Draper: a True Corporate Citizen
Luther O. Draper
The Luther O. Draper Shade Co.
began in Spiceland, Indiana, a small
town located 40 miles east of the state
capital of Indianapolis. Luther Draper recognized a problem:
the sun’s heat and glare affected school
teachers and students. So, he created a
solution: spring-roller window shades.
The window
shade business grew even during two
world wars and a depression and now
comprises about two-thirds of the
business. During the entire time, not a
single employee was laid off. And that
continues to be true even today.
- In 1957, Luther Pidgeon, grandson
of the founder, invented a new and
uniquely durable classroom projection
screen. Over time, projection screens
and visual communications products
have grown and we now offer our unique
TecVision projection screens.
-
In 1994, Draper entered the gymnasium
equipment market, and is now proud to
be the largest manufacturer of gymnasium
equipment in the United States.
-
In 2013, Draper introduced the Solar
Control Solutions line of architectural
shading products. Solar Control Solutions
provide precision control over the natural
daylight entering the building, excellent
energy savings and interesting façade
design options.
-
In 2017, Draper launched a new range of Mounts and Structures for displays. Through this project-based initiative, we work with our partners to design and manufacture tailored AV solutions to interface buildings, workspaces, and technology. This includes custom structures, frames, mounts, and trim for any type of digital display, plus kiosks and more.
Today
We have evolved over the years,
increasing our product offerings to meet
our customers’ needs. Still led by Luther
Draper’s descendants, today we employ
over 700 people.
Draper is a true global citizen, with sales
and manufacturing locations in the
United States, the United Kingdom and
Sweden shipping products throughout
the world. We sell our products to
customers in over 100 foreign countries.
Draper, Inc. is excited to be among the
select group of companies acknowledged
and honored to have been selected as an
inductee into the newly created Indiana
Manufacturers Hall of Fame in 2016.
Responsibility to our Employees
Employees at the Draper Wellness Park
Throughout the company’s history, Draper
has never laid off any employees. Our
employees enjoy competitive wages
and a growing benefit package, profit
sharing and a 401(k) plan with matching
contributions. Draper also provides
a generous group medical plan that
includes an innovative free on-site primary
care medical clinic and an award-winning
wellness program.
Draper was named as The Healthiest
Workplace in the United States in
2014 by Healthiest Employers LLC,
and PLANSPONSOR’s 2014 Plan
Sponsor of the Year for our corporate
401(k) program. In 2013, Draper was
granted INSHARP certification by the
state of Indiana. INSHARP stands for
Indiana Safety and Health Achievement
Recognition Program. Certification in
INSHARP recognizes an employer as a
model work site for occupational safety
and health.
One of only seventy companies (and
one of only two manufacturers) named
one of the “Best Places to Work in
Indiana” through comprehensive reports
and employee surveys compiled by
the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Through it all, we remain dedicated to
our small-town community, employees,
and customers around the world, while
being focused on innovative solutions.
Responsibility to our Environment
Draper is looking forward to the needs
of the future by establishing itself as a
market leader in “Green” environmentally friendly products and operations. Several
staff members are USGBC members and
have earned LEED certification.
Draper products can improve a building’s
energy efficiency. Window shades reflect
light and heat from the sun, reducing
the amount of energy required to cool
the building. The construction of Draper
products has become friendlier to the
environment by including increasing
quantities of low- and zero-emission
materials and increasingly efficient
manufacturing processes.
Draper offers products that feature
GREENGUARD certified materials in
all of its primary product lines: projection
screens, window shades, and
gymnasium equipment.
Draper continually promotes sustainability in our manufacturing processes and the materials we use. Utilizing Lean Manufacturing methods, we ensure we are making the most use of the space we have, to keep our carbon and building footprints as low as possible. Using Phifer's SheerWeave® Ecolibrium™ fabric, you can approximate petroleum savings and greenhouse gas avoidance using our online calculator. Click here to explore this tool.
We recognize the importance of materials reporting, and provide Health Product Declarations and/or Environmental Product Declarations for many of our components.
Through an aggressive program, we have greatly reduced the amount of scrap we produce, and much of what we do have is recycled or reused. For example, we collect and return the cores on which fabrics are rolled, and return them for reuse. We also return some shade material scrap for recycling. We reuse shipping pallets and skids.
Our Corporate Environmental Mission Statement:
As a United States manufacturer of quality products for the architectural market for over 117 years, Draper is committed to providing products for the sustainable design market. As members of our local, state, and national community and as members of the U.S. Green Building Council, our company and our employees are striving to become more environmentally conscious by continuously upgrading our facilities to be more energy efficient, and by introducing “reduce, reuse and recycle” programs. We will continue to upgrade and design new products with these goals in mind.
We are recycling more than 84 tons of materials per month in nine categories. This figure continues to rise. We’ve also introduced programs for reusing wood and cardboard products, including hundreds of shipping pallets, skids, and shipping tubes. We are constantly seeking to increase the efficiency of our energy use.
How to Recycle our Products
One of the easiest sustainability habits is recycling. Not only does Draper have an aggressive recycling program, we will also accept end-of-life Draper products back and dismantle them for recycling. The sender, however, is responsible for all shipping costs.
While we’re happy to accept products back for recycling, it actually makes more sense for decommissioned Draper products to be dismantled and recycled close to the site location. Not only do you save shipping costs, but you also remove a carbon load from the process. You can make much more earth-friendly choices by working with local resources.
To prepare a product for recycling, first separate shade fabrics or viewing surfaces from the metal parts of the unit. Packaging materials are normally recycled when the product is installed. All of Draper’s packaging materials and fillers are recyclable. If the carton has been retained after installation, it can be put into any mixed recycling drop.
All of the metal parts are normally acceptable in mixed recycling drops. If you do a lot of recycling, you may want to separate the aluminum, steel, and motor parts for a metal recycler. Metal recyclers will pay for these items, and they will pay a higher rate if you recycle in large quantities and separate the metals by type. (Pro tip: use a magnet to distinguish steel from aluminum.) Shade and screen motors contain steel and copper, or an electronics recycler in your area may accept motors.
Unsupported vinyl viewing surfaces and vinyl shade fabrics are accepted by many vinyl recyclers. Relatively few recyclers, however, accept vinyl with a woven base or backing.
Another option is to repurpose the products or materials. For instance, vinyl screen surfaces with a woven backing work well as tarps or drop cloths, so local contractors or your own installation crew may be able to reuse them. If the product being replaced is still in usable condition, donate it to a local organization, or to a local thrift store. Reuse is the most efficient form of recycling, and your donation may be tax deductible!
Below are links to help you find places to donate or recycle Draper products, and ideas on where to take reusable items.
Recycling Locations and Resources
Reuse Resources