Colleagues for colleagues: CHG-MERIDIAN employees run for a good cause

On October 30, 24 employees of technology management specialist CHG-MERIDIAN AG took part in Frankfurt's Mainova Marathon. Although it was undoubtedly a test of their fitness, the focus was very much on raising money for a good cause. For each kilometer run by the employees, the Company donated €10 to the soccer department of Gross-Gerau's sports association for disabled people. Some of the disabled people who train with the association work at CHG-MERIDIAN's Gross-Gerau site.

Six CHG-MERIDIAN teams ran the marathon in relay, each completing four legs of between 6.1 and 13.5 kilometers. In the final reckoning a total of exactly 253.17 kilometers had been completed. This meant that overall CHG-MERIDIAN was able to hand over a check for €2,531.70 to the Gross-Gerau sports association for disabled people.

The association's soccer department was the main beneficiary of the money raised by the CHG-MERIDIAN runners. Coach Ronald Zelger was suitably delighted as he took receipt of the check: "This is a very special day for us. By making this donation today, CHG-MERIDIAN's staff have proven that togetherness is not just important in sport." Sylvia Römer, Chairperson of the Gross-Gerau sports association for disabled people, added: "Thanks to this donation, our organization will be able to continue offering a wide range of sports to people with disabilities."

CARE initiative brings together CHG-MERIDIAN's community-based activities

The marathon project was initiated by Olga Haushalter, an employee at the Gross-Gerau site. A member of the Internal Sales team and an experienced runner, she took charge of organizing the relay run for colleagues from across Germany. She was given comprehensive support from CHG-MERIDIAN's in-house CARE initiative, through which employees can propose different ways of funding community-based projects. "The CARE initiative brings together company activities that benefit the wider community," says Matthias Steybe, Head of Communications and Marketing at CHG-MERIDIAN. "Our employees have a big say in determining the projects that we support. They can contribute their own ideas and bring them to fruition." Activities focus on providing support for regional projects based in the communities surrounding the Company's sites.

Gross-Gerau a key cog in the CHG-MERIDIAN Group

With a workforce of around 100 people, the Technology and Service Center in Gross-Gerau is not only an important site for CHG-MERIDIAN but also a key local employer. Computers and other IT equipment that are returned by customers at the end of their usage agreements are reconditioned here so that they can be remarketed. The center is also where data that is stored on PCs, servers, and laptops is erased using a proprietary process that has been certified by the TÜV product standards regulator.

Every year CHG-MERIDIAN carries out an average of around 100,000 data erasures and prepares nearly half a million assets for remarketing so that they can be used again. Its customers include 20,000 or so large corporations such as banks and insurance companies as well as SMEs and public-sector clients. "The services we perform at the Technology and Service Center in Gross-Gerau help ensure that pre-owned hardware is not simply thrown away, but can be used productively for as long as possible in line with a sustainable business approach," says Steybe.

Employing people with disabilities since 2007: a model of success

CHG-MERIDIAN has long maintained links with the Gross-Gerau sports association for disabled people via the Rhine-Main workshops for the disabled. It has offered employment opportunities to people with disabilities since 2007, with the Rhine-Main workshops currently providing 13 disabled employees for CHG-MERIDIAN's Technology and Service Center. Reinhard Gross, Head of Production at CHG-MERIDIAN, believes that having disabled and non-disabled employees working under the same roof has many advantages: "Getting people with and without disabilities to interact on a daily basis at work benefits them all and helps them to understand each other better. Our disabled members of staff play an important role in our day-to-day work processes."

Further information and photos can be found at www.chg-meridian.com