Community Outreach

Mack Molding Puts the E in STEAM at Arlington’s Fisher Elementary

November 13, 2019 by Larry Hovish Leave a Comment

Company Helps Fourth Grade Science Class Procure Robotics Kit to Learn About Engineering

ARLINGTON, Vt. (Nov. 13, 2019) – The fourth graders in Charlie Cummings’ Fisher Elementary School class are filled with a love of science, and members of the community along with Mack Molding are fostering their interest by funding the purchase of robotic blocks.

Fourth graders in Charlie Cummings Fisher Elementary School Class watch a Cubelets robot created by Mack Molding Engineering Team Leader Ann Weddell drive across the floor.

Mack Molding engineers Ann Wedell and Scott Rishell recently visited Cummings’ classroom with Mack Group Chief Financial Officer Florence Belnap to join students in opening the classroom’s newest teaching tools, called Cubelets. Cummings’ class raised money, including $1,796 from Mack, through DonorsChoose, which allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. While visiting Wedell and Rishell also discussed what they do at the leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services, as well as how their love of science, engineering and learning helped shape who they are today.

“As a Company Mack has always been focused on making a difference in the communities where we have facilities by supporting access to high quality education and healthcare,” Belnap said. “Seeing the excitement on the students’ faces as they discovered the wonders of design and engineering was truly rewarding, and hopefully we have even inspired some future Mack employees!”

From left, Mack Molding Sr. Design Engineer Scott Rishell, Fisher Elementary School Fourth Grade Teacher Charlie Cummings, Mack Group Chief Financial Offer Florence Belnap, Mack Molding Engineering Team Leader Ann Wedell and Fisher Elementary School Principal Deanne Lacoste at the unveiling of new classroom materials designed to inspire interest in design and engineering.

According to the website of manufacturer Modular Robotics, Cubeletes harness of the power of play to help users explore big ideas like robotics and coding while teaching the value of problem-solving, persistence and communication. The devices will be integrated into the class’ MakerSpace style design center, as well as in a specific unit on engineering. According to Cummings, the ability to plan, manipulate, observe and redesign in real-time is an invaluable experience for students.

“Living in beautiful Southern Vermont our students have access to inspiring natural resources that really reinforce the biology, life science and earth science lessons they learn at school,” Cummings said. “Providing meaningful technology-related experiences can be more challenging, however, and Cubelets Robotic Blocks will meet that demand. By providing hands-on, flexible thinking activities, students will be able to explore the process of design and engineering, trial and error, data collecting, observation and critical thinking. They are a naturally curious class, and we are grateful to Mack and all our donors for feeding that curiosity.”

About Fisher Elementary School
Located in the southwest corner of Vermont, Fisher Elementary School is part of the Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union and offers a pre-kindergarten through grade five education to 220 students living in the communities of Arlington and Sandgate. As a community school, Fisher prides itself on students not getting lost in the shuffle and their ability to realize their full academic potential.

About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is CEO and chairman. For more information, go to www.mack.com.

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Mack Molding Wins MAPP Educational Outreach Award

October 23, 2019 by Larry Hovish Leave a Comment

Company Donating Monetary Prize to the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center

ARLINGTON, Vt. (Oct. 23, 2019) – Mack Molding, a leading custom plastic injection molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services, announced today it was honored with second place in the annual Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) Educational Outreach Awards.

Distributed at the organization’s 2019 Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference, which took place Oct. 2-4, 2019 in Indianapolis, the award recognizes MAPP member companies for helping to bridge the manufacturing skills gap and create excitement about plastics manufacturing within their communities. There is a special focus on encouraging students to discover the rewards of a career in plastics manufacturing.

Winners of this award receive a donation from MAPP to the recipient’s educational institution or program of choice. Mack has selected the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) in recognition of the organization’s support of the Company’s outreach endeavors.

“Mack’s workforce cultivation efforts have greatly benefited from VMEC, which helped launch our Made in Vermont Days program in 2014 and trained our employees to conduct a manufacturing flow game that puts context behind what students witnessed on the tour,” said Mack President Jeff Somple. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to give back to VMEC as it delivers on its mission to strengthen and empower Vermont Manufacturers.”

Mack’s outreach efforts include its biennial Made in Vermont Days, which attract students from high schools in Southern Vermont and New York state to get a first-hand look at the Company’s operations. Other local schools also visit throughout the year, with some 150 children and educators entering Mack’s doors in the last 12 months. Additionally, the Company’s internship program offers students real-world experience while helping them envision a rewarding life in Vermont. The program has become a significant source of recruitment for the Company, with 19 former interns accepting full-time positons in recent years.

“With more than 300 MAPP members voting on this year’s nominees, we are honored to be recognized and share our peers’ commitment to inspiring a new generation of manufacturers,” Somple said. “As we prepare to celebrate our centennial, it is exciting to see our workforce development efforts have brought us young engineers, technicians and leaders who are prepared to bring us into our next 100 years.”

About Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center
VMEC is a Vermont resource and trusted advisor to enterprises of all sizes. Since 1995, the VMEC team has brought world-class expertise through consulting, coaching, hands-on implementation support, and training and education for leaders and workers. VMEC provides proven systems and solutions focused on strategies, processes, products, technologies and people. For more information, go to www.vmec.org.

About Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors
Established in 1996, the Manufacturers Association for Plastic Processors is managed by plastics business leaders and has over 430 member companies nationwide. The association works to provide manufacturers with bottom line impacting programs, networking and additional beneficial services. For more information, go to www.mappinc.com.

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Mack Cautions Vermont Residents About Spoof Calls

April 11, 2017 by Larry Hovish Leave a Comment

It has come to Mack’s attention residents in the Arlington, Vt., community have been receiving phone calls from purported solar companies, and potentially other services, that appear on caller ID to be coming from a phone number associated with Mack.

Mack is committed to being a good steward of the community, including its protection from fraud, and has alerted its phone carrier’s technical and fraud teams of the calls. It is important to note these calls are not originating from the Mack phone exchange or the Company’s network. Unfortunately, in the age of Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) it is easy for callers to deliberately falsify the information transmitted to caller ID to disguise their identity. Known as “spoofing,” this technique is often used to trick someone into giving away personal information that can be used for fraudulent activity.

Spoofing for fraudulent gain is prohibited in the U.S., which is why Mack is working with its carrier to reduce the risk of being spoofed. This activity is hard to combat, however, and the best way to defend against it is to be informed and vigilant. Never offer personal information to an unexpected caller, and if you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a familiar company or government agency hang up and call a verified number for that entity. For more information on how to protect yourself, visit www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id.

Mack Molding Puts the E in STEAM at Arlington’s Fisher Elementary

Mack Molding Wins MAPP Educational Outreach Award

Mack Cautions Vermont Residents About Spoof Calls

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