Community, Education and Our Future

Sometimes it isn’t about the name tags. Sometimes, it’s just about helping our community.

Every year, as part of our way of celebrating the holidays, Coller Industries looks at how we can give back to our community. In the past we have given to different organizations and foundations, such as the Alaska Whale Foundation, to aid in their efforts. But, every year we always give to the Granite Education Foundation. This tradition of giving has been going on for nearly ten years.

To date, we have given over $57,000 to this fantastic foundation.

Coller Industries received a thank you letter from the Granite Education Foundation. The letter is from Brent Severe, CEO of the Granite Education Foundation. It reads as follows:

“Thank you for investing in futures through your generous donation to the Granite Education Foundation for programs in Granite School District. Because of you, more students can pursue an education in an environment that cultivates excellence. Your generosity creates possibilities, and your kindness nurtures engaged learning which will enrich education opportunities for our youth.”

While it isn’t about the money, it is about helping. We value education here at Coller Industries. And we want to make sure that everyone gets the education they need; this includes family, friends and neighbors alike.

The letter also states, “The Granite Education Foundation has been established to supplement the excellent programs in Granite District’s schools, to help provide the highest classroom opportunities for each child, and for teacher excellence awards. Know that you are helping dreams come true.”

The Coller family and their employees take pride in knowing we have reached out to our surrounding community. We will continue to do so in the hopes that we are helping our friends and neighbors. And we are also aiding in the education and celebration of our children.

As Gary Coller, President of Coller Industries, says, “(Donations make) us more responsible in the community. And hopefully, our customers appreciate when they see that we give back.”

From product donations to monetary help, the time we spend investing in education, our children and our community means a great deal to us.

Fun in the Sun with Coller Industries

Summer is always a wonderful time here at Coller Industries!

We’re busy getting out orders and making sure we stay on task so that our customers get what they ordered. But, we also know how to have fun! Every year, Coller Industries throws a Summer BBQ Bash for the employees. And every year it seems just to get better.

The party is held at Germania Park (a local park here in Utah) every year. It’s a great place with plenty of space for all the employees to come and enjoy the food and company. There is always fun for all ages, and the employees were encouraged to bring their families.

This year included a bounce house for the kids and water guns for anyone who wanted to play. We also had fantastic food provided by Joe Morley’s BBQ. The spread they brought was fabulous and fed everyone till they couldn’t eat anymore.

playing at the park with coller industries at the summer bbq and party

As employees, we would like to give a special thank you to Coller Industries and especially the Coller family for providing such an enjoyable activity for their employees.

And here’s how we do that:

Mathew, Web Design and Development, said, “Being with family and friends was the best part. I love being with people that I can socialize with and be comfortable around.”

Lydia, Customer Service, said, “The food was my favorite part because it was all really good and there was nothing I didn’t enjoy.”

Charles, Sample Requests, said, “The ribs were delicious!” He also said, “I think we have an exceptional staff. I work for a very special company who really cares about its employees. And the result is that the employees have developed long lasting relationships.”

Amanda, Solutions Manager, said, “It was really HOT! But, my favorite part would have to be the BBQ. Coller Industries always tries out new and exciting BBQ places every year.”

Rolls Now Have Over 60 NEW Colors!

Oh, what fun with more than 60 new colors hitting our ribbon rolls!

A little while ago, we jumped the gun a bit. But, now we are going live with all of our color changes!

From celebrations to awards, custom ribbon rolls are extremely versatile. Customize each selection to meet any need by adding text or logos. Perfect for weddings or other events for decorations and floral arrangements. Add your personalized message and tie them around bags and boxes when giving gifts. Ribbon rolls make great award or awareness ribbons. Customize a ribbon roll of your choice with your message and cut them to the length you like and present them to be worn or displayed.

Here, again, is that short review of all the updates to the ribbon colors for ribbon rolls.

Single Face Satin: We added 21 new colors! And many of them are quite nice. None of the old colors went away, so we’re up to 123 brilliant Single Face Satin ribbon colors!

Double Face Satin: We added four neon colors and one bright blue!

All DYNA Satin colors will be staying the same.

Chiffon – Organza: We added 22 colors! One thing to remember when looking at these color charts is that while that is the color, it doesn’t look like that. Keep in mind that since the ribbon is a fine see-through mesh, it generally will appear lighter in person than what you see on the chart.

Grosgrain: We added seven new colors! LaRosa, Blue, Copen, Neon Hot Pink, Neon Lime, Neon Yellow, Neon Tangerine.

Floral Satin Acetate: The shade of pink known as “Shock” is discontinued, but we added two new shades of purple! These new colors are “Purple” and “Plum.”

SIDE NOTE:

As ribbons continue to get more and more popular each year, the demand to keep up with trends is an ever-pressing issue. And, to keep up, we are always updating our ribbon colors. Please always refer to the order pages on www.personalized-ribbons.com for ribbon color availability.

Creating Unity Through Education

Granite Education Foundation (GEF) and Coller Industries Incorporated are working together, again!

Due to our donations and continual support, Granite Education Foundation invited Coller Industries to attend this year’s Excel Evening of Honors. The “EXCEL Evening of Honors” was held on April 21st.

Every year, Granite Education Foundation supporters gather to recognize outstanding teachers, administrators and community members whose personal commitment and contribution impacts 67,000 students in the Granite School District.

The annual EXCEL Award publicly honors and recognizes educators who raise the bar of their profession. The award recognizes teaching that incites intellectual curiosity in students, engages them thoroughly in the enterprise of learning, and has a lifelong impact.

Winners are nominated by school administrators, parents, colleagues and students through an intensive application process. A selection committee then reviews each application. Members of this Excel Selection Committee then surprise each winner at their school with the announcement. This interaction was recorded and shared at the presentation event.

