a community of caring - Liberty Diversified International

Liberty Diversified International
5600 North Highway 169
New Hope, MN 55428-3096
phone: 763-536-6600
10%
Cert no. SW-COC-002573
toll-free: 1-800-421-1270
fax: 763-536-6685
AT Team
C
I
D
L
atives of
Represent
Printed using Enviro 100, which contains 100% post-consumer fiber, is FSC Certified, EcoLogo Certified and manufactured using Biogas Energy.
a community of caring
From the founding of our company and
through each generation, we have been
committed to sharing our success with our
customers, our employees, our shareholders
and, last but not least, our community.
Only by all of these constituencies benefiting from our
progress will we be truly successful.
Our commitment goes beyond monetary contributions.
Through our culture of caring, we encourage and support our
employees as they, too, give back to the community with their
time and dollars. At Liberty Diversified International, we are
proud to be a good corporate citizen
and are dedicated to making the
world a better place.
Sincerely,
Mike Fiterman
President and CEO
2
3
The Mike and Linda Fiterman
Family Foundation
Through the Mike and Linda Fiterman Family Foundation, LDI contributes
charitable dollars to the communities in which we live and work. With a focus on
families and children, the foundation supports local and global nonprofit agencies.
Established in 1966, the foundation has donated more than $13 million to
350 nonprofit organizations on behalf of LDI and the Fiterman family.
Each year, employees help direct a portion of the foundation dollars
to the causes they care about most by participating in LDI’s
Employee Directed Giving Empowerment (EDGE) program.
By creating a sustainable pool of charitable dollars,
the Mike and Linda Fiterman Family Foundation
helps ensure that the needs of our community
are being met.
4
5
Building houses; building community
At LDI, we believe in community building. Figuratively and literally. For five
days in August, 90 Minnesota-based LDI employees installed insulation, hung
sheetrock and painted as part of a Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Team.
“If there is anybody who is thinking they don’t want to volunteer because they
don’t know how to hammer a nail, they should give it a try,” says site host and
LDI employee Jake Johaneson.
“When you are building
a house, there are so
many things that need to
be done, whether it’s putting
knobs on cabinet doors or
washing windows.”
Jake Johaneson, LDI
6
7
A wordsmith by day
and by night
Carrie Eidem loves language.
She spends her days working
with words as part of the Safco
marketing team. And at night she is
the volunteer fiction editor at Spout
“We’re out there to
have fun but help new and
underappreciated authors
publish their works.”
Carrie Eidem, Safco
Press, a local nonprofit, all-volunteer
press that publishes books and a
literary journal. What began as an
internship in 2002 has grown into a
permanent volunteer position.
8
9
“We are part of the
community. We want
this community to be
a better place.”
Dan Zdon, LDI
Heading back to school
When he was a student at
Immaculate Conception Catholic
School helping out with one of the
paper drives, LDI’s Dan Zdon learned
an important lesson. “Volunteering:
It’s like eating or breathing. It’s a
natural thing you do,” he says. Dan’s
volunteer work has brought him
back to school, only now he is
doing the teaching.
A harvest of goodness
In Lake City, Minn., the Valley Craft Team watched their
Working with the International
Business Teachers Association,
he leads seminars on the cultural
garden grow. Green beans, tomatoes and squash were
differences between the United
just a sampling of this summer’s harvest. By the end
States and Asia. Drawing on his
of the season, Valley Craft volunteers had donated
real world experience, Dan offers
more than 600 pounds of fresh produce to local
practical advice to those who are
food shelves. “This was a way of doing something with
minimal costs and great benefits,” says Heidi Nelson, who
teaching the business titans of
tomorrow.
first proposed the idea of an on-site garden.
10
11
A winning season
Giving back is
‘par for the course’
Mike Tate’s North Commons football team went 9-0 this
past year. But the real winners were the boys, ages 8 to 13, who learned life lessons
as they practiced their plays on the football field. For the past 35 years, the Liberty
Carton Company employee has been coaching kids in North Minneapolis.
