Classic Times

November 2014
CLASSIC DISTRIBUTING & BEVERAGE GROUP, INC.
Classic Times
MESSAGE FROM OUR V.P. OF OPERATIONS
Quote of the Month
“America seemed the least
likely place in the world for
the history of beer to swing
on its hinge and open a
door nobody had seen before. But it happened here!”
Jim Koch from
Boston Beer
Inside this issue:
Guinness Blonde
American Launch
2
Craft Brewery Tour
2
Alameda Corridor
East Project
3
Travel Safety
3
Birthdays, Anniversaries, Promotions,
New Hires
3
Driver of the Month
3
Thanksgiving Holiday 3
and Turkey Giveaway
Fight the Flu
3
Veteran’s Day Special 4
Window Banner
Highlight
4
Go Paperless & ADP
Portal
4
for Team Classic was replacing the
lost sales volume these two accounts generated. Our dedicated
The end of 2014 employees rose to the challenge
and, through September, have not
is rapidly aponly made up the lost volume, but
proaching as we
have increased our draught beer
enter the last 10 weeks of the year.
volume. Through September of this
The challenges we’ve faced and
year we have sold, loaded, delivovercome define the dedicated
ered, merchandised and accounted
employees of this great company we for 91,849 barrels versus 91,556
call Classic. I’d like to note two of
barrels in 2013, an increase of 293
the challenges, one current and one barrels (+.3%). The adjusted volwe will be facing beginning in Janu- ume, less the Venue/Cash & Carry
volume through September 2014
ary 2015.
versus 2013, reveals an even more
Classic was informed, at the end of impressive result. Venues/Cash
2013 and in June of 2014 that our Carry’s represented 15,042 barrels
points of distribution for draught
of sales volume through September
beer at Dodger Stadium and the
2013 versus 9,094 barrels in 2014,
Staples Center would be drastically a loss of 5,948 (-40%) barrels with
reduced for the upcoming seasons. approximately 95% of the loss
The change was implemented due
coming from Dodger Stadium and
to sponsorship agreements as well
Staples Center. Removing the
as competitive pressure on the con- Venue/Cash & Carry volume from
cessionaire. The obvious challenge the 2013 and 2014 totals shows an
Contributed by
Mark Wolfe
increase of 6,241 barrels (+8%),
82,755 versus 76,514, sold
through September of this year.
We, as any successful team will
do, continue to capitalize on
opportunities that present themselves. The growth and sales
trends of the Craft beer segment
have fueled our recent success.
With every supplier we add and
increase in sku’s, we are challenged, in all departments, to
continue to operate as efficiently
and effectively as possible. The
efforts by everyone, regardless of
the department you work in, play
an important part of this success.
We will continue to source new
suppliers and invest in the continued long term growth of Classic. We should all be confident
in each other knowing when
future challenges present themselves, Team Classic will prevail.
(continued on Page 2)
FLEET & FACILITY
Contributed by Dan Chilson
Ever wonder what it takes to
stop one of our delivery trucks?
Pictured are the “brake shoes” as
they sit on the axle. They are
pushed against the brake drum
by an air chamber with as much
as 125 pounds of air pressure.
Notice that the “linings” are
riveted on instead of glued, as
they are for cars.
The tremendous force needed to
apply the brakes, generates a
large amount of heat and would
melt glue, thus the rivets.
These large brakes are found
on every wheel, with the front
brakes being slightly smaller
in width. As required by the
CHP, the brakes are inspected
and documented by our two
mechanics, Reggie and Jose,
every 90 days.
Classic just passed
“BIT” (Biennial Inspection of
Terminal) inspection from the
CHP this week. The inspection takes place every two
years. Classic was given a
“Satisfactory” rating, the highest rating given.
In anticipation of
the rain
this winter (we can only be
hopeful), we will be doing a
roof “tune up” in the next few
weeks. This will ensure we and
the contents of the building
stay dry.
Classic Times
Page 2
GUINNESS BLONDE AMERICAN LAGER
Contributed by Matt Swaydan
Guinness Blonde was launched to
the Sales Team on September 30th
at Dave and Buster’s in Arcadia.
The meeting started with a slider
eating competition that Joey
Suraci won by eating nine sliders
in a minute. Since the launch we
have secured 970 points of distribution and sold almost 2,000
cases in the first few weeks. Some
of the top performers are:
Most Cases sold
Philip Ulloa (456)
Most Placements
Mike Oroz (201)
Best Distribution %
Manny Gutierrez (66%)
We received Guinness Blonde
Kegs on Tuesday October 21st
and by Friday October 24th we
had already secured 14 tap handles, the top performer was
Loren Chalmers who secured 10
by himself.
