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Findlay plant Controller Paul Harry nominated lead accountant Chris Crim in Findlay for cancelling his family vacation to help out
with the Findlay plant physical inventory.

Technical Manager J. Scott Cole in Texarkana, at right in the photo, nominated senior engineering technician Jimmy Templeton for unselfishly pitching in during a crunch time that coincided with Christmas.

Top January PEAKS Awarded to Crim, Templeton

Lead accountant Chris Crim in Findlay and senior engineering technician Jimmy Templeton in Texarkana won the two top awards for January in the monthly Cooper PEAKS on-the-spot recognition program. Both received 111,000 points deposited into their PEAKS account, which works like an airline frequent-flier program.

Findlay plant Controller Paul Harry nominated Chris Crim for cancelling his family vacation to help out with the Findlay plant physical inventory.

Paul said, "Chris worked in the plant as senior cost accountant from September 2005 until January 2009, so he was the logical choice to cover my duties during the Findlay plant year-end physical inventory when my mother passed away Dec. 22. Due to the Christmas holiday and family schedule, the funeral could not be arranged until Dec. 30, the date of our of physical inventory audit with Ernst & Young.

"Chris had already known my mother was near the end, and had volunteered to cancel his family vacation in Michigan the week after Christmas to lead the plant physical inventory audit and review with our outside audit firm, Ernst & Young.

"During the time I've worked with Chris, I can say he is always willing to go above and beyond normal job duties when co-workers need help or an important project needs to be completed," Paul said. "This was a perfect example of Chris' dedication to making Cooper Tire a great company, with compassionate employees."

Technical Manager J. Scott Cole in Texarkana nominated Jimmy Templeton for unselfishly pitching in during a crunch time that coincided with Christmas.

"We had a restriction right before Christmas shutdown in 2009," Scott recalled. "The engineer for the tire had just retired, and three other engineers and I were going back home for Christmas. We were in a bind and needed the suspect tires tested to try and bracket the issue. Test results were due Dec. 23. The test results Dec. 23 required us to run additional testing and the heat was on to get these done by the end of the year. This required us to start the next round of testing on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, perform air pressure checks and test tire checks at the end of phase 1 on Christmas Day and perform the final test inspection and report out on Dec. 26. Jimmy volunteered for the task at hand. He did not ask about what we were doing with his vacation time, did not complain and called me daily with updates.

"This is just one example of what Jimmy does on a daily basis," Scott said. "He takes his job to the next level and does what it takes to get the job done. We all know what it is like around the holidays with family and other obligations. Plus, Jimmy is the music director at his church and I am sure he had more than just family matters to attend to over that three-day period. Jimmy is an outstanding employee/father/person, and I appreciate his extra effort."

The 20 January on-the-spot recognition program nominees represented Findlay, Clarksdale, Texarkana and Tupelo. Nominees were Jackie Ashby, Betty Brooks, Craig Busenbark, Gregory Capps, Chris Crim, Mary Rose Ellerbrock, Russell Formby, Brent Gibson, Amy Johnston, Jeremy Lamb, William Larry, Gail Oldham, Jay Oliver, Terry Perrigo, Jill Schroeder, Alton Smith, Robert Smith, Jimmy Templeton, Bobby Trimble and Jill Van Valkenburg.

Cooper launched its PEAKS reward program last July 1. The PEAKS acronym stands for the program’s five key elements of rewarding the People who have made Cooper what it is today, rewarding the Engagement and Achievement that follow, promoting Knowledge and recognizing Success. It is designed to recognize and reward Cooper people for their ongoing efforts and to benefit those who are leading the company’s most important initiatives.

The PEAKS program reinforces safety performance, and the importance of getting you home to your families safely. At the same time, a safe working environment helps Cooper run more efficiently and effectively. Through the on-the-spot program, managers reward actions that are in line with The Cooper Way and support important initiatives that accelerate progress toward our strategy. Finally, PEAKS reinforces and rewards dedication and long-term commitment to Cooper through a service
award component.

The program is easily administered and works much like collecting frequent-flier miles. Participants earn points for actions in line with The Cooper Way philosophy and toward current strategic objectives. Points accrue in an individual online account that can be accessed any time via the program Web site at www.CooperPEAKS.com.

The PEAKS On-the-Spot recognition element of the program provides an opportunity to recognize employees for going “above and beyond” to accomplish important goals, embrace The Cooper Way or support strategic initiatives. Managers have two ways to recognize an employee: 1) recognize them instantly online at the program Web site or 2) present them with a recognition card. Part-time employees are eligible and the nomination of teams for on-the-spot awards are also accepted (please see the FAQ section on the rewards Web site for more information). Nominations for activities can go back as far as 90 days prior to the month in which they are submitted.