nVent is Rise’s largest work site and its longest-tenured

A sense of community has always been a defining feature of the nVent facility in Anoka, Minn. From participating in the annual Halloween parade to volunteering with local charitable organizations, nVent employees in Anoka are connected with the community. One important way nVent participates in the local community is through its relationship with Rise.

Rise is a nonprofit organization committed to helping people with disabilities and other challenges find success in life. It provides a wide range of individualized services, but a key element of Rise is its work placement program. For the last four decades, a group of Rise employees has worked at the nVent facility in Anoka. nVent is Rise’s largest work site as well as its longest-tenured.

“None of the work we do at Rise can happen without partnerships with businesses and community organizations. To help people be successful and work, we need to partner with businesses and to get people involved in their communities,” said Rise CEO Lynn Noren.

In addition to nVent being a large Rise work site, several nVent employees also have served as directors on the Rise board, and helped other businesses understand how they could partner with Rise. Anne Holoch is an HR director at nVent and Rise board member.

“We have nearly 70 Rise team members, and some have worked for us for more than 25 years,” said Holoch. “You can’t help but smile when working with the Rise team as they have such pride in the work they do for our nVent HOFFMAN brand.”

According to Noren, working at nVent has helped Rise employees develop important relationships and personal confidence.

“When you meet someone the first thing you ask them is what they do for work. That’s all we want in society—to feel like we have value and add value. Work is how people build self-esteem,” said Noren.

Whether through their work on kitting activities like placing screws and small parts in assembly bags to ship with nVent HOFFMAN enclosures or assisting in paint areas and with custodial work at the facility, Rise employees plays an essential role in helping nVent meet customer commitments.

“With nearly 70 team members working at our site, Rise has been an integral part of the nVent team.  Their pride and dedication to the work they do every day is critical,” said Misty Kendall, the production control manager whose team plans the work orders that the Rise team builds. “Thank you, Rise, for being such an important part of our team!”

Josh, a Rise employee from Andover, Minn., has worked at nVent for three years on midline in the painting department. He said he enjoys how active his work is and that it has helped him make more connections in his community.

“I like how it’s always different every day. I like staying busy,” Josh said. “I’d like to stay here for a while.”

The relationship between Rise and nVent will keep evolving as both organizations grow, but Rise employees are, and will continue to be, essential members of the nVent team.