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Kalas Makes History in Cape May, NJ

When it comes to fun in the sun, our Kalas team delivers! This June, we offered a subsidized day trip to Cape May, New Jersey. Due to widespread interest, one bus was not enough. We had to commission a double decker executive coach bus to transport the +80 attendees for this sold out event. We were surprised and excited to find out Kalas had brought the first ever double decker bus to Cape May, making the day a historical event!
It was a fun-filled outing for all ages. The sun shone brightly as everyone enjoyed a day “as you please” with the freedom to enjoy the beach, rent bicycles, play in the waves or shop throughout the quaint town. We thank each one of our associates who took advantage of the opportunity and shared the day with us. Here’s to making great memories and enjoying future adventures together!

Kalas 2019 Bus Trip to Cape May
Kalas 2019 Bus Trip to Cape May
Kalas 2019 Bus Trip to Cape May
Kalas 2019 Bus Trip to Cape May

Kalas Associate Antonio Colon Inspiring Us All

Kalas is a company filled with associates who feel like family and bring positive energy to our days as we achieve great things together. Every now and then there is an associate who rises above and positively sets the tone for nearly the entire organization. This past quarter, Antonio Colon has done just that.

Antonio has added a sense of family, joy and friendliness to Kalas since he started. Antonio has been at Kalas for 10 years and his direct coworkers would be quick to tell you he leads with a spirit of friendliness and ambition. This year Antonio’s encouragement and positive energy shone even brighter as he began a personal wellness journey which he used as a catalyst to support others. Since the start of the year, Antonio’s journey to wellness has visibly rubbed off on many associates he is in contact with.

Early in 2019 something clicked for Antonio. He had reached a weight that he wasn’t content with. Internally he wanted to be an inspiration and fuel other people to greater health and personal growth. He realized it was necessary for him to find health for himself first in order to have a chance at helping others. That was his turning point. A mental switch happened for Antonio where he decided it was time to stop the denial he says he’d lived with. He admitted his job could be stressful and that he hadn’t been honest with himself about it. He was ready to accept the truth of his reality and start to care for his body and spirit in the midst of stress. Since that time, Antonio has lost over 100 pounds and has a current goal to lose 100 more. Every morning, Antonio wakes at 3:43am and heads to the gym for a swim. He tracks his eating and feels a great sense of accomplishment and strength in his progress.

Throughout his weightloss journey, he’s shared his milestones with all of Kalas. For Antonio, achieving his health goals is much more than a personal journey of self-betterment. It is a beacon and pillar for helping others find and take their next steps towards personal wellness. In the plant where he works he’s already inspired others to abstain from their “crutches” such as unhealthy treats, to cut back on and even quit smoking, and to get active – all in only a few months. And he’s not done! He’s set up some small areas to find for a workout break in Lancaster. He is inspired to create some fun challenges for fitness with his team, has started shooting hoops with coworkers during lunch and is thinking up new creative ideas to keep himself and his coworkers motivated. It’s inspiring and changing our associates’ lives for the better!

It is no wonder Antonio has been recognized as our Kalas Associate Living Our Values for this Quarter. We are grateful for the powerful ways Antonio has chosen to live Kalas’ Core Values and implement our guiding behaviors. When asked what’s most inspiring him to continually live with Kalas values, he shares that it all comes down to the family atmosphere of Kalas. He finds everyone is willing and ready to participate in the community and support one another. Like his personal wellness journey, he sees others wanting to impact each other with how they live and behave during their work at Kalas. He’s excited for the coworkers whose lives he’s seen start to change most recently. The Kalas value Antonio favors the most is Humility. Living with humility is one of his personal guiding principles. It is very important to him to treat others with respect in the same way he would want to be treated. It’s the key to his family values and way of being at home and at work.

Antonio has been a part of Kalas for 10 years now. This past Spring he transitioned into a new role of Director of Business Development and is thrilled at the opportunity to drive our “One Kalas Approach” seeking new longterm partnerships with businesses we could best serve. Previously he had served as our Market Segment Manager in sales for several years and more recently as a plant manager. All of his previous roles gave him the opportunity to work closely with many Kalas associates buidling his quality relationships with a large part of our Kalas family. To sum up his favorite part of working at Kalas he answered: “The people. We have a good team. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We achieve a lot of good things. We’re joyful and yet serious about execution.” We agree Antonio. It’s a great family to be a part of here at Kalas and your character is a great example of why that it is.

In Antonio’s past time he loves to swim and spend quality time with his 14 year old daughter, Ava. Currently he enjoys cooking and having dance parties in his kitchen to Spanish music. It brings him great joy to watch Ava learn the language. His wife, Kim, and Ava both love horses. Together they spend a lot of time at horse shows and in preparation for events.

Thank you, Antonio, for all you give to Kalas – your spirit, your encouragement, your laughter, your commitment, your hard work and your love for all within the Kalas family. It wouldn’t be the same without you!

