In honor of Manufacturing Day, Mack is taking a moment to reflect on tomorrow’s manufacturers, engineers and leaders by looking back at the Company’s 2017 internship program. Join us for an inside look at how students are making a difference at Mack and launching careers.
Mack Announces Additions to Team
Growing Molder & Contract Manufacturer Recruiting at a Steady Pace
ARLINGTON, Vt. (June 13, 2017) – Spring has sprung in the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont, bringing with it hues of the state’s namesake and a new crop of employees to Mack Molding’s headquarters ready to deliver on the Company’s mission of total customer satisfaction.
The addition of new talent coincides with investments in capital equipment, bolstering a period of growth that promises to position Mack to ensure the Company, and its customers’, success well into the future. The Company’s newest recruits include five former interns who have chosen to officially begin their careers with Mack. The internship program is the keystone of the Company’s workforce development efforts, and a testament to its success as 11 students have now returned to the Company full time in the last two years.
“Welcoming interns back to us full-time after the commencement season is starting to become a tradition,” said Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. “It is a rewarding and valuable experience as they bring a unique combination of fresh insights and familiarity with our organization. While we often focus on the success of Mack’s mobilization of the industry’s next generation, it is important to note we are filling positions at all levels of experience and across the organization. The business has seen four consecutive years of excellent growth, and recruiting high-quality, skilled professionals and engineers is key to maintaining that momentum. It is an exciting time here, and with dozens of positions being filled from the shop floor to engineering to the front office, the time is right start your career with Mack.”
Former intern Tracy Weinstein is no stranger to the Mack, bringing a deep familiarity with the Company and its processes to her new position as a manufacturing engineer. Tracy earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y., with minors in general psychology and marketing. The manufacturing experience and medical product insight she garnered during her tenure as an intern, coupled with the knowledge she gained as a student at RPI, will serve her well in this new position.
Mack has welcomed Casey Magrath as a business development manager. A recent graduate of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Casey has a bachelor of science degree in management engineering with a concentration in chemistry. She is currently working on her master of science degree in management at WPI. Prior to joining the Company full time, she was a Mack intern, developing valuable product development and validation experience while working with orthopedic customers. Casey also developed her sales and relationship development skills as an athenahealth intern in Watertown, Mass.
Trevor Pollock joined Mack as a supplier quality technician in March 2017 and was recently promoted to supplier engineer, ensuring Mack suppliers meet customers’ quality expectations. Prior to Mack, Trevor designed an energy system for a landfill gas power plant and assembled a grant proposal for research on the effect of a gene on bone loss during space flight at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he received his master of science in mechanical engineering. Trevor also has a bachelor of arts in mathematics with minors in physics and economics from Vermont’s Middlebury College.
Kyle Pilote has been appointed as a supplier engineer within the purchasing organization. Prior to Mack, Kyle served as maintenance and facilities manager at NSK in Bennington, Vt., where he was previously a manufacturing engineer. He also was a manufacturing engineer for Allred Associates and Val-Tech Holdings. Kyle has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology. As a supplier engineer, he will ensure Mack customers receive the highest quality parts.
Colin Derby, who spent two years in Mack’s internship program, has joined the Company full-time as an associate manufacturing engineer. A graduate of Randolph-based Vermont Technical College, he earned his associate’s degree in mechanical engineering technology and bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology. In addition to his Mack internship, Colin gained manufacturing and machining experience during internships at Plasan Carbon Composites, Kaman Aero Space and Abacus Automation.
Cody LaFlamme has joined Mack’s purchasing team as a cost estimator; however, he first entered the doors as an intern in 2014. During his tenure as an intern, Cody became familiar with Mack’s supplier base while gaining experience in ERP navigation, as well as quality and risk assessments. A graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, he has a bachelor’s degree in technology management with minors in business administration and athletic coaching.
Castleton University graduate Alex Hawley has accepted a position as a manufacturing clerk. Alex, who received a bachelor of business administration with a dual concentration in marketing and management, is already a familiar face around the office having spent four summers interning for Mack. As an intern, he worked on bills of materials, inventoried products and assisted the metal fabrication team while building keen insights into Mack’s operations.
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’s Focus on Workforce Development Pays Off
Six Former Interns Begin Careers with Company
ARLINGTON, Vt. (Feb. 7, 2017) – It is February, which means Vermont’s skiers are hitting the slopes and college students are hitting Mack Molding with resumes in hopes of landing a summer placement – and possibly a career. In fact, during the last year Mack has welcomed a record number of interns back as full-time employees at its Headquarters after graduation.
