July 2010
 

Health Challenge

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Our emphasis to encourage healthy lifestyles at A&K continues. After beginning the year with our no tobacco policy and smoking cessation program; we introduce our new health challenge:

"Walk the Transcontinental"

Heart disease is this country’s number 1 killer. But by exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day you can reduce your risk. We have teamed up with the American Heart Association to help implement this challenge to help our employees become more physically active. The challenge is to “Walk the Transcontinental” Railroad. The Central Pacific Railroad began building in San Francisco moving east while the Union Pacific Railroad began building at Council Bluffs, Iowa going west. The two lines joined at Promontory Point, Utah connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. by rail for the first time. The transcontinental railroad is considered one of the greatest American technological feats of the 19th century, just as exercise is one of the greatest activities for an individual’s overall health. The challenge is to walk the length of the Transcontinental – San Francisco to Council Bluff – 1900 miles (3,800,000 steps). We would like to form teams to work together in virtually reaching the destination through their own exercise efforts. Challenge overview:
  • 10 members to a team. Teams can include family members – you can have your spouse and/or children on your team and do activities together. Gather your team, elect a captain, and choose a team name. Forward team information to Cheryl. (If you cannot gather 10 members for your team, forward the participants you have and small teams will be combined to make 10 members.)
  • Each team member will log their miles walked on the American Heart Association website weekly. Each team captain will make sure all team
    members have logged their miles and help those who do not have access to a computer. Each team member should go to www.startwalkingnow.org and register in order to use the website.
  • Goal of 10,000 steps per day per person. On average 2,000 steps equal 1 mile. The American Heart Association website has great tools everyone can use to calculate mileage and convert any physical activity into steps/miles. This is not just walking – any physical activity you do can be counted.
  • Cheryl will monitor teams and report progress. The team in the lead will be recognized weekly. The individual with the most miles will be recognized weekly.
  • Exciting incentives along the way such as:
    - Each participant will receive a pedometer.
    - Each participant will receive a t-shirt for finishing.
    - First team to reach Promontory Point will receive a frozen yogurt party.
    - First team to finish each member will receive $50.00 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
  • Challenge will begin on July 11th and conclude on September 17th. Challenge celebration to occur at the Utah Heart Walk & Run on Saturday, September 18th at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City. More information on this to follow.
  • Questions? Contact Cheryl Norton at 801-977-6328 or cnorton@akrailroad.com.
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Featured Employee

Sherry Teets, Toledo Ohio

I was born and raised in Luckey, Ohio, a small town about 20 miles south of our Toledo location. I come from a large family, 6 sisters and 2 brothers. Bonnie Phillips, the tie sales person, is my sister.

I started working for A&K March 12, 1979 with Gaylon Phillips in the yard they had in Luckey. Our office was a small Camping trailer with an electric heater and no running water. We had a desk by the door and if Gaylon and I were both in the office at the same time, when a customer came in, one of us had to step outside so there was room for the customer. A couple years later a vacant building on the same property A&K leased became available. We cleaned and painted and moved in there. We had one phone line and two phones and we thought we had hit the big time.

We did a lot of tie business with 84 Lumber and Carter Lumber at that time. Gaylon would load up ties On the 10-wheeler and trailer and he’d head for Pennsylvania. As soon as he got back, Marcos Dominguez would go with another load—sometimes back to the same store.

About 4 years later A&K bought this property in Toledo and how things have changed. This property was the home of an old scrap yard and it took a lot of time cleaning, and fixing up to make it useable to us. We have a truck scale in front of the office that is used for our own material and we also have a few companies that we weigh trucks for. We have a lot of walk-in tie customers, some of which have done repeat business with us for years.

On a personal side, my husband, Joe, was a meat cutter for a local supermarket chain here and is now retired. We met when we both worked for the same supermarket. We will be married 45 years in February.

Our daughter, Kelly, is a high school French teacher with the Toledo Public School System. She just finished 3 weeks of teaching French to 4-5 year olds, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Our son-in-law, Tom, is an electronic engineer in the chemistry dept at the University of Toledo and stays busy working on computers for relatives and friends.

Nic, 19, our grandson and GRANDMA’S PRIDE AND JOY, is attending The University of Toledo, will be a sophomore this fall and is studying to be a teacher.

Jennifer, a girl Kelly used to babysit for, came to stay with us when she was young and became a member of the family. She lives in Alabama with her husband
and 4 children.

I enjoy setting on the back porch looking at the flowers and trees we have planted over the years, bird watching and my animals. I have a dog and 3 cats, all from animal rescue groups. If you are thinking of getting an animal—do yourself and the animals a favor and adopt a rescue animal. The rewards will be many.

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Employee News

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Being a native of the Los Angeles area, Mark DeWald now of our Salt Lake Real Estate Group, is the biggest die-hard L.A. Lakers fan east of the Mojave Desert. His confidence in the Lakers during the NBA Finals naturally brought on some major ribbing by other employees in Salt Lake. This being the home of the Utah Jazz, most people in Salt Lake are Jazz fans therefore making them Laker haters. Mark quickly became the sole Lakers fan in the office, while everyone else rooted on the Boston Celtics. One day Mark’s office was totally decorated in Celtics green. It was all in good fun of course! In the end, Mark’s team was victorious! All bets have been paid! But, is all forgiven?



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"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”