CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Making things, and making them well, makes for winners in Northeast Ohio.
It’s no secret to manufacturers Clampco Products, HEXPOL Compounding, Great Lakes Cheese Co. and numerous other area companies listed as Northeast Ohio Top Workplace winners who are in the business of making things.
Great Lakes Cheese supplies cheese across the United States. It has eight plants in five states, including one in Hiram. The Portage County facility, which covers about 340,000 square feet, is in the middle of the company’s production process, as it packages about 1 million pounds of cheese a day.
Senior machine operator Lynn Felberg explains how, like at many successful companies, camaraderie among its people helps Great Lakes Cheese flourish.
- Employees at Great Lakes Cheese, in Hiram Ohio, move loads of Swiss cheese. Courtesy of Great Lakes CheeseCourtesy of Great Lakes Cheese
“Even though we are now at 750 employees in Hiram, there still is a family-like feeling among us,” she says. “I am grateful to have developed meaningful long-term relationships with many of my co-workers.
“The owners share in that relationship through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan. They have seen how hard work pays off, and wanted to share in the wealth of the company’s growth and profits.”
“We find the best people, give them the resources they need, and trust them to take it from there,” said Dan Zagzebski, president and CEO of Great Lakes Cheese. “What we see are co-workers caring about each other and working together to meet the needs of our customers. At the end of the day, we celebrate a job well-done as a family.”
At Clampco, there’s a different sense of pride.
“A lot of our products end up with an original equipment manufacturer or after-market type customers,” says Clampco Human Resources Manager Jason Venner. “Our employees know that the products they make end up on equipment that does something useful.
“Our employees know that piece of equipment will improve a function, and our people feel good to know they’re doing something to help people.”
Clampco, located in Wadsworth, manufactures various stainless steel clamps, serving commercial and industrial companies internationally, ranging from the automotive industry to the waste-water treatment arena.
Venner’s parents, James and Linda Venner, founded Clampco in 1971. The company remains family-owned, and James and Linda still work for it part-time.
Another winner, HEXPOL, is a Swedish company with worldwide locations, including Burton, Middlefield and Mogadore in Northeast Ohio. It develops and produces polymer compounds.
“HEXPOL (employees) take pride in their work with attention to detail, and also in striving to be the best at their work to provide our customers with superior products and services,” HEXPOL Director of Operations/North Region Jerry Saxion said.
“This pride improves morale, creates a strong team and energizes the work environment,” Saxion said.