In all, six former interns have returned through Mack’s doors, bringing with them an intimate knowledge of Mack’s operations coupled with fresh ideas and the promise of a strong future in manufacturing. The recent hires include Manufacturing Engineer Kelsey O’Dell; Quality Engineers Aaron LeBeau, Peter Bush and Brendan Gleason; Program Coordinator Britney Coley; and Finishing Technician Matthew Comar.
“Welcoming these young professionals back to Mack has been a great pleasure, not only due to what they bring to the organization but the fact they represent the measurable impact of our workforce cultivation efforts,” said Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. “As a manufacturer, and a New England one at that, we are keenly aware of the challenges associated with recruiting for skilled and professional positions. This is why we have invested in opportunities to influence the next generation of engineers and technicians.”
While Mack has hosted interns for many years, the program was redefined in 2011 as the Company sought to build a more sustainable workforce by showing students how rewarding a career in manufacturing – and a life in Vermont – can be. Since then it has become the pinnacle of its workforce cultivation efforts.
Each intern is assigned specific projects that allow them to return to school with a tangible experience they completed from start to finish and can show to prospective employers. During the summer they also participate in a series of “Lunch ’n Learns” where senior staff members and seasoned employees present on various aspects of the business, conduct tours of Company facilities and help develop presentation and interviewing skills. By the end of the summer the students turn the tables, conducting their own “Lunch ’n Learns” as they present the results of their project to their peers and Mack’s senior management.
Meet the Recruits
Peter Bush returns to Mack as a quality engineer after graduating from the University of Vermont with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. Previously a sales and engineering intern at Mack, he has experience in planning, preparing and organizing resources for class 3 medical device product development studies and facilitating related communication between manufacturing, quality and management.
Britney Coley has been named a program coordinator in the Company’s medical device sector. The St. Lawrence University graduate has a bachelor of science degree in biology and psychology. In her role, Coley maintains program schedules and records, facilitates document control tasks and interface with customers as part of a multi-disciplinary team from across the organization focused on launching new products and improving performance.
Matthew Comar, who studied advanced manufacturing at Hudson Valley Community College, joins Mack as a finishing technician. Comar brings experience in SolidWorks and Mastercam software, as well as knowledge of CNC mills, lathes and manual machine tools. As a finishing technician, he will perform set-ups of various processes, including pad printing, milling and sonic welding, as well as maximize efficiency and quality of production.
Having received his bachelor of science degree in science and technology studies from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Brendan Gleason joins Mack as a quality engineer. Gleason developed a deep understanding of Mack’s medical device manufacturing business as a quality technician intern, collaborating with manufacturing, quality and management to satisfy customer needs for over 300 unique medical parts.
University of Vermont graduate Aaron LeBeau, who has been appointed as a quality engineer, earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. In addition to previously serving as an intern on Mack’s quality engineering team, LeBeau spent a summer working in production. He previously gained experience as an electrical technician intern at Abacus Automation in Bennington, Vt., and brings experience in computer-aided design, quality management and data analysis software to Mack.
Kelsey O’Dell joins Mack as a manufacturing engineer in the Company’s medical business. She received her bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y. In addition to previous Mack experience, O’Dell honed her engineering skills as an undergraduate research assistant at RPI’s Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications Engineering Research Center.
Multiple Approaches
The internship program is only one piece of Mack’s strategy, which includes engaging students of all ages. In addition to sending engineers and other team members into the classroom, Mack has welcomed students as young as kindergarten for visits, as well as local high school juniors and seniors for an inside look at life at Mack during its Made in Vermont Days.
From Oct. 24-28, 2016, Mack hosted this biennial event – designed to reach students looking to go to a four year school, as well as certification and technical programs, and those who may wish to enter the workforce directly. In all, nearly 50 students, educators and parents participated, including home school students and their peers from Arlington Memorial High School, Southwest Vermont Career Development Center, Long Trail and Burr & Burton Academy.
Students toured the Headquarters, building their understanding of Mack’s vertical integration of services. Following the tour students participated in a workshop introducing manufacturing flow theory before learning about careers, hearing business insights and having a Q&A with key staff members. They also were given the opportunity to sign-up for more in-depth workshops on injection molding, machining, sheet metal fabrication, manufacturing and engineering to be held at a later date.
Mack is able to leverage the power and name recognition of Manufacturing Day and Manufacturing Month by having the event in October, creating additional pull through while increasing access to supportive resources. Additionally, Mack benefited from its relationship with the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC). The non-profit trained some of the Company’s employees to conduct the manufacturing flow workshop featured during the event, giving students context to what they had seen on the manufacturing floor.
