At Innovize, we have outstanding associates that are passionate about our purpose of creating a culture and products that improve people’s lives. This passion drives our associates to do some pretty incredible things in their work. Each quarter, five associates are selected by their peers for a recent outstanding achievement in areas of Improved Product Quality, Increases Profitability, Revenue Growth, Meaningful Experience, and Living our Values.
ASCENDING ASSOCIATES – Q1 2022
Sue Bergman – Improved Product Quality
Due to an adhesive change in a product we manufacture here at Innovize, we were having some troubles getting our automation robots to perform the task as they did before the change. Sue had a great idea to relocate the guidance system on the robot, which eliminated virtually all of the new issues we were experiencing! This saved us (and the customer) hundreds of dollars in materials and labor costs!
Way to go Sue! Keep up the great work!
Sue is a Lead on our Sheet Converting Team at Innovize. Her day-to-day activities include scheduling people and jobs to ensure products ship to our customers on time. She helps to develop people and products, and strives for continuous improvement. She mentors, trains, and problem solves.
“I love the people and culture at Innovize,” said Sue. “It’s very satisfying knowing the products we produce are medical and are actually being used to improve and save people’s lives. It’s very humbling to be a part of this. Also, the people I work with are like family.”
Sue has worked on several projects that she is proud of over the course of her career here at Innovize. One of her current favorites is a product that helps test hearing in newborn babies.
Sue loves to spend time with her niece Mackenzie and her sister Deb.
Fun Fact: Sue is an adrenaline junkie! She has bungie jumped twice and is itching to do it again!
Ron Romain – Increases Profitability
Ron used his engineering master mind to design a new manufacturing process for one of our customers’ products. After three years of making modifications and testing adjustments, the new process finally went live in February. The math checks out – Ron’s work will save more than $200,000 in project costs over a 12-month period!
You are a rock star Ron! Thank you for all that you do!
Ron is a Senior Development Engineer and Team Lead here at Innovize where he spends much of his time designing solutions for our customers, working on process improvements, and figuring out ways to save on costs for both Innovize and our customers.
We asked Ron what motivates him to get up and come to work every day. His answer was simple, and perfect: “It’s much better than the alternative.”
One of Ron’s favorite products that he worked on at Innovize was temporary tattoos – a fun and unique personal care product.
Ron likes yoga and hiking in the park with his dog.
Chris Schwab – Living Our Values
Chris went the extra mile (or two!) when he put in extra days and longer hours when Innovize was in need – we were in the middle of a significant qualification with only one trainee assigned to finish the job. Chris lent a helping hand to ensure the job was finished and prevented it from being shut down.
Your dedication to Innovize did not go unnoticed! Thank you, Chris!
Chris is a Technical Lead on our Rotary Converting Team, helping anyone with a question or issue that needs resolve company wide. From sales to engineers, operators, and catchers, Chris has the industry knowledge to help them all.
“I try to make the day less painful for anyone I am able to help,” said Chris.
He enjoys being on the “battlefield”, working through issues alongside his team.
One of Chris’ favorite Innovize projects was a challenging-to-produce port dressing. “We would constantly try different [machine] set ups every time we set it up to make it better,” said Chris. “The last time, we ran it with an apprentice and it ran really well!”
Outside of Innovize, Chris enjoys being outdoors with his family. Some of their favorite activities are camping, hunting, fishing, and attending his kids’ sporting events.
Lori Goiffon – Revenue Growth
Lori went above and beyond her already above and beyond nature when she continued her work after 7:00PM on a Friday night to get a large program quote to one of our customers. They needed the quotes to prep for a meeting early the next week, and she rose to the occasion to meet the deadline!
The end of your day spanned two time zones and created an extraordinarily customer experience! Outstanding! Thank you for everything you do, Lori!
Lori is a Senior Inside Sales Representative here at Innovize, acting as the primary liaison between customers and the Innovize team. She manages customer relationships involving quotes, orders, customer supplied materials, shipments, and SO much more. She ensures we are producing the products to customer specifications and helps to resolve any customer issues.
She frequently deals with new parts and technologies, which keeps her job interesting, rewarding, and challenging. She finds purpose in her work being heavily involved in making life-saving products that make a difference in people’s lives. One of Lori’s current customers produces trauma and wound care projects. Their business has recently ramped up due to the current war in Ukraine. Though the increase in business has been challenging to navigate, she finds it extremely fulfilling to know that she is helping to save people’s lives through this customer and their product.
When she isn’t working her magic here at Innovize, you can likely find her on the lake – she loves to go walleye fishing!
Joe Woolstencroft – Meaningful Experience
Joe was recognized for providing exceptional training to a new associate here at Innovize. Not only did Joe ensure this individual was set up for success, he also displayed patients, kindness, and a wealth of knowledge to ensure the new associate’s understanding of our processes while upholding the company’s values.
Nice work Joe! We are so grateful to have you on our team, creating meaningful associate experiences.
Joe is an Inventory Coordinator here at Innovize. Everyday, he handles materials and inventory, and he helps people find the products they need for the jobs they are working on. He coordinates with the team leads to ensure the converting presses have everything they need to run. He is also the go-to guy for resolving inventory issues or discrepancies.
Innovize’s amazing culture is what keeps Joe excited about his work.
“Knowing my ideas are being appreciated and implemented make the work easier,” he said.
One of Joe’s favorite projects that he’s worked on so far was installing new racking for tooling. Innovize has grown significantly since Joe started, and the amount of tooling is growing, too. Joe drew up some sketches and measured for forklift tolerances to make sure all racks were going to be accessible. He teamed up with our maintenance team to bring his sketches to life, and now we have more than double the space for tooling.
Fun Fact: Joe is an avid gamer. He’s currently engulfed in a Viking survival game called Valheim, and he enjoys trying out new board games on the weekends with friends and other Innovize associates!
Congratulations, again, to all of our Ascending Associates!
Check back in July to meet our Q2 Rockstars!
