At AMERICAN, we do it safely or not at all. Workplace safety is our top priority and has been for more than a century. Our injury incident rate is consistently lower than the national average for iron foundries, but we aim to do better. Our goal is zero injuries as we work toward attaining Star status in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program. AMERICAN employees have many opportunities to give back to the community, from planting a neighborhood garden, to helping build a home, to teaching students about entrepreneurship, to charity walk/runs. Being a good neighbor not only feels good, it’s the right thing to do. Fourteen employees are elected by their peers to represent the interests of employees in company operations. Four serve on the board of directors. The elected representatives fulfill specific duties on committees and, at times, serve on special project teams. Employees throughout the company serve on teams chartered to propose improvements in assigned areas of operation. Employees learn more about the business, make new friends and develop leadership skills while moving AMERICAN forward. AMERICAN’s founder and first president, John J. Eagan, applied the principles of his Christian faith to our business. Before he died, he willed the company to employees. His commitment continues today and is evident in the company’s Golden Rule philosophy of treating others the way we want to be treated, and in our mission, vision and core values. We regard employees as family. In fact, we even have some who are third- and fourth-generation employees, and very proud of it.