“We are proud to have hosted around 100 interns to date and influenced countless more students,” Somple said, “We always hope to send them back to school with some executional knowledge and a better understanding of the opportunities available to them, and our hopes are now realized as we welcome our newest recruits home.”
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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Contact: Larry Hovish
(802) 375-0772
larry.hovish@mack.com
Mack’s Made in Vermont Days Introduces Students to Manufacturing Careers
From Oct. 24-28, 2016, Mack hosted its biennial Made in Vermont Days at its Arlington, Vt., Headquarters – bringing local high school juniors and seniors into the Company’s manufacturing space to learn about manufacturing and engineering careers through tours, workshops and presentations.
The program is designed to reach students looking to go to a four year school, as well as certification and technical programs, and those who may wish to enter the workforce directly. This year Mack welcomed four schools – Arlington Memorial High School, Southwest Vermont Career Development Center, Long Trail and Burr & Burton Academy, as well as local home school students. In all, nearly 50 students, educators and parents participated.
Students toured the Company’s HQ through the lens of one particular product manufactured there that incorporates virtually Mack’s entire vertical integration of services. Following the tour students participated in a competitive workshop introducing the theory behind manufacturing flow before learning about careers available to them with the Company’s Director of Human Resources, hearing business insights from the HQ Plant Manager and an open Q&A with these key staff members. Students also were given the opportunity to sign-up for more in-depth workshops to be held at a later date in the following disciplines: Injection Molding, Machining, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing and Engineering.
By hosting the event in October, Mack is able to leverage the power and name recognition of Manufacturing Day and Manufacturing Month, creating additional pull through while increasing access to supportive resources. Additionally, Mack benefited from its relationship with the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC), whose team trained some of the Company’s up and coming employees to conduct the manufacturing flow workshop featured during the event, which proved fun and informative for students, putting some context behind what they had seen on the manufacturing floor.
Mack’s Made in Vermont Days represent just one facet of the Company’s outreach efforts to cultivate the next generation of talent needed to drive manufacturing in the Northeastern United States. With a goal of building a sustainable workforce by encouraging the next generation of engineers, technicians and professionals, Mack regularly brings in middle and high school students, sends engineers into the classroom and has even had programs for children as young as kindergarten. In addition to Made in Vermont Days, Mack’s high point in this effort is an internship program that has hosted close to 100 interns from schools like UVM, WPI, RPI and RIT. The Company is now starting to recognize the fruits of its labor with a record number of interns – six – joining Mack as full-time employees in 2016.
Mack Reaps Rewards of Workforce Cultivation Efforts
COMPANY SEES CROP OF FORMER INTERNS RETURN AS FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES
ARLINGTON, Vt. (June. 14, 2016) – Mack Molding, a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services, announced today three former interns are returning to the Company as full-time employees, highlighting its outreach efforts to cultivate the next generation of talent needed to drive manufacturing in the Northeastern United States.
St. Lawrence University graduate Britney Coley has joined Mack as a program coordinator along with Hudson Valley Community College’s Matt Comar, who has returned to Mack as a finishing technician. Additionally, Peter Bush, a recent graduate of the University of Vermont, will be joining the team as a quality engineer.
“It is with great excitement and pride that we welcome these three talented young professionals back to Mack,” said Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. “During the last several years we have put significant effort into building a sustainable workforce by encouraging the next generation of engineers, technicians and professionals. It is important not only as a manufacturer, but as a Vermont business, to show students just how rewarding a career in manufacturing – and a life in Vermont – can be. We have started with children as young as kindergarten, through high school and of course our internship program and today, as sure as salmon returning to their home stream, we know our work to establish a sustainable workforce is paying off.”
For Coley, whose father works as a manufacturing engineer at Mack’s East Arlington facility, Mack is in her blood, even if she did not originally intend to enter the family business.
“It really started because my father worked here,” she explained, “but the more time I spent at Mack the more I grew to love it. With a bachelor of science degree in biology and psychology my original notion was to get into medicine, but through my experience at Mack I had an epiphany that medical devices represented a good mix for me – allowing me to merge my passions for manufacturing and medicine.”
