SC Johnson donation to benefit community for years to come
News
Posted By VINCENT BALL
Updated 3 months ago
SC Johnson celebrated its 90th anniversary in a typical SC Johnson kind of way. It made a major donation to Laurier Brantford and it's a donation that will benefit the community for years to come.
"This is a huge contribution and it's typical of the leadership SC Johnson has shown over the years," Max Blouw, Wilfrid Laurier University's president and vice-chancellor, said. "SC Johnson is a terrific corporate citizen and has been a wonderful partner on this project. This is a company that believed in corporate, community and family responsibility long before it became fashionable."
He made the comments after SC Johnson announced it was donating $1 million to Laurier Brantford. The bulk of the donation -$750,000 -will be used to transform the former CIBC building at the corner of Market and Dalhousie Streets into a new business school. The balance of $250,000 meanwhile, will be used to support a joint Laurier Brantford -YMCA initiative to build a athletic-recreation centre in the city's downtown.
"It is alive and well," Blouw said of the proposed athletic-recreation centre project. "There has been a lot of work and a lot of planning has gone into it." He couldn't elaborate further but noted that a press conference has been called for Saturday morning in Laurier's Carnegie Building.
Brant MP Phil McColeman also made reference to the Saturday morning press conference on Thursday and said it the announcement will be of major importance to the community. The proposed athletic facility was thought to be either dead or on life-support after an earlier bid for substantial funding from the federal government was rejected.
The major donation to the community is reflective of SC Johnson, a company that has given millions of dollars to local causes since it opened up its Canadian operations in Brantford in 1920. Over the past decade, SC Johnson has contributed $9 million to Canadian causes over the past 10 years and over that same time frame, the company's contributions world-wide is nearly $80 million. In Brantford, the list of worthy causes supported by SC Johnson includes Habitat for Humanity, the trail system, the dialysis unit at Brantford General Hospital, the annual Brant United Way campaign and the Friends of the Firefighters to name just a few.
"We see the downtown revitalization of Brantford as an extremely worthy cause and we wanted to do all we could to assist Wilfrid Laurier University in the work it is carrying out in the areas of social and economic development," Beth Simermeyer, the president and general manager of SC Johnson Canada, said.
"They are very much the key to creating the future leaders of this community and we are delighted to be able to help."
SC Johnson is a family company and that feeling of family is what we have in Brantford, she said.
"Our success is due in part to the support Brantford has shown us over the past 90 years," Simermeyer said. "We wanted to say thank-you and we look forward to another 90 years here."
SC Johnson is also donating $90,000 to Brant Waterways Foundation to support the development of an important missing link to the Trans Canada Trail and a number of information kiosks.
Speaking on behalf of the foundation, Mary Welsh congratulated SC Johnson and thanked the company for its support not only of the foundation but of the community for so many years.
"You have been wonderful to the community," she said.
Others, including Brant MPP Dave Levac, Mayor Mike Hancock and McColeman also congratulated the company on its milestone and thanked it for its support of the community for so many years.
"The support you have given to the community has made a difference in the lives of so many people," Levac said. "I can tell you that your support of the Friends of the Firefighters led to the purchase of thermal imaging cameras."
"Those cameras help firefighters find people in smoke-filled homes and I know that they have helped save lives."
He also praised the efforts of the company's workers who have done so much to help it be successful over the years.
McColeman congratulated the workers and the people of Holmedale who were probably amongst the company's first employees.
"So many people in this community have had wonderful lives because of this family-values company," McColeman said. "But on occasions like this it's important to remember the people who have made this company a success."
Mayor Mike Hancock was out of town and unable to attend the event but he too noted the incredible contributions the company has made to the community over the years by way of a video that was recorded prior to Thursday's celebration.
The celebration included a family picnic with entertainment and a commemorative photo book of the company's history in Canada. A photograph of all employees was taken outside the building at the end of the formal celebration.
Speaking at the event, Simermeyer challenged other businesses and levels of government to match SC Johnson's contributions to downtown revitalization.
She also spoke about the initiatives the company has taken to become a greener company.
SC Johnson introduced water-based aerosols in 1955 and voluntarily eliminated CFCs from its aerosol products in 1975, a decade before it was legally required.
The company also became the first to adopt new ingredient transparency regulations, allowing consumers to see what went into making their household products, she said.
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SC JOHNSON , A BRIEF HISTORY
1919-Herbert Fisk Johnson is traveling by train to Toronto to find a location for a Canadian factory, when he strikes up a conversation with Morris Mann McBride, Brantford's mayor. McBride convinces Johnson to locate the company's Canadian facility in Brantford.
1920-SC Johnson and Son open its factory in Brantford with 12 employees making four varieties of Johnson's polishing wax for wood.
Today-SC Johnson Canada employs approximately 12,000 people around the world including more than 400 in Canada with the bulk of its Canadian employees working at its headquarters on Webster Street in Brantford.
SC Johnsonis a family-owned and managed business. Its world-wide headquarters is in Racine, Wisc., and the company manufactures household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care and insect control. Brand names include Glade, OFF, Pledge, Raid, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout and Windex, to name just a few.
Known as an outstanding corporate citizen, SC Johnson Canada was named Company of the Year, at the recent Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant business excellence awards gala.
SC Johnson Canadawas recognized as a Great Place to Work in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute for the fifth year in a row. It was ranked 44th on the list of 75 companies and received special recognition in the Pride category. Companies are ranked based on employee survey scores in five core areas including credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie, as well as an in-depth review of the company's culture including evaluation of human resource policies and procedures.
On Thursday,SC Johnson Canada celebrated its 90th anniversary and donated $1 million to Laurier Brantford to transform the former CIBC building at the corner of Market and Dalhousie streets into a multi-use facility to house the business program being developed by the university. The facility will include a new Centre for Co-operative Education, Career Development and Experiential Learning, as well as administrative offices and alumni relations. A portion of the funds will support a proposed athletics-recreation facility in partnership with the YMCA to give Laurier students and the wider Brantford community a multi-use facility.
