2
0
1
9
THE
-
E
2
SAMTEC SIGNAL
Continuing the Legacy of
SAM SHINE
THE LEGACIES OF
SAM SHINE Sam Shine, the founder of Samtec, passed away on November 15 at age 86. Since his passing, several articles and obituaries have been written about Sam and his legacy. Rightfully so, most focus on his love for the Southern Indiana community, his local and national conservation efforts, and above all, his generosity. He is known locally for his recent purchase of Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant. This family-owned restaurant farm market, located in rural Southern Indiana, was being sold by the family after being a fixture in the community for decades. Sam purchased the business and property at auction because he believed keeping it open would benefit Southern Indiana, and to protect the scenic land from development. But this wasn’t the first time he purchased land to preserve it and protect its beauty. In 2018, he donated 6,200 acres of ecologically sensitive pine lands that he had purchased in Northern Florida to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Purdue University Research Park in New Albany sits on 40 acres of land donated by his family, the very property where he and his brother Bob grew-up. There was also a $1 million donation to the Louisville Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 300+ acres donated for a Bloomington, Indiana land trust, and his support of the Ohio River Greenway, to name a few.
These would be a lifetime’s worth of achievements for most people, but all of these occurred in the second half of Sam’s life. In the first part, he founded and nurtured a company that is now metro Louisville’s third largest manufacturing firm and one of the top 10 largest privately held firms in the region. That company is, of course, Samtec, Inc. Samtec, a $760 million, privately-held company headquartered in New Albany, has more than 5,500 associates (approximately 1,500 in Southern Indiana), at over 40 locations worldwide. But when the company opened for business on January 2, 1976, Sam and Betty Shine handled all company duties, including manufacturing, shipping and receiving, purchasing, and the bulk of the administrative work. The first office was a couple of rooms in the back of a house that served as an insurance agency. Samtec was founded on the principle of “Sudden Service.” Sam pioneered the importance of customer service in the electronics industry. His innovative ideas have been compared to the likes of Amazon, Southwest Airlines and Apple, except he did it for electronic connectors – without the internet – and in Indiana, years before those other companies existed. Sudden Service worked, and the business grew. While the Sudden Service approach was groundbreaking – lead times in days instead of weeks or months, 24-hour shipment of free samples, associates (employees) trained to assist customers and empowered to make decisions on the spot – implementation was simple and straight-forward. Sam’s philosophies eventually led to the company’s seven “Sudden Service Principles” which read more like a common-sensical list of how to be a better person rather than business
3
principles. “Everybody makes mistakes, admit it and recover quickly,” “follow-up is essential,” and “if a customer isn’t happy, that’s the same as a quality reject” will probably not be published in the Harvard Business Review as the latest business mantra. However, Sam directed the company according to those principles, he reinforced them, and encouraged all associates to live by them. This, combined with his sound business plan, helped distinguish Samtec from its competitors. And stand out it did. Samtec has been awarded the #1 overall ranking in the Bishop and Associates Customer Service Survey of the Electronic Connector Industry, conducted in both North America and Europe, a combined 28 times. The Bishop award is the connector industry equivalent to the J.D. Power Award. “Sam Shine created a company that can best be described as having high character, complete honesty and respect in dealing with others, a total commitment to superior customer service, and loyalty to employees,” said Ron Bishop, president of Bishop & Associates. “Samtec sets the gold standard for how companies should operate. For these reasons, Samtec has been voted Number One Best Overall Performer for the past two decades in Bishop & Associates’ customer surveys of the connector industry. Sam Shine’s character and leadership created a wonderful company in which all of us in the industry can be proud. We will all miss him.” The early product line was designed to provide customers the industry’s widest selection of board-to-board interconnects, while giving them the flexibility to design a solution that precisely matched their specific requirements. The beauty of this system was the products could be manufactured in a few hours instead of weeks, with minimal inventory, and using low-cost manufacturing methods.
421 16
Philanthropist, leader, mentor and boss. The entire community has suffered this loss To us an icon that guided us through years Through good times and bad, calming our fears He taught us work ethic, determination and drive Creativity, accomplishment, accountability and to strive Showing us rewards beyond our bonus check He gave us self-worth, a purpose and respect We will miss his presence in the Samtec halls Things won’t be the same inside these walls We will move forward, and we’ll be just fine Thankful that his legacy will continue to Shine.
5
Poem by Nancy Schellenberger New Albany Associate
Since then, Samtec’s product line has mushroomed to include high-bandwidth, micro-miniature products for networks, super computers, medical equipment, aviation, and industrial automation and robotics applications, to name a few. Sam sought associates who were honest and passionate, but he always stressed the importance of family and balance. Once, during a review, a young manager made a statement akin to “Samtec is my life,” and Sam told him he needed to get his priorities in order. Sam was demanding and held associates to high standards. He was straight forward. You always knew where he stood on a matter, a trait that stayed with him his entire life. Several of us “Samtec lifers” can share story after story of Sam’s honesty and directness. Most of these are hilarious in retrospect, but it often didn’t feel that way at the time.
