toyotageorgetown.com -|- TMMK TEAM MEMBERS

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (August 20, 2008) —What started out as a desire to get fit, prompted one TMMK team member to reduce his carbon footprint, keep some extra cash in his wallet and enjoy a scenic RIDE to work.

Three days a week, depending on the weather and his schedule, Facilities Control-Engineering Assistant Manager Randy Sinkhorn parks his Toyota Sienna and trades it in for his Fischer 24-speed bike. He lives about 2 blocks from downtown Georgetown and estimates his 5.5 mile bike ride to works takes him about 22 minutes. Sinkhorn has been bicycling for about four years, but admits his push towards pedal power didn’t kick into high gear until this summer when his department initiated a fitness challenge. “I had always enjoyed bicycling, but most of my exercise came from hours spent at the Fitness Center,” Sinkhorn explained. “When challenge was issued I thought it would be a great time to incorporate the two, and save on the workout time spent at the gym.”

Georgetown Team Member Actively Participates in Blood Drives:
Father is her inspiration for giving blood

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (August 4, 2008) —A casual conversation with her father prompted a TMMK Quality Control team leader to dedicate her life towards helping others. Lorrie Meacham estimates that she has given four gallons of blood through TMMK-sponsored blood drives that are held three times a year at the Georgetown facility.

Since arriving at TMMK in June 1988, Meacham has represented her Quality Control section in every blood drive the company has conducted, and even gave at additional blood drives in the community. The desire to give is spawned by her late father, retired Army SFC Richard Rider. Rider always told his daughter that he gave blood in the military to be an example for his troops. In fact, Rider became so active in blood donation that his estimated blood donation totaled six gallons during his lifetime. After his death in 2003, Meacham focused on setting her own personal goal of reaching six gallons. “Since his passing, it has been even more important for me to surpass his goal,” Meacham explained.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (June 27, 2008) —Thirty-two TMMK team members were recently honored at a special ceremony for earning their post secondary degrees. Many of the graduates received their degrees through the “Reach for the Stars” program, which allows team members to attend classes between shifts. Visiting universities host classes on-site, providing a convenient opportunity for team members to pursue higher education. Toyota recognizes that the skills and knowledge of its team members are critical to the company’s success. The “Reach for the Stars” program encourages personal development through formal education so that team members can maintain and improve job related skills to prepare for or increase advancement opportunities.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (June 23, 2008) —A Toyota team member from Georgetown is being showcased in a public television program. Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz will be a featured vignette in the “Degrees That Work” television series, a co-production of Pennsylvania College of Technology, her alma-mater.

The series is designed to build awareness of careers that may not be familiar to the public but offer ample job opportunities and are projected to see employment growth.

Brinkley-Cruz, a native of Pennsylvania, earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology in 2005 and oversees automated welding cells at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK). The show follows Brinkley-Cruz working on the plant floor and explains other jobs related to the field of welding.

Standing, left to right: TMMK President Steve St. Angelo, Sue Henson, Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, Wade Christensen, Craig Conner, Michael Collier. Seated: Entertainers John Rich and Two Foot Fred.

Standing, left to right: TMMK President Steve St. Angelo, Sue Henson, Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, Wade Christensen, Craig Conner, Michael Collier. Seated: Entertainers John Rich and Two Foot Fred.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (May 19, 2008) — Fourteen team members from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) are proud owners of new Toyota vehicles following this weekend’s Annual Perfect Attendance Ceremony held at Rupp Arena. Those on hand for the celebration were also treated to a night of entertainment featuring the amazing sounds of multiple Grammy Award nominee John Rich of Big & Rich fame and Grammy Award winning country artist Gretchen Wilson.

This is the 18th year for the Perfect Attendance Ceremony. The idea of the ceremony based on perfect attendance is the result of Toyota’s high priority on work attendance. Team members celebrating multiple years of perfect attendance are rewarded with multiple entries in the vehicle drawing. For example an employee celebrating 16 years of perfect attendance would have 16 chances to win a vehicle.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (May 2, 2008) —Walls were spackled and painted, fences built, hay bailed, flowers planted, horses groomed and 400lb slabs of polished marble removed from, a soon to be torn down, building. Those are just a few of the numerous activities TMMK team members participated in during the annual Volunteer Day held on April 30. On this day, TMMK allows team members to volunteer at selected non-profit agencies. This activity is during the normal working day and team members are paid regular wages for the day. A separate day will be held May 7 for second and third shift team members to participate.

