Westlake’s Q-Lab Corp Earns Top Workplaces Honor

Q-Lab Corp., a Westlake-based company located at the north terminus of Canterbury Road, has been an international provider of material durability testing products since 1956. They design and manufacture standard test substrates as well as weathering, light stability, and corrosion testers.

Q-Lab annually says “thank you” to Westlake’s Fire and Police personnel with a Safety Forces Appreciation Luncheon. Q-Lab hosted this year’s event late last month, and also used the day to announce that the company has been named as a Plain Dealer “Top Workplaces 2023” awardee for the 9th consecutive year.

“We live in dynamic times…facing challenges daily. But Q-Lab Culture drives us forward,” said Mike Winnen, Q-Lab Vice President of Engineering. “We care about our people. We care about the community that we work and live in. We are good at what we do, we are competitive, and we like to win.

“We know we can be better and we strive to improve every day.”

Winnen adds that an anonymous survey completed by Q-Lab team members on employee engagement supports Q-Lab’s claim to positive culture. This survey resulted in Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer recognizing Q-Lab as a Northeast Ohio Top Workplace for the 9th straight year and 10th overall. Q-Lab also is an active participant in Westlake community events, as employees participate in Westlake’s Fourth of July parade and annual Corporate Challenge competition.

Sharing words from owner/founder Doug Grossman, Winnen shared a quote honoring Westlake safety forces. “Civilized life would be impossible without police protection. The most basic function of government is to protect the citizens from violent individuals who intend to do harm.

“Q-Lab has been manufacturing in Westlake for 42 years… we built our factory around the corner on First Street in 1981, and in addition to our team members around the world, we have nearly 200 employees that work here. Over those years, our employees have had many, many interactions with Westlake safety forces. We have always found you to be responsive, professional, helpful, and an incredible asset to our community. We are proud of you.

“The police put themselves into all kinds of difficult situations in order to protect us. We appreciate the dedicated members of our police force for handling a challenging and often thankless job.”

“Fire has been destroying lives ever since humans built the first huts out of sticks and thatch. Today, when fire gets out of hand, we here at Q-Lab know we can run away to our designated rally points because we know that the firefighting team will run TOWARDS the danger. If we ever have a fire, we have absolute confidence that the Westlake Fire Department can handle it.”

“Thank you to all of you. We truly appreciate the essential role you perform in keeping our community safe!”