Personally, as a 31-year Samtec veteran, I respect Sam most for his humility. He never sought the spotlight or public recognition. Years ago, Sam reviewed a summary I prepared about Samtec for an electronics publication. His only change was to the first sentence, which originally read “Sam Shine started the company in 1976.” He removed his name and changed it to “The company was founded in 1976.” If he were with us today, he would never let me publish this tribute. Sorry about that, Sam. Sam believed that the two best times to plant a tree were 30 years ago, or today. Sam’s obituary asked that people plant a tree (preferably an oak tree, his favorite) or donate to the Sam Shine Foundation instead of buying flowers. Written by Danny Boesing
After Sam’s “retirement” from Samtec in the mid 1990’s — although some would say he never retired — he pursued his other passion of philanthropy, and in particular, conservation efforts. He founded the Sam Shine Foundation and his son John assumed the role of President of Samtec. The innovative service principles Sam Shine established became the cornerstone of the company’s future growth. Of course the electronics industry has evolved since his retirement, but his foundational principles of service, excellence, innovation, and “taking care of people” (as he called it) has carried on. Sam’s influence in the electronics industry is huge. In many peoples’ opinion, it surpasses his generosity and impact on the local community. But again, he left his mark on the electronics industry in the first part of his life.
6
EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF PLASTIC EVER MADE STILL EXISTS. Recently, plastic has been gaining a lot of negative global attention, from pictures posted online of whales with bellies full of plastic bags and bottles to turtles with straws stuck in their airways. This has outraged many and for good reason. It forced people to realize that humans are responsible for the killing and harm to animals. This is just the top of the iceberg when it comes to the damage plastic has caused to our Earth. Did we mention it takes at least 450 years for the plastic to decompose? Plastic was created in 1907. It gained popularity because of how versatile the material is and its cheap price point. Unfortunately, not many questioned what happens to the plastic after the original use. Plastic does not only affect our ocean friends, but it is also littered around cities and parks. It even breaks into little pieces that is in the water we drink and the air we breathe. Even the process to create plastic burns through our fossil fuels (aka non-renewable resources). These are a FEW of the many reasons our Safety and Environmental team is in the process of making efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. It’s no news that we are dealing with an environmental crisis, and Samtec is taking that seriously. Samtec can help sustain the environment, but we need your help!
7
Let’s make a difference! We are starting this process by changing the types of single-use disposable products that are provided. Products such as: plastic cups, lids, straws, utensils and more to come. The disposable utensils we provide are made up of 30% recycled plastic. As for the plastic cups and lids, we have changed from regular plastics made up of unnatural chemicals to plant based, compostable plastics. These alternatives break down faster than regular petroleum-based plastics, and it doesn’t require the use of a petroleum resource to produce them. While we still provide plastic straws, we have added a paper straw option to choose from. In addition, we devoted a day to giving away free reusable metal straws to all our employees as another way to reduce our waste. We hope to eventually eliminate the plastic straws and only have paper. Another angle we are trying to approach is making better use of our packaging. That is, minimize the carton sizes to fit the various sizes of products we offer. We hope to streamline the packaging process to better fit the products we ship to use less packaging material. Having smaller boxes available for the smaller quantities will save space as well as paper used to fill up the unused space within the boxes. This will reduce our packaging material usage as well as our cost. Discarded plastics are a big cause of pollution, cluttering rivers, seas, and beaches, killing fish, choking birds, and making our environment a much less attractive place. Biodegradable/ compostable materials require only 35 percent of the energy needed to make plastics, they break down faster, and they break down into raw material. This is the start of a big change and we hope it will ripple out to further improvements.
Haley Waiz truly practices what she preaches when it comes to being environmentally friendly. Although she works in Customer Service, she also is an environmental advocate in her spare time. Her passion has helped inspire many to use more eco-friendly choices from using reusable cups to bringing her own silverware to work. Her passion to be Earth friendly began a few years ago once she realized the effects humans have on the environment and how its negatively affecting wildlife. Once she knew how common mass extinctions has become, she wanted to learn as much as she could about how she could make a difference. It was a snowball effect after that. Fairly recently Haley started sharing her ideas and passion with Nick Knable (Safety and Environmental Manager). They began to brainstorm together and are now implementing changes within Samtec! Robert Wesley and Nick have been so helpful and supportive throughout this whole process. Outside of work, Haley volunteers with Louisville Grows and help to plant trees in different neighborhoods in Louisville. She hopes to spread the tree planting events to Indiana next year. Haley truly advocates for recycling everywhere she goes and she always try to set an example by bringing her own utensils and containers, and takes her own bags to the grocery! She also is a supporter of Citizen Climate Lobby which is an international grassroots environmental group. Haley, thank you for sharing your passion and pushing others to think about the effect they have on the environment!
8
9
BEACH CLEAN UP Not only are we focusing on ways we can internally be more environmentaly friendly, we are also helping with clean up projects. Here you see Samtec Penang out in their local community to clean up the waterfront! This is their first outing for their new Corporate Social Responsibility program! Fifty Associates from Samtec Penang happily gave up their Saturday and worked together to clean up the local beach. All Associates showed strong commitment, teamwork and support by working together. The main three objectives of this Corporate Social Responsibility project was to save our planet (environmental responsibility), stay healthy (jogging) and teambuilding (work together). Penang Associates are passionate about positively impacting the environment by removing waste. We want to say a big thank you to all our Samtec Penang Associates who gave their time and effort for a better, cleaner environment!
