Every year, on or around September 26, Henkel offices and manufacturing sites around the world celebrate “Henkel Friendship Day,” which is the date the company was founded in Germany in 1876.  Friendship Day is inspired by Henkel’s slogan, “A Brand Like a Friend,” and encourages employees to celebrate their successes and thank their co-workers for a job well done. In North America, each Henkel site plans its own activities based on local work schedules and needs.

This year’s celebrations included softball, volleyball, and a water balloon toss in Bridgewater, N.J.; a baby photo contest and ice cream social in Canton, Mass.; authentic German strudel, Bavarian accordion players and raffle prizes in Scottsdale, Ariz.; a pizza lunch to celebrate a safety milestone in Irvine, Calif.; and a Henkel history quiz and buffet lunch in Mississauga, Ontario.

Many Henkel offices also use Friendship Day as an opportunity to be a friend to the community and support local non-profit organizations.  The Cleveland, Ohio site held a “carnival for a cure” with a dunk tank to raise money for breast cancer research.  The City of Industry, Calif. site hosted a food drive and a blood drive, the Rocky Hill, Conn. headquarters ran a “Help your Neighbor” contest which resulted in donations to 41 charitable organizations, and the Warren, Mich. site used Friendship Day to launch its adopt-a-family program for the upcoming holiday season.

Henkel in North America:
Henkel markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands in North America, including Loctite® adhesives, Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Right Guard® antiperspirants, and got2b® hair gels. 

Henkel has been committed to making people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful for more than 130 years.  A Fortune Global 500 and Germany’s most admired company according to a recent Fortune survey, Henkel offers strong brands and technologies in three areas of competence: Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesive Technologies.  Each day, more than 52,000 employees in 125 countries are dedicated to fulfilling Henkel’s claim “A Brand Like a Friend.”  In fiscal 2008, Henkel generated sales of $20.8 billion and adjusted operating profit of $2.1 billion.