News: Neillsville’s – Cummins Anniversary Open House (50th - 2019)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

----Surnames: Cummins, Irwin, Diesel, Zarich, Chandler, Linebarger

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark, Co) 7/10/2019

Neillsville’s – Cummins Location to Have Open House for Anniversary (50th - 2019)

Neillsville’s – Cummins Location to Have Open House for 50th Anniversary

Company Reaches its Centennial Year

Cummins Filtration of Neillsville will have a celebration of its 50 years in the community with an open house.

The event will be Friday, July 19 from 12 to 6 p.m. The open house will include tours for those 12 and older with flat, closed-toe shoes. There will be activities for kids and snacks for all.

“Cummins is a leading employer in Clark County. Come see what you do,” a flyer for the open house states.

The current Neillsville Cummins site was purchased from Nelson Global in 1999. It has 400 employees in the area. The products the company manufactures in Neillsville include crank case ventilation media and assemblies, air filters and filtration assemblies, liquid filters and power-steering reservoirs. The company serves John Deere, Doosan, Paccar, Ford, Volvo and General Motors. Its employees participate in more than 100 company events, including Adopt-a-Highway and those associated with The Highground and the Angel Tree Project.

The company partners with the Neillsville School District, Blood Center of Wisconsin, the Clark County Food Pantry, the House of Mercy and Backpacks for Kids.

The Neillsville Cummins has received the Marsha Allamanno Award for community involvement.

Throughout the year, the entire Cummins company is recognizing its 100th year. It is listed as a Fortune 150 company, employs around 60,000 people worldwide and serves customers in nearly every country across the globe.

Cummins products range from diesel and natural gas engines to hybrid and electric platforms, as well as engine systems components, controls and related technologies. The company continues to develop new advanced products and services.

Cummins was established in 1919.

“Clessie Cummins and his business partner, William G. Irwin, built a company that was one of the first to take advantage of the groundbreaking technology developed by German engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1800s,” Cummins’ Katie Zarich wrote in a July 2 press release.

“Technological innovation is at the heart of what we do,” said Tom Linebarger, Cummins chairman and CEO. “Cummins is a global technology leader with a broad portfolio of power solutions. We will continue to innovate to ensure our customers’ success.”

Cummins executives and employees plan to advance diesel and natural gas engine technology and bring new solutions to market. The company is investing in electrified powertrains, developing alternative technologies like solid oxide and hydrogen fuel cells and exploring new technologies for future growth.

“The company continues to develop integrated engine system technologies and controls and is working with partners to integrate its products and services in autonomous vehicles of the future,” Zarich wrote. “While most independent engine manufacturers no longer exist, Cummins’ leadership credits its longevity to its 100 years of commitment to its mission, vision and values, staying focused on long-term goals and standing up for what is right. This commitment has been beneficial to all Cummins stakeholders and will continue to guide decisions for the next 100 years.”

“We understand our company is only as successful as the communities where we operate, and we are committed to building more prosperous communities around the world,” said Mary Chandler, Cummins vice president of corporate responsibility and CEO of the Cummins Foundation. “Improving our global communities has been a key part of our first 100 years and will remain a focus for the next century and beyond. Our employees lead the way in year-round community problem solving, making a difference in Cummins’ global priority areas of education, the environment and equality of opportunity for all. Together with our community partners, we look forward to the next 100 years of helping people thrive in their day-to-day lives.”

The Cummins Every Employee Every Community program promotes employee engagement by ensuring every Cummins’ employee has the opportunity to contribute at least four hours on company time to his or her community. Cummins Neillsville participated in over 100 events and had 93 percent of its employees donate time to an organization of their choosing in 2018.

In anticipation of its centennial, the company recently launched the Cummins Powers Women program, which represents Cummins’ commitment to the advancement and prosperity of women and girls around the world and is the next phase of Cummins’ commitment to large-scale community impact, Zarich wrote.

Forty percent of Cummins’ employees in Neillsville are women.

“As I reflect on our history and look to the future, I want people to view Cummins as a company that cares about powering a more prosperous world,” said Linebarger. “How we do it is ultimately just as important as what we do.”