10
A NIGHT UNDER THE STARS Similar to apple pie and baseball, drive-in theatres are an ingrained part of American culture. Richard Hollingshead opened the first drive-in theatre in Camden, New Jersey on June 6, 1933. Although Hollingshead never profited on his drive-in, many were inspired by this invention and drive-in theatres began to pop up around the nation! Fast-forward to the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were now 4,000 theatres across the US. Business was truly booming for the drive-in industry. This golden age only lasted until the 1970s when drive-in locations began to drop rapidly. Many variables were blamed for the almost total demise of the drive in. Things like VHS tapes which made at home movie watching possible, the introduction of Daylight Savings Time which pushed the sunset back one hour during the busy months, and increasing land taxes because the once rural drive-in locations were now built up because of the expanding cities, and too many other reasons to count. The closings continued into the 1990s. But then there was a glimmer of hope. In the late 1990s, it seemed there was a resurgence in the interest to get back under the stars. Sales began to rise and even construction of some new drive-ins. Then, like a wrecking ball coming back with a vengeance, the movie industry transitioned from film to digital. This saved big money for moviemakers but forced the “Go Digital or Go Dark” era; meaning, either spend over $60,000 on a digital projector, or close down. Many drive-ins were forced to close because they could not afford to purchase a digital projector. For those that went digital, most were successful as Americana nostalgia seekers began to crave memorabilia from “the good ole days” such as record players, polaroid cameras, checkered diners, and yes, the drive-in! You even see new Drive-ins beginning to pop up again! What is even more exciting is that Samtec has products in not only Drivein projectors, but also movie theatre projectors! Read more about our Customer, Christie Digital and their projectors that use our products, on the next page.
Visit a Drive-in close to your location! Erie: Waterford, PA 1948 Colorado Springs: Pueblo, CO 1951 Columbia, SC: Monetta, SC 1951 New Albany and Scottsburg, IN: Georgetown Drive-in 1951 Harrisburg, PA: Dillsburg, PA 1953 Boston, MA: Mendon, MA 1954 Mesa, AZ: Glendale, AZ 1958 Wilsonville, OR: Newberg, OR 1953 Santa Clara, CA: San Jose, CA 1971
Our customer Christie specializes in digital projection and display technology. Pictured is the Christie CP2309-RGB pure laser cinema projector which uses Samtec’s QSH, SEAF, HLE, MPTC, HSEC8, RSP, TSM, SEAM products. This unit projects 9,000 lumens. To put this in perspective, the average projector in the average business conference room is about 3,000 lumens. Customers like Christie use our products because they’re small but can handle a relatively higher power rating. They’re rugged, and in some instances they need connectors to handle higher bandwidths.
12
There are 153 MILLION ORPHANS WORLDWIDE According to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund), there are roughly
437,000
Children are in foster care in the United States
13
135,000
Children are adopted in the United States each year
60%
Of orphans spend 2-5 years in the foster care system
OUR ASSOCIATES REALLY CARE Roughly 153,000,000 children are currently in need and hoping for a family. About 5,700 more children become orphans each day. There is an great need for caring parents and individuals to foster and adopt. These are staggering statistics in regards to the need for foster parents and/or adoptive parents. We are lucky to have several Associates in many states and countries who are advocates for the children. Read their heartwarming and emotional stories in the next few pages.
1/3
Only 2%
140,000
7 Million
Of Americans have considered Adopting
Children are adopted by American families each year
Of Americans have actualy Adopted
Americans Adults have been Adopted
30,000
Young Adults age out of the foster care system each year
8 years old
is the average age of a child waiting on an adoptive family 14
We were on track to be 100% out of debt by August of 2018. Our plan was to adopt another child once that was complete, but apparently God didn’t want us to wait that long. In 2015, my wife wouldn’t stop talking about another adoption, and again, I was hesitant to jump in. After all, this wasn’t our plan. Do you see a pattern? After hearing Bob Goff speak at our church, I felt God nudge me again to put the debt payments on hold and to move forward with a second adoption.
Scarlett Grace was born two-months premature in 2007, at four-pounds, because my wife had HELLP Syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver, Low Platelet Syndrome). It is a rare condition, but if it happens during one pregnancy it will most likely happen with future pregnancies. Though the doctors urged us to have more biological children if we desired, we felt God was calling us to help an orphaned child. My wife was onboard immediately after we went to an adoption seminar hosted by Orphan Care Alliance in 2010 (We highly recommend attending one of these seminars if you are interested in adoption www.orphancarealliance.org). I was a little hesitant due to the cost of an adoption. I knew I wanted to pursue this path, but I didn’t think we were ready yet. After more research and hearing a speaker talk about Holt International, I felt God call me to let go and jump in. We signed up with Holt International’s China program and started the process. It was a long process, but after 18 months, we had everything submitted. At the time, the “normal” process for adoptions from China would take about 5 years, so we chose the Child of Promise option. This is a program to adopt children with mild to moderate special needs. They had a list of special needs we were willing to accept. Tracy and I prayerfully considered which options to check off on the list. We also wrote in “premature” on the list, because this wasn’t an option at the time, but heard that premies would make it to this program. Typically, families wait around six months before getting a match, but God had other plans. Within two weeks, we were matched to our little girl, who was born premature. Not much history was given, but she was found in a garden, 4 days old at just over two pounds. After another 6 months of waiting, we went to China with Scarlett to bring home her new sister. Though she was small, Saylor Meiyu was mighty.
