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About Us Overview

Fellowes Named Adoption-Friendly Workplace

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Fellowes was recently recognized as one of the “Best Adoption- Friendly Workplaces in America” by the Dave Thomas Foundation for adoption. The award recognizes companies that are dedicated to providing competitive benefit packages to help employees who wish to adopt. Criteria for the award include financial reimbursement and paid leave.

 

 

Fellowes is a global manufacturer and marketer of business machines, records storage and office accessories. All our products are designed and developed to enhance the quality, efficiency and productivity of the workplace.

 

 

Core Brands

 

We provide an array of brands and products that meet rigorous standards for quality and innovation at the office, at home, and on the move.

Fellowes®-Powershred® shredders, workspace and technology accessories, media storage, binding equipment and laminating machines

Bankers Box®-Records storage products and solutions

Body Glove®-Mobile technology accessories


 

For a full profile of the company, download our Corporate Fact Sheet

 



 

Our innovation grows from a set of four core values that drives the success of our brands. The spirit of our values spans across our company, inspiring the ingenuity and commitment to quality that is Fellowes. 

 

  • Integrity - We nurture a culture that delivers on promises, does what is right, and is honest with itself.
  • Teamwork - Joined through mutual respect, trust and support, we count on each other as we work together to achieve the company's purpose.
  • Passion - We are driven to win, and determined to be the best in what matters most to our consumers, our customers and our people.
  • Initiative - Our people are encouraged to seize opportunities to improve performance and value in the marketplace.

 

  

Sharing Our Values


As a global company, we understand that these core values must touch all of our employees around the world, embrace important causes, and address global environmental issues.

 

Fellowes honors employees through the Fellowes Forward Awards, presented to teams that best exemplify our values and act on our key strategies.


Fellowes gives back through the City of Hope, an innovative biomedical research, treatment and educational institution dedicated to the prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

 

Fellowes strives to be environmentally conscious through packaging development and use of resources.

 

OUR SUSTAINABILITY MISSION

 

Fellowes Team S.E.E.D. (Sustainability, Education, Empowerment, Duty) enhances the sustainability of our products, packaging, facilities, and operations through the education of our employees, customers, and suppliers.

 

Our goal is to break down barriers to progress and empower our employees and suppliers to make environmentally preferable choices whenever possible.

 

We are driven by our duty to do what is right for our business, our customers, and our planet.


BANKERS BOX

 

We use recycled/recyclable materials whenever possible:

  • Water and/or vegetable based inks, coatings, and adhesives are specified for our packaging where possible.
  • SFI Certified (SFI-00467) corrugated materials and water based inks are used to manufacture our Records Storage products in our US operation.
  • Earth Series Products contain various and increasing levels of recycled content.
  • Bankers Box brand, white top product, contains 60% recycled content while the EARTH SERIES™ line contains 100% recycled content.
  • Fellowes collects roughly 55,000 pounds of scrap corrugate daily and sends it out to be recycled into new products.
  • Plastic bands that were previously considered garbage and ended up in a landfill are now chopped into 2 inch strips with special cutting equipment. These strips are sold to a plastics recycling company. Many tons of plastic have been removed from the waste stream allowing it to be repurposed.
  • Bankers Box R-Kive carton stacking pattern has been reconfigured resulting in a 25% increase in the amount of cartons that will fit into a standard 53’ trailer.
  • Our annual savings from using recycled materials:
    • 108,088 tons of Wood (747,702 trees)
    • 298 billion BTUs (enough energy to power 3,277 homes/year)
    • 96,001,169 lbs. of CO2 (exhaust from 8,717 cars)
    • 43,579,757 lbs. of Solid Waste (1,556 garbage truck loads)
    • 297,730,436 Gallons of Waste Water (451 Olympic size swimming pools)
    • 137,356 lbs. of VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds

Source: Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator. For more information, visit: www.papercalculator.org.


