HSC also wins Community Impact award; Phil Rausch named top Emerging Leader
HEMLOCK, Mich. ― The hyper-pure polysilicon produced by Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC) was recently named the “2020 Coolest Thing Made in Michigan” during the Michigan Manufacturers Association’s MFG Awards program.
Polysilicon was chosen the “Coolest Thing” during a months-long process that let the public decide the winner. In the final round of voting, HSC’s polysilicon beat out nine other products ranging from ice cream to powerboats, downhill skis, hunting blinds and even a special warmer for at-risk puppies. In addition, HSC Business Development Manager Phil Rausch won the MFG Emerging Leader Award and HSC won the contest’s Community Impact Award.
“We really want to thank our entire Great Lakes Bay Region community for voting to make polysilicon the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Michigan,’” said HSC Chairman & CEO Mark Bassett. “Every vote cast by our employees, friends, family and neighbors during the two rounds of public People’s Choice voting made a difference, and we’re so grateful for their support. It truly is an honor to have polysilicon win this award.”
As the vital building block for the semiconductors that power electronic devices and the panels that power solar energy, polysilicon truly is the material that connects and powers the world. One of every three electronic devices globally contains HSC-made polysilicon, which is also the key to a greener future.
“Because of the pandemic, we’re spending a lot of time at home connected to each other through our computers, smart phones and tablets,” said Brooke Beebe, HSC vice president of external affairs. “By providing the fundamental raw material for semiconductors, HSC is helping everyone stay in touch — exemplifying HSC’s purpose to connect and energize the world from right here in Michigan.”
One of the major players at HSC helping the company grow is Phil Rausch. At 34, Rausch has held a variety of jobs at HSC and currently is focused on getting more customers to understand the value of choosing HSC’s ultra-low-carbon polysilicon for their solar panels if they want to produce the greenest energy.
“Phil’s an excellent leader, cares about his people, and focuses not just on getting the work done but on developing others at HSC,” said Phil Dembowski, HSC senior vice president and chief commercial officer. “He doesn’t get hung up on what makes something difficult. He just sees it as a challenge to solve, which energizes him.”
Rausch, who also serves on the Midland Public Schools Board and in a variety of trade industry groups, thanked the association for recognizing him. His passion to make the world a better place can be seen in the satisfaction he gets from helping children and in the solar panels he installed on his own home in 2016 to produce cleaner energy.
HSC also won the MFG Community Impact Award. As one of the largest employers in the Great Lakes Bay Region, HSC has a strong commitment to making life better in the communities where its employees live and work, including by helping deal with the danger and harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating flood.
Besides boxing up more than 15,000 masks, coveralls, gloves and other materials that health care workers at Covenant HealthCare could use to protect themselves from COVID-19, HSC spent nearly $35,000 to purchase 650 gift cards, then gave them to its employees to support 14 local establishments in Saginaw County’s Richland and Thomas Townships. When dam failures in Midland County caused massive flooding, HSC employees contributed $4,500 to help.
The company also contributed $100,000 last year toward the Lockwood STEM Center that will be used by five area high schools, along with $25,000 to outfit it. It spent $30,000 to sponsor the Tinker Track Gallery at the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum. And it awarded nearly $200,000 to school and youth programs, community nonprofits assisting area residents and local museums in Saginaw, Midland and Bay counties through its Community and Regional Empowerment (CARE) Fund. It also provided grants to fire departments in Saginaw, Bay, Midland, and Gratiot counties to help firefighters get additional training.
“Being a strong, contributing member of our community is just part of our core,” Beebe said. “Our people don’t just work at HSC, they live in the Great Lakes Bay Region and their friends and families do, too. For us, it’s essential to maintain that connection to the place where we all live and work. And that’s why we were so proud to win the 2020 MFG Community Impact Award, as well as the Coolest Thing Made in Michigan and Emerging Leader awards.”
About Hemlock Semiconductor
Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC) is a leading provider of hyper-pure polycrystalline silicon and other silicon-based products used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, solar cells and modules. At HSC, we’re passionate about silicon-based technology and its unique potential to connect and energize the world we share. HSC’s polysilicon enables customers to produce high-tech electronics and solar energy, and our efficient manufacturing process delivers products with an ultra-low-carbon footprint. HSC began operations in 1961. To find out more, go to hscpoly.com.
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