sure the food we eat is not contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, toxins and chemicals.
“Food safety: from farm to plate, make food safe” is the theme of World Health Day 2015. The day focuses on demonstrating the importance of food safety along the whole length of the food chain in a globalised world, from production and transport, to preparation and consumption.
Over the past half century, the process by which food gets from the farm to the plate has changed drastically. Food contamination that occurs in one place may affect the health of consumers living on the other side of the planet. This means that everyone along the production chain, from producer to consumer, must observe safe food handling practices.
As you can see, food safety is very important and we should always take proper precautions when handling food. To celebrate #WorldHealthDay, we have shared an awesome recipe for “Fruity Nutty Chicken Salad” that we hope you enjoy! Remember to observe safe food handling practices when preparing this dish!
To learn more about World Health Day, please visit: http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2015/en/
Larry Bowers Named 2014 Recipient of AFS Jonathan Stone Outstanding EHS Contribution Award
L to R: Corporate Environmental Team – Jeff Weatherly, Dennis Zurakowski, Terri Evans, Larry Bowers, Jeet Radia, Hari Krishna, and Ward Pate
We are proud to announce that the American Foundry Society’s Division 10 Executive Committee has selected McWane Group Environmental Director Larry Bowers as their 2014 recipient of the Jonathan Stone Outstanding EHS Contribution Award. This award is presented to deserving individuals who exhibit exemplary service to the metalcasting industry.
In 2014, Larry led a highly successful AFS Stormwater Compliance Seminar in Atlanta, Georgia. The award will be presented at the AFS 27th Environmental, Health and Safety Conference which will be held in Park City, Utah, in August 2015.
Please join us in congratulating Larry on receiving this prestigious award. It is very well deserved!
McWane, Inc. 