Latest news with #Pella
Fast Company
17-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Great brands don't just sell—they connect
Marketers have long understood that building emotional connections and strong relationships with customers starts with great storytelling. Today's most compelling brands don't just meet consumer needs, they tap into the deeper desires behind every transaction, crafting narratives that resonate beyond the point of sale. Fast Company and window and door manufacturer Pella hosted a panel of marketing leaders during the recent Most Innovative Companies Summit to explore the secrets behind building enduring brand trust. These experts revealed what it takes to create a brand that captures attention and earns loyalty. Here are three insights from the conversation. (Some comments have been edited for length and clarity; scroll to the bottom to watch the entire panel discussion.) 1. Connect to consumers' core human emotions. Many brands promote products that are highly functional. But leading with functionality is a good way to lose an audience from the get go, said Pella CMO Keith Mann. 'If we're constantly peppering the market with very functional product-specific messages, we lose an entire audience that isn't ready to engage in that mental construct yet,' he said. 'If we can connect our product to more core human emotions, desires, problems to solve, we can seed awareness and ultimately preference.' For Mann and his team, that emotional hook is trust. 'When you really think about it,' he added, 'we produce a product that facilitates the interaction between you and nature in one of the most personal environments, which is your home.' One recent ad campaign features a nine-year-old girl confidently dancing through her house to a Missy Elliott song as the outside weather grows ominous. The narrative nature of the ad breaks with traditionally staid window campaigns of the past. Mann said it touches on an important core belief: 'When you're at your home, you want to feel safe; you want to feel comfortable; you want the most precious things in your lives—your family—to be in a place that you know is protected.' 2. Connect early, connect often. Building emotional connection and loyalty to a product often means inviting customers in on the ground floor. When building Epic Universe, a theme park at Universal Orlando that opened in May, the company initiated a conversation with its biggest fans to understand how to enhance their experience. 'We wanted people to trust that they're making good decisions with their vacation time and that they'll be able to connect to make memories that last a lifetime,' said Alice Norsworthy, president of global marketing for Universal Destinations and Experiences. The message Norsworthy said she and her team heard repeatedly: 'Give us more immersive storytelling.'In addition to adrenaline-fueled rides, designers made sure fans could interact closely with their environments, whether getting up close and personal with a dragon or using a Power-Up Band to collect keys and explore Super Nintendo World. Before the park opened, Norsworthy's targeted fan communities of the films and products they were launching, releasing long-form content showcasing the park's development and giving fans early buy in. 'They were able to take a peek behind the scenes to understand all the care and attention that we gave to bringing their favorite properties to life,' she said. 3. Use AI to enhance the customer experience. Strong storytelling may draw people into the marketing funnel, but the experience needs to follow through—especially when the customer journey involves complex decision-making. At Universal, the company has developed an AI virtual concierge to help guests customize their experience. 'A vacation can be pretty complex, with all of the detail and the need to understand product experience,' Norsworthy said. This has enabled greater personalization for and deeper conversations with customers, helping them to streamline the planning process. Customers at Pella also have to consider a lot of information to make informed decisions about the windows or doors for their home. 'Our IT department likes to tell me that we have up to eight octillion combinations for an individual window that we can build, which is terrifying,' Mann said. Consequently, the company has turned to AI tools to help customers explore and choose windows confidently without having to make dozens of decisions on how to configure an individual window. 'We're spending a ton of time thinking through the right tools so it's not as daunting,' Mann said, adding that the effort is paying off. 'When someone gets to consideration, we've already won them as a brand.' Watch the full panel:
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: Zoey Jones talks Gilbert softball's 5-0 4A Region 5 final loss to Pella
Gilbert senior Zoey Jones talks the team's 4A Region 5 final loss to Pella and the Tigers finishing with another winning season in 2025.