The committee received over a thousand nominations and had to select only ten winners.

Gary Coller, President of Coller Industries, said, “I look forward to this every year, it’s an honor to be around great educators and dedicated professionals who support them. (With ten great teachers honored), and I was able to present an award to a teacher whose mother has also been recognized as a teacher of the year.”

Emily Lehnardt believes that children are perfect candidates for her to “awaken” the human spirit to love life-long learning. She feels children exude great curiosity and seemingly limitless creativity.

Emily applies Dr. Einstein’s teaching philosophy in her classroom. She believes Dr. Einstein lived in creative expression and knowledge. His creativity through experiments gave the world cutting-edge information.

“Ms. Lehnardt is exactly what my son needed in first grade. Her passion for teaching and learning shines through and really inspired him to love going to school.” -Parent

Ramona Braunberger, Marketing Manager for Coller Industries, said, “Emily is the educator you want (for your child). It is very apparent that she cares about the kids and is excited about teaching.”

During the gala, each winner received a special “Excel Award,” a gift basket, a monetary award, and other generous gifts to recognize their achievements.

“Every year we have the phenomenal opportunity to recognize educators who exemplify the values and mission of Granite School District,” said Dr. Martin W. Bates, Granite School District Superintendent.

“These individuals have demonstrated exceptional teaching skills and a commitment to student success. In addition, they provide meaningful contributions to their school community, and are constantly seeking ways to improve the educational experience of their students,” said Dr. Bates.

Congratulations to the 2017 GEF Excel Winners!

Emily Lehnardt – Cottonwood Elementary
Sheri Coats – Armstrong Academy
Sarah Wilson – South Kearns Elementary
Zachary Layton – Eisenhower Jr High
Wendee Johnston – Whittier Elementary
Yvonne Miller – Fremont Elementary
Rhonda Small-Oakes – Hartvigsen
Anita Ardi – Churchill Jr High
Callah Morrey – West Kearns Elementary
Craig Stauffer – Hunter High

Why Honor Teachers?

Research shows that students with high-performing teachers can progress three times as fast as students with low-performing teachers. Effective educators can influence the climate of the entire school. Their commitment, passion, expertise, and creativity are infectious. Students love them because they make learning fun and engaging. Administrators love them because they get results. Parents love them because they affirm their student’s potential.

In the face of increasing class sizes and insufficient funding and resources, the majority of Granite District teachers are dipping into their own pockets and their own time to bridge the gap for their students. Educators are finding progressive and engaging solutions to institutional problems and changing the world, one child at a time.

Coller Industries is proud to be a part of this process. While our role is small in comparison to these educators, we are still happy that we get to take part. Our children’s education has a direct impact on our business as we like to focus on working in our community. Helping out our local community is a large part of what defines the generosity of Coller Industries Incorporated.

3 Top Lessons Learned from Donating

There are many lessons to be learned from providing donations to our clients.

For almost eight years, Clyde and Gary Coller, the CEO and President of Coller Industries Incorporated have generously donated to Granite Education Foundation. The Collers give time and money to those in need, and each year they strive to give back to our local community.

We started donating to Granite Education Foundation in 2009 and to date we have given over $37,000. As employees here at Coller Industries, it is a delight knowing that our employer is so generous and giving to our community. And, each of these individual donations makes its mark on both the givers and the receivers. And each teaches valuable lessons.

Lesson No. 1:

“(Donations make) us more responsible in the community,” said Gary Coller. “Hopefully our customers appreciate when they see that we give back to our community.”

Well said, Gary! These donations not only make us more responsible, but they also make us more aware of the needs of our neighbors and communities. From needing name tags in school and other places of business to needing a helping hand to members of our community, one will always find Coller Industries in the act of giving.

Lesson No. 2:

We received the following letter and valentines from Granite Education Foundation:

Hey, Valentine!
Exchanging heartfelt messages on Valentine’s Day is a well-loved tradition. While the earliest Valentines were little more than hastily scribbled notes, today we can choose from thousands of varieties, each designed for a specific relationship in our lives. A hundred years ago, only sweethearts exchanged Valentine’s Day cards, but the practice has spread to encompass friends, family, colleagues and supporters.
This year, Granite Education Foundation and students from throughout Granite School District want to express our heart-felt thanks for your continued generosity and support. Enclosed you will find hand-made Valentine’s Day cards that our students created with YOU in mind. Additionally, please find enclosed a small edible token as an expression of Granite Education Foundation’s appreciation for your continued support and boundless goodwill.
In our opinion, YOU’RE AWESOME SAUCE, Valentine! Thanks for believing in our mission and for the extra boost you give kids and educators. We couldn’t accomplish what we do without YOU.
Thank you with all our heart!
Brent Severe, Chief Executive Officer
JeAnna Ellis, Office Coordinator / Donor Relations
Audrey Price, Finance / Operations
Erin Woodlief, Giving / Events Coordinator

Donating means that not only have we impacted the lives of Coller Industries employees, but also the lives of the children and teachers in our neighborhoods. So, no matter what we do, we are always aware that people are watching and wondering what we do. It’s never about the name tag, it’s always about the person!

And, last but not least, Lesson No. 3:

By believing in the mission of other organizations and helping them in their directives, we end up helping ourselves. Now, while this may sound a bit selfish, here are the reasons that isn’t the case.

By helping Granite Education Foundation with their needs, we benefit the lives of countless children. Which, in turn, helps their families. And that’s only the beginning of the chain! By paying our efforts forward, we are in fact returning to our community. And just look at the wonderful thank you’s we have received thus far!

We’ve learned from these lessons and we just want to say thank you right back! So, not only to Granite Education Foundation but to all those who receive our donations, THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU! We cherish all of our customers and their communities!