Awards
Engineering Challenge
ESCO is proud to acknowledge a few of the awards
and accolades our team earned in 2013. These
important honors show the value we place on quality
and innovation which allows us to deliver the best
products and services to our customers.
Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
ESCO’s annual engineering challenge began in 2003. An
internal call to arms, the event is hosted by the company’s
engineering leaders each December. The exercise
challenges ESCO employees – engineers, executives, even
accounting folks (anyone is welcome!) – to think outside
the box.
For the first event 10 years ago, engineers were challenged
to put as many rubber bands as possible through a six-inch
hole. The event has grown since then to include more teams,
more employees, more international sites – and more rules.
In December 2013, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this
mind-bending event, ESCO leaders asked teams to deposit
a finite number of materials from one side of a wood palette,
over a barrier, to the other side. Competitors joined Portland’s
headquarters from as far away as Manila, Phillippines and
Nisku, Alberta, Canada. Twenty-six teams from as far away
as Ft. Worth, Texas; Leduc, Alberta, and Port Hope, Ontario,
Canada also participated via Skype.
Celebrating the gold, from left to right: Governor Vic Atiyeh; Bill Schonely, former
Portland Trail Blazers radio announcer; Governor Barbara Roberts; Ray Verlinich,
ESCO CFO; Governor Ted Kulongoski.
ESCO Secures “Gold” from Oregon Governors
Ray Verlinich Named
a Top Two Finalist for
“CFO of the Year”
Team “NPD United” came together across party lines
(the team united six members of ESCO’s New Product
Development teams from both the construction and mining
divisions). The united effort earned them top honors.
Team Puppet Masters concentrates on their task, as the game’s official counts
down the timeclock.
Ray Verlinich, ESCO’s
Chief Financial Officer
and Senior Vice President
of Finance, was named a
top-two finalist for Portland
Business Journal’s “CFO
Ray Verlinich
of the Year” recognition
in the large company category. The publication recognized
his talent and skills as he secured a $1B line of credit for
ESCO, completed the largest acquisition in company history
with ESCO’s purchase of Ulterra (Oil & Gas Division), and
helped ESCO divest the Turbine Technologies Group in
order to focus ESCO’s future on our core markets: mining,
construction, industrial, and oil and gas.
A “Most-Admired Company” in Oregon
Members of ESCO’s leadership team participated in the annual challenge for the
first time in 2013. From left to right: Jeff Kershaw, Mining Division President, Chris
Johnston, Design Engineer, Jon Owens, COO, and Tim Myers, C&I Division President.
On 29 October 2013, ESCO received the coveted
Governors’ Gold Award, presented each year by Oregon’s
four surviving governors to pay tribute to individuals and
companies that have positively contributed to the state’s
success. ESCO Corporation was recognized alongside
Mark Ganz, President and CEO of Cambia Health Systems;
Bob Moore, Founder and President of Bob’s Red Mill;
Arlene Schnitzer, Dutch Bros. Coffee and famed Portland
arts philanthropist. CFO Ray Verlinich was on hand to
accept the award on behalf of ESCO. All proceeds from
the 2013 event benefited Special Olympics of Oregon,
an organization ESCO has supported for many years.
Since achieving this honor, Verlinich has been invited to
participate in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch CFO
Forum in New York City, which annually invites two CFOs
from around the country to speak at the elite finance event.
Verlinich joined ESCO in 1996 and has been in his current
role since February 201
1.
ESCO was named the sixth Most Admired Company
in Traditional Manufacturing in Oregon (behind such
luminaries as Nike and Intel), as voted by CEOs
statewide in all industries; and tied for 14th Most Admired
Company Overall out of all Oregon-based businesses.
Ulterra