Franklin Electric

A company-wide kickoff event on February 22 unveiled plans for the group and its engagement activities throughout the year.

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) announced the formation of a new employee resource group (ERG) dedicated to providing an avenue for women to grow both professionally and personally through education, networking and advocacy. Known as Franklin Women’s Network (FWN), the group’s promise is to, “build a welcoming, inclusive community, provide professional alliances, equip Franklin women with relevant development tools and resources, and guide Franklin women to identify and achieve career milestones.”

Companies have implemented ERGs in recent years in response to a growing awareness and support for employee betterment. ERGs create a network of like-minded employees who want to collaborate and grow personally and professionally.

While months of planning went into formalizing the group, the idea for the FWN stemmed from a chance encounter in the company’s hallways between Franklin Electric Engineering Manager Sukaynah Abu-Mulaweh and Global Business Operations Vice President Amy Stauffer. The two struck up a conversation, and Stauffer began meeting with Abu-Mulaweh on a regular basis for mentorship sessions. “Sukaynah and I were from two uniquely different business areas. Our ability to meet and connect took planning, but we both valued the discussions we had during those sessions,” explained Stauffer. “As a new manager, Sukaynah wanted to form connections that would help her grow and learn about the business from someone who has worked in this industry for more than 20 years.”

During Stauffer and Abu-Mulaweh’s mentoring conversations, the two discussed the importance of taking the experience they shared and creating a more formal network. From there, the idea grew. With the help of steering committee members from various areas of the business, including Human Resources, Finance & Accounting, Engineering, Marketing and Supply Chain, the FWN was born.

While the ERG is targeted towards women – who are often underrepresented in the industries Franklin Electric serves – the group has made it a point to invite all Franklin Electric employees to participate.

The group’s kickoff event, hosted in Fort Wayne on February 22, was an example of this inclusiveness in action. More than 70 employees participated, including leaders at all levels of the organization. Franklin Electric Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Gregg C. Sengstack, welcomed attendees. Abu-Mulaweh then presented plans for the year that will include quarterly networking seminars as well as frequent interactive workshops and personal development opportunities.

“We wanted to kick this off with a real community feel, and this event accomplished that,” said Stauffer. “Seeing everyone come together for this common goal of learning and advancement is so important to the future of our business, and really, the future of the industries we serve.”

Vice President of Global Water Engineering Don Brown also knows how important programs like this are to the members of his team, including Abu-Mulaweh. “When I first learned of the plans to form the Franklin Women’s Network, I was excited about the benefits it could bring to our company. The strength of a company is in its people, and this initiative will help us demonstrate that we are a company that values diversity in its workforce, and diversity in the ideas of its people. The very existence of this group will help us retain the best women in our workforce, and – just as important – it will help us to recruit more women into our company.”

To learn more about Franklin Electric’s FWN and the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, visit franklin-electric.com.

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The board of directors of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) has elected Chris Villavarayan to be a director of the Company effective May 6, 2022.

Mr. Villavarayan has been the Chief Executive Officer and President of Meritor, Inc. (NYSE: MTOR) since March 2021. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Mr. Villavarayan held a number of positions of increasing responsibility within Meritor, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with oversight of the company’s global operations for its Global Truck and Aftermarket & Industrial business segments.

Mr. Villavarayan earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Mr. Gregg Sengstack, Franklin’s Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “I have confidence that Chris’ extensive operational and manufacturing experience and his global outlook will provide a unique perspective to our deliberations. I join my fellow directors in welcoming Chris to the Board and we look forward to benefitting from his leadership and expertise.”

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list can currently be viewed on Newsweek’s website.

“We are honored to receive recognition for the work we do to implement sustainable business practices not only on a global scale but at home in Fort Wayne, Indiana,” said Gregg Sengstack, Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “Across all the communities we operate in, we are committed to expanding the availability of clean water, creating products that help with resource conservation, and addressing growing environmental safety concerns around fueling.”

Franklin Electric has made significant investments in research and development to improve the efficiency of its products and continues to deliver products such as the MagForce™ High Efficiency Motor System. Additionally, the company’s Global Product Supply team has placed a heavy focus on sustainability initiatives within Franklin Electric’s production and manufacturing facilities across select global facilities. For 2020 this included LED lighting upgrades, air quality control systems, waste stream audits, solar panel installations and UV mitigation efforts. Franklin Electric is also committed to reducing water consumption, for example, by eliminating the washing process for circuit boards in its Guadalupe, Mexico manufacturing facility, which is expected to save 5.9 million gallons of water per year.

The company is also recognized worldwide for their commitment to helping some of the most underserved communities access safe, clean drinking water. The Franklin Wells for the World Foundation (FWWF) provides safe, reliable and cost-effective water supplies to developing regions, focusing on Africa where the need is greatest. To date, the FWWF has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in over 10 countries by bringing clean water to the surface.

America’s Most Responsible Companies were selected based on publicly available key performance indicators (KPIs) derived from CSR Reports, Sustainability Reports, and Corporate Citizenship Reports as well as an independent survey. The KPIs focused on company performance in the environmental, social, and corporate governance areas, while the independent survey asked U.S. citizens about their perception of company activities related to corporate social responsibility.