Annual Working Together Celebration a 'nice little perk'
Rockwell Collins employees gather information at one of several booths staffed my members of various employee networks at the annual Working Together Celebration in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
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Seemingly unbearable heat and humidity didn't keep nearly 4,500 employees from Rockwell Collins locations in Iowa from gathering in Cedar Rapids recently for the annual Working Together Celebration.
"This event is a great way for our company to honor employees for the work they do," said Nicole White, a market research analyst in Government Systems Strategy Development, and co-chairperson for the New Hire Employee Network. "This celebration fosters camaraderie and it's also nice to relax for awhile."
For the past 10 years, this end-of-summer celebration -- which is held at the Rockwell Collins Sports Park -- has been designed to thank employees for their hard work. As in past years, employees enjoyed a variety of activities and games, refreshments, and music.
This year, networking among colleagues also was encouraged, thanks in part to our Office of Diversity. Several informational booths staffed by members of various employee networks sparked conversation among those who share common interests, cultures, backgrounds, etc.
According to Malinda Starks, the Working Together Celebration also is one way for members of the growing Rockwell Collins family to stay in touch with one another.
"Because our company is so large, it's sometimes hard to remain in touch with your co-workers," said Starks, a 394 machine assembly operator. "This celebration helps to remedy that by making our company seem a lot smaller and more 'co-worker' oriented."
Software Engineer Troy Nelson, who joined our company in May 2005, agrees. "It's the only event all year long where you can easily see and talk with people from other departments and other buildings," he said. "It's a nice little perk."
Cedar Rapids hosts rally to support KC-767 Tanker
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) learns about the KC-767 Tanker from Boeing employees during a rally at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Photo by Mike Aubey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
A rally to raise awareness about the U.S. Air Force KC-X competition and Boeing's KC-767 Advanced Tanker proposal was recently held at our company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids.
"Rockwell Collins is excited to be a part of what we believe to be the best solution to meet the Air Force's new tanker requirements for the KC-X fleet," said Greg Churchill, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Government Systems at Rockwell Collins, to those in attendance.
After the rally, our employees and political leaders from Iowa had an opportunity to tour Boeing's KC-767 Mobile Technology Demonstrator, which simulates its next-generation aerial refueling tanker.
The new tanker is currently being considered by the U.S. Air Force to replace its fleet of aging KC-135 tankers. If the Boeing KC-767 Tanker is selected, Rockwell Collins will provide key components for the digital flight deck, including a large Format Display System, Electronic Flight Instrumentation System, Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System, and Flight Control Computer.
Our company also will be supplying the weather radar, satellite communications, and tactical air control and navigation equipment.
"Rockwell Collins and its supplier team are recognized worldwide for distinctive quality and state-of-the-art technology," said Mark McGraw, vice president of Tanker Programs for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. "All of the products, services, and the support you provide are vital to the success of the Boeing 767 aircraft."
Our company has worked cooperatively with Boeing to provide military tanker solutions since the 1940s, when a Collins AN/ART-13 Radio Transmitter was installed on the Boeing KB-29 Tanker aircraft.
Operations employees contribute to record-breaking food drive
Several Rockwell Collins Operations employees in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, load the food they helped collect into a van for delivery to the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program Food Reservoir.
Photo courtesy of Nancy Goebel, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Rockwell Collins employees in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, donated 24,692 pounds of food during the 5th Annual Freedom from Hunger Community Food Challenge. This record-breaking amount prompted the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) Food Reservoir to honor our company with its Most Valuable Player award.
While receiving the MVP award is a nice honor, Senior Industrial Engineer Jim Jorgensen said it is even more satisfying to know that our company is helping those less fortunate.
"The people who receive the food are the real winners," said Jorgensen, who was involved in the food drive.
More than 1,500 employees within Operations contributed to a lot of this year's success. Previously, Operations held its own food drive, otherwise known as the Integrated Production Team (IPT) Challenge. But for the past four years, the group has tied their food drive to the Freedom from Hunger Community Food Challenge.
According to Dave Gosch, senior public relations specialist in Enterprise Communications, teaming up with the IPTs boosted the food drive beyond expectations.
