Fourth-generation family-owned company BonaDent Dental Laboratories announced last week that all 240 full-time employees would receive a company-sponsored $1,000 “Holiday Relief Payment” and 25 part-time employees will receive a $500 payment, as a result of the leadership team’s commitment to give back to its employees and local communities this holiday season.
“As the U.S. House and Senate continue to debate over whether another round of CARES ACT relief checks should be distributed, we knew we had to do something for our team to help make the holidays a little easier,” said CEO and President Bruce H. Bonafiglia. “This ‘Holiday COVID Relief Payment’ is our way of giving back to our employees, showing our gratitude for their ongoing dedication and to make their own holiday a bit brighter. BonaDent is as much a workplace as it is a lifestyle—our people tend to stick around for a long time and are passionate about what they do. In return, we’re very grateful to be there for them during this difficult time.”
Employees will be receiving their Holiday Relief Payment within their next paycheck, just in time for the holidays. While BonaDent has offered bonuses in the past, this is the largest payment they have offered to date and comes as a surprise to their employees.
“Without question 2020 has been a very tough year around the globe, and locally. Yet, through it all, the Bonafiglia family has had laser-focus on what matters most: the people who make BonaDent Dental Laboratories,” said longtime employee David Terrazas. “From the outset, the Bonafiglia family in whole have taken numerous steps to ensure their employees were taken care of and treated with dignity throughout the pandemic. The holiday bonus is a truly unexpected, generous gift from the family as a gesture of their belief that people come first—and not just saying it but showing how much they do care. I am grateful beyond words. This gift brings more than a smile in these bleak times; it also brings security and relief which we could all use right now especially with the holidays approaching.”
BonaDent is no stranger to showing its employees support. When the pandemic first hit, the company assisted furloughed employees by covering their health, dental and vision insurance. To ensure no employee felt financially strained, all of their employees received a retention bonus after the dentistry shutdown lifted, as well as they were given a $100 gift card, two days of additional paid time off and three days of early holiday pay. Free boxed lunches were also given out to employees with school-aged children remaining at home.
Leadership hopes the additional “Holiday COVID Relief Payment” will also help to stimulate the local economies. This latest initiative builds upon BonaDent’s yearlong series of in-kind and monetary contributions given to the hometowns it serves across the nation to help with COVID-19 relief efforts.
Based in Seneca Falls, N.Y., BonaDent Dental Laboratories has had a presence in the Finger Lakes community since 1948—with additional satellite offices in South Carolina, Florida and soon Tennessee. Like many other businesses impacted by the initial pandemic surge in early 2020, the circumstances around COVID-19 and recommended health mandates for essential businesses created new challenges for the company. In April, many of BonaDent’s dentist customers were forced to shut down for emergency dentistry only, and the company’s demand decreased to less than 20% of their normal volumes.
Rather than stay idle, BonaDent’s team decided to pivot their CAD/CAM department operations away from making dental restorations to begin manufacturing PPE face shields, making more than 7,000 face shields to date. These shields were generously donated to front-line workers, nursing homes, police, fire and EMT professionals throughout Upstate New York, as well as each satellite lab’s surrounding communities. The company also collected unused, donated equipment from dental offices, including gowns, gloves and masks, to help support area hospitals that were at the front lines of the pandemic.
The Bonafiglia family, which manages BonaDent’s leadership team, has long been known for investing in the local community and has made significant monetary contributions to the region’s community organizations this past year to help minimize the financial burden of the pandemic.
The giving includes:
- $100,000 monetary donation to Huntington Living Center to cover staff wages for two weeks during the holiday. Funding will help support a $10/hr increase for all Huntington staff members to thank and incentivize them for working on the front lines and caring for the residents during this time of crisis.
- $50,000 monetary donation to the Finger Lakes Health Foundation in Geneva, N.Y., to help purchase medical equipment and supplies needed for those on the front line of fighting the pandemic.
- $25,000 monetary donation to the Seneca County House of Concern. BonaDent recently announced they would give an additional $5,000 in December and also donated several boxes of new, unopened children’s toys to ensure the organization can support its families this holiday season.
- $15,000 monetary donation to the Seneca Falls Wonderful Life Museum, a contribution that will help the museum address a budget shortfall for 2021.
- $10,000 monetary donation to North Seneca Ambulance to help equip EMT professionals with the proper equipment.
- $3,500 monetary donation to Seneca Falls Central School District to help schools return safely to in-person learning.
“It’s been a challenging year, but we’ve been very fortunate to have a team of passionate workers who have played a vital role in servicing our clients and our communities,” said Bonafiglia. “Our teams have done whatever they could to help those who needed it the most these past few months. We know that this holiday season will be more difficult than usual, so it’s our company’s turn to give back and send some holiday relief our team’s way.”
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