With Thanksgiving around the corner, we wanted to take some time to reflect on what we're thankful for here at SilcoTek. I asked our employees to send me a message with what they're most thankful for and received several great answers. One common theme is that employees are thankful to work for a great company, provide innovative solutions to customer problems, and enjoy working with fun people.
Positive Company Culture
Many SilcoTek employees are thankful to work for a company that values not only its employees, but their families as well. We take pride in the fact that we're able to have such a great work/life balance. We work hard, but we play hard, too. SilcoTek's has always said that family comes first, no matter what. The beauty in that statement is that our coworkers have become like family to each other. In my experience, we spend just as much, if not more, time with our coworkers than we do with our families, so having that great comraderie amongst the SilcoTek "family" is so, so important. The culture at SilcoTek is unlike any other that I have seen or experienced. I've met some lifelong friends here and I have this company to thank for that. SilcoTek's founder, Paul Silvis, has always said he wants to create a culture where "employees are as happy to come to work as they are to go home" and noted that he's "thankful for all the smart and kind people I get to work with!" SilcoTek's marketing manager, Luke Patterson, noted, "I am thankful to be part of a positive company culture that organically cultivates great customer relationships, and I am grateful for the benefits we enjoy as a result of those relationships." This is so very important because without all of those factors, we wouldn't be able to do what we do, and it all starts with a positive company culture.
Continuous Innovation
Innovation never fails to amaze me with the endless possibilities that SilcoTek coatings bring. Our team constantly pushes the boundaries and discovers groundbreaking ways to revolutionize the world. Like R&D team member, Dr. Jesse Bischof told me, "I like that our company does not have strict silos where departments focus on themselves without considering the impact it has on everyone else within the company. I’m so thankful to work for a company where we are all pulling in the same direction as a team." With this mindset, we're able to accomplish so much. One of our engineers also said, "I’m thankful that I’m given the space to be crazy in my own way. And when I share my ideas, I have people that serve as the voice of reason to bring me back to ground when I’ve strayed too far but that give me full support when the ideas are worth pursuing. I can’t innovate alone, so I’m thankful to have people like that to work with." SilcoTek's general counsel, Geoff White, noted that he's thankful for "the unlimited ways in which SilcoTek can change the world," which keeps us continuously looking for new ways to make the world a better place.
Having Fun at Work
Having fun while at work is an extension of a positive company culture, but it was such a common theme in the messages I received that I felt it needed its own section. It's true when they say that some jobs are made by the people you work with. A member of our human resources department, Connie Stanton, said it best when she said, "I am thankful to be part of a company that supports fun in the workplace. Not only do we work hard here at SilcoTek, but we get opportunities to have fun as well." From the office cubicles to the manufacturing floor, laughs and conversations can be heard all around. We're welcome to be ourselves and have fun with our coworkers - while getting our work done, of course. SilcoTek provides employees with monthly company lunches where we can gather, talk to each other, and enjoy not working for a bit.
For example, here is Connie being silly at our Thanksgiving company lunch on Monday.
Maddie, Corey, Nik, and Nick were the judges for SilcoTek's 6th annual pie baking contest. Our winner this year was Jill Seigworth, who is a member of our customer service team, with her delicious "chocolate chip paradise cookie bar"!
Here are Denver, Kevin M, Alex, Josh K, Brandon, Kevin D, and Roger enjoying their Thanksgiving meal.
Nik, Jason, Min, Clay, Josh G, and Jesse appreciate each other's company.
Gratitude for Lessons Learned
This year has held it's share of challenges for SilcoTek. We've worked so hard and still not quite crossed the finish line on some projects, but that's all part of the process. I'm thankful that we have a work enviromnent that is conducive to trying and failing, but we always get back up and trying again. We embrace "fast failure," as it is one of our core values. In my 8.5 years at SilcoTek, I've always been encouraged to try something new to see if it'll work or make our process better. I think many SilcoTek employees would agree with me as they've had the same experience. I'm just so thankful that we're able to use these failures and learn from them as stepping stones for better things to come. Another SilcoTek core value is to never stop learning, which goes hand-in-hand with fast failure. We're grateful for opportunities to never stop learning from our failures.
We're wishing a happy and healthy Thanksgiving to you from all of us at SilcoTek!
