Each month, WIKA USA recognizes employees who exemplify one of the company’s seven core values. The peer-nominated award is presented to employees who go above and beyond in their roles, all while upholding WIKA’s commitment to integrity, customer satisfaction, partnership, safety, continuous improvement, social responsibility, and excellence.
Established when WIKA was founded in 1946, core values are the standards by which WIKA measures itself and its employees. Thanks to employees’ commitment to these corporate values, WIKA has become a worldwide leader in industrial measurement technology. The company would not be where it is today without this dedication from within.
Employees who do more than expected are vital to WIKA’s overall mission of helping customers succeed through superior instrumentation solutions. This is why WIKA USA began the monthly Core Value Award program almost 20 years ago – to acknowledge employees for their hard work and dedication.
Corporate Core Values are Keys to Company Success
A peer-nominated program, Core Value Awards give employees a special way to thank their colleagues for doing extraordinary work. Recipients are recognized for making a positive impact on WIKA’s continued success. Each nominee is chosen for exemplifying one of seven core values:
- Integrity: Promoting ethical business practices
- Customer Satisfaction: Creating positive customer experiences
- Partnership: Encouraging collaboration in the workplace
- Safety: Maintaining a safe work environment
- Continuous Improvement: Improving WIKA policies and processes
- Social Responsibility: Improving the community and the world at large
- Excellence: Exceeding expectations in work that directly impacts company success
Each month a committee composed of senior managers chooses the winners, who receive a plaque, monetary award, and a designated parking spot at the main WIKA USA campus in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
March 2019 Corporate Core Value Award Winners
The following employees were selected for exemplifying one of WIKA USA’s corporate core values
Photo above: Winner Ary Skipwith with coworkers
Ary Skipwith, Pressure Gauge Division | Recognized for Customer Satisfaction
Ary delighted a customer was unhappy with an order. In his nomination, Bill Wilson writes, “I was involved in one issue where a gauge was ordered from Germany that took several months to manufacture. When the customer finally received it, there was an problem, and the gauge was returned. Instead of sending it back to Germany for service, Ary took the time and initiative to examine the gauge and get it repaired in the U.S. – thereby saving weeks of delay. The customer was pleased we were able to take care of the issue in such an expedited fashion.” Thank you, Ary, for your commitment to customer service.
James Walker, Pressure Gauge Division | Recognized for Excellence
James “Jimmy” Walker with coworkers
James, known to his colleagues as “Jimmy,” does not rest until the job – no matter the size or complexity – is done and done well. Nominator Emmet Moore writes, “Jimmy exemplifies continuous dedication to production by maintaining and repairing equipment in all departments of the facility, and then training personnel on how to use them. One machine suffered a catastrophic failure in March. Through Jimmy’s perseverance and skills – as a maintenance technician and tool-and-die maker – he was able to orchestrate the complete teardown, disassembly, and repair of this machine, including modifying and remaking some parts. Jimmy put in 12-hour days from the first day until the last, when the machine was up and running again. He did this without hesitation, and with conviction that he would continue until the project was complete.” Jimmy is a shining example of how everyone should approach their work. Bravo!
Julia Elsesser, Pressure Gauge Division | Recognized for Partnership
Julie Elsesser with coworkers
On behalf of the Senior Management Team, Steve McCullough nominates Julia for not only getting the job done, but exceeding expectations at every turn. He writes: “Julia spent significant time putting together a financial presentation for our Senior Management Team that gave us a very quick and thorough overview of our financial performance – one that we can use for the coming year and probably for years to come. The presentation that Julia put together is easy to read, easy to understand, and provides us with the key results we need to run our business. She did an excellent job meeting her internal customer’s needs.”
Sami Mahgoub, Pressure Gauge Division | Recognized for Customer Satisfaction
Sami Mahgoub with coworkers
Nominator Christopher Moore praises Sami for his sharp eyes and proactive nature. “Sami was pulling an order for a customer when he noticed that the product label did not match the box label. He notified the supervisor, and the entire stock was pulled, amounting to 300 pieces.” To make a long story short, Sami’s great care and attention to detail were directly responsible for making sure that several customers received the right products – and on schedule. Great job, Sami!
Steven Fernandez, Electrical Temperature Level (ETL) Division | Recognized for Customer Satisfaction
Nominator George Gugich is glad Steven is part of the Inside Sales team. He writes, “Steven truly is 100% committed to achieving high customer satisfaction through reliability, responsiveness, and quality. He constantly goes above and beyond in order to achieve this. His hard work and positive attitude do not go unnoticed! WIKA is very lucky to have him as a dedicated employee.”
Arron Kent’s team, ETL Division | Recognized for Excellence
Ahsan Naeem gives a big shoutout to the members of Arron’s team in Manufacturing: Alberto Castillo, Shelley Gomez, and Travis Vidaure. “Arron Kent and his team accepted an expedited order that had an extremely tight schedule. Manufacturing went above and beyond to meet this request, which resulted in winning an order from competitor. This team manufactured, tested, and packed 144 Vanstone thermowells in 10 days, working around the clock – including weekends – to make this happen. I want to thank Alberto Castillo, Shelly Gomez, and Travis Vidaure for giving it their all and making this project a success for WIKA.”
(from left) Travis Vidaure, George Gugich, Steven Fernandez, Paul Lemmons, Shelly Gomez, Alberto Castillo, and Ahsan Naeem