Thanks to the generosity of our employees, Christmas will be brighter and more joyful for many children in our local communities this year. Our collections benefitting The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division's Angel Tree and Treasures for Children programs and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation chapter in Southern New Hampshire set new company records in 2022, bringing in more than $5,000 in cash and gifts. We are honored to continue our support of the Salvation Army and the United States Marine Corps and their inspiring good works in our local communities.
Let the holiday merriment begin! This week, employees at all Intervala locations were treated to celebratory holiday luncheons complete with great food and fun festivities, including the kickoff of our annual Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. These Intervala traditions are among our favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season. Cheers to 3 Gems Catering and Chipotle Mexican Grill for the delicious meals, and congratulations to our team members who won big in our holiday raffle! It really is the most wonderful time of year!
In honor of Veterans Day this year, Intervala hosted special ceremonies across the company to recognize our outstanding employees who served in the military. President and CEO Teresa Huber and additional leadership team members personally thanked these brave and dedicated individuals for their service and sacrifice in protecting our country and its many freedoms. Many families contributed hand-made cards and well wishes for their veterans to enjoy during the ceremonies.
Happy World Kindness Day! To mark this special day promoting kindness around the world, several Intervala team members channeled the beloved Mr. Rogers (Pittsburgh native son and kindness devotee) by donning their favorite cardigans. We love Mr. Rogers’ message of kindness and compassion so much, we named a meeting and collaboration space in our Pittsburgh-area headquarters in his honor.
Test Engineer and PennWest California alumnus Tom Forsythe (right) spearheaded Intervala’s sponsorship of the students’ capstone project.
Six mechatronics engineering majors from Pennsylvania Western University's California, Pa., campus recently visited Intervala to kick off the research and development phase of their capstone project. As project sponsor, Intervala has provided a complex problem for these senior-level students to solve. Specifically, they are tasked with creating a test fixture to improve general product throughput in our Westmoreland County, Pa., manufacturing facility by automating the process for programming integrated circuits. The actual creation of the fixture will take place next spring. During the project, the students will have access to Intervala’s on-site engineering lab and mentorship from our test and design engineering team.
Our partnership with PennWest was spearheaded by Intervala Test Engineer and PennWest California alumnus Tom Forsythe. Last year, Tom served on PennWest’s advisory board for the mechatronics engineering program, where he judged capstone projects submitted for the 2021-2022 school year. The university selects judges from its pool of alumni with real-world experience to evaluate the merits of the projects.
We love to see our employees making a positive impact with the schools in our communities!