Calumet Brass Foundry Celebrates 120 Years
Calumet Brass Foundry has a lot to celebrate after achieving 120 years in business. The foundry, located in Dolton, IL, is operating under its 4th generation leader and first female president, Cathy Dolan, with her daughter, Hannah Bauer, ready to step up as 5th generation leader. And last month, they celebrated in style, packing up 36 employees, family members, nieces, nephews, and friends and headed to U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana, for a night with the Gary SouthShore RailCats that nobody is likely to forget anytime soon.
To mark the occasion, Calumet Brass pulled out all the stops. 
The foundry arranged for the RailCats' to launch Calumet Brass branded shirts out into the stadium crowd. Inside their box, Cathy had put together gift bags for everyone, loaded with mini hand fans, baseball socks, and cookies decorated with the Calumet Brass logo. Baseball bingo, a raffle, and scratch-off tickets kept the energy going between innings. And in a moment that brought the whole night together, one lucky employee got to throw out the first pitch. The honor was open to everyone at CBF. Names were thrown into a hat, and when Jorge Mendez's name was drawn, he took the mound representing 120 years of Calumet Brass history. Jorge has been with CBF for over 30 years, one of their longest-term employees.
The goal behind all of it, as Hannah describes it, is straightforward. "We want our employees to know how much they are valued” she said. "Food and time together, in a setting that isn't work." That philosophy has been woven into how CBF operates for a long time, and the RailCats outing is one of its most visible expressions.
"Our goal behind everything we do is about safety and showing our appreciation. The employees of CBF are all exceptional. They are dedicated, loyal, hardworking and reliable people who make CBF a pretty great place. There are not enough ways to show our appreciation. A quarter of their life will be spent at work, and we want it to be a safe and pleasant environment," said Cathy. The baseball game is not the only occasion either. Around the holidays, CBF gathers for a family Christmas dinner, another chance to step away from the demands of the job and simply enjoy each other's company.
The RailCats trip itself dates back to at least the mid-2010s. One of the employees showed Hannah a photo of herself at age three or four, running around the ballpark with her sister. This May, it was Hannah's own son, three and a half years old and already a two-year veteran of the tradition, who was the youngest person in the box. That kind of continuity is not lost on anyone at Calumet. Generations of family leadership,5th in the waiting, and the youngest member, and possibly the 6th generation is already part of the ritual.
From Left to Right: Melvin, Hannah, Gabriel, Lisa, Cathy, Peter, Jorge, Rudy, and Gaston (not pictured: Armando, Jose, Eduardo, and Antonio)
This year felt different though. With 120 years on the books, the team was intentional about going bigger than in years past, more activities, more personal touches, more ways to show the people who show up every day that the work they do matters. "We pride ourselves on being a tight-knit family" Hannah said. "We try to take care of our employees as they always take good care of us and the business."
That approach matters more than ever in an industry where finding and keeping good people is one of the biggest challenges a foundry faces. At Calumet Brass, the answer has never been a formal program or a policy. It is a culture, built over 120 years, that treats people like they belong to something worth staying for, showing up for…everyday!