Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/164142
Fueling the continued and indirect employee wages and nonwage expenditures, Waupaca Foundry creates an impact of $161.5 million, or 10.4 percent of the total income (and $347.6 million, or 9.9 percent of the total sales), of Waupaca County, says Joey Leonard, the company's vice president of human resources. "Our economic footprint is considerable in the communities where we operate," Leonard says. Waupaca Foundry is known as a good employer, offering competitive wages and benefits while also putting a strong focus on promoting from within. (Case in point: Current CEO Gigante started as a metallurgist at the Marinette plant 32 years ago.) Employee longevity is a trademark with annual turnover at 5 percent while the national industry average is 15 percent, Leonard says. "Each spring, we have a party for people who have been here for more than 10 years. This year, we had more than 1,000 people eligible to attend – I think that says something," he says. "We also employ several generations of the same family – grandfather, father and son. We're proud of that tradition." Earlier this year, residents of 28 | Insight • S e p t e m b e r 2 013 Waupaca County voted the foundry as the "Best Place to Work" in a poll taken by the local publications owned by Multi-Media Channels. In addition, the Waupaca Chamber of Commerce named Waupaca Foundry as its Large Business of the Year for 2013. "We have a very self-fulfilling culture," Gigante says. "You can always find a mentor. People are constantly learning and growing, which is why I think we have such low turnover." Gigante also praised the workforce. "We have very talented employees who are dedicated to what they do," he says. "We couldn't be who we are without them." Many plant employees start out in entry-level jobs that don't require a lot of training and from there, they receive additional training and can move into new positions, Leonard says. The foundry was a key supporter when Fox Valley Technical College opened a new facility in Waupaca several years online: Click to hear Waupaca Foundry CEO and President Gary Gigante discuss how the company is in the perfect position to grow. ago. Leonard says it uses the building heavily for training. "We offer tuition reimbursement and internal training leadership programs to grow tomorrow's leaders," he says. "The in-house promotions and training we offer help us weather any skills gaps out there." Like many manufacturers, continuous improvement is an integral part of the culture at Waupaca Foundry. "We got into lean early – Members of the Waupaca Foundry executive team include (left to right) Mike Pawielski, chief financial officer and vice president of finance; Joey Leonard, vice president of human resources; Gary Gigante, president and CEO; Kris Pfaehler, vice president of sales and marketing; and John Wiesbrock, vice president of supply chain management. Annual turnover at the foundry is about 5 percent compared with 15 percent for the industry, allowing many employees to be promoted from within the company. w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m