Our 970 points of distribution
earned us the #1 spot in the
Pacific Region (2nd place isn’t at
500 yet) and #2 in the country
for distribution. Hopefully this
is the year we bring home the
elusive “Golden Bar” and add
that to our trophy case.
Thank you for all your hard
work and support. Our quick
start has been recognized
throughout DGUSA and has
even reached Tom Day , Senior
VP of National Sales.
CRAFT BREWERY TOUR - OCTOBER 24
Contributed by Matt Lukich
Broad Market, C-Stores and
Chain department all attended.
enough to sample many barrel
aged beers that are found in the
On Friday 10.24.2014 only the
Ballast Point brewery and also
bravest personal beckoned on an They visited one of our newest
some lucky folks were able to samamazing journey to the meccas of suppliers, 2012 World Beer Cup ple a Sculpin can right off the
San Diego brewing lore to imbibe Mid-size Brewery of the Year,
canning line.
Coronado Brewing during our
with local and limited brews
We finished our day in San Diego
first stop. After that the team
and gain a wealth of knowledge
visiting Green Flash brewery in
to help sell more beer. The Clas- had the pleasure of visiting Bal- Mira Mar.
sic sales organization was lead by last Points newest venue open to The traffic back from San Diego
the public. Only open 10
fiery leader Ed Curiel. Sales
to Classic was everyone’s highlight
ASMs and reps from On Premise, days! There they were lucky
of the day!
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 — MESSAGE FROM V.P. OF OPERATIONS
The ground breaking ceremony to formally announce the
Puente Grade Separation was
held on Wednesday, October
22. The ceremony was attended
by close to 100 politically affiliated people at the city, state and
federal level. A luncheon was
held in Classic’s hospitality
room following the ceremony
and a warehouse tour was provided for those who attended
the lunch. We have been working with the Alameda Corridor
East Construction Authority
(ACE) for over 2 years regarding
the upcoming project. What
exactly is the Puente Grade
Separation you might be wondering? Simply put, when the grade
separation is completed, Puente
Avenue will go under Valley Blvd,
similar to the separation done at the
intersection of Nogales and Valley to
the east of Classic. The length of
this project is estimated to be 3 plus
years at a cost of close to $100 million. This will be, by far, the biggest
logistical challenge we’ve faced as a
company. One of the first steps in
the project will be the closing of
Puente Avenue from Nelson to Valley to the general public. This is
tentatively scheduled to take place
in January 2015. Access on Puente
Avenue to Classic will be allowed
for our employees and all of
our outside suppliers and vendors. Additional information,
details and a timeline will be
forthcoming as it becomes available. We are confident we will
overcome this challenge just as
our team effort overcame the
lost barrel volume at Dodger
Stadium and Staples Center.
In closing, we should continue
to focus on obtaining our sales
and revenue goals for the last
10 weeks of the year and finish
strong. Your efforts are greatly
appreciated. Classic Leads The
Way !
November 2014
Page 3
TRAVEL SAFETY
Contributed by Al Acosta
Put away distractions such
as cell phones, Ipods, laptops,
etc. Many accidents are caused
by cell phone use and distracted
driving. That call or text can
wait; it may save your life. If you
need to use the phone, find a
safe place to pull over.
Make sure your vehicle is
in good condition.
Never drive tired.
Get a good night’s sleep
before heading out on a long drive.
Don’t drink and drive EVER!
Don’t text and drive EVER!
Always buckle up. Many lives
are saved every day by seatbelts.
Allow plenty of time to get
where you are going. There are a lot
more vehicles on the road during
the holidays.
Obey the rules of the road.
Don’t drive in an aggressive man-
DRIVER OF THE
MONTH
OCTOBER
ANNIVERSARIES
Fidel Suarez, 13 years
Moises Urena, 13 years
Mike Clark, 11 years
Ulises Jauregui, 8 years
Alex Valencia, 7 years
Federico Martin, 7 years
Jose Montes, 6 years
1st – Richard Velasquez
2nd – Jefferson Gonzalez
3rd – Osman Ruballo
Hector Medina, 6 years
Daniel Garcia, 6 years
Arnoldo DeLeon, 5 years
Marco Tinoco, 4 years
Junipero Navarrete, 4 years
Hector Gutierrez, 1 year
Peter Becerra, 1 year
PROMOTIONS
David Gamino
Daniel Vargas
NEW HIRES
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
Marc Aguilar
Albert Bailon
Alexander Carrera
Jose Castaneda
Oscar Castanon
Chuck Cowdrey
Joe Cross
Chris Fimbres
Nelson Garcia
Diego Gonzales
ner. If someone tries to
merge into your lane, slow
down and let them.
Always stay to the right
if
more than one travel lane.
Only drive in the left lane if
passing or turning. It’s the
law.