"We thought last year was outstanding when we raised 11,000 pounds," said Gosch, who organizes the event. "With the help of our IPTs, we continue to raise the bar."
Throughout the summer months, IPT teams organized a variety of activities such as dinner and movie package raffles, a 50/50 drawing, and ice cream and lunch sales. In addition, one IPT leader's time was auctioned, and that individual is now scheduled to wash a car. The money raised through these activities is what was used to purchase the food - a total of 20,000 pounds donated by Operations alone.
According to Nancy Goebel, manufacturing production control specialist, the friendly rivalry between IPT teams and the goal to win bragging rights is a big motivator when it comes to the challenge. But, it's even better to know you are helping out the community in which you live.
"Because of the flooding this year, there was even more of a need within our community," added Cathy Boyer, a 195-C production specialist. "That makes this year's challenge even more rewarding."
The food collected has been distributed to 35 Linn County food assistance programs, helping to provide for the 3,000 homes in the county that seek emergency food assistance each month. Forty-eight area companies or organizations participated in this year's food drive, which raised a total of 84,972 pounds of food.
Understanding generations in the workplace
Author Cam Marston spoke to a group of Rockwell Collins leaders recently about the four unique generations currently populating our workforce.
Photo by FishEye Photography, Hiawatha, Iowa
Understanding and motivating the four unique generations currently populating our workforce was the topic of consultant, author and speaker Cam Marston's recent presentation to Rockwell Collins leaders.
During the session, which was held at the Rockwell Collins Recreation Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Marston identified four generations: Mature, Baby Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial. Employees identified as "Mature" are those over age 62; Baby Boomers are aged 43 to 61; the Gen X category consists of those aged 28 to 42; and those younger than age 27 are identified as Millennials, also referred to as Generation Y.
"Never before have we had four generations working together at one time," said Marston. "And to complicate the situation, these generations have never been more different than what we are seeing in today's society."
To effectively manage and work with each of these special audiences, Marston encouraged leaders and team members to invest time in each employee, acknowledge there are differences in work styles, and adjust their leadership style appropriately.
Considered mainly a Western-European phenomenon, this noticeable difference between employees based on their age resonates well with our company because we are hiring and retiring employees at phenomenal rates.
Event host Kelly Ortberg, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Commercial Systems, estimated that of the 3,000 engineers currently in our Commercial Systems business unit, 50 percent have less than two years experience with Rockwell Collins.
"A good portion of these employees are coming to our company right out of college," said Ortberg, who sponsored the event with our Office of Diversity. "In order to maintain our success, we have to respect the difference each generation brings to work and learn how to use these differences to our advantage."
Marston's educational programs and concepts are the result of more than 10 years of extensive research and study inside businesses of all sizes and sectors.
World War II veterans tour C Avenue manufacturing facility
Members of the 52nd Fighter Group, who served the U.S. during World War II, pose for a photo following a tour of the Rockwell Collins C Avenue manufacturing facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
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Members of the 52nd Fighter Group, who served the United States during World War II, toured the Rockwell Collins C Avenue manufacturing facility recently as part of a weekend-long reunion in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Several veterans who saw extensive combat in the Mediterranean campaign and elsewhere attended with their spouses and siblings.
The special guests were welcomed to our company by Randy Gardner, senior director of C Avenue manufacturing, who acknowledged their place in history and thanked them for enabling the lifestyle we enjoy today.
The tour then began with an exhibit of historic Collins Radio Company communications equipment from the World War II era, followed by a demonstration of the Rockwell Collins Advanced Flight Deck. The group commented on how impressive and dramatic the advances in technology have been since they served.
The group also visited with production personnel during demonstrations of our Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) equipment and the LCD displays being built and tested in the C Avenue facility.
Finally, our guests saw a demonstration of how synthetic vision technology developed by Rockwell Collins is making air travel safer. Several of the World War II veterans were able to take the cockpit controls and land the aircraft in heavy fog in Vail, Colo., during a 180o panoramic view simulation.
According to Gardner, our guests thoroughly enjoyed their time at C Avenue and were extremely impressed with everything they saw. For the C Avenue employees, it was a privilege to host and visit with this group of World War II heroes.