A North-side boy himself, Mike believes in taking an active role in his community.
Mike’s chant:
It’s the raccoons that keep Ergolet’s
Jim Walsh up at night … or at least
during the nights that THE PLAYERS
Championship is scheduled in Ponte
Verda Beach, Fla. During the fourday PGA tournament, Jim’s official
Number one: Attitude
Number two: Hard Work
Number three: Respect
Number four: Encouragement
Equals:
SUCCESS!
title is Assistant Chair for Ecology,
which is a fancy way of saying he
picks up trash.
His day begins at 5:30 a.m., and he doesn’t
leave the course until at least 8 p.m. or until the last piece of
trash has been removed. “You can’t leave one thing in a bag or
the raccoons will eat it up,” he explains. However modest, Jim
knows he is making a difference. Since 1977, THE PLAYERS
“I’ve changed people’s
lives by coaching.”
has contributed nearly $40 million in all to Northeast
Florida charitable organizations and causes.
Mike Tate, Liberty Carton
12
13
1
2
3 4
Supporting Communities.
The well-being of our communities is important to us,
and we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to their
growth and vitality. Encouraging our employees to
volunteer is just one way we help make things better.
5 6
14
7 8
9 10
15
Friday nights
behind bars
A chance meeting
changes lives
Adriana Peña was waiting for her car
Every Friday evening, Larry Byrom
to get fixed when a van pulled up. The
reports to the Clay County jail in
van’s logo caught her eye. It was a logo
Liberty, Mo. Carrying his Bible and
his belief in the redemptive power
of the cross, Larry, who works at
Liberty Carton Company – Kansas,
the men and women
“I just wanted toministers
give toback.
who are behind bars. In addition to
I am blessed and I wanted
to have the
leading Bible studies every Friday
opportunity to give a little
bit back.”
and two Mondays
per month,
Larry also preaches at the jail on
James Gambill, Southern Diversified
Industries
Sunday morning.
for Casa Hogar “Mefi-boset,” a nearby
foster home that provides room and
board for 30 disadvantaged children.
Adriana struck up a conversation with
the driver. Several conversations and site
visits later, Liberty Carton Company –
Mexicali announced its official
sponsorship of the home.
“Their home is very humble,” Adriana
explains. “They told us they need a
washing machine and utensils for the
“It’s the most rewarding ministry
of any I’ve been involved in because
of results that are visible.”
Larry Byrom, Liberty Carton Company - Kansas
16
kitchen.” During a holiday party, the
Mexicali team donated those basic
necessities. In addition, individual
employees and their families provided the
clothes and toys that made the holiday
season bright for all the home’s children.
17
Getting involved
makes the ‘Great
Outdoors’ even greater
It was Tina Waller’s children who
first got involved with the Lake City
Environmental Learning Program.
With programs ranging from pan
fishing and kayaking to camping
and taxidermy, there is something for
every kid. “I think it’s great to get the
kids out there,” Tina says.
So when the program coordinators
recruited Tina for a position on the
board, the answer was easy. “I think it’s
a really great program,” the Valley Craft
employee says. “I wanted to be part
of it.” Tina performs secretarial duties
for the organization that has offered
yearlong programming in the Lake City,
Minn., area for the past 15 years.
18
“Get moving.
Get out there.
Get fresh air.”
Tina Waller, Valley Craft
19
Rebuilding in the shadow of Katrina
Taking a few days of Paid Time Off (PTO) to head out of town is not that
unusual. But what set Southern Diversified Industries’ James Gambill Jr.
apart was his destination. He packed his bags, boarded a bus with 20 other
members of the East Booneville Baptist Church and headed to the Gulf Coast.
The next week was spent living in military-style tents and helping to rebuild
neighborhoods that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina more than five years
ago. “I just wanted to help give back,” James explains.