Keep your eyes
“scanning” at all times. Look
for potential hazards like kids
or animals near the road.
Ernesto Luna
Gabe Macias
Eddie Maldonado
Hector Medina
Roy Ravago
Martha Rodriguez
CJ Sanchez
Tim Sweeney
John Trebaol
Efren Viana
Miguel Antimo – Warehouse
Kevin Carmona – Sales Associate
Quintin Chalmers – Sales Associate
Miguel Gomez – Delivery
Luis Huerta – Sales Associate
Ralph Moran – Sales Associate
Erik Nunez – Sales Associate
Jose Villalobos – Warehouse
Company Holidays
November 27 &28
We will
passing out
1-case of
beer and
1-turkey per
employee
Tuesday, November 25
from 3pm – 8 pm. Any
turkeys left over after
3pm on Wednesday,
November 26th will be
donated to feed the
homeless. If you would
like to donate your
turkey, please contact
Al Acosta at
(323) 228-2414
HUMAN RESOURCES — FIGHT THE FLU
Contributed by John Morales
CDC recommends a yearly flu
vaccine as the first and most
important step in protecting
against flu viruses.
Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of
germs. them.
If your are sick with flulike illness, stay home for
at least 24 hours after your
fever is gone
If sick, limit contact with
others as much as possible
to keep from infecting
them.
Cover your nose and
mouth with a tissue and
throw it away after using it.
WASH YOUR HANDS
often with soap and water.
Avoid touching your eyes,
nose and mouth
Clean and disinfect surfaces
that may be contaminated.
Avoid contact with sick
people
Take flu anti-viral drugs if
your doctor prescribes
them.
Special birthday
wishes to
V.P. of Sales
CJ Sanchez
VETERAN’S DAY SPECIAL REPORT
Chuck Cowdrey did not return from Vietnam
to parades and banners. People spit at him,
they yelled “baby killer.”
“We were treated like dirt,” Cowdrey said
Thursday as he looked upon “The Moving
Wall,” a traveling memorial to Vietnam War
veterans that remembers those who died and
honors those who returned to little recognition.
As Cowdrey and Rudy Krantz, both veterans
from Covina, watched the opening ceremony
at Covina Park, emotions and memories
flooded back. Cowdrey choked up as volunteers presented roses in honor of the 21 Covina residents who died serving during the
war.
“Chills ran down your spine,” Cowdrey said.
“If you were there, you knew.”
The Moving
Wall is a halfsized replica
of the national
Vietnam
Veterans
Memorial. Its
founder John
Devitt built the replica with other veterans
after attending the dedication of the Wall
in 1982. He wanted to share the experience with those who could not see the
original. According to the organization,
two of the replicas travel the country from
April through November. The memorial
honors the 58,300 people who died during
the war.
This is the third time The Moving Wall
has stopped in Covina, with past stops in
1998 and 2008, said Councilman Kevin
Stapleton. (Read more at http://
Whenever the memorial is within 50 miles,
Cowdrey goes to see it.
www.sgvtribune.com/government-andpolitics/20141023/the-moving-wall-honoringvietnam-veterans-returns-to-covina)
Excerpt By Jason Henry, San Gabriel Valley
Tribune, 10/23/14
Veterans Day is an official United
States holiday that honors people
who have served in the U.S.
Armed Forces.It is a federal holiday that is observed on
November 11. At Classic Distributing, we are honored to have 2
veterans:
Chuck Cowdrey (Driver, Army)
Sergio Mendez (Driver, Army)
GRAPHICS NEWS - DI CARLO LIQUOR WINDOWBANNER
BEFORE
AFTER
Contributed by David Garay
Check out this massive window wrap at Di Carlo Liquor in
Pomona. This 10-piece project was sold in by Ricardo Olmos
and installed by Joel Garcia. Angel Villalon used his design
skills to put this together on Adobe Photoshop CS6. It’s a great
piece of work and advertising facing White Avenue off of the 10
freeway.
PAYROLL DEPARTMENT— GO PAPERLESS AND ADP PORTAL
Contributed by Olivia Sanchez
Please join us in our efforts to cut company costs and give back to the community by going paperless! You can do
this by login on to the employee portal at www.portal.adp.com. If you have not been enrolled in the employee
portal please contact Olivia Sanchez for user access.
What is the ADP Employee Portal?
The employee portal is a wonderful tool! The portal allows you quick access to your pay stubs, W2’s, company
news, as well as links to our benefit partners. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource and sign up today!
We anticipate our newsletter to be published monthly for your information and enjoyment. We would
like to hear more about your department, new equipment, best practices, etc. Feel free to email or
contact the following by the 3rd week of each month. We look forward to hearing from you!
Al Acosta
[email protected]
(626) 934-3725
Myrna Quezada
[email protected]
(626) 934-3787