From lost art to a lasting connection| Takeda Stories

At our Brooklyn Park Minnesota manufacturing site, missing art supplies and a chance encounter became the catalyst for a project that unified employees.

Personal items that get misplaced during the workday are often forgettable—a single glove, a stray water bottle or an umbrella. But for Jennina Boskovich, who works in manufacturing at our Brooklyn Park, Minnesota site, the loss of her personal art supplies at work was unforgettable.

Jennina’s self-portrait using stippling—a technique involving small dots to create a pattern or image

Jennina’s job helping to make medicines for patients requires a high level of technical prowess. She works the overnight shift, and during her shift breaks, she enjoys engaging her creative side, working on her art. So, she kept a bag filled with oil paints, brushes and a sketch pad in a conference room cabinet, away from the manufacturing floor. But one evening, she arrived for her shift and saw a sign on the conference room door that read, “under construction.”

“My heart sunk. I figured my bag was gone,” she said. “I had several supplies in the bag including a self-portrait that I had spent hours working on.”

Jennina created the portrait using the “stippling” method, a time-consuming technique that forms an image with thousands of small dots. She figured she’d never see it again.

An unexpected but fortunate twist

Joe Michalski, head of manufacturing, Brooklyn Park site

It was a typical day for Joe Michalski, head of manufacturing at the Brooklyn Park site, when a colleague who was responsible for clearing the conference room to prepare for construction handed him the bag of art supplies and asked if she should dispose of it.

Joe remembers thinking, “it looks like there’s value in that bag, there’s painting supplies, brushes, oil paints and personal sketches.”

As someone with an interest in art, Joe offered to find the rightful owner. And he found a major clue to help him do so: the bag contained Jennina’s self-portrait, and he instantly recognized her.

As part of Joe’s role, he focuses on engaging employees and fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel comfortable sharing feedback. He recognized Jennina from a recent roundtable session meant for open dialogue between leaders and staff.

Jennina Boskovich, manufacturing associate, Brooklyn Park site

The next time Joe saw Jennina, he pulled her aside and handed her the bag with her missing supplies.

Overjoyed, Jennina thanked him and the two of them chatted about their shared interest in art, a conversation that may not have happened without her misplaced supplies.

“It was nice to get to know Joe and learn about who he is as a person. It was awesome to see how he was interested in my artwork.” Jennina said.

This simple gesture sparked a new relationship and would soon strengthen the whole community at the Brooklyn Park site.

Connection through creativity

A few days later, inspiration struck when Jennina reflected on her chat with Joe. Having recently auctioned art for charity, she thought, “why not create something for Takeda?” She pondered reaching out to Joe with a proposal.

Before she could send off her email, fate intervened once again, when he came in early one day right as Jennina finished her night shift. She pitched her idea.

She shared her vision to create a photo mosaic that would encapsulate the essence of the Brooklyn Park site. "It’s about the power of relationships and human connection," she explained. Her goal was to include images submitted by employees, capturing moments that represented their lives both inside and outside of work. Joe embraced the idea.

Jennina signing the finished mural at the unveiling event.

The process to create the art was no small feat. Jennina needed more than 2,000 photos to complete the mosaic, and she was determined to include as many employees as possible. She finished the project while working her regular hours and then spent an additional 40 hours spread out over a few months. The company compensated her for her time spent on the project. Once finished, the site hosted an unveiling event to share the mosaic, prominently displaying it in one of the main hallways in the manufacturing area.

"It's an awesome unity project because everyone can be excited to look at it and find themselves," Jennina said. "It's an artistic representation of everyone coming together."

The project got the attention of our Global Manufacturing & Supply Officer, Thomas Wozniewski, who added, “projects like this are an example of a people-centered approach. Our mission is to make medicines for patients and to build a positive culture for our people in every one of our facilities around the world.”

“It embodies the essence of unity, and how a small, chance interaction can evolve into something that celebrates every person at the site. It was so meaningful to see our leadership recognize my art as a way to bring the site together.” Jennina Boskovich, manufacturing associate

Small moments, big impact

This serendipitous encounter between Jennina and Joe sparked a collective piece of art that united the Brooklyn Park site.

Jennina and her mom in front of the mural at Brooklyn Park family day.

Jennina explained, “it embodies the essence of unity, and how a small, chance interaction can evolve into something that celebrates every person at the site. It was so meaningful to see our leadership recognize my art as a way to bring the site together.”

Joe added, “at Takeda, we honor our heritage by integrating our values into every endeavor. This mosaic represents our innovative spirit, demonstrating how creativity can unite our community. It’s about transforming lives through our products, but also through the environment that we cultivate for our team.”

As Jennina aptly put it, "it's a story about going with an idea. Follow your excitement, find people who share and support your vision, and who knows what might happen."