Confer Plastics, Inc.

We are currently in the process of enrolling in New York's Adopt-a-Highway program. The company will be adopting the stretch of River Road that runs from the northwest end of Gratwick Park to the entrance road to the City marina and Lumberjack's grill. We are doing this because our neighborhood, the Gratwick neighborhood, is critical to North Tonawanda. It is, in a way, a gateway to the Lumber City and the Niagara River. Coming from Niagara Falls, it's the first thing visit...ors see when entering the NT city limits. Also, for many WNYers, Gratwick Park might offer one of the first or only visit to North Tonawanda in a given year if they attend an event or concert at the park or launch their boat. Too often, this stretch of River Road, especially in the ditches on the north side, is full of trash from commuters passing through the city -- coffee cups, fast food bags, trash. Starting in March or April (upon approval by the state), once a month a half dozen Confer personnel will clean this stretch of road. Adopt-a-Highway requires 4 cleanings a year, but we will do 12 because we want this stretch to be perpetually clean to show visitors and passers-by the beauty of North Tonawanda and the Niagara River riverfront.

Who else was lucky enough to ride one of these sleds growing up? This week we had an inquiry from someone who did and he wanted to know if we still make them (we get a few such emails every year). Sadly, we don't make them anymore. ... The Louis Marx Toy Company, the one-time toy giant that was based in the United States, contracted with us to make these popular blue sleds in the mid-1970s just prior to that company's 1978 collapse (after it had been in business since 1919). These sleds were sold by the thousands throughout the Northeast and could be found in stores like Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward's. Many Generation Xers of colder climes remember riding on them and, surprisingly, many of their parents still have the sleds! They have held up to the test of time and over 45 years later they can still hit the slopes. That's what you call quality manufacturing!

48 years ago this past Friday, Confer Plastics was formed. A question often posed by people who tour the plant is: "Why did you guys pick North Tonawanda?" Well, it's like the old real estate adage: Location, location, location. ... And, it was also people, people, people. When Ray Confer looked at all the options back in the early 1970s -- Lockport, Batavia, Medina, etc. -- North Tonawanda provided the best and perfect location for a manufacturer to set-up shop. The manufacturing infrastructure of NT and the proximity to Niagara Falls and Buffalo provided access to supplies, suppliers, and vendors who all knew production. The nearness to various interstate highways provided ease in distributing our products or receiving our materials. The closeness to the Canadian border provided quick access to a whole country, a whole economy. North Tonawanda also provided the perfect people for a manufacturer to set-up shop. The City had a workforce who understood manufacturing and what it took with mind and hands to make things and do things. The city government proved easy to work with, as they cared about their residents, businesses, neighborhoods and economy. The residents and fellow small businesses had a deep sense of community and togetherness. All of those positives still hold true to this day. We've appreciated the Lumber City hosting our headquarters for almost 50 years. Thank you, NT residents, for having us as a member of the community. North Tonawanda is Confer Plastics' "home"...and it always will be. We look forward to many more years of being your neighbor and proudly manufacturing in the USA, proudly manufacturing in NT.

Not only is it the company's birthday today, it's also the birthday of Vicki. We love the symmetry in that. Here she is being celebrated last year, before Covid, when things were normal.... Despite the abnormalities of the Covid world, there is something that continues to be normal: Vicki's dedication to work and our customers and her enjoyment of the camaraderie of her coworkers. She's been part of our team for 39 years. 39 years! She packs the hardware and instructions bags that go with our swimming pool and spa products. Think of the countless customers she's helped supply over her career -- the number is easily well over a million! Impressive. Thank you, Vicki, for being one-in-a-million. Enjoy your day.

Today's Christmas luncheon takes on special meaning. Beyond a gift for our team we also look at it as supporting a local business that has, like all restaurants, been harmed by lockdowns. We strongly encourage businesses and consumers to support your local eateries as best as you can! You need food, they need you, our communities need them! ... Host a luncheon, get takeout, buy gift cards as Christmas gifts...help local restaurants like J And L Boulevard Bbq or your favorite cafe weather the storm that has been 2020. We're all in this together.

We're getting closer to the half century mark! Confer Plastics turns 48 years old this week! THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to the individual American Dreams of our coworkers, customers, and community. We couldn't do it without you.

When people donate food to food pantries, it’s usually canned goods that kids all too often aren’t much interested in eating. That’s why Pete Robinson of Lockport founded the Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive in 2010: He wanted to provide local needy families with foods that kids enjoy. This year's PB&J Drive begins on November 1st and goes till December 10th with donation bins for unopened jars of peanut butter, jelly, and marshmallow Fluff being set up all over the Niagara Fron...tier. We are a drop-off site for North Tonawanda and we have already put out the collection bin to get a jump on the drive. If you’d like to donate some jars of peanut butter or jelly or fluff, the blue drop-off bin is just inside the front door of our office. Your donations will go a long ways in helping to keep needy kids fed. In each of the past few drives, folks here at the plant donated more than 90 jars a year that were given to local food pantries. This year, the drive takes on special meaning because the COVID crisis has sent so many more families into poverty and food pantries. Most businesses haven’t been at full strength like we have. If the blue bins throughout Niagara County look familiar, you might remember that we made 130 blue collection bins for the drive.