A coach for all seasons
During the hockey season, you can find Milltronics’ Brian Gulsvig on the ice five
days a week. Growing up, hockey was his favorite game to play; today it’s his favorite
game to coach. With three children of his own, Brian is an avid youth coach. In the
warm-weather months, you can find him on the baseball or soccer field. “I know the
games pretty well. I grew up playing them all,” he
explains. As for his coaching style, he focuses on the
positive, but can be tough when he needs to be.
“I’m not afraid to give push-ups if they are not
working hard or screwing around,” he chuckles.
20
21
Laps for Life
The Liberty Paper Inc. Laps for Life team only has 15 official members.
But hundreds of people have contributed to the team’s success in raising
thousands of dollars to aid in the fight against cancer. For Charlene Langowski,
last year’s team leader, the fight is a personal one. Having lost three loved ones
to cancer within a three-year period, Charlene took action. Through the Relay
for Life event and other fundraisers held throughout 2010, the team raised
nearly $7,000 for the American Cancer Society. “We need to just keep doing
it,” Charlene says. “People have got to get involved.”
22
“I wanted to make sure
that I was doing something
in the community to
stamp out cancer.”
Charlene Langowski,
Liberty Paper, Inc.
23
18 1,215 20
8
100
100
90
• 18 highly engaged LDI Community Action Team (CAT) members.
• 1,215 pounds of food (the equivalent of 1,716 meals) collected for area
food shelves during the 2010 LDI, Diversi-Plast, Ergolet and Safco
United Way campaigns.
• $1,385 dollars raised during Southern Diversified Industries’ Relay for
Life event.
• 90 LDI employees volunteered at a Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
site in 2010. Together, we have donated more than 2,160 hours to the
Twin Cities Habitat chapter during the past three years.
• 6 Valley Craft employees donated their time and 21 hand trucks to
Community involvement by the numbers
assist Southeastern Minnesota flood victims.
• More than 600 pounds of produce grown in the Valley Craft community
garden and donated to area food shelves.
• At the LDI 2010 Leadership Forum, we:
6
200
$1,385
24
600 lbs
- Made 100 sandwiches and 20 fleece blankets for Simpson
Housing Services.
- Filled 200 gift bags for Cheerful Givers.
- Stuffed 100 snack bags for the Ronald McDonald House.
- Created 100 hand-crafted birthday cards for Twin Cities
Meals on Wheels clients.
• 8 Hours: The number of hours each employee can volunteer per year
and get paid for volunteering during their work day.
25
“Volunteering is like the
industry we’re in at
Ergolet. We’re all
about helping people.”
“I am blessed and
I wanted to have the
opportunity to give
a little bit back..”
12
James Gambill Jr.,
Southern Diversified Industries
Jim Walsh, Ergolet
14
13
11
15
26
27
Our employee volunteers
Our team in action
The employee volunteers you’ve met in this book represent the hundreds of
LDI employees who invest their time in making our world a better place to live.
Jim Anderson
Edward Henagin
Kenneth LaClair
Yigal Sánchez
Cover
Javier Muñoz
John Sanocki
(Top to bottom,
Cruz Murillo
Felicia Sauceda
left to right)
Cheryl Myhr
Sue Schleif
Greg Myhr
Theresa Schmidt
Heidi Nelson
Don Siewert
Alan Nelson
Marisa Slad
Leanne Newberry
Bradley Smith
Blankets for Simpson
6 Donations for Mexican
earthquake victims
7 Diversi-Plast and Ergolet
Valley Craft community
United Way indoor golf
garden
tournament
Lisa Anderson
Jonathan Cox
C. Ken Holmes
Gabrielle Landowski
Federico Aranda
Polly Deane
Stephanie Hopkins
Charlene Langowski
Barbara Baker
Kathy Degeest
Lonnie Hopkins
Carol Langer
Thomas Balow
Terry Denny
Bill Huth
Robin Larocque
Larry Newell
Adrian Soto
Housing Services
9 LDI United Way drive
Doug Bame
Derek Derocher
Georgia Jacobsen
Todd Laster
Kelly Norton
Kevin Spencer
Curtis Bankhead
Angie Driessen
Charlie Jacobson
Bee Lee
Valley Craft flood clean-up
10Laundry detergent packets
Daniel Ohmann
Mary Spencer
Christopher Barton
Glenn Dwelle Jr.