BODY GLOVE

 

  • Most if not all of our cellular accessory packaging dimensions have been minimized.
  • Most if not all packaging material thicknesses and quantities have been reduced.
  • Where possible, multipack shipping cartons have been reorganized and/or redesigned for increased quantities within the same or less space.
  • Post-consumer recycled content, vegetable based inks, and water-based coatings and adhesives are used where possible.

BUSINESS MACHINES

 

  • Powershred model PS-79Ci is being shipped with its removable shredder head inside the shredder basket, resulting in a 34% reduction in overall carton size and a 52% increase in the amount of shredders that will fit into a standard 40’ container.
  • Redundant outer shipping cartons have been eliminated from many of Fellowes’ shredder products, significantly reducing the materials required to safely ship a shredder.
  • Approximately 70 to 80% of the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam inserts have been replaced with molded paper pulp and/or polyurethane foam within Fellowes business machine packaging.
  • The new foam material we use is a foam resin called “GFlex”. When formed into the required shape, this new foam provides product/packaging support equal to that of the old Polystyrene (EPS) foam.
  • There are two, liquid-form components, that when combined and injected into a form or a mold, will expand to the required shape and size, creating our new packaging inserts.
  • These two liquids will come to us in two different pallet sized containers. Two full containers will create enough new foam packaging to equal the amount of pre-formed EPS foam that it would take to fill a 45’ long trailer. This means fewer trucks on the road and less fuel usage, which minimizes our environmental footprint.
  • When the two liquid containers are emptied, our supplier will pick them up and refill them as needed, continuing the ‘Reuse’ cycle.
  • If we ever have to dispose of any of our new foam, it can be returned to our supplier location for recycling or it can even be disposed of within the ordinary waste stream.
  • Our new foam has a very high caloric content, so it burns efficiently and cleanly when processed at a municipal waste-to-energy facility (an incinerator).
  • Our new foam also can be compacted within a landfill to less than10% of its original, fully formed size, if necessary.
  • Lastly, our new foam conforms to the European Packaging Directive “Essential Requirements” 94/62/EC and is accepted by third-party collection organizations throughout Europe.

We design energy efficiency into our products:

  • Energy saving electronics have been incorporated into many of our current shredder models. This advanced circuitry enables our shredder products to "power down" after a period of non-use, using approximately 70% of the original power required.
  • Our patented Jam Proof Technology not only prevents the obvious jams, but it significantly reduces the power a shredder requires/uses to deal with a typical paper jam, many times less than any competitor product.

We consider the full "cradle to cradle" life cycle of our products:

  • Fellowes shredders are designed and manufactured to meet Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) standards.
  • The Fellowes Technical After Sales and Service (TASS) group refurbishes and/or recycles thousands of shredders each year.
  • Approximately 27% of returned shredders are refurbished into “like new” condition.
  • The remaining shredders are disassembled into their component parts and materials, and are sold to local recyclers.

OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY

 

  • All products have standardized sustainability related information added to our Oracle database as a result of our internal Supplier Product Documentation Project.
  • ULS Initiatives: Continuous improvement processes determining more efficient unit and master outer carton sizes, inclusive of product sizing, are ongoing.
  • Recycled content is used throughout our range of office products and the related product packaging, where possible.

FELLOWES OPERATIONS

 

  • Our corporate headquarters has upgraded all overhead office lighting from T-12 (lower efficiency) to T-8 (higher efficiency) systems in addition to warehouse lighting upgrades.
  • Through optimization of our global distribution activities, we continually attempt to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

FELLOWES EMPLOYEES

 

  • All employees are encouraged to recycle paper, plastic, metal, and glass using special bins located throughout our facilities.
  • Multiple tons of obsolete computer equipment are collected and recycled each year.
  • Fellowes conducts yearly recycling events.

 

 

Innovation in File Storage

 

Founded in 1917, Fellowes began its history in file storage systems. Harry L. Fellowes bought a fledgling box business from an acquaintance, Walter Nickel, who was called up during World War I. Purchased for just $50.00, the company manufactured and sold a corrugated filing box designed for bank records. With a newly passed amendment instituting a federal income tax, records retention became a necessity. The timing was excellent for a strong and affordable source for records keeping.

