There are few Cedartown residents who remember a time before HON.

The HON Company in Cedartown is celebrating a momentous anniversary this week with a massive celebration that brings the community, employees and members together for a celebration 40 years in the making.

This week, HON is celebrating its 40 th anniversary with drawings, trivia and raffles.

“We’re having a trivia game that includes old photos,” said Carol Ayers of the HON Company. “Our members really enjoy revisiting these times, and seeing so many members who have been here 25 or 30 plus years—the dress, the hairstyles—very funny”

HON management held a barbecue and plant tour on Monday, with Commissioner Larry Odom officially declaring April 1 as ‘The HON Company Day’.

The celebratory week will culminate in a carnival for members and their families on Saturday, with rides and games for everyone.

Through various donations, awards and events, The HON Company has thrust itself into the communal nucleus of Polk County and surrounding areas in a relatively short time.

In 1967, HON purchased 25 acres of land and a 4-year-old 62,000 square foot building that had previously been used for manufacturing prefabricated homes. The expansion was HON’s first plant outside its native Muscatine, Iowa, and is currently one of ten plants across the nation.

According to the 1990 Progress Edition of the Cedartown Standard, HON Industries chose Cedartown for a manufacturing and distribution facility due to economic incentives, local labor pool, availability of transportation, and its proximity to Atlanta.

That year, HON began producing suspension filing cabinets at the facility and employed a total of 28 members. Several expansions occurred, including the most recent in Sept. 2009, and the Cedartown facility now occupies over 538,000 square feet and employs over 750 members.

The facility currently produces metal casegoods, laminate casegoods, and seating office furniture.

Over the past 40 years, HON has given back to its community through various donations, including regular contributions to Peek and Turner Street public parks and Cedartown little league.

Other major donation recipients include Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Georgia, Polk County after school programs, the United Fund, and Georgia Special Olympics’ programs.

Last year, HON donated $150,000 to Georgia Northwestern Technical College Foundation’s Education for Work Campaign.

“A cornerstone of HNI Corp and The HON Company is to be a good corporate citizen in the communities in which we work and live,” said Ayers. “It’s important that we contribute to charities like the United Fund, the schools and the arts.”

The company also encourages its members to participate in the community through fire protection organizations, coaching local youth sports teams, serving their churches or participating on the Boards of area agencies.

HON has also conducted several successful food and toy drives, and has offered on-site health fairs for members and their families.

Considered an accomplished and successful corporate citizen of the Cedartown community, HON has been presented with several awards, including the distinguished Shingo Prize for Excellence in 2003—called the Nobel Prize in manufacturing by Business Week magazine.

HON was also acknowledged as the 1996 recipient of the Success Track Outstanding Employer Award, the 2006 Manufacturer of the Year Award, and the 2004 Georgia Oglethorpe Award, the state’s highest level of recognition for organization performance excellence.

Max Stanley, one of the founders of HON Industries, believed that great success would come to anyone who operated a business that treated its members, customers, suppliers and investors with fairness and respect.

Those principles are still a part of the HON Company’s Vision statement and have served the company well through the years.

HON’s involvement in the community, adherence to these principles and commitment through various donations and community service projects will see HON prosperous through its next 40 years, certainly giving members something to celebrate this week.

“I hope for continued growth and profitability here at our Cedartown location,” said Ayers. “The member culture is strong and the support we receive from our management and our corporate headquarters is outstanding.”