Growing & Going with Grace

Growing with Grace

On June 10^th, the entire Disher team had the privilege of enjoying a day at Camp GENEVA’s beautiful retreat center on the shores of Lake Michigan for a company-wide offsite. These bi-annual collaborative sessions give members the opportunity to participate in strategic planning, culture enrichment, community, and stewardship. This year’s theme was Growing with Grace, a fitting topic during a period of strong growth for Disher.

Jeff pointed out during his talk that there are two components of corporate grace: 1) free and unmerited favor that goes beyond obligation, and 2) a period of time for someone to regain alignment safely. Jeff challenged the entire Disher team to Grow with Grace in the following practical ways:

• Be generous and give back to your community
• Be genuinely happy for another’s success
• Be able to work with a difficult person and brighten their day
• Be willing to work out disagreements with others
• Be encouraging to someone after their recent mistake

Stewardship Makes a Positive Difference

Team members had the opportunity to practice grace by giving back to Camp GENEVA during the offsite as stewardship was built right into the day. Since we were there right before the start of the camper season, there was plenty to do. Teams cleaned the amphitheater; split and stacked wood for bonfires (and, consequently, the all-important s’mores); washed 1,200 chairs in the dining rooms and rec center; weeded landscapes; and spread a literal ton of sand on the new playground.  It was a great way for Disher to make a positive difference.

Kevin Vanderklok, Executive Director of GENEVA had this to say about Disher, “It was an honor to have Disher be the first group to use the newly renovated and expanded GENEVA Retreat Center for their company offsite. We were blessed that they took time from their meeting to volunteer. An incredible amount of work needed to be accomplished and we are sincerely grateful for all they made possible. I was most impressed with the humble, positive attitudes and their willingness to do whatever was needed. There’s something special about Disher employees. With four weeks into our camping season, we are still reaping the benefits of all of their hard work.”

Going with Grace

Company Founder and President, Jeff Disher, stated, “We are here by grace and we need to grow with grace”. And I would add that we need to go with grace. We go with our clients into tough projects every day whether it’s to develop a successful brand identity, design products that stay ahead of the trends, or implement process improvements on the plant floor. As we go, we keep our mission in mind and strive to Make a Positive Difference every day. Our mission is not one that can be complete after one graceful act, it requires continual effort.

Written By: Joe Dyer with Casandra Bouwhuis |
Joe has an Aeronautical Engineering degree from Western Michigan. He has a variety of experiences in manufacturing, quality systems, machining, and programming. Joe likes to spend time at home with his wife and two boys and lead ministries at his church.

Casandra has a B.S. in Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering from GVSU. She has had a variety of experiences including automotive quality, APQP documentation, process improvement , and product launch and change coordination. Casandra enjoys getting involved in stewardship activities, spending time with her family, and woodworking.