MonoSol, a division of Kuraray, has been named a Best and Brightest Company to Work For in the nation for the third year by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR).

 

The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For award recognizes organizations that represent best practices in human resources and strong commitments to their employees. The winning companies are assessed by an independent research firm based on key measures such as compensation, benefits and employee solutions, employee enrichment, engagement, retention and work-life balance. In 2018, NABR awarded this distinction to only 512 organizations out of 2,400 nominations from across the country.

 

“We have a strong and ongoing commitment to create opportunities for our employees to excel, learn and grow their skills and career paths, and we take great pride in earning this esteemed award for the past three years,” said P. Scott Bening, president and CEO, MonoSol LLC. “2018 was a year of great accomplishment and continued growth for MonoSol. Our success, as well as that of our customers, is made possible only through the daily dedication to excellence from all our employees.”

 

MonoSol’s recent workplace initiatives include the expansion of new office and laboratory space at its headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana. Beyond accommodating the company’s continued growth, the expansion fosters its strong innovation and collaborative culture by bringing together vital parts of MonoSol’s research and development organization, including product design and testing capabilities that were previously stationed at other facilities. 

 

Twenty-five company chemists, engineers and technical staff in Merrillville can now collaborate across departments, and host scientists from its major customers and from Kuraray, MonoSol’s Tokyo-based parent company. Together, the teams can access nearly $350,000 worth of new scientific equipment and technical instruments that were added as part of the expansion.

 

“A key aspect of our workplace culture is our employees’ desire to give back to those in need,” Bening said. “Our corporate social responsibility program participants logged more than 864 volunteer hours caring for our communities by supporting local food pantries, environmental causes, veteran organizations and local schools.” 

 

The company encourages participation by providing employees the time to volunteer and their volunteer hours earn them entries into an end-of-year drawing for two round-trip tickets on United Airlines to any destination in the world.

 

Additionally, MonoSol contributed nearly $100,000 to more than 50 non-profit organizations last year.

 

“Profitability and stability is essential for businesses in today’s economic climate,” says Jennifer Kluge, NABR president. “Companies that recognize that their employees are the key to their success achieve staying power. Our 2018 winners create their human resource standards to ensure employee satisfaction and they set standards for every business to aspire toward.” 

 

In September 2018, the company broke ground on a new $72 million, 150,000-square-foot production facility in Lebanon, Indiana. The facility is MonoSol’s sixth manufacturing plant and its fourth in Indiana. 

 

The company makes water-soluble films for single-unit-dose laundry and dishwasher detergents, personal care, food ingredients and agriculture products, as well as films that are used to improve manufacturing processes. MonoSol films are made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), a biodegradable, non-toxic film that dissolves in water.