Manufacturing sustainable, high-quality polyvinyl chloride (PVC) solutions takes a team that is dedicated to producing both great products and great relationships. This is exactly what the staff at American RENOLIT strives for daily.
American RENOLIT Human Resources Director Melissa Gruber chalks up the company’s success to a team mentality that centers around efficient and effective communication. She also believes that combining the new employees and the experienced employees makes for the strongest team.
“We have a lot of great people here,” Gruber said. “I've been here for almost 15 years. I like that there are people who've been with the company for a long time; we have people who've been here for over 40 years. We also have new people, so you get that great mix of fresh ideas combined with people who have a lot of valuable experience."
To secure both new and existing staff, American RENOLIT takes care of its staff through quality health insurance offerings and morale-boosting resources.
It provides health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield with low deductibles and co-pays, and the employee contribution decreases the longer employees are with the company. After 10 years at American RENOLIT, employees no longer contribute to the health insurance premium.
As for morale, American RENOLIT makes sure to schedule fun staff events such as its upcoming Family Day on October 2 at Zao Island. American RENOLIT also motivates its team members to show appreciation and encourage their co-workers through a software program called Motivosity.
“It's a program that allows employees to thank each other. Every employee, regardless of what their position is, receives $5 a month in Motivosity that they can give to somebody else to say thank you,” Gruber said. “It's a way for people to take time out of their day to say thank you to someone else. If you don't use your $5, you just lose it, so it encourages people to take the time each month to thank people for something they've done, for helping them out or for being reliable. One of the awards that you can give is called a mood booster.”
The American RENOLIT team also benefits from a work schedule that gives them more days off than a traditional nine-to-five job. Production employees work 12-hour shifts from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. or 9 p.m.-9 a.m., and as a result, only work 15 days out of the month.
Beyond manufacturing PVC, American RENOLIT creates strong relationships externally by pouring back into the community through a variety of fundraising, donations, and more. A couple of ways it has impacted the community is through participating in Rebuild La Porte and providing much needed room supplies for first year teachers.
“The first year, we did it for new elementary teachers. The second year, we did it for middle school teachers. Last year we, did it for high school teachers. First-year teachers need so much for their classrooms and they end up spending so much money out of their pocket that we thought that was a good group to raise money for,” Gruber said.
They also regularly collect items from the employees for a local charity. This month they are collecting items for the La Porte County Animal shelter. The shift that brings in the most items will receive lunch for the entire shift. Furthermore, for any shift that brings in at least 50 items, American RENOLIT will sponsor one dog and one cat adoption.
American RENOLIT also has a December fundraiser every year. In the past, this has included “adopting” families for the holidays through The Salvation Army or directly through schools in La Porte. “Adopting” a family entails giving families the household items, food, gas cards and other items that they need, as well as the American RENOLIT staff going shopping with those families to pick out gifts for the holidays.
For more information about the benefits of working for American RENOLIT, visit www.renolit.com/laporte .
