MDI | Minnesota Diversified Industries http://www.mdi.org Quality Corrugated Plastic Products and Customized Services Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:24:20 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 MDI Attends the St. Paul Chamber’s Premier Event http://www.mdi.org/index.php/mdi-attends-the-st-paul-chambers-premier-event/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/mdi-attends-the-st-paul-chambers-premier-event/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:24:20 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6653 MDI is a proud member of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and will be attending the chamber’s premier event tomorrow evening! This event attracts the majority of SPACC members, city officials and community leaders who come together for… Read More

]]> MDI is a proud member of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and will be attending the chamber’s premier event tomorrow evening! This event attracts the majority of SPACC members, city officials and community leaders who come together for networking purposes. The evening will begin with mingling, followed by dinner and a program featuring a keynote address by Dave Mona.

The Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce is a platform for networking in our community, engaging with nearly 1,200 companies locally.

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/mdi-attends-the-st-paul-chambers-premier-event/feed/ 0 Welcome Mark Corbett to MDI! http://www.mdi.org/index.php/welcome-mark-corbett-to-mdi/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/welcome-mark-corbett-to-mdi/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:42:17 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6627 Please join me in welcoming Mark Corbett, Sales Account Manager for MDI Services and Plastic Products.  Mark will be based in St. Paul, and will identify and capture business opportunity for both products and services, focusing primarily on large and medium… Read More

]]> Please join me in welcoming Mark Corbett, Sales Account Manager for MDI Services and Plastic Products.  Mark will be based in St. Paul, and will identify and capture business opportunity for both products and services, focusing primarily on large and medium size businesses in the Twin Cities.  Mark has a strong sales background in packaging solutions.  The last few years he has been with Packaging Corporation of America, and prior to that he sold for Marfred Packaging, Menasha Corporation, and Liberty Carton.  He has a Business Administration Degree, with an emphasis in packaging.  He is experienced, energetic and motivated, and will make a great addition to our team.  He has many contacts and ideas, and will hit the ground running quickly in his new role.  He understands the importance of creating job and revenue opportunity for MDI, particularly with key companies in the Twin Cities.

Mark and his wife Jodi have a beautiful 19 month old daughter.  They also enjoy spending time with their four year old golden retriever and five month old chocolate lab puppy.  Mark commented, “The dogs seem to be more work then our daughter!”.  Mark’s hobbies include golf, hockey, fishing and boating.

Please extend a warm greeting and support to Mark as he transitions into his new role at MDI.  I am convinced great opportunities are ahead, and Mark will play an important role in capturing these opportunities for MDI.

- Barb

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/welcome-mark-corbett-to-mdi/feed/ 0 Plastic Production Surge at MDI http://www.mdi.org/index.php/plastic-production-surge-at-mdi/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/plastic-production-surge-at-mdi/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:13:06 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6629 MDI has recently hired 32  temporary workers in Grand Rapids and 39 in Hibbing in support of increased production volume requirements for the United States Postal Service and MDI’s Commercial Plastics customers (35% of these are people with disabilities).  To… Read More

]]> MDI has recently hired 32  temporary workers in Grand Rapids and 39 in Hibbing in support of increased production volume requirements for the United States Postal Service and MDI’s Commercial Plastics customers (35% of these are people with disabilities).  To assist in talent acquisition, MDI has developed a great relationship with Express Employment, a local firm who specializes in providing temporary workers to area businesses.  Express has taken good care of MDI by providing quality, reliable and cost-effective resources.  Once a temporary employee has worked so many hours at MDI, if they are eligible, MDI converts them to an MDI employee.  MDI has recently converted 8 temporary workers to MDI employees.  This is a great partnership that works well for MDI, Express Employment, and the workers we are serving.

-Dale

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/plastic-production-surge-at-mdi/feed/ 0 Giving Back To The Community http://www.mdi.org/index.php/giving-back-to-the-community/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/giving-back-to-the-community/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:36:34 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6632 Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month I attend a networking meeting in Hibbing. This is a great opportunity for me to find out about different programs and agencies in the community. This past meeting I found out that… Read More

]]> Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month I attend a networking meeting in Hibbing. This is a great opportunity for me to find out about different programs and agencies in the community. This past meeting I found out that the Hibbing Salvation Army gave out 301, 171 pounds of food to clients in 2011. This was an increase of 60,769 pounds from 2010. It was also mentioned that there was an increase of nearly 63,000 pounds in 2009. More and more people need assistance in these hard economic times.

