Woven into the Community

In the tight-knit community of Mount Hope, the employees at Weaver Leather take an active role in taking care of their own. They recently took their Character First program, in which employees learn about the 48 character traits identified as important to the success of the company, to the local schools. Funded entirely by local businesses, the program teaches students to appreciate different personality traits in classmates and includes a “character of the month” where they examine traits such as joyfulness, decisiveness and generosity.

“We make sure [the schools] have all the materials needed to do the program,” says Neena Miller, vice president of human resources. “We think of it as helping future workplaces.”

This Valentine’s Day, Weaver Leather employees each “adopted” a foster child for the day and stuffed duffle bags manufactured by the company with items from a wish list. “We had kids of every age, from six months to 17 years old,” says Miller. “The children loved it. For many, [the bag] was the only personal thing he or she owned.”

It’s easy to motivate the Weaver employees, but the company knows it must set the example. Ten percent of the company’s net profits are donated to local charities. In addition to awarding two scholarships to a local high school and college student, the company also began the Landing That First Job program to help prepare students for the working world.