June 2011 Newsletter

June 2011

Emergency Preparedness

Natural disasters have been in the headlines of the news frequently lately both nationally and around the world. Whether it may be a tornado, earthquake, fire, flood, utility disruption, manmade disaster or anything else, do you know what to do in case of an emergency?

Every business and everyone personally should have an emergency plan. Develop, maintain and practice a written, comprehensive plan detailing how emergency contingencies will be mitigated, prepared for, responded to and recovered from.

Prepare your workplace. Every employee at every location should know the emergency procedures. An emergency is no time to hesitate or panic.

In the case of an evacuation, know and follow your evacuation route. Participate in practice drills so you can act quickly and correctly in a real emergency.

Be prepared to handle non-evacuation emergencies.

Prepare your family and home. Consider how your emergency plan correlates with workplace, school and neighborhood plans. Meet with your family and discuss why you need to prepare. Explain the dangers of various emergencies and discuss what to do in each case. Your plan should address the following situations:

Prepare a 72-hour kit.You may need to survive on your own after a disaster. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. Store your kits together and with quick access in mind. A backpack is ideal to store your kit in. Update your kit as necessary – check expiration dates and clothing sizes.

A suggested basic 72-hour kit includes:

What to do immediately after disaster strikes:

For more information, see the following web sites:
Red Cross www.redcross.org and Federal Emergency Management Agency www.fema.gov

A & K’s Starsky & Hutch Break Up Attempted Rail Robbery

On the morning of May 13th in Blythe, California three would be rail thieves were thwarted by the efforts of A&K’s version of Starsky & Hutch (Adam Rangel and Manuel Sandoval). Thanks to these two top-notch ‘rail detectives’ three bad guys are behind bars and will probably be spending a long time there.

Manuel was working with a crew center marking rail when he spotted the bandits attempting to take the rail and other track materials. Manuel called Adam who notified the authorities and tracked the suspects as they attempted to flee. Adam let the authorities know where the thieves had fled to which led to the apprehension of one of the suspects. That suspect led the police to the whereabouts of the other bandits and the stolen rail. They cut pieces both out of a rail siding and the main line which in addition to a crime of theft will certainly carry punishment for the serious nature of it being a rail line. This was obviously not their first foray in crime as they had many other stolen items in addition to our rail.

The quick thinking and courageous actions of Adam and Manuel saved A&K thousands of dollars in lost product. The citizens of Blythe will also benefit by having stolen items returned, as well as peace of mind that these guys won’t be doing any stealing for a very long time, thanks to the actions of Adam and Manuel. In addition, this incident was reported in local newspaper, Palo Verde Valley Times, so it serves as a reminder to anyone else thinking about stealing rail not to mess with A&K’s Starsky & Hutch. Bad guys beware!!!

There is a price for celebrity and fame though. While we were having dinner local people were greeting Adam and Manuel and asking for autographs, it did make it tough to enjoy dinner. Anyway Starsky & Hutch nice job! Score on this one: Good Guys 1 Bad Guys 0!!!

Welcome

Allen Antczak – General Manager for Grenada Railway and Natchez Railway. He is responsible for daily operations for both locations.

Allen began his railroad career in 1979 working on a tie gang for the Burlington Northern. He worked in the track department for approximately 4 years before transferring over to the transportation side as a brakeman/switchman position where he worked for a year.

In 1985 Allen decided that a management career in the rail industry was the career path that he wanted to fulfill. He enrolled in College at the University of Tennessee where he received a degree in business with an emphasis in Transportation and Logistics.

Allen worked for the CSXT and the Union Pacific from 1989 through 2010 where he held numerous field positions ranging from Assistant Trainmaster, Terminal Trainmaster, Assistant Terminal Superintendant, Senior Manager of Terminal Operations and Superintendant of Operations.

Having a safe operation has always been Allen’s top priority. He has always felt that as long as nobody gets hurt and nothing is torn up then everything else is just an inconvenience. Safety must be a way of life in the Railroad Industry. The Railroad is not an unsafe place to work however it is unforgiving.

Allen has been blessed with 2 beautiful daughters Sarah age 21 who graduated this year from Harding University in Arkansas and Chelsea age 18 who graduated this year from High School.

Allen said, “Working for the Grenada/Natchez Railroad has proven to me that you don’t have to work for a Class 1 Railroad to be considered a first class company.”

Employee News

Congratulations to Crystal Hernandez, daughter of Michelle Armstrong, Kansas City. Crystal just graduated from eighth grade. We wish her the best as she begins her High School years.

The employees at Corporate Headquarters kicked off the bar-b-que season on May 20th. It was so enjoyable last year to gather together during lunch-time that it was decided to do it again this summer. The Sales department hosted the first BBQ providing the food and doing the cooking. The meal was beef and chicken skewers with potato salad, baked beans, rolls and éclairs for dessert. It had rained all week but Friday afternoon the rain held off long enough to sit outside. Thank you to Jeff, Jordan, Shantell and Rhonda. The BBQs will continue throughout the summer with the Yard, Administration, Real Estate, Operations, Legal and Railroad employees all taking a turn to host.

SHINE Like A Star

You bring something to work every day that is valuable; your unique blend of knowledge and experience. That’s what makes you an asset as an employee. You stand out when you follow through and keep your promises, focus on teamwork nstead of personal glory, and manage your time wisely.

How To Shine:

What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It’s The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.

Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.

The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply.For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.

STEP 1 Determine what you can do to make the relationship work... then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.

STEP 2Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.

STEP 3Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don’t take the bait.

STEP 4Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don’t respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.

At times (usually few); the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the “Knower” and shift to being the “Learner”. Avoid Knower statements or thoughts like “that won’t work”, “I’m right, you are wrong”, “I know it and you don’t”, “that’s just the way it is”, “I need to tell you what I know”, etc.

Instead use Learner statements or thoughts like “Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation”, “I could be wrong”, “I wonder if there is something of value here”, “I wonder if...”, etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!

Principle Paradox
This may strike you as strange, but here’s the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.