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Community Involvement is One of Precision Plus’s Pillars of Business Strength

Michael Reader

By Barry Butters

As a company, Precision Plus maintains multiple metrics to measure our progress. These metrics are generally comparisons of where we are today compared to where we were last year, last month, and perhaps even yesterday. As anyone who sets goals knows, it’s the process of always chasing the elusive next level that leads us forward. However, when the dust settles and there is that moment of clarity for the big picture, one asks, “Is there more to life than business?” The Reader family, who has owned Precision Plus Inc. since 1988, keeps that big picture in focus and has generously supported the local community and organizations that serve, protect and care for us in times of need.

“Contributing positively to our community and environment” is one tenant of the pillar of Integrity that Precision Plus has built into its business vision. The company gifts monies to a number of organizations that serve and protect: Elkhorn Fire Department, the National Fire Safety Council, and the Sharon American Legion. Adding to that list, Mike Reader is leading a campaign through the PMPA to support a group called “Workshop for Warriors,” which is a non-profit organization dedicated to training, certifying, and placing veterans in manufacturing careers.

Support from Precision Plus extends especially deep into the education community, adding financial support to its ongoing efforts to educate the area’s best and brightest students on careers in manufacturing. Among the organizations that have received this support:

  • The 4-H of Walworth County
  • The E-TECH Club of Elkhorn Area High School, a group of high school and middle school students who participate in First Robotics and promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives in the younger grades.
  • Beloit Memorial High School’s group, similar to E-TECH that is involved in establishing a local FIRST Robotics Community in the Beloit School District
  • Wisconsin Project Lead the Way (PLTW) –  Precision Plus was a lead sponsor for the PLTW State Teachers Conference held in Pewaukee on December 9th. At the conference, Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch addressed the state’s PLTW teachers who are working in conjunction with the PLTW program through the Milwaukee School of Engineering to stimulate interest in careers in engineering in Wisconsin’s youth.

The Readers have also supported organizations that advance the treatment, prevention and search for a cure to cancer related illness. They generously support U.W Carbone Cancer Center and the H Foundation,  as well as the MCGMO Golf Outing for cancer prevention.

What is clear from these efforts is that Precision Plus pays attention to more than just its own bottom line. The Reader Family, the company, and its employees are committed to improving the metrics of the community.

 

Precision Plus of Elkhorn Wisconsin Sponsors the Elkhorn Technology and Engineering Club (E-TECH)

Michael Reader

A group of students from Elkhorn High School has established a club called the Elkhorn Technology and Engineering Club (E-TECH).  The group’s officers include President Hunter Parks, Vice President Allan Russell, Director of Technology Alex Roberts, Secretary Maria Vigueras, and Treasurer Jessica Flock.

Officers of Elkhorn Area High School’s E-TECH Club visit Precision Plus

The mission of the club is to introduce Elkhorn Area School District youth–from kindergarten through high school–to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Their initial goal was to start a program within their school district where kids could learn about topics such as electronics, motion, and the engineering process through hands-on experiences, such as building robots and electronic devices and participating in competitions.

Their second emphasis was to empower the younger generation to invent and innovate in order to make a path towards a brighter future. Participation in the E-TECH Club fosters an interest in the math and science disciplines and promotes successful strategies for teamwork, problem solving, and sportsmanship

The group competes in the First Lego League, First Tech Challenge, Gateway College’s Sumo Bot Competition, West Point Bridge Building Competition, and the Future City Project.  The club is seeking sponsorship to expand the number of students able to participate in competitions and to expand their involvement to include elementary school students.

Members of the E-TECH Club meet with Mike Reader of Precision Plus and Gary Huss of Hudapack to discuss sponsorship.

At a meeting held at Precision Plus on July 19, 2013, the group met with Mike Reader of Precision Plus Inc. and Gary Huss from Hudapack to inform them of their mission and goals as well as to request sponsorship.  Precision Plus and Hudapack both committed $500 as “Gold Sponsors” of the club.  The students then took a tour of the Precision Plus facility.

Mike Reader resonated with the goals and aspirations of the students in the E-TECH Club.  He added, “The students display great problem-solving skills combined with strong math and science backgrounds. These are the type of young individuals manufacturing needs.  Exposing these great minds to the possibilities of manufacturing will certainly contribute to closing the gap.”

Elkhorn Area High School’s E-TECH Club tours
Precision Plus led by Mike Reader.

Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus, has also committed to help supervise some of the club’s activities.  Butters is a former teacher at Elkhorn High School, having taught advanced placement math courses including statistics and calculus, as well as Introduction to Engineering Design, a “Project Lead the Way” course.