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Newell Rubbermaid Power Brands Support Students Competing in National SkillsUSA Championships
CEO Joe Galli to Deliver Closing Address at SkillsUSA Awards Ceremony
NASCAR Driver Kurt Busch and LENOX Team Hackman® to support Newell Rubbermaid’s sponsorship
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 14, 2004) – For the third consecutive year, Newell Rubbermaid Power Brands including IRWIN® Industrial Tools, LENOX® hand tools and power tool accessories, Calphalon® cookware, Sharpie® permanent markers and Rubbermaid® Commercial Products are providing the latest professional equipment for more than 4,200 high school, post-secondary and technical students vying for awards and recognition at the national SkillsUSA Championships June 24-25, 2004, in Kansas City, Mo.
As a lead corporate sponsor, Newell Rubbermaid provides funding, product donations and skilled labor to support SkillsUSA’s year-round training and educational programs as well as its national conference and competitions. Contributions from Newell Rubbermaid and its family of brands qualify the company as one of three "4-Star Club" SkillsUSA sponsors.
"Students who qualify for the SkillsUSA Championships are the best in their industries, and what better way to showcase their talents than with the use of high-quality products," says Newell Rubbermaid CEO Joe Galli. "We want to be these students’ brands of choice now and throughout their careers. We are proud to support SkillsUSA and contribute to the education and training of America’s future workforce."
Galli will attend the Championships and deliver the closing address at the June 25th awards ceremony at Kemper Arena, inspiring students to maintain their drive and determination as they move forward pursuing their careers.
Newell Rubbermaid Support Spans State and National Competitions
Newell Rubbermaid’s contributions to SkillsUSA begin with the state competitions that qualify students for the national contests. IRWIN® Industrial Tools (makers of VISE-GRIP® locking pliers, MARATHON® saw blades and other professional-grade hand tools and power tool accessories) sponsors select building and construction categories for 17 state-level SkillsUSA competitions, providing products for use in competition and as awards for winners. IRWN also contributes vouchers to help state champions travel to Kansas City for the national competitions. Other Power Brands involved with state-level competitions include LENOX and Rubbermaid Commercial Products, which provide products for competition.
At the national-level Championships, Newell Rubbermaid Power Brands support 38 individual SkillsUSA competition categories with donations of professional products and prizes. However, there are six competitions that rely heavily on several of Newell Rubbermaid’s Power Brands – residential wiring, carpentry, sheet metal, plumbing, culinary arts and building maintenance. In addition to receiving products, these contests benefit from the industry expertise of IRWIN, Calphalon and Rubbermaid Commercial Products employees who serve on technical committees and the panel of judges.
NASCAR Driver Kurt Busch and LENOX Team Hackman® to Join Festivities
In addition to supporting competitions and educational programs, Newell Rubbermaid adds excitement to the SkillsUSA Championships by giving students an opportunity to meet several celebrities. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Kurt Busch and Lee "Hackman" Breton will make appearances at the IRWIN workshop.
Thursday, June 24th from noon until 2pm, Busch, driver of the No. 97 IRWIN Ford Taurus, will sign autographs and draw the name of one lucky SkillsUSA student who will receive two tickets and an all-travel-expenses paid trip to an upcoming NASCAR race, the Sharpie 500 in Bristol, Tenn., August 28, 2004.
LENOX Team Hackman will hold a contest Thursday, June 24th at 12:30pm between team founder Lee "Hackman" Breton and team member Josh McCain to see who can cut a car in half the fastest using a LENOX reciprocating saw blade. Team Hackman is a team of five master cutters who travel the world (including a Super Bowl appearance) demonstrating the strength of LENOX saw blades and their impressive cutting skills by cutting cars, buses, houses, planes, trains and anything else they can get their hands on.
SkillsUSA Experience Translates Into Career Success for Former Champions
Several current Newell Rubbermaid employees got their start in SkillsUSA training programs. At the awards ceremony, Galli will recognize two Newell Rubbermaid employees who were former SkillsUSA participants -- reinforcing the importance of SkillsUSA training to current champions soon entering the workforce.
"SkillsUSA put me in touch with professional mentors at a young age and gave me the opportunity to develop skills I use professionally to this day," says Dalyn Montgomery, a Newell Rubbermaid field marketing representative.
Pamela Denison, sous chef at the Calphalon Culinary Center in Chicago, expresses similar thoughts about her SkillsUSA experience.
"The hands-on experience and focus on leadership development provided me with a foundation that many of my peers didn’t have," says Denison.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and service occupations. State and national championships include competitions in healthcare, television production, graphic communications, building and construction, culinary arts and other skilled areas. The organization has more than 264,000 members in 13,000 chapters and 54 state and territorial associations. Student membership in SkillsUSA offers leadership, citizenship and character development programs and activities to complement skill training. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.
About Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid Inc. is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products with 2003 sales of $7 billion and a powerful brand family including Sharpie®, Paper Mate®, Parker®, Waterman®, Rubbermaid®, Calphalon®, Little Tikes®, Graco®, Levolor®, VISE-GRIP®, BernzOmatic®, IRWIN® and LENOX®. The company, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., employs approximately 40,000 people worldwide.
