As I have discussed in the past, Vigon has so much to be grateful for. We work in a great industry, live in a beautiful community, work with incredible customers, have caring and supportive suppliers, and have the fortune of employing the absolutely finest; most dedicated and committed employees a company could have. Recent awards demonstrate the blessing we have as Vigon was once again selected to the INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies (3rd consecutive year) and for the first time selected to the prestigious 100 Best Places to Work in PA for 2010.
When I received word on the 100 Best Places to Work Award, it was very emotional and I commented so to the Vigon team. For me it is the high point of my professional career to know that we have been able to create an environment and culture whereby employees truly feel rewarded both financially and otherwise, truly feel they can make a difference, and truly like coming to Vigon every day. It is still emotional for me as this has been my dream my entire life and I have worked toward this end for as long as I can remember. To finally have achieved this recognition is beyond words and I am so grateful to my team.
With that said, I wish to share some comments the Vigon team made during the confidential survey conducted by the Best Companies Group. I believe you will enjoy these comments and realize just what a special team we have at Vigon. As you read them I would ask you to remember one thing. That being YIPPPEEE!!! We make it Happen together.
Responses to the question “what does this organization do that makes it a place where people would want to work”
“For starters there is not enough room here to put down the numerous things that makes Vigon the best place to work in the world but I will try, any employee can speak to the president of the company about work related matters or private matters and he is always there to lend a helping hand. I have personally seen him go way above and beyond to help his employees.”
“Dynamic organization - ideas are heard - changes are made”
“I think we have a family atmosphere, they take time when hiring someone to see if they will be a good fit for the company and the department they will be working in.”
“Friendly, generous, growing”
“It a very friendly organization, I actually love coming to work and I feel fulfilled after leaving for the day.”
“The company actually makes you feel like you are part of a team; it acknowledges your hard work and rewards you for it. The company treats you like family in your time of need and assures you that when the company does good, the employees are the ones responsible for its success.”
“Makes you feel wanted. Empowers employees.”
“The company does a very good job trying to make it a great place to work, we are a real working family and everyone is treated like a member of that family.”
“The company is constantly open to new ideas from all levels, and gives people the opportunity to follow their ideas through. This encourages departments to work together in coming up with new ways to tackle problems and make things better.”
“The company is constantly open to new ideas from all levels, and gives people the opportunity to follow their ideas through. This encourages departments to work together in coming up with new ways to tackle problems and make things better.”
“Whenever I need help with a project my supervisor and fellow employees make themselves available to provide me with the information a I need.”
“The management style is very open and encouraging.”
“The organization treats people with respect and makes it so it is not just a place to work but also have fun. The President knows everyone in the company and makes sure everyone knows how important they are to the company and listens to ideas from everyone and makes it happen.”
“They go that extra mile to help an employee with anything they might need for work or personal life.”
“This organization provides a fast paced, fun and relaxed atmosphere to work in. I feel as though my input is valued, the extra effort is appreciated and the light hearted group of people I work with make what I do rewarding.”
“Vigon is a unique organization in that it truly provides an environment that allows you to create your own opportunities and future. Steve is great to work for in that he is open to hearing ideas about what needs to be improved while also being open and honest about what we as employees need to do in order to improve ourselves.”
“Vigon truly cares about employees.”
“Vigons leader and captain is Steve. He is absolutely a great asset to any company as he truly cares about his employees, their families and what they need to be successful.”
“You are treated like a family member. The Vigon team hears frequently that they are doing a great job! This really matters and I can't say enough good things about the company.”
Vigon Picnic Was Fun for All
Our annual company picnic was held on a beautiful September weekend and was lots of fun for all of our employees and their extended families. There was great food cooked by our own Steve Somers, crafts and games for kids, a huge “Jumpy House “and of course, the popular "Employee Tug of War"!
Our annual Kick’n Bass fishing trip was a great success as always with lots of sunshine, plenty of fish being caught, lots of good food being eaten and plenty of cold beverages being drank!
Our prize winners for this year’s trip were Arvind D’Cunha from Givaudan for
the First Fish Caught and Bob Maloney from Alpenglow for the Largest Fish
Caught.
Be sure to let us know if you would like to join us next year. We’d love to
have you on board.
Vigon Selected as One of the Best Places to Work in PA
We are extremely proud to announce that Vigon has been named as one of the
Best Places to Work in PA for 2010. The awards program, created in 2000, is
one of the first statewide programs of its kind in the country. The program
is a public/private partnership between Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the
Central Penn Business Journal.
This survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor
the best places to be employed in Pennsylvania, benefiting the state's
economy, its workforce and businesses.
Companies from across the state participated in a two-part process to
determine the 100 Best Places to Work in PA. The first part of this process
was evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices,
philosophies, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth
approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an
employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process
was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores
determined the top companies and the final ranking.
All of us at Vigon are very proud to be included in this elite group of
companies, especially Steve Somers who commented “This is one of the
greatest moments for me not just at Vigon but in my life as it has been a
dream for me to build a company with a team that feels empowered, that they
can make a difference coming to work every day, to create an environment
where the team members really care about their job and in turn feel rewarded
for the contributions they have made and to provide a level of benefits that
are considered among the best and appreciated by the team. The recognition
here that we are one of the best places to work in the entire state of
Pennsylvania is a tribute to the team”
As the saying goes here at Vigon, We make it happen together! Yippppeee!
