6 TriMark • Celebrating 50 Years TriMark took off after becoming employee owned Employees see the value of their con- tribution and how it relates to the success of the company because it creates a closer tie between employee performance and rewards. In short, employees are effectively “working for themselves” and sharing the overall economic pie. ••••• The new employee-owned company took off. A year after it became an ESOP, TriMark installed and implemented Pro/ ENGINEER 3D CAD, and the 1990s also saw the incorporation of TriMark Europe, which is based in Bardon Hill Coalville, United Kingdom, as well as the launch- ing of the modular locking system called KeyOne. The dawn of a new century didn’t slow TriMark’s growth. The company continued to install state- of-the-art technology, obtained a license to manufacture and sell in China under the name of TriMark (Xuzhou) Automotive Components Co. Ltd. and also enlarged its European operations in the United Kingdom. TriMark’s plant continued to expand throughout the fi rst 20 years of the 21st century, including the 2012 acquisition of a 10,000-square-foot Tech Center with dedicated testing capabilities, including life cycle, accelerate corrosion, dust chamber, tensile and compression TriMark makes pitch for employees TriMark employees were recently asked to describe the company they work for in three words, and collectively they came up with a bunch. Take Diane Geerts, a 44- year employee, for example. “Interesting. Challenging. Exciting.” Then there’s David Kerk- ove, who has worked at the New Hampton manufacturer for 45 years. “Positive. Opportunities. Motivating.” Want more? How about Richard Grote, who recently celebrated his 40th year at TriMark. “Stable. Camaraderie. Fulfi llment.” We could go on all day, but we’ll stop with Kevin Roths, who has been a Tri- Mark employee for 37 years. “Diverse. Evolutionary. Fruitful.” And TriMark’s manage- ment team has a deal for those reading this section: If those words, those qualities are important to you, TriMark has a job waiting for you. “We can use 20, 30 more employees right now,” said Lynn Hopp, a member of the company’s management team, “and I think if you talk to our employees, they’ll tell you this is a great place to work. We have so many op- portunities, so many diff erent kinds of employees, that if you show up to work every day and you work hard, you can have a successful career here at TriMark.” Company offi cials off er competitive pay and an excellent benefi t package — including health and dental insurance, long-term disability, vacation, an em- ployee-assistance program, scholarships for children of employees, a 401(k) retire- ment savings plan, employee stock ownership plan and more. “We need good, hard-working employees,” said Ric Marzolf, another member of the company’s management team. “It’s one of the reasons we ordered the biggest banner we could fi nd, and we’d love to hear from you.” Longtime TriMark employees! Those who have called TriMark their “work home” for 30 or more years recently posed for a picture outside the company’s New Hampton facility. Front row: Nancy Glaser, Jane Grober, Diane Geerts, Luann Heying, Mary Ott, Tammie Gitch, Mary Flick and Karen Rosonke. Second row: Mike Scott, Jeanie Kirkeberg, Bob Flick, Bonnie Henn, Ric Marzolf, Scott Perkins, Bill Schilling and Kevin Eschweiler. Back Row: Jeff Henn, Dean White, Ann Flatjord, Rich Grote, Paul Braithwaite, Steve Dockendorf, Dave Kerkove, Gary Tenge and Kevin Roths. Not Pictured: Jack Seelhammer, Marvin Larsen and Mark Hageman.