15
We used the same adoption agency and completed the paperwork. We had everything submitted and waited about nine months before we got our match. This match took much longer. We were finally matched with a little girl who, as we were told, had club feet and hemangiomas, or birthmarks. We received pictures and videos and fell in love again. After waiting another 7 months, we visited China again. We received our girl, Sparrow Cairen, but suspected that she may have other medical issues. After many visits with doctors, she was diagnosed with CLOVES Syndrome (Congenital, Lipomatous, Overgrowth, Vascular Malformations, Epidermal Nevi and Spinal/Skeletal Anomalies). Fewer than 200 people in the world have CLOVES Syndrome, but we are thankful the second-best hospital in helping to treat this is less than two hours away. Because of the rarity of this condition, we knew why the original medical information provided to us in China was not correct. Sparrow has a progressive disease, but her extroverted nature, along with her forever family, will help her as she goes through life. It has been such a blessing to be a father of both biological and adoptive children. Each child is so unique and brings a special part to our family. I was told by others that I would love the adopted kids as much as my biological. I thought this was just something a parent had to say. I was 100% wrong. I love them all equally. I wouldn’t change a thing and couldn’t imagine my family any different. I know these adopted girls, now 9 and almost 5, will have difficulties in their lives, but my 12-year-old will also face struggles. We are a tight family and will face all trials together, knowing that the trials will be minimal compared to the blessings we have already received. I am always open to answer any questions about my adoption experiences, so please don’t hesitate to ask. As a final note, Samtec has a part in this adoption story. My trips to China Plating gave me connections to people, now friends, and experiences with the culture that I wouldn’t have otherwise received. This has greatly helped me through this journey, and these friends continue to be my support when needed.
Erik Schuld New Albany
My uncles have adopted, my aunt used to do foster care for the PANI (The National Child Welfare Agency), and my family fostered a baby girl for a couple of months. Sadly, the baby girl my mom helped to foster was found in the trash. This made me start to think about adoption in the future. When I was dating my husband, I told him I wanted to adopt at some point, and he agreed with me. I was then diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. We didn’t know how long my treatment we would take. We decided now was the best time to adopt. Our adoption process was through PANI. It took about a year and a half to find our daughter who was two years and six months old at the time.
Rita Hidalgo Costa Rica
We knew that adoption was for us after two years of doctor visits with no progress. I won’t go into all the details. Well going into the adoption experience, we really didn’t know what to expect. Yes, there are classes that you have to attend, paperwork, fingerprinting, background checks, home study. You also write a story about yourselves to present to perspective birthmothers. We knew we always wanted more than one child. We didn’t want our oldest daughter to not have a sibling. The second adoption seemed like forever. The birthmothers pick you so the second adopt was six years later. Going through this adoption experience has opened my eyes to a lot that I did not realize before. The adoptions for both are girls were so different. Our oldest daughter’s birthparents did not want to meet us. When we got to the hospital Hannah was in the infant room with all the other babies. You could tell that some of the hospital staff did not agree with the decision that her birth parents had decided for her. Steve and I got to name her. We have been asked some of the craziest questions. Example: Will she speak Spanish? She will speak
what language we teach her. Yes, she is Hispanic. This is from people just not understanding the adoption experience. Hannah has seen her birthparents when she was a baby. They have pictures together. She knows that she is adopted. We have agreed to send letters and pictures each year that are forwarded to her birthparents each year until she is 18. The adoption of our second daughter Nevaeh was quite different. We were told about two hours before she was born that her birthmother wanted us in the delivery room with her. We spent the next couple of days at the hospital getting to know Nevaeh’s birthmother. We were able to name Nevaeh as well. During this adoption, the hospital staff seemed more friendly and understanding. We have a closed adoption with Nevaeh’s birthmother per her choice. A closed adoption means no contact with the birthmother at all. Nevaeh knows that she is adopted. She has a picture with her birthmother. Adopting our girls was the greatest gift. I would not change anything that we have been through to make them ours.
Steve and Chastity Chester New Albany
16
We always talked about having three and adopting one. We always thought of adopting from China at the time. We married in 1988 and found ourselves many years later with three wonderful children.
That strong calling to adopt came in 2006 — following our dreams when you think about it . After much consideration we chose to start the process in 2006, wow not so easy. We had friends that had adopted children we discussed with them and many others. With lots of research and prayers, we had chosen somewhere in Africa. We put in for one little girl age three and under. In the process we had 3 referrals fall thru in the two years of waiting, triplets, twins, and a girl who later died. Our daughter came home to her forever home from Liberia, Africa at age 3 in 2008. Alice is now 14 and thankful to have a future ahead of her. Adoption is a very challenging, yet so rewarding for all involved. We certainly have no regrets, and look forward to discovering the plans beyond this season of life. In addition to our blessing, Alice, we have also had the opportunity to continue support to Alice’s mother and younger siblings. We are able to share family pictures and words of encouragement at least once a year. Providing resources to help feed and educate her siblings. In hopes one day Alice will get to reunite with them.
Everett and Donna Koopman New Albany
My husband and I were blessed to be able to adopt our three girls in 2016. We began our journey as foster parents in 2009. We became foster parents to be able to care for our great nephew and great niece. We didn’t want them placed outside of the family. We kept them for 18 months and after that time their mother was able to get her life straightened out and they returned home.