 

Soon after the war, Walter Nickel rejoined Harry. In a patriotic tribute, they named their product the Liberty Box which soon became popular with a variety of businesses. As the product lines expanded to meet the demands of office environments over the next 60 years, the boxes turned into entire systems of efficient records management. The famous Bankers Box became the trademark file storage system across the American business landscape.

 

 

 

Envisioning the Computer Workspace

 

The Information Age spurred a new period of growth for Fellowes®. In the hands of John Fellowes, and later his sons, James and Peter, the company continued its tradition of innovation. By envisioning the computer as the center of individual workstations in the early 80's, Fellowes created an entire range of products for the office workstation that helped people manage increasing amounts of information. As technology moved into mobile devices like laptop computers, cell phones and PDAs, Fellowes developed innovative products to facilitate their use.

 

In 1982, Fellowes entered into a licensing agreement with a German company to distribute commercial shredders in the United States. Based on the outstanding success of this venture, Fellowes designed and manufactured its own product, introducing the first line of personal shredders in 1990. No one could have predicted the response to this new product, and almost overnight the company had a strong consumer product that complemented its established commercial business.

 

 

 

Solutions to Identity Theft

 

As identity theft became a serious threat to consumers and businesses alike, much of the focus shifted to electronic media to defend against identity crimes. Fellowes, however, had the vision to see that the effective disposal of sensitive documents was crucial to identity protection. In fact, by 2008, 49% of companies affected by a data breach state one or more of the breaches involved the loss or theft of paper documents. Fellowes continued to develop improved and more efficient shredder technology, streamlining performance, effectiveness and durability well into the next millennium.

 

 

 

Innovating New Workplace Solutions

 

Today, the workplace has blended into everyday life. Shifting seamlessly from office, to home to hand-held technology, is the future. With this vision, Fellowes continues to develop new innovations and improvements to current products to create exciting new solutions for our ever-changing workspace.

 

Currently under the leadership of James Fellowes, the Fellowes® executive team represents a diverse range of skills and experience. The executive team benefits from having several tenured members who have made significant contributions over the years as well as newer members who bring fresh perspectives to the company. Additionally, the Fellowes family has been actively engaged in running the business since 1917.

 

Leadership Bios

 

James Fellowes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

Upon becoming President in 1983, Jamie represented the third generation to lead the family business. As CEO, he is actively involved in all aspects of the Fellowes business. His tenure has produced a remarkable record of growth through increasingly challenging times. In a dynamic industry, he has managed to reinvent the company on several occasions in order to ensure prosperity in changing environments. Today, he is driving another transformation - of building the company's capabilities and operations on a global scale.

 

Since joining the company in 1969, Jamie has worked in virtually all areas of the firm. After working in various part-time positions during his college years, he started as Advertising Manager in 1969. He went on to become Vice President of Sales in 1973, Executive Vice President in 1979, President/COO in 1983, and finally Chairman/CEO in 1997.

 

Jamie's accomplishments extend beyond the business. In 1997, Ernst & Young recognized him as "Master Entrepreneur of the Year." In recognition of leadership within and beyond the business community, he also received the "Torch of Liberty" award from the Anti-Defamation League in 1994 and the "Spirit of Life" award from the City of Hope in 1997.

 

Jamie's educational background includes Denison University and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.


John E. Fellowes, II, President & General Manager, Business Machines

 

Since the founding of Fellowes, Inc. in 1917, John Fellowes II is the fourth generation to play a key leadership role in the family business. Through his experience developing and promoting the Business Machines product line, John has built a solid background in marketing strategy. His current focus involves providing leadership for the new Fellowes manufacturing facility in Changzhou, China, product development planning strategies and marketing launches for the Business Machines team, and streamlining the company’s innovation process.

