DUKAL Make a Difference 2010

Written by Suzanne Carlino (Graphics Manager)

         I am proud to say DUKAL had a lot of success last year with our Make a Difference Campaign. We are in full swing for another great year in 2010.  We have chosen some new charities this year and we are looking to be successful again in donating our time and/or making donations.
        Last year when the Make a Difference Campaign was presented to us, I was thrilled.  I knew I wanted to give back and what charities I would like to nominate. My nominations came easily to me because there are moments in your life that can change you forever and that moment happened to me six years ago.  I never thought I would say “I have cancer” and now six years later I am proud to say “I’m a survivor “.  I am so grateful to the people that volunteered their time and money to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  Their donations went to supporting research to give people like me a fighting chance.
       Without these people volunteering their time and/or money, my life could have been dramatically different.  Because of them I wanted to and needed to be a part of giving back and I knew any charities DUKAL chose would be a winner.
       I think I can speak for ALL of DUKAL and say that the little time it took to plan all the events doesn’t compare to the joy we felt participating and knowing that just the little time we gave we “Made a Difference” in someone’s life.
       Stay tuned for more information on DUKAL’s 2010 Make a Difference Campaign.

The New Era of DUKAL

- Written by Stephen Stack (Senior Graphic Artist)

      New address, new building...same quality! We have been at 2 Fleetwood Court, Ronkonkoma, NY since the end of April and things are finally starting to fall into place. Fleetwood Court is officially under construction!

      Our corporate sign in up on the lawn and contractors have come in and started to section off the building to create more space for all the departments of DUKAL Corporation.

        Our typical work day is business as usual but, with noise in the background. Saws are buzzing, hammers are hammering and walls are being knocked down. Annoying? ....Absolutely! but it's the sound of change and I can't help but to welcome it with open arms, knowing the final result will be something special.  

       Not really knowing what the final building will be like is exciting; and who doesn't want more space to work? Owner, Founder and President Gerry LoDuca has really out-done himself with the plans of renovations to 2 Fleetwood Court; and it's exciting to see his vision coming to life. With more space for each department and a fitness room for DUKAL employees to stay fit it's safe to say Gerry LoDuca is a president that cares about his employees. 

      I'm confident once construction is done here at 2 Fleetwood Court, the new home of DUKAL will make us more productive as a company and be a building that's very comfortable and inviting for all employees, customers and partners of DUKAL. This new building is a literal symbol of the growth of DUKAL and this is only just the beginning!

A day in the life of a new Dukal employee….

Written by Michael Fucci (Product Manager)

   My name is Mike but you can call me new guy one.  That is how I was affectionately referred to for my first few weeks on the job.  It’s been a whirlwind first two months, but a good whirlwind.  I am learning a lot, a lot about Dukal, our products, our industry and a lot about my co-workers.  For the sake of the length of this post and to avoid any uncomfortable moments at the office tomorrow I won’t discuss my co-workers!

Let me backtrack and relive a day at Dukal during my first week.

8:30am: Get to the office

9am: Shown how to look up information on our website.

9:15am: Told to put that information into a PMF excel sheet.

9:16am: I ask, “What is a PMF?”

9:17am: It’s explained to me.

9:20am: I get started on the PMF sheets.

11am: I finish my first sheet, whew – “is the day over?” I wondered.

Noon: Take lunch and take my first breadth of the day!

It went on like this for 2 or 3 weeks, not always PMF sheets, sometimes detail sheets, sometimes quote sheets, always some sort of a “sheet”.

Since those really early weeks I have learned to be somewhat self-sufficient and I like to think I’m even starting to make some good contributions.  I can honestly say that I haven’t worked in a company that is as well run as Dukal.  The atmosphere in the office is one of fun and hard work within a family-like environment.  I can see why Dukal’s clients really value their relationship with Dukal.  It’s something I didn’t understand when I first arrived but am noticing it more and more everyday. 

That is it for this installment of the new guy report but check back regularly to hear more about my fascinating days!

My Trip To China

Written By: Maggie Karl (Manager Contract Manufacture)

In June 2009 I was approached by my boss with an interesting opportunity. It went something like this:

Heather:   "Maggie, how would you feel about going to China?"

Maggie:   "Ok, that sounds great let me see what my…"

Heather:  "You’re leaving in September and going for 6 weeks, use this website to apply for a visa, then let’s book your tickets."

     Ok, maybe it wasn’t QUITE that shocking, but what I’m saying is there wasn’t much notice and next thing I knew I was living in Shanghai and trying to learn how to use chopsticks before I starved myself.

How could I say no? Here’s a chance to get to know our China team better, explore the factories, and see a part of the world I deal with on a daily basis but have no empirical knowledge of. It was amazing to follow the process as a bale of cotton turned into a gauze sponge; from spinning the threads to threading the needles to weaving the material, cutting to size, folding, packaging, and sterilizing. There were lavish dinners and lots of Baijou and more pearls than I could count. I got to see the quality processes and became adept at putting on shoe covers, bouffant caps, and lab coats in seconds flat. I washed my hands until they were raw. I loved every second.

 (Saw some interesting translations in my travels, too)

Thankfully, the China team speaks English much better than I speak Chinese. I never progressed too far beyond "Ni Hao" (Hello), "Xie Xie" (Thank You), and "Fapiao" (Receipt). I did, however, learn the universal language of "karaoke".

I also learned some neat things about our factories, saw some very impressive machinery, and finally got to put a face to many of the names and voices I work with every day. In my 4 years at Dukal I had learned a lot about our products, but to actually watch them being made gave me a new respect for the process and the efforts of all the individuals who have a hand in the final product.

All in all, the experience was pretty amazing and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity. If you should find yourself traveling abroad, however unexpectedly, be sure to give me a shout - I have some great tips for you.

Dukal Make A Difference Campaign

Dukal Make A Difference Campaign

By Stephen Stack 

            Early 2009 the DUKAL Marketing Team decided we wanted to make a difference in the world not only in a business sense but overall. We all decided that we wanted to start giving back so we held various meetings to narrow down charities we wanted to help this year. Once we narrowed it down we opened it up to the whole company and got a huge response!  We broke up into teams and started to plan which events we would be participating in.

            It’s getting towards the end of the year and so far the campaign has been very successful! We were able to raise more then our target donations for both the AHRC and Breast Cancer research. Barktoberfest was a lot of fun to be a part of to promote the adoption of all the pets at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter. We were also able to donate over five pallets of our product and clothing to the Christian Appalachian Project.

 With the Donate a Phone, Soup Kitchen, and Toys for Tots still to go I’m very optimistic that we’ll succeed in making a difference and I’ve found it’s been a lot of fun to give time and donate to these charities. It feels good and at the end of the day and it’s really not a big sacrifice to give up a little for a good cause because the reward of giving is always bigger then what you give.

I think I can speak for all of DUKAL saying every second spent planning this campaign has been worth it and I can only see the DUKAL Make A Difference Campaign growing from here.

If you’d like more information on the DUKAL Make A Difference Campaign please visit.
http://www.dukal.com/make-a-difference.html