We took a short break after that, because it was very hard to let go of them, even though we knew they needed to be with their mother. Two of our girls were placed with us in June of 2012. Then in December of 2013, we took another little girl. All 3 girls became eligible for adoption during the time they were living with us. We could not bare the thought of them having to start over in another strange home. We asked to adopt them, and in June of 2016 we did. So here we are! My husband retired and stays at home with the girls. He makes sure they get breakfast every morning, and starts homework every night. I help when I get home. Instead of thinking about travel and taking it easy when we are both retired, we are going to dance class, gymnastics, and ball practice! There is never a dull moment. There are tears, and disagreements. But there are also hugs and laughter. Adoption isn’t for everyone, but there are lots of children who need love and a safe home to live in. It may be for a short time, or it could be for a long time. Either way if you are interested, the foster parent program is a great way to provide the care some children desperately need. You don’t have to be young, you just have to be able to provide the love and care that is missing.
Vicki Plumm Scottsburg
17
My wife and I have three biological children ages
7, 11, 13. We stopped at three with intentions of adopting one day. My wife in particular has had a love for orphaned children since before we met 16 years ago. She has visited and helped at many orphanages around the world. I haven’t had that same experience, but it breaks my heart knowing there are so many children without a proper home and family. It took me 7 weeks out of the country for work last summer to open my eyes to other cultures and show me the great need outside of the US. I spent 6 of those weeks in Asia and my heart was moved to begin the adoption process when I returned home. My wife has been waiting patiently for me to stop being afraid and go for it. So, here we are. We started the adoption process this past Fall. We hope to go get them summer of 2020. We have been officially matched with a sibling group from Thailand. Danai (girl) is 9 years old and Narudej (boy) is 4 years old. They’ll be 1 year older when we bring them home. They have been in separate orphanages their whole lives and rarely get to see each other. She has some hearing loss and wears hearing aids so she has to be in a special needs orphanage. They have expressed to their caregivers how much they want to be together. Next summer can’t come fast enough.
I didn’t plan on adopting, but when I met my husband,
We actually started with the intention of fostering but decided adoption was the best fit for our family.
he had a 3 year old son named Johnny. My husband had full custody of him so when we got married I got a crash course in being a mommy. When Johnny was 5 years old I was able to adopt him, which was one of the happiest moments of my life. The last several years have been stressful and wonderful all at the same time. I’m sure I have messed up a lot as a mom but I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything in the world. I am so thankful that I have been able to be this little guys mommy. He is the sweetest, most kind hearted little boy I’ve ever met and I thank God for him every day. This is him now at age 11.
Michael Peak
Kelly Stewart
New Albany
Scottsburg
18
The adoption process seemed long and tedious, because we were more than ready to be parents and every day without a child seemed like a year. But hindsight, the process was actually quick and our wait time was short compared to the average. The process began at our orientation meeting at the end of August 2010. (I was so sick, but nothing was going to keep me from that meeting.) From there the paperwork and fees began with the adoption agency, then moved on to the state of California, and then the adoption attorney, and so on. We were fingerprinted, fingers pricked, our financial were investigated, backgrounds checked, physicals completed, our home inspected, and more. We felt like our private lives were turned out for the world to see. But then the day before Thanksgiving 2010, it all went silent when we were done and ready to be added as candidates to be chosen by a birthmom. 3 weeks to the day we were chosen and 3 ½ weeks later we were holding a baby boy…our baby boy. Lucas Isaiah Herr, born 1/11/11. It wasn’t until September 2011 that we had our court date and a judge made it legal and we were able to file for a new birth certificate with me as “mother” and my husband as “father”. The adoption has been a blessing to us in every way. Directly after we came home from the hospital with Lucas, I wanted to close ourselves off from his birth family because he was “ours”. But when I looked at it from the eyes of my son, that these were his family no matter what and they were truly good people, I didn’t want him to miss out on anything good even if it made my husband and I uncomfortable. So we decided to continue relationship with them and now they’re an extension of our family. They love and honor us as Lucas’ dad and mom and we love and honor them. Charmaine, Lucas’ birthmom, made a difficult and selfless decision that has and will cause grieve in her heart her whole life. But a decision she has never regretted. She made us a family. We are so grateful to her. Lucas has always known he was CHOSEN and loved by ALL his family. This is his norm and he is bold and confident in where he came from and who he is.
Brenda Herr FSE in California
19
Adoption was always on the table for us to start a family. If a baby came along biologically, great, but adoption was something we always discussed. When we didn’t get pregnant after some time, we decided to start exploring adoption. We had some good conversations on whether we wanted to have a baby or if we wanted to be parents. We chose to become parents. Our adoption story is not your typical story. We did not wait years or go through failed adoptions. And for that we are so very thankful and blessed. Now, let me tell you, adoption is not for the faint of heart; it takes a lot of time, energy, money, and emotion. Also, there is not a manual on how to start the process, so we had to figure it out as we went. We selected the Wyoming Children’s Society in Cheyenne, WY as our adoption agency. They recommended a Home Study agency here in Colorado to complete all the preliminary paperwork and education required to be an adoptive parent. We started our Home Study in January of 2005 and quickly became busy with filling out paperwork, including financial disclosures, releases for background checks by both the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and other agencies, not to mention an autobiography for each of us. We were required to take 24 hours of parenting classes facilitated by the home study agency. We were three months in when we met with the adoption agency at the beginning of April. They were kind, especially as they let us know they were not working with any Birth Mothers at the time and it would more than likely be another year. To our delight and surprise, their prediction proved false when two weeks later we received a call from the agency to let us know a baby boy had been born the day before and he was ours if we wanted him. We picked up our son the next day. His eyes were wide open as they put him into our arms, almost as if he were taking us in. Our adoption is closed, meaning we have no contact with the Birth Mother, per her request. We finalized the adoption through the Colorado courts nine months later. That was 14 years ago, and we couldn’t have biologically had a better child to be ours. He is funny and sarcastic, he is kind and caring, he is smart and wise. We couldn’t be happier that one day our son fell from the sky and just like that, we started our family.