As a program coordinator in the Company’s growing medical device sector, Coley works with cutting edge technology. She helps maintain program schedules and records, facilitates document control tasks and interface with customers as part of a multi-disciplinary team from across the organization focused on launching new products, improving performance and ultimately achieving Mack’s mission of Total Customer Satisfaction. During her time as a Mack intern, Coley worked for both the compliance, and sales and engineering, departments, developing a keen understanding for Mack’s processes, as well as customer requirements and exposure to U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards. A member of St. Lawrence University’s Class of 2016, Coley also was an accomplished student, studying abroad in Denmark to gain a better understanding of the global healthcare market. She also served as secretary for the National Panhellenic Conference and was career and personnel director for the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of the Chi Omega Fraternity.
Comar, who studied advanced manufacturing at Hudson Valley Community College has been interning at Mack since May 2015. A graduate of Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vt., he also gained experience at Loomis Auto in Bennington. He brings experience in Solidworks and Mastercam software, as well as knowledge of CNC mills, lathes and manual machine tools. As a finishing technician, Comar will perform set-ups of various processes, including pad printing, milling and sonic welding, as well as maintain and troubleshoot equipment to maximize efficiency and quality of production.
As a quality engineer, Bush will be ensuring Mack’s work meets the high demands of its customers, supporting operations from new business development through product launches and realization all the way through program end of life. Previously a sales and engineering intern at Mack, he has experience in planning, preparing and organizing resources for class 3 medical device product development studies and facilitating related communication between manufacturing, quality and management.
To date, Mack has hosted close to 100 interns from schools like UVM, WPI, RPI and RIT. While a few have previously returned to take on full-time positions, the Class of 2016 represents the largest group to date to formally bring their careers to the Company.
“We are hosting another 18 interns this summer,” Somple said, “and as with Britney, Matt and Peter, we can only hope to be a positive influence on their pathway to becoming young professionals in their own right, and hopefully illustrating the exciting opportunities available to them in our region and industry.”
Additional New Hires
Mack also is pleased to announce the following additions to its team.
The Mack Headquarters in Arlington, Vt., has welcomed Chris Donza to the IT team as a systems administrator. Donza is responsible for installing and maintaining new and existing hardware, software, storage and other systems to ensure their integrity and continuous access. He brings an extensive background in network administration having previously served as IT technician for the Bennington School District in Bennington, Vt. He is CompTIA A+ certified and gained previous technical experience as a freelance RF technician, as well as with Wild Oats Food Market in Williamstown, Mass., and Rainbow Network Communications in Bethpage, N.Y.
Tom Jackson has joined the manufacturing engineering team at Mack’s headquarters in Arlington, Vt, as a manufacturing engineer. Jackson has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics from the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt. Jackson is responsible for manufacturing engineering requirements related to an important new disposable medical device kit production. He most recently worked at Keurig Green Mountain in Waterbury, Vt., in design and project engineering.
Simon Leavitt has joined Mack’s Cavendish, Vt., facility, as a manufacturing engineer providing manufacturing engineering support for a number of customer programs, including the introduction of new/re-engineered products. Leavitt is returning to Mack after having previously served as quality engineer at Mack’s Headquarters in Arlington, Vt. Besides an intimate knowledge of Mack, he brings extensive product development and engineering experience from working with Bob White Systems Inc. and ReKnew Energy Systems, both of South Royalton, Vt. A graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., Leavitt has a degree in mechanical engineering.
The Mack Headquarters in Arlington, Vt., welcomes Richard Turner to the team as a manufacturing engineer in the Company’s growing medical device business. Turner, who brings more than 25 years of engineering and manufacturing systems experience, will be responsible for combining an analytical approach with creative thinking to shepherd programs from concept through prototyping and clinical evaluations to phase in and ramp up – ensuring good initial design will be complimented by the ability to replicate it at scale. Prior to Mack, Turner served as a manufacturing engineer supervisor/industrial engineer, and more recently manufacturing engineering manager, for Plasan North America in Bennington, Vt. During his career, he also built his skill set at NSK Steering Systems America in Bennington, Vt.; as well as at J.S. McNamara and Utica Engineering Company in Shelby Township, Mich. Turner has a bachelor of science in engineering degree with a focus on mechanical engineering from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Ann Wedell has joined the Mack team as a quality engineer at the Company Headquarters in Arlington, Vt., providing support during new business development, as well as new and existing programs. A graduate of the University of Dayton, Wedell has a bachelor of chemical engineering degree. Prior to Mack, she gained quality and engineering experience as an intern at Alliant Tech Systems in Beavercreek, Ohio, and a process engineer with International Paper in Rome, Ga. Most recently, she served as a process engineer with Dedert Corporation in Homewood, Ill., where she worked closely with project management, performing various calculations and project specifications to ensure critical specs were met.
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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Contact: Larry Hovish
(802) 375-0772
larry.hovish@mack.com