Summerfest Business Alliance Member Spotlight
1.) Tell us about your organization, your mission statement, how, when, and why your organization was founded, and what you are best known for.
ORBIS Corporation is a family-owned company that embraces the core values that have been our foundation since 1849, starting with our parent company Menasha Corporation. ORBIS Corporation’s mission is to help our customers protect, move and promote their products better than anyone else. Our vision is to be the essential partner and the first choice for our customers’ packaging requirements. Our business collaborates to offer customers unbiased plastic packaging solutions that deliver compelling value. Our employees thoroughly understand our customers’ businesses and develop innovative offerings that anticipate their needs. Our people, products, and services make a positive difference for our customers and in the communities where we live and work by respecting and protecting the environment. Our commitments to growth, operational excellence, and a diverse workforce enable us to attract and retain the best employees.
2.) Tell us about your organization’s accomplishments and what you’re most proud of.
ORBIS Corporation celebrated our 25th year anniversary in 2021, some of the greatest achievements we are most proud of include being named one of the 2021 Top Workplaces in Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the eighth straight year. Amongst this award, we also received Toyota’s highest award for “Packaging Supplier of the Year - Platinum.” ORBIS was recognized for providing consistent quality, on-time delivery, continuous improvement, and superior customer service. ORBIS also received the 2020 General Motors Annual Supplier of the Year Award for outstanding performance and going above and beyond GM’s requirements. At ORBIS, we always take pride in the sustainability offerings we can provide within our business process offerings. 100% of ORBIS’ core, standard products are fully recyclable at the end of life. In addition to providing reusable, recyclable products, ORBIS also was able to reduce 1M lbs. of ocean-bound plastics to repurpose back into our reusable packaging solutions as part of our Ocean in Mind Program. Looking at our internal manufacturing goals, were able to achieve an 8% reduction in waste since 2013 and a 90% reduction in water use since 2010 while more than doubling the size of the company.
3.) How do you impact your community?
Our belief in strong communities continues a tradition of social responsibility begun by our founder, Elisha D. Smith, in the late 1800s. Elisha D. Smith believed that we have a deep responsibility to the communities in which we live and work. His philanthropic efforts have expanded to help communities, institutions, and the less fortunate far beyond the company’s Wisconsin roots. Elisha D. Smith’s legacy of giving back was formalized in 1953 with the establishment of ORBIS’ parent company, Menasha Corporation Foundation (MCF). In 2020, MCF donated more than $1.89 million to 594 organizations serving those in need. The Foundation focuses on nonprofit organizations in North America that provide services focused on safe and healthy citizens, education, community improvement, and cultural activities as well as environmental sustainability. In addition, ORBIS is focused on community work in the areas in which our facilities reside in. For instance, near our headquarters in Oconomowoc, WI, ORBIS was awarded the 2020 Housing Champion Award of Waukesha County for our continues involvement in Habitat for Humanity, as well as give back to Blessings in a backpack for Waukesha County, WI. ORBIS Piedmont, S.C employees chose to donate funds to Loaves & Fishes, a non-profit that reduces hunger in Greenville County by rescuing foods that would otherwise be wasted. ORBIS’ Georgetown, KY donated to Bluegrass Care Navigators, a nonprofit organization in Kentucky that includes hospice care and our Bardstown, KY site donated to Families for Effective Autism Treatment of Louisville, a nonprofit organization that actively supports and funds autism programs for the entire family. ORBIS in Mentor OH sponsored Run for the Health of it, a fundraiser benefiting the Lake County Free Clinic.
4.) Adapting to change. - The pandemic has challenged us all to look at how we do business and adapt. What are some ways in which your business has had to adapt and pivot, and how has that led to success?
At the onset of the virus outbreak, we formed a crossfunctional Pandemic Task Force comprised of company leaders who quickly established stringent mitigation protocols at each of our operating sites and offices. Adhering to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and evaluating the situation at each of our sites, our Task Force provided frequent and timely information to educate, equip, and protect our workforce. Our wide-ranging precautions, many of which are still in place today, included face coverings, physical distancing, travel restrictions, handwashing, elevated sanitizing, remote work where feasible, and daily monitoring of exposures.
5.) Why is it important to your organization to support Summerfest through the Summerfest Business Alliance and what are some of the unique ways in which you distribute your Summerfest tickets?
Being founded in Wisconsin and headquarters just 30 minutes away from Summerfest grounds, ORBIS finds pride and partnering with organizations close to home to help impact the community. ORBIS (the Latin word for loop or circle) provides supply chain products and services that are reusable, which reduces waste, energy, and emissions and has zero impact to the solid waste stream. Our ORBIS business’ entire portfolio of reusable containers, pallets and racks support the circular economy concept, which is based on a continuous flow of product in the value chain. ORBIS helps companies reduce/eliminate waste associated with single use or expendable packaging; reuse packaging assets over a long service life and recycle packaging at the end-of-life. Because of this, ORBIS is excited and feels proud to be able to provide recycle containers for the Summerfest grounds to ensure waste is being disposed of properly so it can be recycled and hopefully one day- repurposed back into a new product. Just like ORBIS’ value proposition. ORBIS was able to give back to our employees and show appreciation for the hard work they put forth everyday by distributing Summerfest tickets
4.) What is your favorite Summerfest memory?
ORBIS is proud to be a sustainability partner for Summerfest. Our team was excited to get to the Summerfest grounds and help prepare the recycling bins for use on the grounds. Our team spent the afternoon adding signage to the bins and placing them throughout the festival grounds. Super fun to see these in use during Summerfest!