In 2022, Rytec lost an influential and special member of our team, Tony Burbach – or ‘Tony B’ as we knew him. Tony was Vice President of Sales at Rytec, and was a trusted, respected and beloved member of the Rytec family and the Executive Leadership Team.
Throughout his 25-year sales career with the company, Tony consistently gave all he had. He focused his full attention on our customers and often would ask, “What have you done for the customer today?” Tony often went beyond his role to give support and direction to all teams at Rytec and contributed significantly to Rytec’s market leadership, product development, and sales during his tenure. Even throughout his health challenges, Tony brought his characteristic work ethic, humor, and collaborative spirit to the team.
To honor Tony’s legacy and in keeping with the giving spirit he had, the Tony Burbach ‘Character’ Award was created. Each year, we select one individual from the company who consistently demonstrates the principles by which Tony lived – accountability, respect, commitment, integrity and collaboration. For this award, a monetary donation is made in Tony’s name to his selected charities. In addition, the Rytec recipient acknowledged by this great honor also receives special recognition.
The 2024 Tony Burbach “Character” Award winner is Gretta Dondlinger, Sr. HR Generalist and Plant Visit Coordinator.
Gretta joined Rytec in 2018 as a Talent Acquisition Specialist, managing the hiring process from start to finish for all new employees at both Jackson and Hartford facilities. This included leading new hire orientations, weekly information sessions, job fairs and promotional activities. She was also a key member of the Rytec Wellness planning committee.
Promoted to Sr. HR Generalist in 2021, Gretta became the go-to resource for Hartford-based employees as well as for regional and national sales team members. Her demonstrated areas of expertise range from talent acquisition and performance management to employee relations, wellbeing experience planning and benefits/compensation management. She is also a proud member of the Hartford Safety Committee.
In 2023, Gretta also assumed a new role as Plant Visit Coordinator, responsible for planning and executing all onsite efforts for customer, end-user and dealer visits – and collaborating with Regional Sales Managers and key Rytec staff. This high-profile role requires leading tours at both Rytec factories, showcasing technology innovations, new automated equipment and streamlined production and assembly processes.
During the nomination process, colleagues shared several comments about Gretta. “She treats new and existing staff at all levels with respect and projects personal and professional integrity in each of her roles,” said a senior leader. Another commented that Gretta is “positive, hard-working, and fun to be around.” Reflecting on a recent plant tour that Gretta led, another teammate remarked “the lead visitor was ‘blown away’ with the tour…what more could we ask for?”
In Gretta’s words, “Rytec undoubtably makes the best doors in the high-performance market. But what really sets us apart from the competition is our people. Our people are what really makes the difference. They have passion for what we do, work together as a team and they really care. It’s our people that make it easy for me to get out of bed every day, come to work, and want to do a good job and make a difference.”
We congratulate Gretta on receiving this high honor.