We’ve Added Another 30,000 Square Feet to Our Facility
We are pleased to announce that we have recently purchased a 30,000 square foot building to add to our current facility. Our new building is located on four acres in Stroud Township just a few miles from our main facility. We will be working on renovating and upgrading the building over the coming months and are looking forward to having the additional capacity to be used for a variety of purposes. This new acquisition brings our total facility size to over 100,000 square feet on 18 acres.
Yipppeee Fun Facts
We all have those things that we have done in our lives that many of those that we work with may be surprised about (in a good way), however they are things that give others insight into who we are. So to help you get to know some of the Yipppeee! Team a little better, here are a few fun facts about some of our favorite Football Teams.
Indianapolis Colts or the New York Giants.
The New York Jets!
The New York Jets! J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!
The New York Giants!
The New York Giants!
Minnesota Vikings!
Pittsburg Steelers!
New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys!
Cinncinati Bengles
Pittsburg Steelers
Pittsburg Steelers
Philadelphia Eagles
Mark Corneius
Pittsburg Steelers
New York Giants
Jacksonville Jaguars
Seattle, Seahawks
Pittsburg Steelers
Service
Milestones
Since the previous issue of What's in the Air? and through December 2010,
the following team members will reach milestones in their careers with
Vigon.
Mike Loughlin 7 Years
Tom McKain 11 Years
Jeff Milton 11 Years
Felicia Perryman 17 Years
Louis Salerno 2 Years
Hunkar Selvi 7 Years
Dave Soltis 11 Years
Tammi Strunk 4 Years
Mark Sylvester 8 Years
Brad Toro 5 Years
Joe Walsh 11 Years
Danna Ward 21 Years
Karl Werkheiser 3 Years
Lucy Wilcha 4 Years
Jeff Yohe 11 Years
Danette Angle 8 Years
Michael Biel 5 Years
William Burkett 1 Year
Chrissy Campos 14 Years
Carolyn Caruso 3 Years
Amin Chaudhry 1 Year
Bob Conlon 1 Year
Randy Cornell 13 Years
Peter Crimi 8 Years
Dennis Dittrick 12 Years
Amanda Fish 5 Years
Kyle Frable 3 Years
Lamont Griffin 3 Years
Ricardo Henry 4 Years
Cheryl Limbach 9 Year
Employee News:
New Hires
We have a few new faces here at Vigon. We would like to introduce you to the newest members of the team.
Neil Allen
Production Specialist
Dominick
Spano
Shipping Specialist
Kayla Janaskas
Administrative Assistant
Todd Kemmerer
Production Assistant
Tremayne Stewart
IT Specialist
Sergio Molino
Shipping Specialist
Vanessa
Cleary
Customer Service Representative
Have you ever received a fun Yipppeee! toy in the mail or from one of the Vigon sales people? Have you ever received a promotional email from Vigon regarding a new material, a newsletter, or maybe a reminder that you can buy products from us online? Have you ever been to an industry golf outing and seen the Yipppeee! Jeep and tried to shoot a Hole-In-One to win it? Or have you ever been to one of our fun events such as our “Kick’N Bass” fishing trip or our “Swing’n By the Sea” golf outing? Well if you can say yes to any or all of the above, than you are sure to know Jennifer Passamonte who is our self described “Yipppeee! Girl”!
Jennifer who works in the Sales and Marketing group as a Marketing Coordinator is instrumental in making sure that our unique, fun and distinctive brand positioning is delivered properly in all of our marketing messages whether it be in print, via email, online, on our premiums (toys), or at an event. And if you think this is all she does, it doesn’t stop there as Jennifer coordinates much of our sample order process, as well as a number of our internal events such as Holiday Parties, Picnics, etc. On any given day, Jennifer will be working on a myriad of projects making sure that they get done on time, on budget, and in a fun unique way!
If you think that Jennifer’s day is full here a Vigon, it is even more hectic when she leaves here at the end of the day, as she goes home to her husband John, daughters Chloe and Cassie, two dogs Diesel and Nitro, and her cat Bubba, and all of the activities that go along with a growing family such as hers. When she is not here at Vigon Jennifer is busy with the kids with Karate, Band, Girl Scouts, Basketball, Horseback Riding, Skiing, Swimming, phew, I’m getting tired just writing all of this!! Seriously, as busy and dedicated as Jennifer is here at Vigon she is even more so with her family and all of their activities. The greatest thing about Jennifer is not that she does all that she does, but that no matter how busy she is, she does these things with a smile!
So the next time you receive one of our toys, or a promotional email, or see the Vigon Team at an event, think of Jennifer who made it happen and say “Yipppeee!”!!!!
Vigon International, Inc located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania is a privately owned ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer and supplier of high quality flavors, fragrances and ingredients. The company also develops and maintains unique strategic partnerships with larger ingredient suppliers providing ingredients and servicing customers in select flavor and fragrance market segments. Vigon?s products encompass over 1,800 items including essential oils, oleoresins, botanical extracts, and natural and synthetic aroma chemicals. The company's comprehensive manufacturing capabilities coupled with their ability to successfully partner with major multinational flavor and fragrance houses has firmly established Vigon as one of the most progressive companies in the industry. If you're interested in partnering with a flavor and fragrance company that is focused on your success, contact us at:
Tel:1-877-VIGON-39
Fax:1-877-VIGON-14
E-Mail:sales@vigoninternational.com
Web Site:www.vigoninternational.com