For six years, Roland was a New England regional board member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), and is a current board member of the New England Lean Consortium. Roland is a big promoter in Lean Manufacturing and is actively leading the company in Continuous Improvement. Roland recalls that Memorial Day was the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for everyone involved. The project was so immense, important, and tightly scheduled, that our employees worked 7 days a week for an entire month to get it done. When asked what his most memorable project was, Roland replied with the first time we received a large order from a major sports team. Roland now serves as Vice President of Manufacturing and continues to be an integral part of making sure projects run smoothly.

Dion had moved to its current facility in Attleboro and construction was finished on the first of two additions. After graduating from Saint Anselm College with a BS in business in 1991, he joined the company as a purchaser. Roland Dion is not only the youngest brother, but the youngest of all six Dion siblings. However, Dennis will admit with a laugh that his Little League batting average was 0-0-0. He has always been athletic, playing basketball, golf, and even Little League Baseball for one season. Outside of work, Dennis enjoys taking nature walks with his dog, biking, backpacking, fishing, and cooking.

“There’s always something new, and I really like that.” Over the years, Dennis has helped create an environment of constant improvement that has become the trademark philosophy of the company.

From personnel to production, the constant growth of the company keeps Dennis interested and excited about what’s ahead. When asked what his favorite part about working at the company is, Dennis immediately said the “unending change.” Being involved in the constant changes over the years instills an inexplicable pride. “That sticks in my head,” said Dennis, “We had to line up the boxes. The order was placed shortly before the company was set to go on vacation, and all the pieces had to ship together in one large shipment. Another project that came to mind was a large order for The Girl Scouts of America. “We essentially had to reinvent ourselves just for that order,” said Dennis. The massive order (2.2 million pieces!) and tight deadline really put the company to the test. One of Dennis’ most memorable projects was the “You’ve Come A Long Way Baby” key tags for Virginia Slims. As the Production Manager, Dennis physically travelled from vendor to vendor in order to coordinate their various projects. Back then, the company was still very small and all the manufacturing was outsourced.

After graduating from Husson College with a BS in Business Administration, he joined the company full time in 1983. Dion and President at the beginning of 2021.

The Plan by Ruby Vincent