ISSUE THREE * NOVEMBER 2015
VIEGA VIEWS &NEWS EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
C O R P O R AT E CHALLENGE WINNERS
Celebrations and Happenings pg. 2 Viega Educational Facility Open House pg. 7 Viega Company Events pg. 8
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Don’t forget Viega’s employee referral bonus! Refer a friend and if they’re hired, you receive a referral bonus after they’ve been with Viega for six months.
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We’re always on the lookout for inspiring and relevant info! Have a story you’d like to share with your co-workers or a suggestion to improve Viega Views and News? Email hr@viega.us or visit the intranet site and click on “Corporate” for the Viega Views and News section.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Like many of Viega’s employees, Cristobal “Toby” Diaz, a District Manager in Miami, FL, has hobbies that make his life more meaningful. Diaz is a bonsai artist. His love of the art of bonsai began when he picked up a copy of “Tropical Bonsai Magazine” at a local store. The publication sparked his curiosity and led him to purchase a small tree. This encouraged Diaz to take the next step as he began learning the art under the tutelage of three master bonsai artists. During a two-year period Diaz participated in intense weekend work sessions in order to develop his mastery of the art. His mentor, Lui Rayon, would have Diaz wire trees up to seven times in order to hone his skills, demanding perfection while he practiced the appropriate bending angles and wire positioning that would help Diaz achieve a dramatic and unique styling known now as the “Puerto Rican top” or “the fold over apex.” Diaz’s skills have gained him two Bonsai Societies of Florida “Tree of the Year” awards. He has exhibited in numerous shows and has participated as a headliner in four state conventions. Always ready to share his love and knowledge of bonsai, Diaz offers his unique presentation skills to state clubs and study groups. With his ability to make a tree look old in a single wiring session Diaz is a popular and beloved artist in the Florida bonsai scene, all while serving as Vice President and President of the Bonsai Society of Miami. But what Diaz enjoys the most is the camaraderie with friends when they share their enthusiasm and love for bonsai. Diaz has a passion for Tropicals, Mame, Shohins and a good eye for detail. His philosophy in bonsai is simple: “Let your trees and work speak for you.”
CONTINUING EDUCATION
VIEGA VISITS K A N S A S S TAT E FA I R Viega LLC employees and their families visited the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, KS, on Sept. 23 thanks to the company’s generosity. In addition to a lunch, catered by Hog Wild Pit BBQ, attendees received an ample amount of food and ride tickets. The fair was a wonderful opportunity for employees to spend quality time with their families and introduce them to their co-workers. W W W . V I E G A . U S
• Viega LLC offers Continuing Education to expand and enhance its employees’ skills. The overall grade you receive determines the percentage of reimbursement Viega LLC will pay. Submissions must be approved by the Human Resources department. FLEXIBLE SPENDING AND DEPENDENT CARE • Employees can elect to contribute to a personal account on a pre-tax basis that will reimburse you for a variety of medical and dependent care expenses. • The amount you choose to deposit is deducted automatically from each paycheck before taxes are withheld. • You may put up to $2,550 in your health care FSA and $5,000 in the dependent care FSA. EMPLOYMENT • Viega employs 3,000 people worldwide, Viega LLC, headquartered in Wichita, KS, employs around 500 people throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. Viega maintains five strategically located manufacturing and distribution centers across the U.S., which means we deliver faster than our competition. We also offer industry-focused training opportunities at our Educational Facility in New Hampshire. VIEGA ON YOUTUBE • Go to www.youtube.com and search “Viega Americas” to see the most recent product and instructional videos. WHERE TO PURCHASE VIEGA MERCHANDISE • If you want to purchase Viega branded shirts, jackets, coats, vests or hats go to www.yourviega.us and click on promotional items. VIEGA MARKETING REQUESTS • Please send any marketing requests to marketingrequests@viega.us.
NEW EMPLOYEES NAME Christy Bender Heath Bikles Cassie Chauncey Irene Gines Phil Humphrey Nichole Karkins Austin LeGron Shannon Leonard Christopher Mobley Fernando Nater Alvin Nguyen Phillip Oliver Joel Pauls Josh Riley Thomas Schroeder Richard Unruh
BUSINESS UNIT DEPARTMENT Product Training Technical Services Greater NYC Region Field Sales HR Human Resources Product Management H & C Product Management Central Region Field Sales Administration SCO Operations Facility Maintenance Manufacturing Accounts Receivable Accounting Mid-Atlantic Region Field Sales SCO Operations Industrial Sales Industrial Sales Inside Sales- West Customer Relations Facility Maintenance Manufacturing MKS DC Logistics Central Region Field Sales HR Human Resources
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08/06/1985 - Judy Rump 08/12/1985 - Thomas Brunholtz
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09/18/1995 - Rodney Haas
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09/18/2000 - Robin Taylor
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08/03/2005 - Bridget Moore 08/15/2005 - David Delles 09/12/2005 - Mark Marlett 09/26/2005 - Mark R. Lawson 10/02/2005 - Kenneth E. Hicks 10/31/2005 - Christopher Ferguson 10/31/2005 - Gabriel Santoro 11/17/2005 - Corry Bena
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08/02/2010 - Michael Hanney 08/30/2010 - Andrew Richards 10/04/2010 - Kevin Long 10/11/2010 - Tyson House 10/12/2010 - Kimberly Coxon 10/18/2010 - David Landis 10/30/2010 - Charles Lovett N O V E M B E R
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W E B C A M O F M A N U FA C T U R I N G FA C I L I T Y C O N S T R U C T I O N A VA I L A B L E O N L I N E In January, 2015 Viega LLC broke ground on a new approximately 80,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in McPherson, KS. The new facility, south of Viega’s existing 439,000-square-foot facility, is part of a multi-million dollar investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations and will encompass the production of the Viega MegaPress® line. Scheduled for completion in spring 2016, employees can see the progress of the construction on the intranet under Supply Chain Operations and then MegaPress Construction.