Sean McClellan SME
22 20
At the beginning of 2011, a church leader challenged us as part of a New Year’s sermon with the question, “What would you do this year that you have neither the resources nor ability to do on your own, but which you would have to fully rely on God’s faithfulness to accomplish?” My wife and I separately answered that question as “international adoption” without any previous conversations about it. After talking about it after the service, and knowing we both had the same answer, we realized that God was calling us into a journey of faith – trusting Him to see us through it. The process took about 3 ½ years cost about $25,000 – God was faithful in providing the right people and the needed money just in time. In our capitalist, selfsufficient, western civilization, it’s difficult to be in a situation where you have no control over what happens. Our story is that story – a story of faith: we were called to be obedient to God regardless of the outcome, and we were tested throughout the journey. We chose to adopt from Haiti, a country that did not allow families to adopt who had four biological children as we had, so we had to get a Presidential dispensation to qualify. We did not have the money to submit our registration with the adoption agency, but a co-worker found out we had decided to adopt and gave us the exact amount needed for the registration without us ever telling her the amount needed. We were matched with a little girl with no known father and whose mother had lost everything in the 2010 earthquake. The little girl was only a month old at the time of the earthquake. She was abandoned by her mom at the orphanage with a life-threatening parasitic infection; however, the orphanage did not know what she had. They thought they were giving her end-of-life care. A few months after being abandoned with little hope of survival, a traveling medical missionary team happened to visit the orphanage and treated her for the parasites, and she was soon on the road to recovery. There are numerous unexpected and miraculous events that took place along our journey: money that would show up unexpectedly in the exact amount needed at the moment it was needed, paperwork being accepted by Haiti hours before that office stopped accepting additional applications, my wife’s out of town employer happened to be in town and was able to provide proof of employment at the last minute, a psychiatrist who was available to do an evaluation for our family as a requirement of the adoption and who disappeared shortly after giving us his recommendation. There are so
21
many coincidences along the way that it clear to us that God was directing our steps and seeing us through this journey. We finally completed our adoption and brought our daughter home in the summer of 2014, three and a half years after that church leader’s challenging question that started it all. She was 4 ½ years old. We have since inquired about fostering children, given the huge need in Indiana, but we’ve been told by Clark County where we live that we have too many kids, so that door is closed to us right now. For now, we continue to support adoptions through our church and various other organizations, as well as supporting the orphanage in Haiti that was pivotal in caring for our daughter until we could find her. Thanks for the opportunity to talk about this. It’s a story I love to share.
Mark Adams New Albany
My wife and I have been foster parents for almost two years. When we got married 27 years ago, we were not sure if we could have children and considered adoption. Two years after marriage, we were blessed to have our first daughter. We had two more daughters following the first. Fast forward to 2015 our youngest daughter Grace asked if we had ever considered adoption. We shared our story with the girls and this triggered a relentless push from Grace to foster children in need. When we learned about the +10,000 children that need homes in the state of Kentucky, we understood this was our calling to serve. We signed up to be certified in 2016 and we had our first placement in 2017. We have had six different children. We currently have two boys: Two and six years old. We have had the two year old for 17 months. We are a foster to adopt family and we are hoping that we will adopt the two year old soon. While this comes with great responsibility and commitment. The rewards have been wonderful. This is a major need in America. We need more loving families to open their homes and hearts to these children.
Tom Jacks New Albany
Adoption is something that we have talked about since before we were married and felt called to. We decided after lots of prayer and research, that it was something we wanted to do at this time in our life, while our biological kids are still young, in hopes that he would join our family with children. After some recommendations from the local agency and some of our own research, we decided that International Adoption, and Korea specifically, were the best fit for our family. We officially began the process in October of 2017 when we completed the initial application with a local agency. Our home study was completed in January, and our file was sent to Korea in March 2018. In August 2018 we received the referral and first pictures of Gideon and our hearts melted. After accepting the referral and more paperwork, we travelled to Korea to meet him in March 2019. It was our first time to Korea and a wonderful experience. In April, we went back to Korea to pick up Gideon and bring him home. Gideon was almost 16 months old when he joined our family. He is very active and loves to sing and dance. His new 3 siblings were a little overwhelming at first, but he has since grown to play and keep up with them. Although Gideon has only been in our home for a few months, it seems like he has always been there. We love our very special moments we have with him every day.