Join us in thanking Antonio for living with such strong character and inspiring us all to do the same!

Kalas Foundation Supports The Fulton Theater

The Fulton Theater located on Prince Street in the heart of downtown Lancaster, PA is a landmark known and respected by memory. A theater with a rich history dating back to the 1700’s known today for it’s broadway quality main stage productions featuring renown shows such as Les Miserable, Beauty & the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame in recent years and the current season stacked with the shows of Treasure Island, 42nd Street, Chicago, Once, the upcoming Mamma Mia! and the present show Sophisticated Ladies which Kalas was able to directly sponsor. 

The Kalas Foundation finds it a great privilege to support such landmark non-profits such as the Fulton Theater which so clearly improves the lives it touches. Not only through main stage performances, but through other meaningful outlets. The Fulton Theater has 2 other series simultaneously. One is their Family Series creating magical performances for audiences of all ages and the other their Studio Series, an artistic outlet for shows less well known which often wrestle larger themes, emotions and complexities. Being a non-profit, The Fulton Theater has a heart for impacting the community in large ways. Beyond their performances, they have growing opportunities with their Fulton Academy for children and adults to learn the power of theater teaching life skills of creativity, communication, confidence & self-expression. They have a school & education outreach program enabling the gift of theater to spread far beyond the reach of those who could afford it. 

This year, The Kalas Foundation once again had the privilege of supporting the meaningful work of the Fulton Theater. The May 22, 2019 performance of Sophisticated Ladies was designated the show our Foundation helped specifically to make possible. It was a thrilling evening of song, dance & delight as Kalas associates come to support the theater and our involvement with them. Kalas VP of Sales & Marketing, Kym Calabretta welcomed visitors to the theater for the performance and shared the goal of the Kalas Foundation to support organizations such as the Fulton who improve the lives we touch. 

We are thankful for the Fulton Theater and invite you to become a subscriber to see the upcoming stellar 2019/2020 season featuring Evita, Peter Pan, Murder on the Orient Express, Kinky Boots, Titanic & Jersey Boys. 

Learn about the Fulton Theater and support their life-giving community today!

Kalas at Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo

Join us this week at the Milwaukee Convention Center for the 19th annual National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo trade show. This is the largest dedicated wire processing event of the year. If you are in the industry, this is event will enable you to connect with more than 180 world-class suppliers and see the latest in person. As a fully integrated manufacturer of quality wire and cable products since 1958, our company is a supplier who can meet the needs you have and answer any questions.
Our team is able and eager to explore opportunities to support all attendees businesses!
Stop by and see KALAS in booth 2157.
Show hours are 9-4 PM Wednesday, May 8th and 9-3 PM Thursday, May 9.
Guests who pre-register will waive the $20 entrance fee. You can register here.

See you in Milwaukee!!

https://www.electricalwireshow.com/

 

Celebrating Barb Michael Living Our Values

Meet Barb Micheal. Barb is a joy to Kalas and this quarter we got to recognize her for being so by honoring her as our Associate of the Quarter for Living Our Values.

Barb works out of our Lancaster office as our Pricing Analyst for the whole company. This is no small job. She solely manages all price lists for both Bulk Wire and Engineered Cable Products Division (ECPD) – a role that requires a lot of time, attention to detail and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to support our customers with timely accurate pricing in the midst of copper’s ever changing value.

Spend any amount of time around Barb and it would be no wonder why she is our associate of the quarter for her character. She takes her role in stride – always flexible to responsibly perform and even improve upon her job all while smiling and showing value to every coworker she passes in a day. Barb has been with Kalas for 7 years this May and in that short span of time, she has become a treasured Kalas family member – even called by some their “work mom”.

She touts that name proudly as she has also, despite the demands her role entails, taken on the role of ECPD’s “Wellness Mom” sending weekly encouragement and updates to the entire team she works alongside helping our Lancaster office be the healthiest they can be in 2019. She herself is a very warm and healthy individual, loving to spend quality time with her family and friends, take walks with friends or her husband, spend time in the garden and get away with travel to new or nourishing places for her. Her favorite part of working at Kalas are her interactions with her coworkers. It’s often you’ll find her walking with someone at lunch or creating friendly meaningful connections while she gets her job done.

What makes Barb so special and a perfect choice for our Associate of the Quarter Living Our Values is that she naturally lives them and with humility. When asked why she thought she was selected her response was “I have no idea”… and yet it is very clear to everyone else who get to enjoy her presence at Kalas that she exceptionally expresses all of our values: Caring, Integrity, Giving, Rewarding, Respect & Honesty. So much so, when asked if any one value resonated most with her over the others, she responded “All of our core values are important. It is hard to pick one. Integrity, honesty, respect, caring and giving are all intertwined together. If you value one, you value them all.”

We agree Barb and we can tell you truly do value them all. Join us in thanking Barb for all of the heart, generosity, humility & joy she brings to our company day in and day out. We are glad you’re a part of the family!