CONTEST FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES Viega LLC recently sponsored a coloring and drawing contest that rewarded kids with gift cards for school supplies. Viega’s location in McPherson, KS, completed its first Contest for School Supplies. Children in preschool through fourth grade were eligible to enter a coloring contest, and a drawing contest was available to kids in fifth through eighth grades. They were instructed to draw a picture of what helping others looks like. Finally, teenagers in 9th through 12th grades were invited to submit an essay explaining why leadership is important and what it means to them. Each winner received a gift card to purchase school supplies. The contest was facilitated by the Culture Group, a part of the Supply Chain Operations Strategic Planning group. This group was created to evaluate and improve the culture of the supply chain within Viega LLC and the surrounding communities through activities, surveys and by sponsoring or participating in community events or charities. 4
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1st Place Winner
Essay Contest Winners: 1st: Ninth-grader Allison, daughter of Bill Colahan 2nd: Ninth-grader Logan, son of Dan Miller
Coloring Contest Winners: 1st: Third-grader Savannah, the daughter of Aric Souder 2nd: Second-grader Taylor, daughter of Joel Kesinger 3rd: First-grader Rylee McAllister, granddaughter of Sue Kereszturi
1st Place Winner
Drawing Contest Winners: 1st: Seventh-grader Logan, son of Sam Ediger 2nd: Sixth-grader Nicole, daughter of Dan Miller W W W . V I E G A . U S
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NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES Cassie Chauncey enjoys working with people. She has worked with, trained and advocated for talented people across a variety of industries for the last 14 years and is excited to join Viega LLC as the new Vice President of Human Resources. An Oklahoma State University (OSU) graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Oklahoma in industrial organizational psychology, Chauncey has worked in several industries spanning from government to healthcare. Through her master’s and doctorate program, Chauncey was given the opportunity to work for SkillsNET, a company that provides workforce management solutions. One of the clients Chauncey was especially proud to work with was the U.S. Navy, where she helped develop job descriptions, created training systems, performance appraisals and much more. “It was an incredible experience,” Chauncey said. “One of my first interviews was with a U.S. Navy Seal and when I asked him about his job, he gave me a superficial answer. I knew there was more so I pressed him to try and get a deeper understanding. He launched into extreme details of one of his missions and I was so surprised and moved by his story that all I could say was, “Thank you.” But the human connection I felt was real and I knew this is what I was meant to do.” Chauncey’s most recent endeavor was at Wesley Medical Center as a Human Resource business partner to more than 1,000 employees. Wesley is part of Hospital Corporations of America, a 165-hospital enterprise with 3,000 employees in Wichita. Chauncey worked managing day-to-day operations of human resources and gained an understanding of how to evaluate the operations of a business and use that knowledge to bring the right people on board. “It’s not just about hiring and managing personnel,” Chauncey said. “It’s about finding the right fit for the company.” In addition, Chauncey has been a member of many collegial groups such as the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). A SHRM W W W . V I E G A . U S
certification is recognized as a professionally relevant credential for those who have mastered the strategic and policy-making aspects of HR management in the U.S. Chauncey and her husband, Brandon, have been married for three years and have a 2-year-old son, Gibson. The couple enjoys spending time with their family and friends, going to OSU games, relaxing outdoors and enjoying life’s adventures. “This position is the perfect culmination of what I love to do,” Chauncey said. “I like the fact that I’m going to work for a growing company, and I am looking forward to engaging with our employees and contributing to a safe and inviting culture.” Viega’s CEO, Dave Garlow, and her fellow team members are happy to have her come aboard as well. “I am pleased that someone of Cassie’s caliber has agreed to join the Viega ExCom team,” Garlow said. “Her extensive experience in human resources throughout a variety of industries will allow her to bring new perspective and ideas to Viega. She will be an essential part of our efforts in maintaining Viega as a great place to work and is the right fit for growing and engaging our workforce.” Chauncey joined Viega on Oct. 26, 2015.