Jeremy Hudson New Albany
24 22
I was one of those kids who always dreamed of growing up, getting married, and having children. It was one of the first things I brought up to my husband before we got married. I distinctly remember having a conversation telling him, ‘look I want to have a lot of kids so if you’re ok with that, then you can marry me.’ We also talked about adoption before marriage because we were both exposed to it as children by our families taking in foster children. So we had conversations before we ever got married that we knew we would foster and or adopt in our future at some point. We wanted to wait a few years before trying to get pregnant so we could fully enjoy our marriage. About 3 years in, we decided it was time to have babies. I never thought in the back of my head there would be any issues or delays into our plan. We tried for 6 months with no success and I started getting worried. Of course infertility doctors won’t take any plan of action until you have at least been trying for one year unsuccessfully. One year rolls around and still no baby. I can’t even begin to describe to you what that year was like. It’s like every month I was mourning the loss of something I never had. Every month it didn’t happen I was completely devastated and, honestly, it was the hardest few years in our marriage. How could this not be what God’s plan was for me? Especially since I knew I was always meant to be a mother.
23
At the one year mark we decided to try some fertility treatments. Throughout the course of another 6 months, fertility medications, and a few invasive treatments the doctors said, ‘We have no idea why you aren’t conceiving.’ They told us we had ‘unexplained infertility.’ I think that was the hardest part for me – I just wanted an answer; I wanted a reason. We took a few months to just quiet our life and pray as to what God had for us next. We were brought back to the desire we had originally to adopt, and we decided to go for it. We chose a local agency in our city. We liked that it was local because our desire was always open adoption. When we began pursuing adoption, I started praying for God to give us a birth mom who would also have the desire for open adoption. The process of adoption itself is filled with a lot of paperwork in the beginning, and then a lot of waiting. It was 14 months from the time we signed with an agency until we received our baby. In January towards the end of the month we got a call from our agency worker. I remember that call like it was yesterday. ‘Lauren, I’m calling to tell you that you have been chosen by a birth mom. She is due in 9 days and she’s having a baby girl!’ I was listening with my mouth wide open, staring at my husband as he was wondering what in the world is happening. After getting off the phone, I told my husband the good news, and we began to celebrate. We literally ran to the store that night, bought a few baby girl onesies, wrapped them up, and took them to our families to surprise them with the news.
We got the chance to have dinner with our birth mom before delivery. I’m pretty positive I threw up the entire day before this meeting and the day of the meeting. That’s my go-to emotion when I’m overwhelmed; I throw up. How was I supposed to act to the women who is literally giving me the greatest gift in life? I knew it would be hard to fight my tears out of gratitude. You know what’s crazy? The whole time over dinner I almost forgot why we were there. We were having such a great time and I felt as if this were my friend. I remember telling my husband that exact thing, that I felt like I just had dinner with one of my best friends. She was so kind, her personality was so inviting, and she was hilarious. I’m pretty sure I laughed the whole dinner. Before we left I told her my desire for open adoption and luckily it was her desire too. I knew in my heart this was meant to be. Our birth mom chose for the baby to be brought to us right after birth. We waited in a room for about 3 hours, and of course I’m throwing up because I realized this is the moment I’m about to become a mother. At 11:12 that morning I see the nurse as she opens up the door, her face so bright with a smile, and she says, ‘Here’s a delivery!’ I leap out of my chair, open my arms and just cry. I remember those first moments when I got to hold her on my chest. All those hard years led to this moment. Here I was standing in my own delivery room, holding my baby on my chest. As I looked down at my sweet baby girl’s face I thought, ‘You were worth it. You were worth it all.’ We left the future of our relationship up to our birth mom. We wanted to be respectful of her heart as well. I can say though, I was doubtful that anything further would come. I didn’t think she would actually want to see us again. In my head I had just assumed that birth mothers would have so much trauma from the experience that she would not want to see us again. Even though we had a great dinner and a great time in the hospital, I just thought emotionally she would not be able to do it. Typically you don’t see open adoptions, and a majority of birth mothers want to walk away and never see the child again. But about a year into baby girl’s life, I got a notification for a friend request on Facebook from our birth mom. I was so excited I instantly messaged her and we began catching up. It was at that point we began to establish a relationship through Facebook. I sent her tons of photos, told her how sweet Roslyn was, and she thanked me for being her mother. We decided what the future looked like for us. And now, at this point in time, we meet every few months. She will attend birthdays and some holidays, and we are communicating through Facebook.
Roslyn is very aware of who her birth mother is, and even at her young age we tell her the birth story every night. There is a picture of her birth mother with her that we keep on her dresser. In my mind, open adoption is not a contest or rivalry. We are family. We are one big extended family all coming together to love on one sweet girl. My desire is to bring her up in this world with her knowing her identity. I want her to have a worldview of acceptance of her own journey, who she is, and how she came to be. All of us feel that the best way to do this is through open adoption. Since this isn’t a very common thing, I have been very thankful that her birth mother has been open to it. Through the hardest season of my life, I had some of the most dreaded memories I can remember. However, I have come to learn this, the very trials that produced those hardships have turned into the best part of me. Sometimes circumstances in your life aren’t what you planned, but end up changing your life for the better. The journey is not always easy, but it’s worth it. I knew I was always meant to be a mother, but I never knew how different of a path I would take to get there. Had I not been open to it, I would not have my sweet Roslyn.” Since this article was written, we have been blessed with another adopted daughter. While we did not get to be at the hospital for Ainsley’s birth, nor did we get to raise her as our own for the first two years of her life; we did know her. Ainsley’s grandparents go to our church, and approached us about adopting her in late 2017 and it took quite a while for all of the paperwork to go through. Ainsley officially became a Niehoff in May of 2019. While we do not have visits with her birth mom at this time, we pray that one day that her birth mom will be well enough to have visits. We do still see her birth grandparents weekly at church, and still celebrate her adoption all the same. Should you adopt? We obviously cannot answer that for you. Can you help? Absolutely! Adoption can be expensive, as is birthing a child, and typically insurance doesn’t cover any adoption expenses. Adoptive couples often hold fund raisers to lower the direct expense to them, and that is a very easy way to help an adoptive couple.
