West Bend celebrated the holiday season with a party for associates and their significant others earlier this month.  Many tried their skills at the casino games such as Blackjack, Craps and Texas Hold'em.  A photo booth was available with props as well.  The musical entertainment provided by Five Card Studs was incredible!  And the food was amazing!  It was a night to remember!

Congratulations and a huge thank you to the following associates for their dedication over the years!

Chris - 30 years
Sandy - 20 years
Sarah - 15 years
Mark - 15 years
Scott - 15 years
Stacy - 10 years
Debbie - 10 years
Matt - 10 years
Brian - 5 years
Ken - 5 years

Take a moment to look around and appreciate all of the holiday decorations by associates!  Many cubes are decked out and are quite impressive and creative.

In pure West Bend fashion, the associates did NOT disappoint when asked to don their ugly holiday sweaters!  From lights, to tinsel, to a basket?  Really...a basket?  A huge kudos to all for their efforts and congratulations to the best of the worst:

• John Donaldson
• Pat Benvenuto
• Andrea Wulf

Our marketing department put a new twist on the traditional holiday name exchange! While each team member picked a name of someone in their department and gave the gifts to each other, in turn, those gifts will be given to charity - The Gingerbread House through The Youth and Family Project, Inc. They purchased gifts that they believe their person would have liked to play with when they were a child. Watching each person's expression as they opened was great fun. And best of all, children in need will have a happy holiday because of their generosity!

The Silver Lining Claim Experience (S.L.C.E.) Recognition Program celebrates those Claims associates who deliver exceptional service to our customers. The Promise Kept Award is based on feedback from our policyholders, while the Silver Lining Standout Award goes to those who get great feedback from all others. Winners are chosen each month from all nominations received.

Jenna W.
Shirley A.
Sharon W.
Eric W.
Mary R.
Chad R.
Stacy M.
Joe R.
BJ Z.

The puzzle pieces that were designed by associates during Art Month in August are now displayed in the service hallway. Thanks to everyone who participated in making these beautiful creations!

Key Recognition is West Bend's peer to peer recognition program that celebrates individuals and teams who do what's right and deliver results by offering timely, frequent, and personalized recognition.  Congratulations to the October winners!  

Tammy M. – Corporate Risk
Randy R. – IT
Kelli F. – IT
Shelly P. – IT

West Bend’s 2015 United Way campaign finished with a rousing round of applause from the people who made it successful, our associates! Sal, Sandy, and Steve (S3) had a tough act to follow: the 2014 United Way campaign’s success and a new goal of 50% associate participation and $165,000. A Minion was brought in to consult on how we could reach these goals. Despite the Purple Minion’s best efforts to thwart the campaign, Super Minion was able to inspire 48% of our associates to generously raise $206,209.12!

Thank you to all who participated and helped the United Way of Washington County in their mission to “mobilize the caring power of Washington County to improve lives and community conditions in measurable and lasting ways.”