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N AT I O N A L A N T H E M David Ray Gomez, the son of Jaime Gomez, a Viega District Manager in Northwest Texas, was selected to sing the national anthem at the Secretary of the Navy’s Luncheon on May 28. Presented by The Dallas Council of the Navy League, the luncheon featured a presentation on the current state of U.S. Naval operations by Ray Mabus, the Secretary of the Navy. David is 13 years old and is a member of the Naval Sea Cadet Forrestal squadron at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, TX. He has performed the national anthem at various military balls and banquets and received a presidential award for excellence in academics and training.
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NASHUA OPEN HOUSE David Gomez, son of Jaime Gomez, pictured at left holding the American flag.
running great and performing as promised. Century Marketing Solutions, a subsidiary of CenturyLink, is a marketing and communications company located in Monroe, LA, helping businesses meet their communication goals.
Century Marketing Solutions, which provides printing and web fulfillment services for Viega, recently installed new equipment and used Viega ProPress for copper in the upgrade. The Heidelberg Offset Press offers the company a 40% faster run and better color. Viega fittings were used on the water chiller unit, which is made by Technotrans. Products were shipped from Germany through the port in Savannah, GA, and the installation was done by the Technotrans technicians. Century has reported that the system is
OPEN ENROLLMENT APPROACHING Check with Viega Human Resources for details regarding upcoming meetings on Open Enrollment for 2016 benefits. Open Enrollment packets have been mailed to employees’ home addresses. Employees’ are asked to bring the packets when attending one of the meeting dates in November.
Viega hosted its annual Nashua Training Facility Open House in August. This event allows Viega’s new and existing customers to visit the facility and learn about new products, new training opportunities and interact with the training team. This year’s event hosted well over 150 attendees coming from as far away as upstate New York and New Jersey. Guests had the opportunity to win many prizes ranging from training sessions and tool sets to jaws and sporting event tickets. “This event has really exceeded our expectations,” said Jason McKinnon, Director of Technical Services, “The feedback we receive from our customers confirms that they want to learn more about our products and services. They are already asking about next year’s event.”
SWINEHART HOME
By 1976 he was ready to venture out on his own and started Vanguard Piping Systems Inc., again in Anyone who lives in McPherson, KS, has surely seen McPherson, to make polybutylene pipe. Vanguard the beautiful, three-story, turn-of-the-century home of was sold to Viega in 2005. The home has gone through many updates and William Keith Swinehart, a longtime plastics industry includes Viega products like ViegaPEX® tubing and entrepreneur and the founder of Vanguard Piping the Viega ManaBloc®. Reber believes that Swinehart Systems, now a part of Viega LLC. was the last to remodel the home, having just torn The home, built in 1900, was occupied by the out the now “retro” metal cabinets in the kitchen. Swinehart family from 1959 until the early 1970s. A Reber recently tore out the zoysia grass plugs that grand house at 5,200 square feet, the home has gone were installed by Swinehart in the 1960s. Swinehart through many updates in its lifetime, most recently even sold the grass plugs as part of a business he ran radiant heating and cooling in the kitchen. “I knew Keith and he was an incredible entrepreneur,” on the side with the help of his children. While the Swinehart touches around the home said Brett Reber, an attorney in McPherson who has may not live forever, like Viega, Swinehart was not owned the Swinehart home since 1988. “He was quite afraid to change something for the better. a guy and I knew he would appreciate it.” Swinehart had many accomplishments in his life, including building and taking partial ownership of Consolidated Plastics, a company that made plastic profile shapes used in doors in Dallas, TX, in the 1950s. He joined the PVC pipe movement as his Plains Plastics business in McPherson, KS, became “prominent on the plastic extrusion map,” his obituary stated. CertainTeed Products Inc. acquired Plains Plastics in 1965, but Swinehart continued working for the company. Installation of Viega Climate Panels in the Swinehart home.
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VIEGA GOT MOVING WITH AREA EVENTS
Phil Hubenett protects the goal in the Corporate Challenge’s soccer shootout.
Viega recently joined 21 other Wichita area companies in the 14th Annual Wichita Corporate Challenge hosted by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. It was the first time Viega has taken part in the activities, which kicked off July 31 and lasted through Aug. 9. The enthusiastic team of 36 participants and three volunteers that made up Viega’s roster took part in events around the city, garnering points along the way. Tricia Musgrave, Technical Marketing Manager, racked up points for Viega with a first-place finish in the 100M dash. Paige Riddle, Associate Product Manager for Plastics, earned bragging rights with four medals, the most of any Viega participant, taking home medals for the tug of war, the 5K run, volleyball and flag football events.
Viega ended the Challenge in fourth place in its division and is looking forward to participating in 2016. Seventy-one employees also participated in a golf outing in Hesston, KS, on Aug. 18. Employees had a great time and some even took home some prizes. Stephen Linton received a prize for having the longest putt, Tim Allbritten for a ball closest to the pin and best golfer impersonation (Adam Sandler from “Happy Gilmore”), Phillip Boesker for the longest drive, and the team with the lowest score consisted of Eric Bannister, Zach Goldberg, AJ Loyd and Brian Hoy. Tips and other purchases totaled $300 and were donated to the American Red Cross. Viega also had two teams participate in a friendly game of softball on Oct. 3.