The colorful world headquarters of Crayola
Easton, Pennsylvania -- It's a colorful job but somebody has to do it.
Pete Ruggiero, the CEO of Crayola lives in a world of color and manufacturing. The product is sold in 80 countries. The name is recognized almost everywhere. The iconic crayons were born in Pennsylvania more than a century ago and continue to foster creativity and art in today's generation.
Touring the plant in Easton, PA, the first thing that strikes you is the iconic and memorable smell of crayons most remember from their childhood.
Donning protective eyewear and headphones, Pete Ruggiero explains, "This Crayola brand is such a special, special brand. It's an emotive brand. It's trusted."
Crayola's Headquarters and one of their production facilities are based out of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. The iconic crayons are put together, quality checked, distributed and sent worldwide right here in PA.
Since 1903, the sprawling plant in Easton, Pennsylvania has been producing crayons for children, schools, parents and people across the world.
Ruggiero says they pride themselves on a local workforce that keeps the plant, and the surrounding areas, humming.
"Many companies in our space have decided to manufacture overseas in 2007 when everyone else was moving to other parts of the world. So, we made a decision to double down on our U.S. manufacturing capability, and we continue to hire highly trained employees."
He says he's particularly proud of the opportunities they provide for his employees. "I think the greatest benefit this company gives is the opportunity to, to, to obtain a college education that we pay for, so we have several employees that go to some great community colleges here and then go on to some great colleges and universities in the area like Lafayette, Lehigh, Moravian, DeSales, Muhlenberg."
The company is responsible for a number of product lines, including markers, crayons, silly putty, Silly Scents, markers and many other art and educational lines.
The Crayola Experience is an interactive museum and event center in various locations across the country.
The heart of this company is in the workforce, says Pete Ruggiero. And he's proud to be working at a company with a brand that has touched so many people along the years.
"So, it's this wonderful people have wonderful experiences in their childhood. We say we help parents and educators raise creative kids and we're proud of that. We believe that the children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow that will transform the world into a better place."
For more information on a Crayola Experience near you, please visit https://crayolaexperience.com.