Dan Jacobson
Paul Lehnertz
Roxann Olson
Timothy Stajkowski
Scott Bauer
Carrie Eidem
Meghann Jeffrey
Ronald Leino
April Parker
John Swant
Ronda Bayer
Marilú Encinas
Barbara Jensen
David Lenzen
Tori Pearson
Mike Tate
LPI Relay for Life
Shitaye Belete
Gene Feltmann
Jacob Johaneson
Verónica León
Adriana Peña
Mathew Taufen
Jack Fiterman
Isaac Johnson
Ronda Loving
Twin Cities Habitat for
Photo spread, pages 26/27
Roger Bergren
Ray Perez
Wallace Thran
Katie Berndt
Mike Fiterman
David Johnson
Gary Ludwig
Humanity
Cheryl Peterson
Lisa Traun
11 Cutline goes here
Susan Boettcher
Mary Frenn
Christopher Jonus
Jon Mabee
Patrick Pfannenstein
Debbie Trettin
Holiday party at Casa Hogar
12SDI Relay for Life
LDI United Way drive
Sandwiches for Simpson
Housing Services
“Mefi-boset” in Mexico
Dedra Brey
Joel Gaedtke
Kevin Jordan
Lucy Machado
Nat Porter
Claudia Valleau
Todd Brand
James Gambill Jr.
John Karie
Anthony Marentic
Francisco Pozos
Carlos Vasquez
Sally Bredehoft
Todd Gardner
Gayle Karol
John Marking
John Proulx
Ofelia Vázquez
Daniel Brennan
Gloria Garnica
Cindy Kellogg
Tim Mason
Nick Pueringer
Doug Vinke
Jesús Briones
Abner George
Duane King
Colleen Matthiesen
Edward Rabehl
Wayne Vossen
Tito Brito
Randy Gerold
Jennifer Kish
Scott Maynard
Robert Reinhardt
Teresa Wade
1 LDI United Way drive
Bobbi Brommer
Dean Glander
Emmanuel Kitab
Dave McDonald
Odell Renager
Tina Waller
2 Valley Craft hand trucks
Victor Brooks
Michael Gosz
Phillip Koch
Arlis McIvor
Renè Reno
Jim Walsh
David Burger
Phyllis Green
Jennifer Koenig
Linda McKesson
Rudy Reznicek
Brian Walz
Larry Byrom
Tom Grimes
Deborah Koopman
Debra McLennan
Lisa Riskedahl
Peg Wander
Jorge Cabello-Cardenas
Brian Gulsvig
Dean Kruchten
Kathryn McPherson
Barb Robbins
Kristin Willardson
Laura Clark
Amelework Hailu
Barbara Kuchenbecker
Thor Melchior
Sue Roether
Thomas Wright
Conralph Clark
Betsy Hearn
Russell Kunkel
Brenda Meza
Sam Rosen
Dan Zdon
Ann Miller
Rogelio Sanchez
David Zimmer
Roger Cone
28
Lori Corder
Eric Mourning
Steven Heitman
Johnell Kusler
8 Casa Hogar “Mefi-boset”
holiday festivities
for Community Emergency
Assistance Program (CEAP)
community yard sale
13Twin Cities Habitat for
Center photo spread,
pages 14/15
for flood relief
Humanity
14Saint Paul Blackhawks
soccer team sponsored
by Ergolet
15LDI United Way food drive
3 LDI Toys for Tots drive
4 Twin Cities Habitat for
Humanity
5 June Forum community
service projects
29
LIFE IS SHORT. At LDI, we do our best to make the communities in which we
live and work just a little better. And we encourage our employees to do the same by
donating what they can, whether it’s dollars, cans of soup, hats and mittens or that
most precious of commodities – their time. It’s the way we do business.
Because we care more . LEND A HELPING HAND.
30
31