Minnesota Food Share “recruits thousands of people statewide to collect cash and food for their local food shelves.”  Minnesota Food Share helps stock more than 300 food shelves a year and raises awareness about hunger issues, nutrition and access to government food programs. Every year in March, Minnesota Food Share holds a campaign. It challenges food shelves across the state to collect monetary and food donations. In turn, Minnesota Food Share will donate the cash they receive from their campaign to food shelves across Minnesota.

During the month of December, MDI-Hibbing held a food drive. Everyone donated a few non-perishable food items to be donated to the Salvation Army in Hibbing. It was very successful. With this new information about the March Campaign, MDI-Hibbing will again be holding a food drive to support the Salvation Army in Hibbing. March is the best time to donate to your local food shelf. Did you fill your grocery bag for a hungry family?

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/giving-back-to-the-community/feed/ 0 Open Position In St. Paul at MDI! http://www.mdi.org/index.php/open-position-in-st-paul-at-mdi/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/open-position-in-st-paul-at-mdi/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:32:00 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6609 Production & Material Planner Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI), one of Minnesota’s premier non-profit organizations, is currently seeking a Production & Material Planner. Based in St. Paul, the Production & Material Planner will be responsible for procurement management, manufacturing… Read More

]]> Production & Material Planner Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI), one of Minnesota’s premier non-profit organizations, is currently seeking a Production & Material Planner. Based in St. Paul, the Production & Material Planner will be responsible for procurement management, manufacturing orders, bill of material processing, production costing, create and monitor production scheduling and inventory management of both government and commercial services products. Qualified candidates should possess an Associate’s degree in business related field; five or more year’s related experience; APICS certification is a plus; has initiated continuous process improvement programs based upon Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles. MDI exists to serve people with disabilities by offering progressive development and job opportunities in a competitive business enterprise. MDI offers competitive salary and benefit programs. Interested candidates should provide a resume and cover letter, including salary expectations to Ruth Hritzko at; ruth.hritzko@mdi.org, or by fax to 651.222.9165. EOE/AA

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/open-position-in-st-paul-at-mdi/feed/ 0 What Is Sustainability? http://www.mdi.org/index.php/sustainability-what-is/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/sustainability-what-is/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:38:37 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6601 The term sustainability is becoming very popular and trendy as of late.  The question that keeps coming to my mind is just what doe’s sustainability mean.  Is there a great definition that can be universal throughout each company across all spectrums of… Read More

]]> The term sustainability is becoming very popular and trendy as of late.  The question that keeps coming to my mind is just what doe’s sustainability mean.  Is there a great definition that can be universal throughout each company across all spectrums of business?  The short answer might be yes if we look at some of the definitions that sustainability means for one generation to be able to live in its current state without affecting the ability of future generation’s ability to survive.  How would or could we know what future generations will need to survive?  So in looking for one answer we just find more questions.  Some people have tried to explain sustainability.  If you have ever picked up an article in Harvard Business review article or an environmental science text book there are as many different definitions of sustainability as there are people writing about the subject.  Sustainability can be correlated with common sense; it’s a little different depending on whom you are talking to, but it’s all common sense right.  Wrong.  Certain companies look as sustainability as lean manufacturing while others look at it as a reduction of waste, and some companies look at sustainability as all of the combined.  This leads me back to the question what is sustainability when it comes to business. Even as an environmental studies major I cannot give you the true definition of sustainability simply because it will look different for each company and will change as the organization changes through different phases of transition.  If your looking for a good example take a look at Interface Global and the changes it has went through in trying to climb what it calls Mt. Sustainability.  To me sustainability is one of those things that maybe we can not define it, but when we get there we will just know that we have arrived.  Does your company have a definition of sustainability, and do you know what it is?  Could using corrugated plastic versus paper help in the vision of sustainability?

