Timberland Factory Strives for Excellence in Craftsmanship and Service

The Stratham, N.H. based outdoor lifestyle brand, Timberland, strives to make its products responsibly, protect the outdoors and serve its communities. All of these efforts recently converged at Timberland’s factory in the Dominican Republic (DR), where it recognized employee volunteer champions with a unique day-long celebration of service. The factory employs more than 3,000 skilled workers who pour their craftsmanship into 3.9 million shoes on average every year, and also contribute to their community through Timberland’s Path of Service™ program.

The Path of Service™ program, which first launched in 1992, provides full-time employees with up to 40 paid community service hours each year. Last year 32 employees of the DR factory served all of their available hours and earned their membership into Timberland’s esteemed 40’s Club. Since 2009, Timberland’s 40’s Club has recognized employees worldwide who serve all of their available service hours in a year. The DR seized this opportunity to get to work and serve. Over the course of a day, volunteers planted 700 trees in a burned down area of Valle Nuevo Park in Constanza. They also joined forces with volunteers from fellow VF Corporation brand family member, Vans, to donate shoes and spend time with the kids served by the organization Kids Alive. 

“This year’s 40’s Club member celebration was designed not only to reward and recognize our employees who made the time to serve all of their hours, but also to reinforce and grow the culture of service in the factory,” said Global Steward Eder Diaz. “The more employees serve together and enjoy their experiences, the more they will support and help drive engagement in future events.”

In the DR, new factory employees get a first-hand experience of Timberland’s values in action during Timberland's largest service events: Earth Day and Serv-a-palooza. New hires receive reusable information and tips about how they can reduce waste and minimize their environmental impact. Hands-on community service is also built into the new employee orientation program. New employee service days often focus on tree planting in the nearby ecological park and help the factory achieve its tree planting goals. 

“In a manufacturing environment, it can be a challenge to balance the needs of the business with our passion for serving communities,” said Jason Blades, Timberland’s community service manager who joined the recent 40’s club celebration event. “With our largest employee population here in the DR, we have a huge opportunity to have a positive impact in the community. I applaud the innovation of our DR Global Stewards who constantly seek out and create opportunities for employees to serve and I look forward to seeing membership in the 40’s Club here continue to grow.”

To learn more about how Timberland is making a difference in terms of its products, the outdoors and the communities it serves, visit: https://www.timberland.com/responsibility.html.