On Second Thought: the NEW AMERICANS issue

Page 48

[new americans]

If you want to find cultural diversity in North Dakota, look no further than Cardinal IG (Insulated Glass) in Fargo. The factory, on the western edge of town, manufactures insulated glass for window companies like Marvin Windows. When the factory was built in 1998, many immigrants and refugees found jobs there. Fluency in English has never been a requirement, and the company has a reputation for treating workers fairly. Today there are 285 employees from twenty-three countries working around the clock in eight-hour shifts. The countries include Bhutan, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, Romania, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Vietnam, and the United States. Mike Arnston has worked at the plant since the beginning and is now the factory’s top manager. He says it was never anyone’s intention to hire refugees—it just happened, and it worked. Meg Luther Lindholm first visited the plant in 2003 and 2004. She recently returned to photograph and interview current employees and to ask Arnston how he manages such a diverse workforce. Meg: How did Cardinal IG come to be such a diverse workplace? Mike: Well, we’ve always hired the best qualified candidates at Cardinal IG, and sometimes that means those people weren’t born in the United States or in some cases don’t even speak English, but they happen to be the best candidates for the job. There was no plan to develop a diverse workforce. It just happened. It is interesting to see that so many refugees who were here years ago are still working here. Why do you think that is? I think we have a good culture here, and when people begin working here, they keep working here. What is the culture? It is five values: family, safety, teamwork, excellence, and respect, and we live by those values. The employees who work here helped to choose those values. And anyone that seeks 46

PUTTING DIVERSITY INTO PRACTICE AN INTERVIEW WITH CARDINAL IG PLANT MANAGER MIKE ARNSTON By Meg Luther Lindholm

“I love to drive here. That’s something I never did at home. I’d like to be a flight attendant.” Irene Wymon, Liberia Came to the US in 2010 employment here is hired based on being able to operate within the realm of our corporate values. Talk a little more about respect—how that is operationalized, and what that means. Respect is one of our five values. Folks are raised in different cultures and different religions, and we all have to respect each other as human beings. If we can do that and make accommodations where necessary for religion or cultural differences, then we do that. If an employee comes to me and says, “Hey Mike, I have a church program to go to at the Lutheran church,” then we try to make accommodations. It’s no different if an employee says, “Tomorrow is a Muslim holiday. I need to go to the mosque.” We try to make accommodations for that sort of thing.


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On Second Thought: the NEW AMERICANS issue by Humanities North Dakota Magazine - Issuu