Community Relations compiled a list of sites that were in need of volunteer help, visited each site and then designated which team members had the skills best needed to tackle the assigned projects.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (April 19, 2008) —TMMK’s Signature Event of the Year was the American Heart Association Heart Walk held April 19 at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington. A whopping 454 TMMK team members, their families and pets participated in the event. That number is more than double the amount of walkers at 2007’s Signature Event-the Asthma Walk.

The Heart Walk was held under cloudy skies which seemed to part on cue just as Team Toyota posed for its massive group photo. The incredible turnout resulted in more than $10,000 raised by TMMK team members. That’s in addition to the $5,000 corporate sponsorship from TMMK.

The Heart Walk is just one of of multiple ways that TMMK proves its commitment to the community through both monetary contributions and personal involvement of its nearly 7,000 team members.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (April 8, 2008) —Don “Buck P” Creacy, a Georgetown resident and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) team member will be featured this month on national radio for his storytelling skills.

Creacy will be featured Sunday, April 20 on XM Satellite Radio Channel 171 also known as “America’s First Trucker Channel.” Creacy will be interviewed for the segment called “Sunday Funnies” on the Dave Nemo Show. He will travel to the XM’s Nashville studios and be interviewed live for the 8 a.m. program. Creacy is scheduled to tell two of his most popular stories “eBay Tiger” and “Three Penny Momma.”

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (March 12, 2008) — Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky Inc. (TMMK) was recently named a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Environmental Performance Track program, joining more than 500 U.S. facilities in their commitment to consistently exceed environmental regulation requirements.

Performance Track recognizes and drives environmental excellence by encouraging facilities with strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements. TMMK qualified for the program and was invited to apply because of the company’s past achievements, continuous commitment to environmental compliance, and implementation of a strong Environmental Management System.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (March 5, 2008) —Two Plastics team leaders have returned from what they refer to as “a trip of a lifetime”. James Barber, Plastics Pilot and John Turner, Rocker Paint, recently returned from a conference in Toyota City, Japan where they gave a presentation titled “Improve Paint Application Process to Reduce Paint Overspray Waste.” Their trip to Japan began in 2007 as submission for TMMK’s Environmental Achievement Award contest, in which team members are encouraged to develop and submit environmentally related “kaizens”-or improvements to processes throughout the plant.

Barber and Turner’s “kaizen” addressed extra paint or “overspray” being applied in the prime and clear coat zones in the Plastics Department. Some simple measures implemented by Barber and Turner resulted in the use of less paint which saved the company a substantial amount of money each year, improved production quality by increasing paint efficiency and helped the environment by reducing the amount of paint used. Their submission won the TMMK Environmental Achievement Award competition and then qualified to be presented on a national level which resulted in winning the Toyota Global Environmental Award.

TMMK Volunteer Named US Youth Soccer Volunteer of the Year: Kentucky's John Duvall Honored at Awards Gala

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (February 20, 2008) — A Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) team member has been named the 2007 U.S. Youth Soccer Volunteer of the Year.

John Duvall, a team member in Body Weld, was named the Region II Volunteer of the Year, representing the Kentucky Youth Soccer Association. The special announcement was made at the U.S. Youth Soccer Awards Gala, held in Pittsburgh.

Duvall, a Paris, Ky. native, has been at TMMK for 18 years and is actively involved in the company’s Volunteers in Place (VIP) program. The VIP program was developed to encourage and recognize team member volunteer work while supporting TMMK's operating principles and firm commitment to good corporate citizenship.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (February 1, 2008) — For the tenth year in a row, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) has participated in the Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge. This year, Team Toyota raised a record $17,000, and claimed the title of “Top Fundraising Team.”

Billed as the “Coolest Event in Kentucky,” the Polar Bear Plunge is one of Kentucky’s Special Olympics biggest fundraising events of the season. Those participating in the plunge take pledges from friends and family and then literally dive into a pool of water-in the middle of January! Money raised goes to support sports training and competition opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities throughout the state.

Team Toyota was comprised of 31 team members from all over the manufacturing facility including Manufacturing Support and Powertrain Vice President Cheryl Jones.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (February 11, 2008) — Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) honored its top volunteers during the company’s annual Volunteers In Place (VIP) Recognition Dinner held in Lexington, this past Saturday. The VIP program was developed in 1994 to encourage and recognize team member volunteer work while supporting TMMK's operating principles and firm commitment to good corporate citizenship.

