Identification Plates Holds 22nd Annual Longevity Luncheon

Identification Plates recognized long-time employees at its 22nd annual Longevity Luncheon on February 21. ID Plates also had an extra reason to celebrate this year, as it marks 60 years of business. All 80 employees, along with family members of the honorees and retirees, gathered in the lunchroom for the occasion. One retiree even brought his famous banana pudding.

“We feel it is important to celebrate the milestones as a family,” states Karen Guzman, vice president of sales and marketing. “Recognizing employees with their peers helps create a positive work environment and improves morale and employee engagement.”

ID Plates honors its employees in five-year increments, such as after five years of service, 10 years, 15 years, etc. According to Guzman, the current recognition program began in 1996, shortly after moving to the company’s present facility in Mesquite, Texas.

Before it moved there, the company was started in 1959 by the current owner Doug Crownover’s parents, Roy and Bernice Crownover, as an engraver and nameplate manufacturer. “In the early days, Texas Instruments was our largest customer, representing 75 percent of our sales,” states Guzman.

When Doug Crownover took over in 1974, ID Plates began serving the awards, signage, and promotional markets. “Doug was responsible for bringing sublimation and black laser steel to the awards and trophy industry,” Guzman explains. Matthew Crownover, Doug’s son, took over as president in 2016. Over the years, ID Plates outgrew two different locations in Dallas before building a 40,000-square-foot facility in Mesquite in the 1990s.

This year, the following employees were recognized at the luncheon:

• Pat Douthit: 20 years
• Jose Lara and Dora Martinez: 15 years
• Doug Bisson: 10 years
• Michelle Manfredonia, Julio Vasquez, Jose Lopez, Maria Fernandez, Khadijah Williams, and Berta Coreas: Five years

Doug Crownover, the official emcee for the event, gave out each award with a backstory for the individual recognized. The employees being recognized received a clock, a personalized Yeti mug, and a cash award. In addition to the awards, ID Plates also held a company raffle and gave away items received from its vendors during the year. Close to 50 raffle items were given out.

It is this kind of recognition and morale boost that has helped keep the company thriving for so many years, according to Guzman. “Treating our customers (and the products they order) with the utmost care and respect is extremely important to all employees at ID Plates. Teamwork is essential as well. Everyone rolls up their sleeves and helps when they see the opportunity to assist a coworker,” she concludes.