CCC's Guiding Principle #1:
Act with Integrity & In Compliance 
  Greetings!
This is the first of a series of emails in which I will discuss the Guiding Principles and how we can all strive to incorporate them into every decision we make. 

The Guiding Principles are designed to be a complete articulation of the key characteristics of the culture we want to create at CCC -a culture that provides sustainable, long-term value for our employees, our company, our customers, and ultimately society as a whole.  It's important that all of us invest in learning the Guiding Principles and practice them in everyday decision making for us to advance our culture. Please note that I used the word "practice."  Don't wait until you become an expert in the Guiding Principles-start practicing today.
The first and most important of the Guiding Principles is Act with Integrity and In Compliance. This means we conduct everything we do with integrity and fully comply with all laws, regulations and company policies at all times. We refer to this as the foundation element of our culture, because absent of integrity and compliance, it's impossible for a firm to create real value. 

Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is looking, and it is the basis for building trust.  It often requires courage, which we define as the mental and moral strength to, persevere in the face of adversity, danger, fear or difficulty. If we lack integrity once, that's all it takes for people to lose trust in us. We need to have trust with all the people we interact with: employees, customers, suppliers, investors, governments and communities.

Compliance means we will obey all laws and regulations, and by extension follow company policies that support obeying all laws and regulation s, all the time. It is important for all employees:
  • To know the laws, regulations and company policies that are applicable to their jobs.
  • To know where they can get help to ensure they meet the standards of compliance.
  • To know when they need to get help or clarification about compliance standards. It's important for all employees to stop and ask for help before acting and potentially creating risk.
We must acknowledge that we may unintentionally or unknowingly violate a law or regulation at some point, and the key to the situation is how we respond - act with integrity, immediately report the issue and work with the appropriate resources inside the company to take all necessary corrective actions. 
 A perfect example: Act with Integrity and In Compliance 
CCC's Spokane Plant is the first in CCC's history to receive a 100% score, with zero notations on its audit, by the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA) Interstate Milk Shippers division (IMS)!  

IMS (Interstate Milk Shippers) is an arm of the FDA.  They regulate all steps of the milk manufacturing process, including our plants that blow bottles that eventually contain milk. They are primarily concerned with GMPs (good manufacturing practices) and microbiological testing to ensure a safe food supply.  Thus, they have requirements we must meet and audit us, often unannounced. 

Congratulations to Spokane for a job well done. Our Guiding Principles are the foundation of our culture at CCC, and keeping these principles in the forefront of our minds in everything we do will result in a safer, more prosperous company, benefiting our employees, customers and ultimately our communities.  
Copyright © Consolidated Container Company LLC, 2016. All rights reserved ▪ www.cccllc.com