OREANDA-NEWS. Mercury Marine's St. Cloud, Florida plant recently received the Brunswick Corporation Chairman's Safety Award for excellence in safety and employee engagement. The presentation, held at Mercury's St. Cloud facility, was attended by Brunswick Corporation Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Mark Schwabero, Mercury Marine Vice President of Global Operations Chris Drees and other executives at the company.

Also in attendance during the ceremony was St. Cloud mayor Rebecca Borders; Executive Director Manufacturer's Association of Central Florida Sherry Reeves; and CEO of Florida Makes, Kevin Carr.

In conjunction with this award, Brunswick will donate $10,000 on behalf of St. Cloud employees to a charitable organization of their choice. After a vote, the employees decided to give out two awards with $5,000 each going to Give Kids the World Village foundation and the Saint Cloud Community Pantry.  

"Our St. Cloud facility continues to raise the bar for excellence in safety," said Drees. "Their dedication to safety and commitment to creating a winning culture is the foundation for what our company is built on."

The Chairman's Safety Award is the company's highest honor in the safety award program. The purpose of the award is to encourage, recognize and reward employees and facilities that have achieved outstanding safety and health performance through promoting and practicing safety awareness, ultimately minimizing workplace incidents and injuries.

Each year, Brunswick Corporation hands out three Chairman's Safety Awards.  In 2016, the awards were given to Mercury Marine in St. Cloud, Mercury Marine Regional Distribution Center in Dandenong, Australia, and Whale Parts and Accessories in Bangor, Northern Ireland.