THERESA RETIRES AFTER 32 + YEARS

Make sure you say “good bye” to Theresa Fronczak this week.

Friday will be her last day at the plant after 32 years of service to Confer Plastics and our customers. She may be back for a few days in late August to lend a hand, but for all intents and purposes she’ll be joining the ranks of retirement at week’s end. She’s looking forward to spending quality time with her army of cute grandkids.

Theresa started at Confer Plastics on March 22nd, 1979 back when we operated out of the old Roblin Steel facility off of East Ave in North Tonawanda (and Bob Confer was just over 4 years old).

She started as a machine operator (she still has her knife!) and soon moved to the front office where she’s been ever since. Her duties consist of preparing a variety of correspondence for our custom clients, ranging from letters to reports to quotes to invoices. She has been an important part of our administrative/customer relations functions -- and the Confer extended family -- and she will be missed.

Here is a classic Theresa photo from 1986 when we just moved into the Witmer Road facility…

FORSEY JOINS 20 YEAR CLUB

The Twenty Year Club welcomed its 23rd member this Monday when Annette Forsey celebrated two decades of employment at Confer Plastics.

The LaSalle High graduate, who now calls North Tonawanda home, started working here on July 25th, 1991 after stints at Solar Drape in Tonawanda and Finishing Enterprises at Wulitzer Park in NT. To put that era into perspective, her wage at Finishing Enterprises when she left there was $3.85.

Annette was a machine operator for a while before making the permanent move to the secondaries department where since 1992 she has packed swimming pool ladder hardware and done other tasks. In a typical year, she and her partner in crime Vicki might pack between 50,000 and 60,000 hardware bags. So, over her 20 years, she helped pack nearly 1 million of them!

How long ago was July of 1991? Ponder this glimpse at the history of that month:

• Serial killer Jeffery Dahmer was arrested after the remains of 11 men and boys were found in his apartment
• Mike Tyson was arrested for raping a Miss Black America Contestant
• The United States and Soviet Union signed the first ever START Treaty, limiting nuclear arms
• India announced its New Industrial Policy, setting it on the path to total economic reform
• Boris Yeltsin began his first term as the first elected president of Russia

CONFER PLASTICS' SHUTDOWN WEEK

Confer Plastics will be closed from Saturday, August 6th through Sunday, August 14th. This is our annual shutdown week & plant-wide vacation.

The scheduling of this shutdown gives our coworkers some time to rest and enjoy the summer with their families. It also gives us time to focus on preventive maintenance of our blow molding machines and electrical infrastructure.

No manufacturing or assembly will be occurring during that week. There will, though, be a skeleton crew on site to handle shipping and receiving as well as some basic business functions over abbreviated hours (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).

If you would like to ensure shipments during this period, please get in touch with your Confer Plastics contact as soon as possible so accommodations can be made.

We hope that you’re having an enjoyable summer!

CUSTOMER CONFUSION OVER SWIMMING POOLS

Many people call us inquiring about parts for their swimming pools. Sorry, but we manufacture/distribute only ladders, steps and Skim-Its for pools. All other pool supplies (the pools themselves, filters, covers, etc.) are produced by numerous other companies.