 

After joining Fellowes, Inc. as a Trade Marketing Manager, John made significant contributions to the company through successful media campaigns and product launches. Prior accomplishments include:

 

  • 2003 – The first Fellowes Identity Theft Campaign for Shredders
  • 2004 – The ESPN Ultimate Press Pass Promotion
  • 2005 – Phase III Shredder Product Launch and Global Branding Campaign
  • 2006 – SafeSense™ Shredder Technology Launch
  • 2008 – 100% Jam Proof Shredder Launch and Media Campaign

 

In 2007, John was recognized for these contributions at the Chicago Innovation Awards and internally through winning five Fellowes Forward Awards. He also represented the company numerous times during interviews with NBC Weekend Web and Fox New Squawk Box. John went on to become Senior Marketing Manager, Director of Marketing, and finally, Vice President of Global Marketing.

 

John Fellowes holds a B.S. in Business Systems from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. He is married with three children and has given back to the community through volunteer work teaching Sunday school to pre-school children.


Mike Parker, Executive Vice President of Global Sales

 

Mike Parker began his career at Fellowes in September, 2000 as a territory sales manager. After various assignments in National Accounts, Mike was promoted to North American Field Sales Manager in 2006. Through his dedicated efforts and successful selling initiatives, Mike became Director of Commercial Sales in 2007 before assuming his current role as Vice President, North American Sales. Mike’s primary focus will be in North America where Fellowes has worked to integrate its selling efforts into a cohesive force. As a global business attention will also be given to driving alignment and consistency in branding and selling priorities. Therefore, Mike will carry the responsibility of leading this synchronized effort.


James Lewis, Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer

 

Jim oversees all supply chain management efforts globally. He has successfully led the company through three different types of manufacturing environments - from a regional manufacturing structure with multiple U.S. facilities to centralized domestic production to the current global manufacturing and partnering structure. During the changes, Jim ensured high quality and favorable cost structures. As the champion for the company's total quality initiative, "Advantage Fellowes," Jim oversees the continuous improvement of the company's methods and ensures strong service for our customers.

 

Jim began his Fellowes career in 1986 as a Manufacturing Plant Manager. He has moved across a range of positions at Fellowes including Director of Manufacturing Operations, Vice President of European Operations, Vice President/General Manager of Records Storage and Vice President/General Manager Presentation Products. Prior to assuming his current role, he served as Vice President/General Manager of Business Machines.

 

Jim attended New Jersey State College and received his B.S. degree in Criminal Justice.


Andrea Davis, President of Fellowes Europe

 

Andrea was appointed President of our European business in July 2006. Since joining Fellowes Europe as CFO in 2003, she has worked alongside Peter Fellowes in his tenure as European President to drive focus, simplification and improved profitability into European operations. During this period, she has delivered strong growth in business machines, overseen award winning marketing initiatives recognized by both customers and industry organizations and expanded the sales network through acquisitions. She is also responsible for sales activities into the exciting growth markets of Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

 

Prior to joining Fellowes, Andrea was CFO for Willett International and Head of Corporate Strategy for BAA. In her earlier career, Andrea had various roles at Ernst & Young and Price Waterhouse.

 

Andrea received a B.S. in Electronics from Loughborough University and an MBA from London Business School.


Lyn Bulman, Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources

 

Having joined the firm in 2002, Lyn brings a progressive and energetic approach to her global responsibilities. In a company that values its employees as highly as Fellowes does, her role has special importance. Lyn has driven significant advancements in the company's approach to human resources. Her leadership has provided positive change in benefits, talent recruitment, compensation and career development. She also brings a unique global perspective that is highly valued as the firm continues to expand its global operations.

 

Lyn came to Fellowes from Galileo International where she was Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Relations. Over an 11-year career, Lyn held several HR roles in Europe and the United States.

 

Lyn holds a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Leeds University in the United Kingdom, as well as professional certifications from the U.K. Institute of Personnel and Development and the U.S. Society of Human Resource Management