Cascade Engineering is a leader in engineered plastic systems for the automotive, solid waste and industrial markets. Cascade certainly is driven by the “Triple Bottom Line” philosophy. The company’s objectives are to create a higher level of organizational accountability and transparency; foster a balanced approach to continuous improvement; and provide a learning tool and framework for other medium sized companies.
Cascade’s innovations include developing and issuing an annual report titled the Triple Bottom Line Report. This report includes a “sustainability scorecard which illustrates Cascade’s strong commitment to transforming what many people view as a ‘good idea’ into long term strategic advantage,” said Fred Keller, Cascade Engineering Chairman and CEO. “ In measuring our many areas of progress, and some remaining performance gaps, Cascade is inviting its many stakeholders and industry peers to take a close look at our multi-year effort to realize the potential of three vital and interrelated ‘bottom lines’. We believe that social and environmental initiatives can contribute to positive business results, and that sustainability will continue to gain momentum through the open exchange of ideas and best practices”.
Innovation
Cascade Engineering participates in a School-to-Career Progressions Program in partnership with the Grand Rapids School District. Through classroom learning, a facilitated Success Center, workshops, and mentoring, the program is designed to help at-risk students develop the life skills necessary to overcome the barriers of poverty.
Ron Jimmerson, Cascade's Human Resource Manager, is directly involved with or manages several initiatives surrounding social welfare. One such initiative is the company's community workforce and welfare diversity program. The purpose of this program is to search out partnering opportunities with private and non-private organizations that will bring their services into Cascade's organization and form a collaboration to provide not only services for their employees but also to the community as a whole. A major outcome of this partnering program was the development of another innovation for the company called “Welfare to Career” program. This program, according to Jimmerson, seeks to help unemployed and underemployed individuals move from dependence to economic self-sufficiency through education, mentoring, resource guidance and transportation for program participants.
Ron Jimmerson's life path is unique. He was raised in extreme poverty and violence. At an early age he got in trouble with the law and spent two years in prison. While in prison he met two teachers that, as he stated, turned his life around. Jimmerson understands where he came from and the limitations that he had to endure as a youth. After his run in with the law he turned his life around and is now part of a program that allows him to help re-integrate ex-convicts back into society.
The idea of the welfare program came about because of Fred Keller's commitment to the Triple Bottom Line and Ron Jimmerson's drive to develop initiatives to give individuals that have a background similar to his a chance to be productive citizens. Ron Jimmerson's motivation is heart felt. His passion and understanding come from his personal knowledge of how difficult it is to lead a productive life after being incarcerated. Jimmerson sees the systems and programs in America as geered toward the white middle class. He feels that the low income individuals in America have a difficult time assimilating with the classes because they do not undestand how to relate. The innovation has a purpose and meaning to both Fred Keller and Ron Jimmerson. This innovation enforces Cascades social welfare programs.
Cascade is equally interested in environmental capital as well. The Waste Reduction Team (WRT) documents company waste streams. Other waste streams, particularly absorbents and other solid wastes, are being managed as cost centers. A new relationship with Circle Environmental is projected to lead to a 50 percent reduction in absorbent recycling costs and a 100 percent re-use of non-hazardous absorbent material. In addition, landfill volume, water consumption and kilowatt hours are being managed proactively. Plastic and vinyl scrap are being recycled, creating both a revenue stream and a reduction in demand for dumpsters and hauling services. Their environmental initiatives are focused on waste reduction and recycling, as well as health and safety. Waste reduction and recycling involves obtaining ISO-14001 certification in 2005 and having their Industrial Solutions Group join the Automotive Solutions Group in achieving Clean Corporate Citizen status from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Since Cascade’s core business is plastic injection molding, its major objective is to reduce the consumption of resin, recycle plastic waste and minimize material sent to landfill. The health and safety initiative involves tracking incident and lost day work rates. Cascade also qualifies contractors on the basis of safety and requires them to participate in training programs as a means to extend their safety commitment to their contractors.
Impact
The success of the Welfare to Career program is unquestionable. Information from Cascade's corporate literature states that, in 2004, 97 former welfare recipients were involved in the program, including 30 who achieved self-sufficiency. Cascade’s approach to community investment has attracted the attention of institutions such as Stanford University and The Conference Board. In addition to providing important benefits such as reduced cash assistance payments and increased tax receipts, Cascade achieved a 97.8 percent monthly retention rate for participating employees, up from 83 percent in 1999. In 2003, 116 former welfare recipients participated in the program, including 30
who achieved self-sufficiency, meaning they were no longer receiving any cash assistance from the state. The benefits of the program to participants, the company and the government have been the subject of case studies written by Thomas E. Cavanagh, a senior research associate at The Conference Board, and by Professor James R. Bradley for the Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Of the 25 at risk high school seniors who participated in a pilot program in 2003, 95 percent had entered college, the armed forces or were gainfully employed in the year following their graduation.
In 2003, a company-wide total of 2,608,275 pounds of plastic was diverted from the landfill to a plastic recycler and reintroduced to a manufacturing process. This represented an 85 percent increase from 2002. This is a result of a partnership formed with BATA Plastics, a materials recycler. On-site plant audits with this firm increase knowledge of alternative operational and recycling methods to reduce waste. The WRT implemented a formal paper recycling program, as well as complete recycling centers in each building. An expanded WRT site on Cascade's intranet detailing the team's activities and performance measurements supports the company's sustainability program.
Cascade believes increasing its knowledge and promoting understanding of product life cycles will have significant impacts. In 2004, they surpassed their 15 percent waste to landfill goal with a 38 percent reduction. Cascade also expanded its recycling program by having all of their facilities remove absorbents from their waste stream and incorporate them back into the manufacturing process. The company also created an environmentally friendly profit center from its waste stream of plastic scrap, redirecting over two million pounds from the landfill and receiving more than $117,000 from their scrap processing vendor, while re-introducing 400,000 pounds of scrap into the manufacturing process.
Inspiration
"I would argue that when an organization is only focused on the financial bottom line, they are focused on survivability. However
when they focus on ecological and social capital as well, they have the opportunity to pursue sustainability. It is a matter of
sustainable versus survivable. Sustainability is all about recognizing that there is a relationship between three important assets: financial, social and ecological.
Sustainability says that to favor one at the expense of the others is at the least short sighted, and in the worst case scenario, self
destructive. So sustainable is all about a positive—recognizing the need to integrate financial, social and ecological assets.
Survivable is all about the absence of a negative—not going away."
Fred P. Keller, CEO
2003 Triple Bottom Line report
The World Inquiry editorial team edited this profile from the original submission of the interviewer or other source. The views expressed do not necessarily represent Case Western Reserve University, the Weatherhead School of Management or the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. More >>
