LABATT NEWS - Labatt Food Service

may 2013
labatt news
Home of the Best—Best in People, Products and Service
L a b at t T r u c k R o a d e o
Brings Together Best in People
T
he Truck Roadeo was a special occasion. It was remarkable to look at a sea of faces young and old. We had over 100
contestants in the warehouse contests, and we had 75 drivers contesting in the truck roadeo. I have never seen such
wonderful participation both by contestants and by all the families who came to watch them, walk the warehouse, eat the
great DSM fajitas and hamburgers, get the kids faces painted, etc, etc, etc.
It was very special to have the Dallas group back in San Antonio. It made it feel like one company drawing together from all
points of the state to one central home. One of the best things was seeing the admiration of everyone for the winners, especially
for the winners who have been here 19 years, or 15 years, or 12 years. There was so much respect for people who do a great
job year in and year out.
This also came out when we announced the Top Service Providers who are nominated by their customers. One of the customers
actually wrote that our driver did a great job of dealing with a very difficult person within the kitchen. When I read that out,
everyone laughed. They laughed because they understood what our driver goes through. They laughed because they know the
business. The great thing about the Roadeo is that we all know the business, because this is something we all do together every
day. We live it together, we share it together, we have done it together for years, and we will keep on doing it together for years
to come.
I used to be so excited to see people bring their children to the Roadeo. I still am, but now I am also excited to see people bring
their grandchildren as well—people like Johnny Salazar, who has worked with me for forty years. When I see his grandchildren,
it helps me appreciate how hard all of us work to build something for all our families. I am very grateful to have this chance to
celebrate our work with all our families. I know I look forward to this great event every year. Thanks to everyone for being there
and making it a special family day. - Blair Labatt
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Service
Top
Providers
Henry Rodriguez
San Antonio, 1 Year of Service
Enrique Moreno
Houston, 5 Years of Service
Blanco ISD says, “Henry is very friendly.
He’s always on time and organized. You
are lucky to have him on your team. I am
glad he is our driver.”
Brazos Schools say, “Enrique does an
exceptional job. I was in the kitchen
when the order arrived. He is so
patient with a worker set in her ways.”
Blas Hernandez
San Antonio, 14 Years of Service
Robert Dominguez
Harlingen, 4 Years of Service
Medina Valley ISD says, “Blas is very
efficient and friendly. We look forward
to seeing him every delivery because he
always makes our morning.”
Brownsville ISD says, “Robert is
consistently pleasant and courteous.
He is a great asset and represents
Labatt in a very favorable way.”
Daniel Alspach
San Antonio, 2 Years of Service
Rudy Rodriguez
Harlingen, 3 Years of Service
La Vernia ISD says, “Daniel goes out
of his way and is always patient when
we need him to wait. We’d like to thank
Daniel for his friendliness and patience.”
San Benito ISD says, “Mr. Rodriguez
is a great asset to his employer. He is
professional and courteous. Rudy takes
great pride in his responsibilities.”
Gary Schmitt
Austin, 4 Years of Service
Jose Camarena
Dallas, 5 Years of Service
Noon Spoon Cafe says, “Gary is my
favorite Labatt driver. He is always
dependable and professional. Gary takes
pride in his job and it shows.”
Eula ISD says, “Jose is always on time
and works quickly. I messed up once and
placed the elementary order with the
high school order. Jose was kind enough
to separate them.”
Mike Torres
Austin, 1 Year of Service
Henry Lester
Dallas, 4 Years of Service
Taylor ISD says, “Mike is absolutely
wonderful. He is very professional and
courteous. Don’t take him off of our
route.”
Frankston ISD says, “Henry delivers
excellent service. He is always pleasant,
sincere and does whatever we need.”
Carlos Ramos
Corpus Christi, 1 Year of Service
Jose Mata
Dallas, 2 Years of Service
Cullen ISD says, “Carlos is very
accommodating. He works efficiently to
deliver our order. He is very courteous.”
Godley ISD says, “Ramon is very
efficient. He always knows if the
order is complete. If there are any
shortages, he has already marked the
invoice. Ramon is one of the top five
drivers I’ve had.”
Rommel Gumpal
Houston, 4 Years of Service
DQ Groves and DQ Orange say,
“Rommel has learned the organization
of our store and accommodates us to
the best of his ability. He is a driver you
can count on being on time.”
2
Best in Product
Direct Source Meats Honored as Supplier of the Year
I
n August of 2012, Direct Source Meats
won Taco Cabana’s beef fajita contract
and has since produced more than 2
million pounds of fajitas for them. Even
though it’s the only item that DSM sells
to TC, several weeks ago Taco Cabana
honored DSM with their 2012 Supplier of
the Year award. Fred Silva and Josh Klein
were present at the annual Taco Cabana
Conference in Marble Falls to accept the
trophy.
Since 2010, Direct Source Meats has made
changes to every facet of its business and
seen its sales double over that time period.
When giving DSM the Supplier of the
Year award, Taco Cabana’s VP of Supply
Chain Management, Joe Brink, credited
DSM for a 10% increase to their beef fajita
sales as well as a dramatic 20% increase to
their cook yield. In the near future, Taco
Cabana will promote their beef fajitas for
the first time in 25 years, because they now
feel confident in the quality and consistency
of their product.
