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DOW EMPLOYEE DRIVE EX VALUES IN PRO-AM TOURNAMENT

The annual Dow Championship joins Dow employees and their families, community members, and the best female professional golfers from the LPGA. This week-long tournament and premiere employee experience creates ways for attendees to celebrate, and, of course, watch world class golf.

Each year, Dow employees are nominated and selected to play on the Championship Pro-Am Team. These cross-function employees exemplify EX values, drive improvements in their function, and make Dow a better place to work.

On Wednesday, June 26, at the Midland Country Club, four Dow employees will have the privilege of playing with professional golfers in the Pro-Am tournament. Meet this year’s EX Pro-Am team as they share their enthusiasm for the tournament and their most valuable EX memories.

Michael Gutierrez NA Corporate Facilities Manager

Each year, Michael Gutierrez and his family make the trek from Freeport, Texas to follow the Dow Championship. From the Pro-Am to the practice round, they watch it all. Only this year, he’s putting a twist on the annual tradition: he’ll be playing with the professionals instead of just watching.

Gutierrez is excited to network with employees he might otherwise not meet. He’s always enjoyed showing his kids the professional golfers, but also everything Dow provides to its community.

“The Dow Championship allows individuals or employees to learn about the partnerships Dow has, like the sustainability partners and the products they have to offer,” said Gutierrez. “Every time I go, it’s just a really cool experience that gets us to understand what we’re all about.”

Off the course, Gutierrez and his co-workers promote EX values by fostering a workplace that encourages employees to be authentic, feel empowered to share their thoughts, and follow a one-team mentality. Additionally, Gutierrez and his project leader sponsor a softball team to better get to know colleagues outside of work.

“We try to cultivate an environment where people feel like they can be themselves,” said Gutierrez. “We really try to preach that and help the team understand that it’s okay to be transparent.”

Morgan Rhodes North America Planning Business Process Expertise Manager

Prior to this event, Morgan Rhodes could count on one hand the number of times she’d golfed.

But in preparation for the Championship, she’s practiced with friends and family and now sees golf as a new hobby and an opportunity to meet new people.

“I’m excited to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the best of the best in women’s golf prepare for a championship,” said Rhodes. “Additionally, I’m excited to have my little girls see me play alongside professional women athletes and be a role model for them to always be open to trying new things.”

Rhodes’s willingness to explore new opportunities led her to her most memorable Dow Employee Experience, where she volunteered to build a Habitat for Humanity home with her colleagues. While the work was not glamorous, she said, it was rewarding to see how much it meant to the homeowners. Most of all, Rhodes implores fellow employees to seek out new opportunities regardless of ability or previous experience.

“Encourage others—even if they’re not skilled in something—to go participate,” said Rhodes. “That’s really part of these events Dow puts on. It’s about making you comfortable with what you’re not comfortable with and meeting new people.”

Justin McCue Workforce Administration Labor Relations Representative

Justin McCue is a long-time golf fan and amateur who is eager to play with the pros and discover how to improve his own game during the tournament.

One key moment from last year’s Championship, said McCue, was when he brought his children, shared his passion for the sport with them and created lifelong memories.

“It goes back to my love of golf, because I’ve played golf since I was their age,” said McCue. “My kids are eight and eleven now. Hopefully this is something they’ll remember in their adult years.”

McCue said events like the Dow Championship are important to EX because they highlight the company’s investment in the community and showcase Midland, Dow, and Dow employees all while providing a unique event for attendees.

“It will definitely be a one-of-a-kind experience for me,” said McCue. “I’m obviously not a professional golfer, but I’m sure these pros have experienced much better and much worse than what I end up doing out there on the course. I hope to play my best and savor this experience as long as I can.”

Shruti Bahadur Global EX and ERG Leader

Shruti Bahadur has led the Pro-Am team for four years and is excited for employees to experience this once-in-a-lifetime EX event.

“How often would we get an opportunity to watch LPGA or have world class golf in our backyard?” said Bahadur.

With an educational background in computer science and years of IT experience at Dow under her belt, Bahadur’s shift to employee and customer experience came from a “life changing” EMERGE conference in 2018. This conference pushed her to devote her work to the Office of Inclusion in a full-time capacity.

One of Bahadur’s most valuable EX moments comes from the Pro-Am tournament itself.

Bahadur enjoyed uplifting and “bragging” about a Pro-Am teammate to their family member; she explained that team members are selected based on their excellent contributions to Dow and EX. Bahadur was thrilled to make that employee’s family proud and instill confidence in the team member.

“It gives me so much joy that we are enabling these opportunities for employees, leveraging that opportunity to showcase an employee in front of their family, and having them see the great work they’re doing,” said Bahadur.