Lauren and Brian Niehoff New Albany
24
SAMTEC DONGGUAN
Samtec Dongguan is located in Guangdong Province, China. It is about an hour drive from DG to Guangzhou and Shenzhen and is close to Hong Kong. Since opening its doors in July 2017, they began product and tooling design and are now producing advanced products and automation. Recently, DG has began stamping and injection molding! 49 Associates transferred from the Huizhou facility to Dongguan. Currently, there are about 91 Associates. Many DG Associates have traveled to work at this location. Associates come from 17 different provinces. The longest distance between facility and their hometown is about 1550 miles (2500 km). 80 percent of Associates come from about 620 miles (1000 km) away. Why is DG a good location for Samtec? DG area is a hub for connector manufacturers including Molex, FCI, TE, Lexshare, etc. It also contains the supply chain for molding, tooling, and stamping.
25 17
What is DG’s role within Samtec Globally? Samtec DG supports connector high-speed cable assembly and high-speed backplane. It also supports product development outside of the United States. What is Samtec DG’s Focus? Primarily, Samtec DG does engineering services like CAD, Product Testing, Product Design and Development, Tooling Design and Development, Molding Design and Development, and has local customer support. Explain the culture in DG. The “Jigong Temple” in Shijie was built in the Qing and Jiaqing dynasties. It has a history of more than 200 years. The villagers in the vicinity gather at Jigong Temple to hold temple fairs and perform operas in order to pray for peace and prosperity in the world. Because of its importance, the annual temple festival has become a cultural tradition preserved by Shijie people. DG also has many traditional festivals, such as the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and more.
John Hazell
Lesly Leroy
Jocelyn Dajano, Lynn Trinh, Myoung Kim
Jimmy Grayson
SOG & TACOS SOG hosted a team building event with delicious tacos! Everyone took some time away from work to join as a group. With so many different teams at SOG, it was exciting for us to all catch up on our new projects at work and outside of work. As a small office, we have the advantage of getting to know everyone here and having the blessing to work with all groups. We catered Tacos and decorated the whole break room to get into the Fiesta vibe. We ate, laughed, and ate more! Luckily, everyone here had room for some desserts. The room was filled with laughter and our silliness came out as we passed the mini sombrero around for pictures. Don’t worry, we didn’t forget Tessie! It was an overdue Fiesta for all. Lisa Le, Vincent Wynn, Dennis Putian, Nancy Lopez, Glenn Dixon, Brian Auchincloss
Ralph Page, Andy Baxter
Chris Bandfield, Stephen Girlando, Raymond Lee, John Henson
Kathy Sandoval, Christina Kozlovsky
26
27
What is Red Nose Day? Red Nose Day is a campaign with the mission to end child poverty by funding programs that keep children safe, healthy, and educated. Through the power of entertainment, we bring people together to laugh and have fun, all while raising life-changing cash for the children that need it the most. Since our debut in 2015, we have raised $190 million and have positively impacted over 16 million children in America, and around the world.
Why a Red Nose? It’s simple, universal and — best of all — a fun way to create connections and break through barriers. A Red Nose encourages people to come together, share a laugh, and gives the world something to smile about. It’s a powerful way to start a conversation about Red Nose Day and its goal: to end child poverty, one nose at a time.
8
AROUND THE WORLD
Samtec Penang
Samtec Penang celebrated Hari Raya by having an in-house event that is “Salam Aidilfitri”. They also held a “Ketupat Challenge Competition” as an engagement activity with all the departments. The fastest who could fold the “Ketupat” were the winners. Although we have different religions and cultures, it is good to celebrate the festival in one heart.
Samtec Erie
Check out Samtec Erie’s new break room wall wrap!
Samtec Italy
Igor Sanvito recently climbed to the top of Stromboli Vulcano (at Stromboli Island in Sicily) while it was erupting! It takes 3 hours to get to the top and another 3 hours to get down, starting at 6pm and finishing at midnight.
Samtec Microelectronics- Colorado Springs SME celebrated winning the Bishop Award with a “Mix and Match” your own treat bag!
Samtec Burlington, MA
Samtec Burlington has grown from 1 Associate to now 5! Here they are enjoying their Thanksgiving Luncheon.
Samtec Japan Samtec France
France Associates got together on Christmas Sweater day!
Samtec Co-ops
Samtec Japan hosted a welcome party for Associates visiting from New Albany, Samtec Cable, Samtec Taiwan, and Samtec China!
Samtec Co-ops were challenged to design a parachute that can bring Tessie down gently when launched/thrown up to a height of 25 feet! Above are the two winning teams that tied! Left is Samtec New Albany and the Right is SOG