We have found the quality of new and relay track material supplied by A&K to consistently meet or exceed the requirements established for our customers.
- Randolph Reichard, Chief Inspector Analyst
Appalachian Railway Services
Monday, January 23,2011
November Newsletter | A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.
January 2012
Holiday Celebration
The annual Holiday Celebration was held Saturday December 10th at the Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. It was a beautiful setting to mingle and enjoy some social time with A&K friends and family. In addition to our employees, also in attendance were many of our local customers, and our C.P.A. Lynn Westergard and his wife Jana from Phoenix.
The evening began with hors d’oeuvres and drinks followed by a wonderful dinner. Entertainment was enjoyable holiday music provided by the Riverton High School Bell Choir. The students in the choir performed their unique talent beautifully with some playing up to six bells at a time. The big bass bells were surprisingly heavy weighing 25 pounds each as Bruce Skousen found out when he gave one a try after the performance. A big thank you goes to Karla Anderson, Sandy and Rocky Smith for all of their preparation to make the evening so nice for all in attendance.
Nick Russo retires after over 45 years with A&K – Thank you Nick!
Recently, customers and employees have known Nick for his work in Sales. However, Nick wore various hats during his many years of hard work and dedication to A&K Railroad Materials.
Nick began working for A&K a few years after Al Boyd and Kern Schumacher became partners. One of the first jobs that got A&K on the map was the removal of the redwood ties on the lower deck of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. In those days, the train traveled to and from Emeryville and San Francisco on the lower deck of the bridge, while the upper deck handled traffic in both directions. These prime ties from the bridge put A&K on the map.
When Nick first started he managed the yard in Oakland. The yard office was an old orange caboose. The caboose had no electricity, but fortunately it had a hefty potbelly stove used to keep the office warm and heat water for coffee. Although primitive when compared to today’s offices, Nick was able to run the whole operation from the caboose, including a substantial retail outlet for railroad ties in the SF Bay Area.
Nick had both pleasant and challenging moments running the yard. He had a solid crew he enjoyed very much. Trying times included late night calls from the fire department when the yard was a blaze! Occasionally troublemakers would start fires that could escalate in a matter of minutes, and Nick would have to rush to the yard, hop on the forklift, and break up burning bundles of ties so firemen could squelch the blaze. During this time the caboose was broken into several times and Nick would arrive on Monday morning to find the office in complete disarray, with papers and other items scattered all over the desk and floor. That’s when he decided to move the office into his home where it has been ever since. (Incidentally, that same caboose is now located in the Stockton yard.)
Nick worked 8 to 10 hours a day, 6 days a week including many holidays. When he was in the process of purchasing material from those who were taking up track, he would go down to the job site when the crew was off so he could sort through the material he wanted to buy. His aim was to get the cream-of-the-crop from the get go!
For many years, Nick used to travel quite a bit to look at jobs or meet Kern to investigate A&K projects. However, in recent times, he has preferred to work from his local office with his wife Louise, serving the customers he has established in California.
Although never formally educated in business, Nick has always operated using the “street smarts” and “business savvy” he was born with. He credits God for this gift and believes that we each have an inherent “talent” that can enrich our lives if we have the good fortune to discover it and the courage to pursue it.
Nick has always dealt with his customers in the spirit of loyalty and integrity. He has also enjoyed a positive relationship with numerous employees that he interacts with in various A&K offices. It has been a very rewarding experience!
Nick loved his work. At times he would talk about it and he always expressed gratitude and thanksgiving for the successes he received through it. He truly gives God credit for his successes. He is amazing working to the age of 89. His son Bob remarked, “If humans lived to be 150, dad would have continued working for A&K until he was 145!”
Employee News
Employees of Corporate Headquarters celebrated Christmas throughout December with the “12 Days of Christmas”. As has been the tradition for many years, for the 12 workdays before Christmas, groups of 3 or 4 signed up for a day and provided treats/snacks or lunch that day for the rest of the office. Everything was delicious with a wide variety of foods. Christmas music played in the kitchen added to the festive mood of the office. Then on the last day of work before Christmas, there was a gift exchange.
The Stockton Yard employees had their Christmas celebration. Carlos Medrano, Andy Yciano and Anselmo Garcia pictured here with the tree Kimberly put up.
Medical Insurance
Our new medical insurance through Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield is effective as of January 1, 2012. Remember to check your providers to be sure that they are participating with the new insurance network. The provider network to use is Blue Card PPO. To search for providers on line go to www.bcbs.com ; find a doctor or hospital; enter as a guest until you receive your card and member number; then choose Blue Card PPO/EPO. You may also call customer service at 888-367-2119. Choose your providers carefully as out of network benefits can be very costly.
A member resources book provided by Regence was sent to all employees that participate with our group insurance program. The book is full of helpful information from benefits, claims, and prescriptions, to online services and much more. Use it to help you throughout the year to make the most out of your benefits.
Holiday Schedule For 2012
NEW YEAR – NEW YOU!
Overcoming Behavioral Hurdles That Keep You
From Doing What You Want to Do!
"Behavior is the most challenging thing to change in one’s life because it is so imbedded into our minds. We may not even realize what we are doing. In order to make positive lifestyle changes, you first must recognize that you will have daily hurdles to jump over; and for some, these hurdles are harder to overcome than for others, depending on your personality and habits. I like to refer to the following as twelve hurdles, but others may call them excuses. The reason I refer to them as hurdles is because they’re linked together. A hurdler can jump over 1 hurdle, hit the next one and knock it down, but then get back up and jump over the remaining ones … still finishing the race."
"I want you to carefully examine the following 12 Behavioral Hurdles. Be honest with yourself. Which ones are getting in your way, and how do certain ones link with others to prevent you from getting what you want out of life?"
12. "I’M TOO OLD." You’re never too old to want to feel your best or to do something to enhance your health and well being!
11. "I JUST DON’T CARE." You may not care at this time, but in the future ... you will have the fear of ill health if you do not take care of yourself now.
10. "I AM IMPATIENT." Patience is a virtue, and good things take time.
9. "THERE IS NO HOPE FOR ME." There is always room for improvement. There is hope for everyone.
8. DISCIPLINE. Make a plan and take action! Stick to your Plan! Write it down.
7. COMMITMENT. We become what we are committed to. Commit to what will make you healthier and happier.
6. COMPLACENCY. Same Stuff; different day is not the way most people want to live. You can change that.
5. PROCRASTINATION. Don’t put off ‘til tomorrow what you could do today. Nothing will change and improve if you do nothing different.
4. SELF MOTIVATION. Action. Action. Action. Don’t just sit there! Move!
3. EFFORT. Everything good in life takes effort.
2. NO ENERGY. Clean up your eating and exercise regularly. This will give you more energy.
1. ATTITUDE. Be positive about yourself and what you can accomplish! You can make positive changes to feel better and be better! Take the words: can’t and won’t out of your vocabulary! A positive attitude doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen if your keep working on it!
Once you start jumping over one hurdle at a time, you will start to notice that your lifestyle will improve, which will, in turn, greatly enhance your life.
-Based on "The Gameplan for Aging, Your Four Quarters
of Life" book – by Mark A. Everest.
Copyright 2011 A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.
TOLL FREE 1.800.453.8812
Copyright © 2012 A&K Railroad Materials, Inc. All rights reserved.
