“If something like that ever happens, we need to make sure we’re part of that. I think we have that responsibility.” - John Epprecht
Great Lakes Cheese and the family of founder Hans Epprecht will donate $2 million to Berkshire Schools in support of the PRIME initiative, the partnership between Berkshire, Kent State University and others to build a new pre-K through grade 12 school on the KSU Geauga campus in Burton Township.
That bond issue (Issue 2) is on the May 8 ballot.
The money contributed is $1.5 million from the company and $500,000 from the Epprecht family, principal owners of Great Lakes Cheese.
All three children of Hans Epprecht — John, Kurt and Heidi — are Berkshire alumni.
“For those who don’t know, Great Lakes Cheese has a long rich history of being an educational partner with Berkshire Schools by supporting many programs that allow our students to grow and learn inside the classroom and explore real life applications in the community,” Berkshire Schools Superintendent John Stoddard told those attending an April 11 press conference in the high school gymnasium. “Today’s announcement will take that partnership to the next level.”
The donations will be utilized to support the development of state-of-the-art athletic facilities for the schools.
Having watched his children participate in sporting events at Chagrin Falls Schools, John Epprecht, senior vice president, strategic projects at Great Lakes Cheese, said he saw firsthand the lessons sports teach young people.
“It taught them time management. It taught them teamwork. It taught them so many things that we’re talking about right here, because they had to work together as a team, they had to collaborate with other people, they had to find a way to get along with other people,” Epprecht said. “And, oh, by the way, practices take, to and from, and all that, take three and a half hours, so you better figure out how to get your work done and still do all the training.”
He added, “It’s just part of life. And it becomes a bigger part of life.”
Two years ago, Epprecht said he was in his brother’s office and mentioned how the PRIME Initiative at Berkshire was beginning to take hold.
“If something like that ever happens, we need to make sure we’re part of that. I think we have that responsibility,” he told Kurt.
Epprecht explained the PRIME Initiative means a great deal to Great Lakes Cheese and the Epprecht family.
“We’re going to commit to being here for a long time,” he said, noting both his and Kurt’s sons, and Heidi’s daughter are involved in the company, which employed 150 employees when headquartered in Newbury Township and today employs around 3,000 people nationwide.
The Epprecht family has a responsibility to those 3,000 families — not just the employees, Epprecht said.
“We have to make sure they get a weekly check, that they have medical benefits and, of course, we really pride ourselves with what we do with our ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) and our profit sharing, so that we know they’re in good shape for retirement someday,” he said.
Singling out the Berkshire students sitting in the front row on both sides of the aisle, he talked about the opportunities in front of them if the community supports Issue 2 on May 8.
“These younger people, they work differently,” Epprecht said, referring to how younger employees at Great Lakes Cheese work collaboratively.
“Part of the thing that Great Lakes is going to do is, we’re going to create a space so those people (students) can work in a better environment,” he explained. “Think about the opportunity if we start teaching at the fourth-grade, fifth-grade and sixth-grade level, what their value will be around the world, because we started to teach them how to do things together and how to work together.”
He added, “Solving problems and critical thinking. It’s not anything new, but if you put together this group to solve this problem, and you put together that group to solve that problem, and you give them the right environment to do that . . . I’m telling you it could be one of the greatest things in Northeast Ohio.”
These young people are the future of Great Lakes Cheese, Epprecht said.
“We’re going to need 3,000 people 20 years from now, that need that kind of education so that they can make their contribution,” he said.
He added Geauga County does a great job of educating its children, but young people feel they have to leave the county to get a better job.
“I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want my own kids to do that and I don’t want your kids to do that,” said Epprecht. “I want to make sure they have great jobs here, so that they can live a nice life, live in Geauga County.”
Last week’s announcement came on the heels of a 100 percent, 15-year tax abatement Troy Township granted Great Lakes Cheese. Geauga County Commissioners approved the abatement at its April 10 meeting.
The company said that investment helped Great Lakes Cheese decide to expand their operations and new corporate headquarters on Troy Industrial Parkway off Main Market Road.
Great Lakes Cheese said it would hire an additional 265 employees as part of the plant expansion.
“Great Lakes Cheese is proud to have been a part of Geauga County’s economy and community for 60 years,” the company said in an April 10 news release announcing the tax abatement. “The company currently employs 734 full-time and temporary employees, many of whom are Geauga County residents. They look forward to continuing to build a positive future for Geauga County and its residents for many years to come.”
