Penn Globe Case Study | Employee Training Drives Growth

1879 marked a turning point in history with Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb. But at that time, homes were lit by the glow of kerosene lamps, and gasoline streetlights brightened city streets. The Pennsylvania Globe Gas Light Company, founded in 1877, was a leading manufacturer of those streetlights.

Nearly 150 years later, now based in North Branford, Connecticut, Penn Globe remains a leading producer of custom outdoor lighting fixtures for commercial, institutional, and municipal spaces across the United States. The Boulevard, patented in 1899, was the quintessential American gas streetlight and is still produced today, now more commonly with LED technology.

With ten employees in its 15,000 square foot facility, Penn Globe also specializes in the renovation and restoration of existing fixtures, retrofitting them with more cost-effective, energy-efficient lighting sources. And they are modernizing streetlights with features like Wi-Fi connectivity, security cameras, and data collection capability.

Penn Globe’s mission is to “Manufacture lighting for the greater good,” highlighting its commitment to creating sustainable, environmentally conscious products. Since 2019, the company’s Lighting for the Greater Good initiative has supported communities across the nation, working to combat food insecurity by donating to local food banks.

Illuminating the town centers, city streets, and campus walkways of America, Penn Globe proudly wears the moniker of the oldest outdoor lighting company in the country and is equally proud of being both family and women-owned.

Challenge
The size and fragility of many of its products require deft and agile movement of materials around Penn Globe’s manufacturing floor.

To comply with OSHA standards, Penn Globe needed to train and certify several employees in safe and effective forklift operations, as well as re-certify previously trained employees.

Recognizing the opportunity to reduce costs and foster employee growth, company leadership elected to invest in upskilling their current team rather than bringing on new hires.

Penn Globe reached out to CONNSTEP to facilitate this internal training for its employees.
Solution
Due to a long-standing professional relationship and a proven track record of successful projects, including two previous forklift training sessions, Penn Globe chose CONNSTEP to facilitate this training.

CONNSTEP selected a trusted third-party consultant, Walden Environmental Engineering, PLLC, as the provider to conduct an on-site OSHA-compliant forklift equipment training class and subsequent testing for five Penn Globe employees.
Result
Following a full day of OSHA-compliant classroom instruction, each participating employee was required to take a written test.

In addition to the written exam, the trainees underwent mandated “road evaluations’ to assess their real-world application of the training. These evaluations were administered on Penn Globe’s shop floor and in its parking lot to ensure they were tailored to the company’s specific operational needs.

As a result of the comprehensive forklift training session, all participants passed both the written and road tests, each earning or renewing their OSHA certification.