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/sustainability-what-is/feed/ 1 Alternative Uses For Plastic Bins! http://www.mdi.org/index.php/alternative-uses-for-plastic-bins/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/alternative-uses-for-plastic-bins/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:17:40 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6595 Whether you are cleaning up a small area or containing large items, plastic bins can make your tasks easier. Organizing the things you need will make most tasks go faster. You have a number of options when considering plastic… Read More

]]> Whether you are cleaning up a small area or containing large items, plastic bins can make your tasks easier. Organizing the things you need will make most tasks go faster. You have a number of options when considering plastic bins From MDI, including size and colors. Plastic bins and plastic totes are useful for organizing and cleaning tasks. Storage totes are useful for containing things you do not use every day. Here’s a few idea’s were a plastic tote with a lid would be beneficially:

  • Cleaning supplies
  • Craft supplies
  • Litter bins
  • Toy box
  • Long-term storage

For more information on our bins, contact Mike today!

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/alternative-uses-for-plastic-bins/feed/ 0 Looking To Hire! http://www.mdi.org/index.php/hiring-and-looking/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/hiring-and-looking/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:41:09 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6579 Have you checked out the job section at MDI recently? We have a couple open positions in St. Paul and Grand Rapids! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to work at MDI!

]]> Have you checked out the job section at MDI recently? We have a couple open positions in St. Paul and Grand Rapids! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to work at MDI!

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/hiring-and-looking/feed/ 0 Did You Know…. http://www.mdi.org/index.php/did-you-know/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/did-you-know/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:28:30 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6573

Plastic containers are made from polyethylene. The two types and their uses are defined by resin codes. “PET,” or “PETE,” stands for polyethylene terephthalate. This is the plastic used for water, juice and soda bottles, food jars, microwavable

… Read More

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Plastic containers are made from polyethylene. The two types and their uses are defined by resin codes. “PET,” or “PETE,” stands for polyethylene terephthalate. This is the plastic used for water, juice and soda bottles, food jars, microwavable food containers and other food containers. “HDPE” stands for high-density polyethylene. Common items made with this grade of plastic include: milk, water and juice containers; shampoo, detergent and household cleaners; grocery store bags; shipping containers; and liners for cereal boxes.

]]> http://www.mdi.org/index.php/did-you-know/feed/ 0 Steven Reinardy Has What It Takes! http://www.mdi.org/index.php/steven-reinardy-has-what-it-takes/ http://www.mdi.org/index.php/steven-reinardy-has-what-it-takes/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:37:58 +0000 Melissa http://www.mdi.org/?p=6567 Hard work, the drive to succeed, and continuously moving forward are examples of what Steven brings to MDI! He started working for MDI in October of 2011, in this short time that he has been here he has really wowed… Read More

]]> Hard work, the drive to succeed, and continuously moving forward are examples of what Steven brings to MDI! He started working for MDI in October of 2011, in this short time that he has been here he has really wowed us here at MDI with his strong work ethic, great attitude and his determination to learn and be successful at his job.

Steven was born and raised in Hastings, Minnesota.  During his school years, Steve had faced some challenges with seeing information on the board and communicating with his teachers and peers. He identified the supports needed and continued to ask for help. Steve faced his insecurities and overcame his shyness through taking a communications class while working hard to improve his communication and public speaking skills. Steve graduated with 3.7 GPA and moved on to college, majoring in Computer Operations and minored in Office Skills.

Steve used services through State Service for the Blind and Pro Act’s Job Placement Program to help him find jobs. When interviewing for jobs, some off the difficulties that Steve faced were employers not open to making accommodations for him, until he applied at MDI.  Steve brings his work skills that he learned in the fast food industry and continues to be a success!  Steve continues to succeed here at MDI by requesting help or asking for clarification on information when needed.  Steve has learned new job skills and has made new friends too.

Steve said what has help him be a success at MDI is, “MDI is more of a relaxed and supportive work environment.  MDI takes the time to listen to me and accept what people can and cannot do.  They find the right fit for you.  It’s about you, the company and your co-workers”.

The advice that Steve gives to other person with disabilities is:  “Be persistent, never give up, ask for help when you need it and always maintain a positive attitude”.

- Janna

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