Pella marks 100 years with new, diverse workforce
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Photo: Courtesy of Pella Corp.
As Pella Corporation celebrates its centennial this year, the Iowa-based window and door manufacturer is embracing a very different workforce than the one it started with.
Why it matters: Founded in a predominantly Dutch and majority-white community, Pella Corp. has adapted to a changing America and diversified its manufacturing workforce in response to ongoing labor shortages.
Zoom out: The U.S. manufacturing industry is facing a historic labor shortage, with an estimated gap of 4 million jobs by 2030, says Karmen Gardner, spokesperson for Pella Corp.
State of play: Over 30% of workers at Pella's manufacturing plants in places like Carroll and Sioux Center are Hispanic, and the company is investing in making its workplace more inclusive for those who speak English as a second language, Gardner says.
- Pella has rolled out bilingual training for English and Spanish speakers, Spanish-translated instructions, and handheld translation devices called Pocketalks on the factory floor.
- It also launched a new internal platform, Pella Connect, which allows employees to read company messages in their preferred language.
Zoom in: Between 2017 and 2022, the number of Pella's ELL employees at the Sioux Center plant grew from none to about a third of its roughly 400 employees, per the N'West Iowa Review.
- Before the changes, non-English speakers would not have been considered for employment, a Sioux Center production manager told the Review. However, the changes have occurred as the company seeks to expand its market share nationwide.
By the numbers: The company employs 10,000 people and operates 18 manufacturing plants, with growth plans targeted in the South and West, where populations are growing, Gardner says.
- Most of the company's recent growth has occurred outside of Pella, according to the Business Record. They've expanded their product offerings to include hurricane-impact-rated windows and doors, and have increased their manufacturing footprint in locations such as Miami and California.
- In Iowa, labor shortages are consistently listed as a top concern by business leaders.
The intrigue: The company was founded in 1925 by Pete Kuyper, a Dutch businessman who invented a window screen that rolled up and down like a shade.
- Pella, a "city of refuge" mentioned in the Bible, was named that after hundreds of Dutch immigrants came to Iowa seeking religious freedom.
- And that name still holds meaning with the company's diversifying workforce, Gardner says.
Yes, but: With the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, Gardner notes that immigrant workers have been important for America as a whole "... and certainly our businesses as well."
- "The biggest headwind to any company in our industry is the talent shortage," Gardner says. "So the more we can do to bring people into our country legally is great for our industry."