DENSO Manufacturing Athens Tennessee
Manufacturer of ignition system, exhaust system and gasoline delivery system components
- Athens, Tennessee
DMAT donates $10K to STEM programming at local school 
DMAT receives the State of Tennessee Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy
On Friday, June 22, DENSO in Athens received the State of Tennessee Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. Nominations for the award came from Cleveland State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Athens. The award was not only for monetary donations, but for community involvement and volunteerism.
Upon receiving the award, the announcement speech recognized several accomplishments.
“What is really special about DENSO is the investment of their staff who have been diligent participants in our programs and activities. Their employees are consistently engaged in our Business Advisory Council as well as our Advanced Technologies Advisory Council. Their input has helped shape credit and non-credit programs that are making Cleveland State a regional leader in workforce and economic development. Their support of the Mechatronics Honors Institute is a natural progression of the many co-op and internship opportunities they have provided our students over the years.
Additionally, DENSO employees regularly participate in our annual Career Fairs and their HR staff have often served in interview panels we offer. They provide support for judging and advising our students and are regularly involved in our STEM Camps for area youth. They serve as guest speakers in our classes and they often provide tours of their plant for our students. Simply, DENSO employees are ‘all-in’ when it comes to supporting the educational needs of our students.”
Hugh Cantrell, director of North America Human Resources, accepted the award on behalf of DENSO.
About the Award
Excellence in Philanthropy Awards recognition program is comprised of two awards – the Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. The awards were created to honor the individuals, companies, and organizations who continue to donate their resources, finances, and personal time to the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions.
Candidates for the Regent Award for Excellence in Philanthropy include an organization or individual that has been very generous to one or more TBR institutions or the TBR system and its students. This award is for visionaries, statespersons of the community, employer and workforce partners, and regional leaders.
Students unveil sculptures at DMAT EcoPark
Last week, DMAT invited Walker Valley students, family, faculty, local city officials, and some DENSO associates to a small ceremony at the EcoPark to unveil new student sculptures.
In 2016, DENSO sponsored a local STEAM Camp, put on through a partnership between Bradley County Schools and Cleveland State Community College, to teach students about science, technology, engineering, art and math.
Thirteen local high school students participated in the camp, and as part of their final camp project, they created mock-ups of art sculptures. Now, two years later, the student sculptures are life-size, with some on display at DMAT’s EcoPark.
Students from Walker Valley worked with DENSO associates to build their full-scale sculptures in the EcoPark. The school also donated a plaque with a brief description to be placed alongside the sculptures.
DENSO was delighted to partner with students for a hands-on project exposing them to advanced manufacturing and career exploration. These students used problem solving, critical thinking, team work and creativity to create these sculptures all of which are elements we use every day at DENSO.
DMAT donates $10K to STEM programming at local school
DENSO’s Athens, Tennessee, location (DMAT) recently awarded $10,000 to Cleveland High School for the third consecutive year, as reported by the Cleveland Daily Banner. With the help of Project Lead the Way, a national organization that develops STEM curriculum for schools, DENSO’s grant supports the local high school’s career and technical education programs.
Crystal Renner, a human resource supervisor at DMAT, credits the initiative’s collaborative spirit and hands-on training for its success.
“Together, DENSO, Project Lead the Way and Cleveland High School allows students access to real world applied learning experiences, which allow them to thrive in their college career and beyond,” said Renner.
This relationship with Cleveland High School – and the rest of the city’s school district – goes well beyond just writing a check. DENSO representatives also have given presentations on STEM careers in these schools and hosted students at DMAT for facility tours.
During the grant announcement, Dr. Russell Dyer, Cleveland director of schools, recognized the importance of working with partners like DENSO to develop tomorrow’s talent pool.
“We appreciate the check, but we appreciate a lot more than that,” Dyer said. “We’re really wanting to figure out what we can do to partner with the workforce, whether it’s DENSO or other companies. This is a really important thing for us.”
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Tastes of Japan in Athens Café
Our Cafeteria staff welcomed special guest chef, Neko, vice president of Gasoline Manufacturing Division, into the kitchen the past couple weeks. Neko grabbed an apron and dove in to show the Cafeteria staff how to cook new, authentic Japanese dishes.
DENSO, Polk County High Talk Technical Education Programs
Members of DENSO met with Polk County High to discuss their partnership for the upcoming school year. Polk and DENSO are both committed to engaging career and technical education programs to support in-demand skills and bridge the skills gap in technology.