May 14, 2010

Source: 570news.com

A high tech company in Kitchener has been recognized for its environmental initiatives and its willingness to hire new Canadians. Christie Digital has been named one of Canada's greenest employers and also one of the country's best employers for new Canadians.

President and COO Gerry Remers says while the company is proud of the achievements it's far from their purpose for being. Remers tells 570 News the accolades follow Christie's guiding principle to be a good corporate citizen and he is quick to share credit for the awards with employees. Remers says staff has been quick to embrace environmental initiatives around the office which go hand-in-hand with the company's attempts to be environmentally-friendly in its manufacturing. Remers points to such things as a 13 per cent reduction in electrical consumption through the removal of one thousand fluorescent light bulbs in the office, the introduction of a food waste recycling program, the fact that 80 per cent of the products used to create Christie projectors are recyclable and the introduction of LED lamps to replace mercury in some products as just some of the environmental initiatives now in place.

Remers says Christie has also partnered with the Working Centre in Kitchener and the Waterloo Region Immigration Employment Network to find the best available employees. He says new Canadians have already demonstrated an adaptability in adjusting to a new home and an ability to learn a new language. Remers says these traits form some of the key criteria Christie looks for when hiring. The company has added more than two dozen employees in the past couple of weeks alone. Christie says it is committed to hiring the brightest and the best, regardless of country of origin, education or experience.

The awards were presented by the editors of Mediacorp Canada Inc., a Toronto based publishing firm.