Across our company

Photo by Randy Faulkner, Monticello, Iowa
The thrill of giving — Camp Courageous, a recreational and respite care camp in Monticello, Iowa, received a year-long supply of toilet paper and paper towels thanks to one Rockwell Collins fund-raiser. Pictured with Camp Courageous Director Charlie Becker (second from left) are: Sheila Rickards, senior administrative assistant; Mary Johnson, engineering project specialist; Jill Petersen, administrative assistant; and Phil White, senior engineering manager.

When Mary Johnson learned that a year-round recreational and respite care camp near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was in need of toiletries and other paper products, she rallied those around her.

An engineering project specialist at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Johnson felt helping the camp fulfill such simple needs was a wonderful opportunity to show how much our company and our employees support the communities in which we live and work.

Concerned that collecting enough toilet paper and paper towels to meet the demand was going to be rather difficult, Johnson involved four departments. Senior Engineering Manager Phil White also created a traveling trophy to heighten the competitive spirit among participants.

“Our goal was to collect 5,000 rolls of toilet tissue,” said Johnson, who has volunteered at the camp for nearly 10 years. “We all have toilet paper and paper towels at home, so I figured bringing in a couple extra rolls wouldn’t be too hard. But 5,000 is a lot.”

Intent on keeping employees focused, Johnson sent frequent email reminders about Camp Courageous’ unique mission and the special needs people it serves, and the donations just kept coming in. In the end, nearly 500 employees donated 696 rolls of paper towels, and 9,411 rolls of toilet paper – enough to last the camp an entire year.

“I sent out a camp fact almost every day just to keep our drive toward the top of everyone’s minds,” said Johnson. “In a competition like this one, there were no losers. Every person who contributed is a hero.”

Camp Courageous is a non-profit organization located east of Cedar Rapids in Monticello, Iowa. The camp is for individuals of all ages with disabilities.

At Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, there appear to be several angels among the employee ranks. And, the dedication those individuals are providing as part of the Hawkeye Wing of Angel Flight is helping patients and families around the Midwest access topnotch healthcare.

David Miles and Marc Ayala are two of about 20 employees who participate in Angel Flight Central (AFC), a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to removing the burdens of arranging long-distance transportation at times of personal and community crisis.

Both licensed pilots, these Rockwell Collins employees are among hundreds of pilots in the Midwest who donate their time, energy and equipment to help thousands of families receive access to specialized healthcare, special needs camps, and other destination camps throughout the United States.

A senior SAP basis administrator in e-Business, Miles began volunteering with the organization prior to joining Rockwell Collins in 2004. He made his 33rd Angel Flight on April 9 when he flew a local resident to St. Louis, Mo., where her son receives regular treatments for leukemia.

"I learned about Angel Flight from a fixed based operator in New York," said Miles. "I thought it sounded like a great way to use my flight skills and to help people."

A senior systems engineer in Government Systems, Ayala also believed giving his time to Angel Flight was a way not only to be of assistance, but also to spend time flying.

"Angel Flight seemed like a logical way for me to put my flight skills to use," said Ayala, who has been with our company since March 2007. "Once I got settled in Cedar Rapids, it was one of the first things on my to-do list."

While flying is the most obvious volunteer opportunity at Angel Flight, Ayala says ground and support personnel also are needed. For more information, visit http://www.angelflightcentral.org .

Photo by Becky Hamer, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Contributions recognized — This team of Rockwell Collins employees in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was honored recently by Boeing and NASA. Pictured are: (front, from left) Steve Bernhardt, Lisa Lnenicka Steven, Joanne Hodges, and Donna Zimmerman; (back) Roger Kirpes, Rob Hoech, Chuck Smiley, Greg Hudak, Nick DiGiacomo, and Troy Andersen. Not pictured: Kevin Gilbertson, Earl Lanphere, Mike Bloomberg, and Tim DeWit.

While Space Shuttle Endeavour orbited Earth in March, a team of Rockwell Collins employees stood with their feet planted firmly on the ground as they accepted an award for their contributions to the shuttle's Global Positioning System (GPS) components.

The team - known as the STS-118 13A.1 Three-String GPS team - spent 10 months working with Boeing and NASA teams to improve onboard GPS information by linking three, satellite-based Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receivers (MAGR) to provide the necessary system redundancy.

All of that hard work paid off when the system worked flawlessly on Endeavour's 12-day mission in August 2007, during which the shuttle crew delivered a truss segment to the International Space Station.

According to Joanne Hodges, principal program manager for Precision Strike products, the space shuttle carries two sets of navigational equipment. The Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) provides ground-based navigational assistance, and the MAGR typically operates in the background providing GPS navigational information.

"This team created the software, firmware, and orbital flight software to make the switch to MAGR in the forefront possible," said Hodges. "Creating a new link like this is pretty significant in shuttle operations."

While Boeing and NASA representatives were unable to attend the awards presentation at our facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, they felt it important that the award be presented during a shuttle mission because of the critical role the team played.

"It was an honor to present this award on behalf of Boeing and NASA," said Hodges. "A lot of hard work went into this project, and our team members should be extremely proud."

More than 170 Rockwell Collins employees from our manufacturing facilities in Iowa took to the bowling lanes recently and raised more than $15,700 during Bowl for Kids' Sake.

The largest fund-raising event for Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across America, Bowl for Kids' Sake is an annual event that has been held for more than 40 years. The top fund-raising team included: Bob Lorenz, director of Supply Chain Quality Assurance; Randy Gardner, senior director of C Avenue Operations; Bruce Kaiser, manager of Government Systems Manufacturing Projects; Nick Larson, director of Air Transport Systems Operations; and Chuck Stroo, manager of Operations, all of Cedar Rapids. Dave Latting, director of Coralville Operations, also was a member of the team that raised more than $1,200.

Michelle Bell, a senior buyer at our facility in Cedar Rapids, took high score honors for a single game after recording a 288. Several other door prizes and bowling prizes also were awarded to individuals and teams for their fine-tuned skills.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a United Way agency that provides positive, one-to-one mentoring relationships for children through volunteer programs in communities across the United States. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, best-known and most sophisticated mentoring program in America. For more information, visit http://www.bbbsa.org .

Rockwell Collins recently recognized the contributions made by Supply Chain professionals across our enterprise with a celebration that attracted more than 400 employees.

According to Diedra Diesch, senior project manager in Supply Chain Processes, nearly 200 employees gathered at the event in Cedar Rapids. An additional 200 employees from many of our regional locations also participated in the celebration via video conferencing and NetMeeting.

"We are a global company and we wanted to ensure that employees from across our company were able to participate in this celebration," said Diesch. "Providing video conferencing and NetMeeting capabilities allows everyone to receive the recognition they deserve."

Jeff Moore, senior vice president of Operations, Roger Weiss, vice president of Material and Supply, and Dan Schleder, director of Enterprise Planning, were among the list of featured speakers who spoke on this year's event theme, "Dare to Lead."

Mark Mirelez, senior director of Subcontracts, Todd Santel, principal program manager for NGAP, and Anne Plotz, manager of Supply Chain Processes, also were on hand. Plotz gave a motivational presentation about leading "out loud."

"It's so important to keep our employees motivated, and to help them understand how much we appreciate their efforts," said Plotz. "This presentation showed how 'Leading Out Loud' and taking personal ownership is essential to our long term success."

Those in attendance also watched an inspirational video and took part in a Supply Chain anagram game designed to energize employees. Cake and ice cream were served as a token of appreciation for the commitment and energy that Supply Chain professionals deliver on a daily basis.