“Because of the VIP program, TMMK has a structure that allows us to organize volunteer efforts, and recognize our extraordinary team members for what they do to make their communities better places to live,” said TMMK President Steve St. Angelo.

Participation in the VIP program has consistently grown, with almost 700 team members currently enrolled. These team members have recorded more than 31,000 man-hours in our community. That’s the equivalent of 778 work weeks spent volunteering.

Each year, TMMK honors its top five volunteers based on a scoring system that awards points in various areas including the number of hours worked, leadership roles undertaken and impact on the community. Along with being individually recognized, the volunteers selected an organization to receive a donation in their honor on behalf of TMMK.

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (November 15, 2007) —Kim Davis of Lexington has won a chance to run in the prestigious Toyota Ekiden Cup Race in Japan. Davis, a team leader in Paint at Georgetown’s Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) facility, earned a spot on the North American Ekiden team by racing in qualifying rounds and beating out other team members from Toyota manufacturing plants all over the world.

During October’s North American trials, Davis was the first woman runner to complete the two-mile course in a time of 13:39. A full 47 seconds faster than the next closest competitor. But Davis was not only a leader during the race, she also showed leadership off the track. She was elected captain of TMMK’s Ekiden Race Team, scheduling weekend runs for the team, even organizing a trip to Erlanger, Ky. to run on the official race course where the 2007 North American Ekiden Trials were held. Davis also took the initiative to draft training plans specifically for the race and share them with her team mates. “If it could shave off 30 seconds I was all for it,” Davis added. “I told them not to over do it but was glad to share anything that would make our times faster as a team.”

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (November 2, 2007) —Three team members in Body Weld were awarded for submitting suggestions that will aid in production cost savings in the Body Weld unit at TMMK.

Doug Hill (SW141), Rick Corbin (IW271), and Troy Antle (IW190) were awarded $100 gift cards for the submissions in TMMK’s Body Weld Pilot Improvement Suggestion Contest.

Body Weld Grassroots Safety Group Organizes Raffle to Benefit Georgetown Firefighters

GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY, (October 23, 2007) — Team members from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc.’s (TMMK) Body Weld unit recently gave back to the community by organizing a raffle to benefit the Georgetown Professional Firefighters.

The group consisted of 14 team members who gather weekly to promote grassroots safety awareness throughout Body Weld. During a recent meeting, the group decided to raffle off a Nintendo Wii video game system and an Apple iPhone. During lunch and break times, the group sold five dollar raffle tickets to interested team members. In all, the group raised $1,040 which will be used by the Georgetown Professional Firefighters to promote fire education awareness in Scott County grade schools.

TMMK Team Members "Reach for the Stars" by Pursuing Higher Education

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) is proud to announce that 24 team members have been awarded post-secondary degrees while maintaining a full time job at TMMK’s Georgetown facility. Graduates were recognized Wednesday at a special ceremony attended by team member’s families and Toyota management. Many of the 24 team members received their degrees through an onsite education program called “Reach for the Stars” where visiting universities host classes between shifts so that team members have a convenient opportunity to pursue higher education.

TMMK Features Lexington Team Member in Advertising Campaign

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) is spotlighting another one of its Kentucky team members through a series of statewide advertisements. The ads highlight exceptional achievements, community involvement efforts or special honors that team members have accomplished.

Thousands Honored at Toyota Perfect Attendance Ceremony, Fourteen Win Cars

Fourteen team members from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) are proud owners of new Toyota vehicles following this weekend’s Annual Perfect Attendance Ceremony held at Rupp Arena. Those on hand for the celebration were also treated to a night of entertainment featuring the amazing sounds of legendary rocker Pat Benatar and Grammy award winner and famed Nashville musician Wynonna. This is the 17th year for the Perfect Attendance Ceremony. The idea of the ceremony based on perfect attendance is the result of Toyota’s high priority on work attendance.

Team Member Spotlight

TMMK Team Members "Reach for the Stars" by Pursuing Higher Education

TMMK Features Lexington Team Member in Advertising Campaign

Thousands Honored at Toyota Perfect Attendance Ceremony, Fourteen Win Cars