Business Wire
30-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Don Hummer Trucking Honored with Three Prestigious Awards
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Don Hummer Trucking is proud to be recognized for outstanding service and performance by three of its key partners: PepsiCo, HON Company, and Pella. The awards demonstrate the company's commitment to delivering value to their customers and working hard to earn their business every day. PepsiCo's 2024 Central Region Carrier of the Year award recognizes Don Hummer Trucking as a standout high-volume carrier in the central region. The company consistently demonstrates exceptional service in key markets, including Cedar Rapids, Kansas City, Chicago, and Dallas. Criteria include being among the top volume carriers that sustained a 98%+ on-time delivery rate. The HNI Corporation honored Don Hummer Trucking as their 2024 Truckload Carrier of the Year. This award celebrates carriers who demonstrate exceptional customer service, collaboration, reliability, and responsiveness. For Don Hummer Trucking, this award acknowledges the dedication of the drivers and operations team and their attention to on-time deliveries, claims performance, and service quality. Pella Corporation named Don Hummer Trucking a Critical Problem-Solving Carrier for 2024, recognizing its reliability, adaptability, and service success. The designation underscores the company's ability to support multiple Pella locations and manage complex, multi-stop loads as Pella's distribution network grows and dynamically changes. 'We deeply appreciate being recognized by these important partners,' says Andrew Hummer, vice president of operations. 'We are proud of the work we do, and we're grateful for the confidence these organizations put in us and our entire team. Thanks to our operations team and professional drivers for their commitment to excellence and ability to respond efficiently, creatively, and dependably.' About Don Hummer Trucking Don Hummer Trucking is committed to building a better trucking company. A trusted name in freight transportation, we have been delivering value to our customers for more than 70 years. We do this by providing dedicated and truckload solutions tailored to each customer's unique transportation needs. Based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Don Hummer Trucking is strategically located to provide reliable and efficient asset-based transportation services at the local, regional, and national levels.
Axios
11-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Pella marks 100 years with new, diverse workforce
As Pella Corporation celebrates its centennial this year, the Iowa-based window and door manufacturer is embracing a very different workforce than the one it started with. Why it matters: Founded in a predominantly Dutch and majority-white community, Pella Corp. has adapted to a changing America and diversified its manufacturing workforce in response to ongoing labor shortages. Zoom out: The U.S. manufacturing industry is facing a historic labor shortage, with an estimated gap of 4 million jobs by 2030, says Karmen Gardner, spokesperson for Pella Corp. State of play: Over 30% of workers at Pella's manufacturing plants in places like Carroll and Sioux Center are Hispanic, and the company is investing in making its workplace more inclusive for those who speak English as a second language, Gardner says. Pella has rolled out bilingual training for English and Spanish speakers, Spanish-translated instructions, and handheld translation devices called Pocketalks on the factory floor. It also launched a new internal platform, Pella Connect, which allows employees to read company messages in their preferred language. Zoom in: Between 2017 and 2022, the number of Pella's ELL employees at the Sioux Center plant grew from none to about a third of its roughly 400 employees, per the N'West Iowa Review. Before the changes, non-English speakers would not have been considered for employment, a Sioux Center production manager told the Review. However, the changes have occurred as the company seeks to expand its market share nationwide. By the numbers: The company employs 10,000 people and operates 18 manufacturing plants, with growth plans targeted in the South and West, where populations are growing, Gardner says. Most of the company's recent growth has occurred outside of Pella, according to the Business Record. They've expanded their product offerings to include hurricane-impact-rated windows and doors, and have increased their manufacturing footprint in locations such as Miami and California. In Iowa, labor shortages are consistently listed as a top concern by business leaders. The intrigue: The company was founded in 1925 by Pete Kuyper, a Dutch businessman who invented a window screen that rolled up and down like a shade. Pella, a "city of refuge" mentioned in the Bible, was named that after hundreds of Dutch immigrants came to Iowa seeking religious freedom. And that name still holds meaning with the company's diversifying workforce, Gardner says. Yes, but: With the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, Gardner notes that immigrant workers have been important for America as a whole "... and certainly our businesses as well."
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Surprising discovery at ancient Grecian burial ground
A tomb in Greece 's Vergina, previously thought to be the resting place of Alexander the Great 's father, Philip II, likely contains the remains of a different man and a young woman. Radiocarbon dating suggests the man and woman in the tomb lived between 388 and 356 BC, whereas Philip II died in 336 BC. The man's age at death (25-35) also contradicts Philip II's age at death (around 46). Six infants buried in the tomb between 150 BC and 130 AD are likely unrelated to the original occupants, suggesting it was reused during the Roman period, scientists say. Analysis suggests the man spent his childhood away from the Macedonian capital, while the woman likely lived in the Vergina/Pella area her entire life. Tomb thought to hold Alexander the Great's father actually found to contain remains of young woman and six infants
