New Hampshire Business of the Year
Each
year the New Hampshire Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and
Business New Hampshire Magazine honor companies who have made outstanding
contributions to their communities and their industries. This year, Hitchiner
Manufacturing Co., Inc. was selected as the manufacturing and technology
Business of the Year.
The May 1999 Business New Hampshire Magazine features a profile on Hitchiner outlining the reasons for the company's selection for this honor. The article focuses on Hitchiner's ability to "act locally but think globally."
Hitchiner is the world leader in the production of high-volume investment castings, and its newly completed Automated Casting Facility, located one mile from corporate headquarters in Milford, New Hampshire, will extend that lead. Hitchiner's customer base includes the most prominent forces in industry, such as the General Motors Corp., Chrysler, Ford, BMW, General Electric, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Callaway Golf.
Hitchiner's support of the local community was also cited as a factor in this award. The company's contributions to the arts, education, and community welfare were praised. Giving back to the community has been the Hitchiner tradition for more than five decades. This support means more than the donation of tens of thousands of dollars per year to area charities and nonprofits, it also involves the commitment of its human resources. The company regularly provides employees with the flexibility to engage in civic activities and community affairs. According to Hitchiner President and CEO John Morison, III, "The donation of employee time not only helps the town, but we also receive the benefit from what our employees learn."
Much of the company's success is attributed to the talent and ingenuity of its dedicated long-service work force, many of whom have been with the company for thirty years or more. The company has had a profit sharing plan in effect since 1950, and according to Morison, the philosophies of sharing of profit and risk, of working as a team, are more important now than ever. "With the rapid pace of change in technology and the amount of information flow, there's a lot of good reason for people to work as a team. It's too difficult for one person to control. By sharing responsibility, there is more of a chance of dealing with the onslaught of information. I think that will be the key to success in the future."
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Last modified and validated 21-May-1999.
