Employees at the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based location have continued a spirit of giving through numerous donation efforts within the community over the last two decades. One longstanding tradition for the group is to give clothes, toys, and other presents to a handful of "Christmas Families" in the area.

This year, Essex Brownell incorporated numerous suppliers as part of the donation effort with an incredible, bicycle-building event that made sure 24 children will have a new bike during the holidays.

"We have a long history of trusted partnerships," Jason Krauskopf, President of Essex Brownell, said. "I believe that our relationships are a key differentiator for us and that those relationships are just as beneficial to our customers. We have good people working here and we have good people choosing to work with us.

"Fort Wayne is our hometown, and we had an opportunity to further strengthen those bonds by combining our Values of Partnership: Supplier and Community partners, with the Bike Building event."

At the recently completed Sales & Supplier Forum, a random mix of suppliers and Essex Brownell employees worked together to answer trivia questions in order to receive the tools needed to assemble a bike. They then raced to complete the build, mixing friendly competition with relationship building, as well as community investment.

The Brownell Cares Event also afforded many bonding opportunities between suppliers and employees. It provided a chance to both educate how Essex Brownell operates as well as become more familiar with suppliers' products. The collective was also able to develop new relationships that can push one another forward.

"It truly cannot be overstated," Krauskopf said. "These events foster relationships that get our customers access to the best products and best service. Those partnerships are everything."