Essar Steel Algoma erects bouncy castle

NEWS RELEASE

ESSAR STEEL ALGOMA

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The sun shone, the steel rolled and about 2,000 employees past and present descended on Essar Steel Algoma for the 13th annual Family Day festivities this past Saturday, September 12. 

This year was special as an invitation was extended to retirees to come meet with old friends and witness the transformation of their former employer.  

The result was particularly poignant as generations of Algoma families mixed and reminisced. 

Steelworks bus tour guide and Cold Mill Superintendent Dominic Spadafora perhaps said it best when recounting his tours:  “Every bus takes on its own personality. One bus was mostly retirees and they were keen to see all the changes. At the end, everyone cheered and clapped. The next bus, I hardly got to say a thing! It was mostly employees with their spouses and children and they had so much to share; for the most part they did their own tour!”

One retiree even took the time to compile a photo montage, complete with captions, of his grandson Chase’s Family Day experience. 

He sent it along with a note of thanks. 

There are pictures of young Chase racing a remote control car, riding the miniature train, sliding down the ‘vertical rush’ – even a picture of him standing in the bucket of the loader!

Don Barill, retiree and SOAR Chapter president sent in a short note as well, “We certainly enjoyed the tour of DSPC on your Essar Family Day. It was a privilege for the retirees to see their old workplace and their working peers. A big thank you to the staff who hosted this event!”

Family Day is the one chance Algoma employees get to show their loved ones where they work and what they do. 

For the little ones, they come for the bouncy castles, the face painting, the t-shirt art, and of course the ice cream. 

But like their parents, they stay for the mill tours, to play the virtual reality steelmaking game, and to gawk at massive mobile equipment that is truly unique to the steel industry. 

Family Day is now a time honoured tradition at Algoma, and although the activities and the BBQ menu may vary from year to year, the intent remains the same – to say ‘thank you’ and to celebrate being a part of the Essar family.

The entire day is on the house – the food, the entertainment, the tours – and for those employees who must stay behind and keep the mill operating, the Company orders in a pizza lunch. 

It takes many hands to organize and execute an event of this scale and the employees volunteer their time, in many cases alongside their families, to make it possible. 

Over 100 volunteers could be seen across the grounds, all in red volunteer t-shirts, making sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

Essar Steel Algoma would like to extend a sincere thank you to the many local service providers who contributed to our Family Day’s success. We could not have done it without you!