Here's a photo of Dennis Lederhouse from 30 years ago. Today, we celebrate him for having reached 35 years with the company. Over that time Dennis has been the face of CPI in the pool and spa industry as our VP of Sales. We appreciate the character, trust, class and drive he has shown in that role...he has represented our company, coworkers, and products incredibly well. Happy 35, Dennis! Are you game for another 35 more? :)

We will be closed Monday for Columbus Day. We usually aren't but 2020 is a different kind of year. The statewide Covid shutdown occurred during Easter and we didn't want our team to lose the holiday, so we moved it to October 12. Enjoy the awesomeness of autumn this long weekend!

We're incredibly proud of our team and how everyone is handling COVID. So far this year, 45 of our coworkers have been tested for COVID due to symptoms and exposures outside of the workplace. 14 of those have occurred since November 1 as Western New York is seeing an explosive increase in the number of cases. Among the 45 tests over the past six months, only 2 were positive (and without a workplace exposure). ... Considering we've got 200 people here and how the rest of WNY -- and the entire USA and Canada, for that matter -- look, everyone's doing a GREAT job with protocols and management of situations, whether it's Nick the Covid guy overseeing and tracing potential exposures, or everyone following our rules and paying attention to what they do and how they feel. Everyone here is looking out for everyone else. They know they have to protect our older coworkers. They know they have to protect the many, many families here who have babies and toddlers. They know they have to protect the company and our customers. We're proud and thankful for what everyone is doing. These are some strange times, for sure, and they have stepped up to the plate...awesomely.

Pundits and political analysts have in this election cycle painted those without college degrees in a negative light. In this week's newspaper column our own Bob Confer defends the so-called "uneducated". As he puts it: "...our ranks are filled by men and women who understand the physical and mental work and ingenuity needed to make the things that consumers desire. They do magic, using science, technology, skill, brain and brawn to transform plastic into products." https://www.thedailynewsonline.com//article_fb251b58-b7b7-

This month, we'll be delivering a Christmas present to Royalton-Hartland School District -- a few dozen gourds (that we make), a couple of racks/towers to hang them from, and some learning materials so the Elementary School students can attract, raise and learn about purple martins. This will give them some insight into the bird world and complement the awesome natural science program run by teachers Jessica Monaco and Susan McLaughlin -- Grow With Us: Seeing, Doing and Learning.

The machine build is making good progress. Yesterday, Clark Rigging put the head on the machine

Daniel was recently promoted at the plant. He's now a member of the maintenance crew. His knowledge and skills in auto repair will provide a great foundation for what's needed in preventive maintenance, machinery upgrades, and repairs of our 20 blow molding machines.

Today was a bittersweet day at the plant. Leon Majka went into retirement. We're happy for Leon and his freedom to enjoy his golden years, but we're sad to see him leave.... He started working at the plant in 1979. Think about that. The 1970s. And, here it is 2020. 41 years he worked at Confer Plastics, starting here at the tender age of 23. We appreciate the camaraderie we've had and everything he's done in various roles as a set-up guy, technician, and foreman -- a jack-of-all-trades. In this photo, he was even a tour guide at our Forty Year Open House in 2013. We wish Leon the best in retirement...there will be plenty of fishing, hunting, and time with family. Enjoy it, Leon. You deserve it.

Later this week, Darius Myles and his crew will be starting some projects on the infrastructure at our facilities. We highly recommend Darius. The young man and his crew at DMYLES INC. have done many projects for us in the past on our parking lots, driveways, roads and docks -- and every time we've received efficient, high-quality work with a smile. If you'd like Darius to tackle your commercial/industrial/government project he can be reached at 716.909.0718 or [email protected]. Check out his website at: https://www.dmylesinc.com/

Congratulations to two members of our team -- Chrissy and Jay -- who got married this past weekend!

Recently a few of our coworkers -- like Alex -- were promoted. He is being trained on our set-up crew. His duties will consist of changing molds and tooling and then tuning-in that job. With some of the biggest blow molding machines in the USA, it's not easy. But, Alex is up to the task!

It's #NationalManufacturingDay, a day to celebrate the people, processes and products of #MadeInTheUSA manufacturers. Please, "Buy American": The manufacturing sector is doing what we can, every day, to help our coworkers, customers and communities live the American Dream.

You have to love the magical powers and teamwork of Lockport's Clark Rigging. They got the frame of the new machine through the door (tight fit!), had to turn it in tight quarters and then were able to squeeze it through an equally difficult door. Impressive!

Recently, a few folks in the plant got promotions. One of them is Keith. He is being trained on how to clean our blenders and grinders. He will also take on regrind management -- tracking inventory of and managing our re-usage/re-cycling of our process waste. Congrats, Keith!

More pics from today's special delivery

Today's the day that the big parts of our new machine get unloaded. What a day it is! The rain is at times quite heavy, the winds strong and the temperatures dropping. But, our two rigging companies -- Clark Rigging of Lockport, New York and Bob Miller Rigging of Findlay, Ohio -- are up to the task! Two rigging companies? ... That's an outcome of New York's travel advisory. Ohio, where we got the machine, has been on and off New York's list. We couldn't risk a rigging company having to quarantine for 14 days because of the state's rules -- so Miller did the disassembly in Ohio and the delivery to New York while Clark does the unloading and assembly in New York. We appreciate the hard work and team work by both companies and their teams -- Miller was efficiently done well ahead of schedule and Clark was able to react to the immediate need for unloading. Awesome people at both organizations!