Category: Community

It’s the middle of October and spooky season is in full swing across the Valley. This evening, the Ziegenfelder Company and Books with Badges again joined forces to host Books & Boos. The event took place in front of Ziegenfelder’s on 18th Street and featured a trunk-or-treat, and a costume contest–all while Books & Boos accepted book donations from the public.

The Ziegenfelder Company celebrated a major recognition this week at the QCS Purchasing Leadership Conference in Austin, Texas. The company received the QCS Member Leadership Award.

The recognition was based on the Zieggy Tribe’s overall sales growth, increased participation and increased engagement. Purchasing and Cost Analyst Greg Mertes attended the conference and accepted the award on behalf of The Ziegenfelder Company.

Just over four weeks ago, members of the Zieggy Tribe evacuated The Ziegenfelder Company production facility in Wheeling. They watched flames engulf a part of the building housing Room 1, the first production room of The Ziegenfelder Company. With fire destroying two production lines, the company’s main office and several other spaces important to the pop-making process, it was unclear when or IF pops would be made again.

“Two concerns were our employees with being able to keep them employed and working,” says Kevin Heller, Chief Operations Officer of The Ziegenfelder Company, “And the second concern was our customers and our consumers. We are now able to supply our treats and they’re able to buy them.”  

The Zieggy Tribe celebrates a week later as Wheeling’s remaining five lines in Room 2 and 3 are up and running. Tribe members and company leaders personally know what it took to achieve that major milestone.

“Not only are we rising up from the fire circumstances in Wheeling and moving that plant forward, we are also maintaining a focus on all facilities,” says Jennifer Bilcze, Talent Acquisition Manager. “We may not be completely ‘business as usual’ given our recent circumstances, but as a Tribe we are pushing to get there.”

Company leaders credit training and team building, providing support across all three plant locations with extra staffing, and enhanced strategy development and deployment.

“To ensure peak performance from all of our plants, we have all shifts over staffed,” said Jessa Stobbs, who works in the company’s human resources department. “ For example, we have extra operators and reliefs scheduled to help with rework so we are getting the highest percent out of our case counts. Some have changed shifts to help out. By changing shifts, they are meeting, working, and growing new relationships with other tribe members. Plus, we have Wheeling Tribe members working on a rotating schedule between Denver and Wheeling. This helped keep Denver staffed well and allowed our Wheeling Tribe members to continue working during the Wheeling plant rebuild. By building a stronger bridge between our three plants, our tribe members feel united as one.”

Although the exact plan for Wheeling’s rebuild seems unclear at the moment, the Zieggy Tribe is committed to facing the future together.

“Everyone is pitching in and has been doing work that may fall outside of their job description to make forward progress happen,” said Bilcze. “It’s very inspiring!”

“We will need additional production for the future to replace what we lost and also for our future growth,” said Heller. “We will put production lines in. I don’t know when yet. I don’t know exactly where in that space. We’re in that planning phase right now.”

An amazing community partnership formed in Wheeling after the fire at The Ziegenfelder Company to help members of our Zieggy Tribe. Those responsible for forming this program gathered at Catholic Charities West Virginia Neighborhood Center on 18th Street in Wheeling to release the details.

More than a half-dozen donors, community foundations and organizations came together to help members of our Zieggy Tribe by forming the Ziegenfelder Employee Emergency Assistance Services program. The project is designed to help Zieggy Tribe members who work out of the Wheeling plant when they encounter financial difficulties during emergency situations.

Zieggy Tribe member Felix Sharp received help from the program. He spoke at the gathering and thanked donors and program organizers. Sharp explained, “It’s not a hand out. It’s a hand up. You just have to ask for help. People are there to help.”

You’ll recall fire ripped through the Wheeling plant known for making Budget Saver Twin and Monster Pops on January 31, 2019.  The tragedy resulted in acknowledgement by community partners that potential job displacement could follow emergency situations.

Generous donations poured in after the Ziegenfelder fire through efforts by Temple Shalom, JB Chambers Foundation, Shank Foundation, Catholic Charities West Virginia, Our Lady of Peace, Youth Services Systems, and many more private and anonymous sources. Those supporting the partnership recognize the largest community impact happens when everyone works TOGETHER to serve and support our neighbors where needed most.

The Zieggy Tribe has a long history of providing employment opportunities to people looking to get back on their feet with a fresh start. This partnership aims to provide emergency basic needs support and ongoing holistic case management services to employees of The Ziegenfelder Company as individualized needs arise. The program will be overseen and administered by CCWA Case Managers.