De Lage Landen Employees in Wayne Celebrate with Their World Clipper Crew

Nearly 200 employees of global asset finance company De Lage Landen (DLL) in Wayne, Pa., joined co-workers in New York City’s North Cove Marina Thursday to greet the company’s Clipper Race crew as it departed for the last leg of a global sailing race.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race started in July last year, and the route from San Francisco to New York included an American DLL employee, Heather Stephens.

DLL embarked on this unique corporate adventure almost a year ago to unite its 5,400 employees worldwide. Their clipper race entry is unusual because company employees are part of the crew and this has attracted fanfare at each port stop.

Employees not in the crew have followed the race all year via Internet. Thursday, close to a thousand employees broke out in flash mob dances in New York City and at DLL office locations in Wayne, Georgia and Iowa. In New York City, they also waved and cheered from the Hudson River as the vessel joined the parade of 10 Clipper Race sailing yachts, departing the New York harbor and passing ceremoniously by the Statue of Liberty.

Stephens visited the Wayne office to discuss her on-board experiences as part of Clipper Day events here.

Stephens, a 27 year-old sales development executive, said she took this challenge to expand her comfort zone and found that it was, indeed, an adventure.

“It was like a metaphor for life because you learn to make the most with what you have and strengthen your relationships,” said Stephens. She said she will miss the camaraderie on the ship but is excited to return to her home and regular office job after two months away.

Bill Stephenson, the chairman of the DLL’s vendor finance division at the U.S. headquarters in Wayne, Pa., said, “This has unified our company. We see it in the pride, the passion, and the creativity of our employees who are embracing their Clipper Race team and realizing that we are one global team to serve our clients in 35 countries.”

DLL is in second place and hopes to keep this position as it comes to the finish July 22 in Southampton, England.

De Lage Landen, a fully owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group, specializes in asset-based financing programs for equipment manufacturers, dealers and distributors all over the world.

Click here for video of New York activities.