A member whose leadership excelled at navigating change, who displayed adaptive qualities and acted nimbly to respond to the needs of their team, business, and/or community, and who led with both confidence and vulnerability.

The Panolam Surface Systems Leadership Team is comprised of John Eberly, Operations Manager; Brad Tripp, Materials Manager; and Susan Hagerstrom, Human Resources Manager.

This team of seasoned professionals was nominated by Auburn’s Director of Economic Development Jay Brenchik, who said, “Last year, Panolam played a critical role in identifying populations in our region that may not know how to find and keep a career in manufacturing. One of the population segments identified was New Mainers. Maine has a growing population of New Mainers seeking careers. The group began developing strategies to attract and retain New Mainers in the manufacturing sector, but it is the leadership team at Panolam that put each of the strategies into action, thus serving as the model for other manufacturers to follow.

“The leadership team’s qualities that immediately come to mind are creativity and willingness to be actively involved in local resources and programs. The leadership team at Panolam has been actively adapting to the needs of both New Mainers and all employees by thinking creatively and being active in various programs in the region. Programs they have contributed to include Strengthen LA, Western Maine Transportation Services WorxLink, Pine Tree Institute Recovery Friendly Workplace, GoMaine ridesharing and alternative transportation services, and the Community Credit Union Community Cornerstone Life Navigator which provides financial coaching, childcare, and more for employees.

“Transportation to and from work is a challenge not only for New Mainers, but for all Mainers. They played an active role in Western Maine Transportation Services grant application for a pilot program called Worklink. This program is a public subscription bus service in Lewiston-Auburn, providing reservation-based, curb-to-curb workforce transportation, Monday through Friday and limited Saturday operation, with a focus on 2nd and 3rd shift workers. Not only did Panolam play a role in the application, but they sponsored the program and actively marketed it to their employees. Panolam also covers the cost of their employees using the transportation service. As of January, Panolam employees have been 72% of the total rides provided by this service.

“The leadership team provides classes for production departments to facilitate on-boarding and job-specific training for all employees. For example, Many New Mainers at Panolam are still learning English, so through a partnership with Auburn Economic Development and Lewiston/Auburn Adult Ed, Panolam is offering on-site English as a second language (ESL) class.

“Now the New Mainers can receive English classes during the workday and immediately apply what they have learned to their job. In addition, Panolam hired an on-site full-time employee to serve as a translator for training, interviews, orientation, and work instruction review. The Panolam leadership team has also begun utilizing real-time language translation, allowing users to understand and communicate via translated speech through earbuds.

“This nomination is not for an individual at Panolam. Instead, it is a nomination for the Panolam Leadership Team. As a result of their efforts, Panolam now employs upwards of 100 New Mainers.”