Belden Brick celebrates 140 years with employee reunion in Sugarcreek

Not many companies can claim to have been around for 140 years, but one local company is making that claim this year, and in doing so, one of the things it has strived to do is celebrate that monumental accomplishment with everyone who has been instrumental in the ongoing legacy of the company.

On Saturday, Oct. 18, The Belden Brick Company threw a festive gala for all its employees, both current and past, inviting them to Plant 8 in Sugarcreek to enjoy a day of fellowship, a meal and a chance to reconnect.

More importantly, it gave the leadership team at Belden Brick a chance to thank the many people who have helped the company thrive over the past 140 years.

“These are the people who have helped to make us what we are today,” said Bob T. Belden, chairman and board CEO of the company.

Belden, who is fifth-generation ownership in the company, said that while it has been family-owned and operated for 140 years, the employees are every bit as much of the family as ever.

 “This has always been a family company, and we consider all our employees an extended part of our family,” Belden said. “We can’t do what we do without them.”

Belden said that many years ago, his great-grandfather, Paul Belden, said moving the facility to Sugarcreek was the best thing that ever happened to the company.

“We had factories all over, including Uhrichsville, Canton, Port Washington and Sommerset,” Belden said. “But when we came together here in Sugarcreek in 1946, it changed the trajectory of the company. It brought us together with a workforce with the heart unparalleled work ethic.”

He said being part of the fabric of Sugarcreek is a relationship that the company has cherished for decades, and they love investing in the community and continuing to build ties that bind in the close-knit community.

“Sugarcreek is a special place to each of us, and we are grateful to those who have helped us develop our vision of what we can be,” Belden said.

“This is an important time for us because it develops community and employee engagement,” said Shauna Kreger, manager of corporate health and safety. “We care about each one of these people and hopefully this means as much to them as it does to the Belden family.”

Kreger went on to say that to bring in as many former employees as they could, they put sign-up sheets around the time clocks and reached out individually to former employees.

The turnout of more than 350 people showed that it was an important day for the employees, who shared a full barbecue chicken dinner while listening to music and enjoying games for the kids, along with some free giveaways for all in attendance.

Most importantly, there was plenty of time to fellowship and share in one another’s lives.

“We have a lot of generations of people here today, and we’re honored and excited to have everyone together for this celebration,” said Jim Zwick, manager of Plant 8. “We really looked forward to doing this because these are the people who have been the backbone of the company, and it gives us a chance to celebrate the family culture the company strives to promote.”

Prior to this event, the company invested big in its celebration in another way, that being a gathering at the National Football Hall of Fame in Canton, where it invited dealership partners for an outing.

It was another way to celebrate the people who have been instrumental in the success of the company.

“We were able to celebrate there with a few hundred people and explore the history of Belden Brick,” Zwick said.

Jennifer Tedrow has been a glaze line operator for four years with the company. She said she is very appreciative of the company taking the time to invest in planning an event like this that honors the many people who work there.

“It’s a neat way to bring us all together because there are so many people from all the plants I don’t know,” Tedrow said. “It’s a really big turnout, and what a great chance to relax and get to know people outside of work.”

The beauty and durability of brick have been a lasting standard for The Belden Brick Company. Belden said he hopes that those same qualities exemplify the relationship of the company and its many employees.