Commission president Brian Wolfe presents the port's 2013 Tenant of the Year award to Cadet. Left to right: Cadet president Hutch Johnson, Cadet CEO Dick Anderson, and port commissioners Brian Wolfe, Nancy Baker and Jerry Oliver. (Photo courtesy of Cadet)

Commission president Brian Wolfe presents the port’s 2013 Tenant of the Year award to Cadet. Left to right: Cadet president Hutch Johnson, Cadet CEO Dick Anderson, and port commissioners Brian Wolfe, Nancy Baker and Jerry Oliver. (Photo courtesy of Cadet)


Sustainability, community involvement and an employee-centered culture were just three of the reasons the Port of Vancouver USA presented Cadet with its 2013 Tenant of the Year award on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Commission president Brian Wolfe presented the award to Cadet during the port’s regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting. He congratulated the company and thanked them for being a tenant and a Clark County business.

Cadet CEO Dick Anderson accepted the award and expressed his gratitude. But true to Cadet’s principles, Anderson told the board and audience that “the real thanks go to our personnel. Our people are second to none. They make it work on a day-to-day basis, and have for years.”

Cadet designs, develops and manufactures high-efficiency electric heaters and thermostats. The 57-year-old company made its home in Vancouver in 1971 and landed at the port in 2006.

Since coming to Vancouver, “we’ve had nothing but enjoyment and growth,” said Anderson. “The opportunities in front of us are as bright as they’ve ever been.”

Cadet has created more than its share of opportunity over the years by employing innovative programs and initiatives, such as:

  • Utilizing Washington’s Job Share programs to maintain its skilled workforce and avoid layoffs due to the recession
  • Implementing exceptional employee health and wellness programs
  • Reducing employee commute travel by 20 percent by offering flexible work schedules
  • Supporting and encouraging employee volunteerism
  • Using leading-edge technology to streamline operational practices
  • Sharing insight and knowledge with other businesses in our community
  • Recycling every possible product used in the manufacturing process and reducing material sent to landfills by 75 percent
  • Using sustainable materials in its packaging, such as recycled cardboard and shredded paper

Tuesday’s award is the third Port of Vancouver award Cadet has received in the past four years. The company was also recognized as the port’s Environmental Tenant of the Year in 2010 and 2012.

Cadet has received statewide and local recognition for its excellence and leadership. Seattle Business Magazine awarded Cadet its 2014 Washington Manufacturing Building Trades Award earlier this year, and in 2013 the company was recognized as a Clark County Green Business and one of the healthiest companies in Southwest Washington.

Cadet was founded in the Pacific Northwest in 1957. Its 127 employees design and build every one of the company’s electric baseboard, wall, and utility heaters here in Vancouver, Washington.

– POV –

 The Port of Vancouver USA is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast, and its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a skilled labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community. For more information, please visit us at www.portvanusa.com.