The many changes made within DSM were
all executed with the goal of improving the
quality and consistency of DSM’s processed
items. The award from Taco Cabana is
affirmation that these changes are yielding
the desired results. More specifically, the
teams of people working within DSM are
producing high quality products.
DSM’s Software Development Team has
created the infrastructure for processing
success. The team, consisting of Fred Silva,
Elizabeth Chambers, Eduardo Meza, and
Christina Basha, created a Specification
System that allows for better control
of recipes on the production floor. The
Software Development Team’s success
allowed DSM’s Research and Development
team to improve the quality of DSM’s
current and new items.
DSM’s R&D team, consisting of LeeAnn
Powell, Christine Binz, Erin Mayer and
Lee Batot, have brought chemistry into
DSM’s manufacturing process, which is
a main reason that DSM’s items are now
consistently of high quality. Each year, a
marination consultant is brought in to give
a three day marination class that everyone,
from production workers to R&D to
managers, learns from and enjoys. To
improve marination at the production level,
longtime DSM veteran Rodney Huth was
moved from sales to the production floor
and has already produced great results.
Other additions to the DSM team have also
helped DSM’s sales to double since 2010.
Jason Byrd, a former meat buyer, is now
the Operation’s Manager. His assistance to
Production Floor Manager John Gomez,
Quality Control Manager Mauro de la
Torre, Warehouse Manager Patrick Leary
and consultant Jesse Alfaro, have resulted
in newfound efficiencies throughout the
plant. Ram Torres recently rehired former
DSM meat buyer John Braden to once
again assist with all the protein buying
for Labatt and DSM. In Sales, Fred Silva
and Zac Sheppard have joined Josh Klein
and Thomas Hardesty to help double the
pounds produced by DSM since 2010.
Congratulations, DSM!
DSM Anticuchos & Bongo K-bobs
were featured in the Fiesta Food Top 10 List.
In addition to personnel changes, DSM has
also continuously upgraded its machines.
Since 2010, more than $2 million has been
reinvested into the company and it has had
profound effects on its operations. Also,
DSM was recently renovated to expand its
production floor as well as to upgrade its
break room for its employees.
Direct Source Meats’ goal is to provide
Labatt with the highest quality products
at the appropriate price. To achieve this,
DSM’s Software Development Team
created the systematic infrastructure for
the R&D team to create scientifically based
recipes that the production floor managers
can track and control. Every facet of DSM
has changed over the years, from sales to
buyers to R&D to the very machines that
produce DSM’s products. With its increase
in sales and Taco Cabana Supplier of the
Year award, DSM would like to reintroduce
itself. “Hello. It’s good to meet you. We’d
love to give you a tour.” - Fred Silva y
“This is an amazing
testament to the job DSM
is doing for our customers.
DSM is producing high
quality products that
perform great and help
grow customer sales.”
- Cara Johnson
3
Perfect Attendance
Congratulations to the following employees for their outstanding
accomplishment!
san antonio
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Albert Gonzalez
Alexander Gray
Armando Saenz
Curtis Jones
Daniel Preciado
Danny Rabago
Eleazar Gonzalez
Emilio Hernandez
Guadalupe Villarreal
Hector Rivera
Javier Diaz
Jesse Perez
Jesus Nieto
John Gorsching
Jose Flores
Juan Escobedo
Juan Lomas
Juan Ytuarte
Juan Rico
Kareem Nu-Man
Lawrence Ganem
Luis Estrada
Mauro Zuniga
Ray Trejo
Richard Pena
Richard Estrada
Robert Pena
Rodolfo Reyes
Ubaldo Bautista
Warren McNeill
dallas
dsm
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Abraham Lopez
Alexandro May
Andray Denmark
Angela Gilliard
Armando Garcia
Curtis Parker
Eduardo Hernandez
Gary Johnson
Irvin Llorens
Isaiah Green
James Parson
Jimmy Escamilla
Jose Laines
Martin Guerrero
Stephen Turner
Travis Coleman
William Wilkerson
Carolina Garcia
Emmett Berry
Genaro Rivera
Gerardo Vasquez
Humberto Garcia
Javier Martinez
Jeannette Cervantes
Juan Oliva
Miguel Pineda-Delapena
Rudy Alcantar
houston
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Carlos Cervantes
Dusty Jefferson
Felix Rincon
Glenn Hodges
Maria Castillo
Pablo Chavez
Academic Awards Winners
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Andrea Garcia
Benjamin Vaquera
Roman Castillo
Gabriella Bailey
Jorge Murillo
Karla Delgado
Aidan Arismendez
Bianca Delgado
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Brandon Galvan
Elija Vaquera
Abigail Chambers
Aiden Gonzales
Anahi Flores
Lindsey Wilkerson
Alondra Delgado
Ana Garcia
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Desiree Hernandez
Madeline Ford
Romelina Gumpal
Antonio Garcia
Abigail Slaughter
Jack Jochum
Jacob Gumpal
Meghan Magill
Congratulations students for your outsanding academic success!
4
2013
Winner’s List
Drivers
Forklift
Tugger
1. Cayetano Flores - Harlingen
1. Mauro Zuniga - San Antonio
1. Reynaldo Delos Santos - San Antonio
2. Martin Anguiano - San Antonio
2. Albert Garcia - San Antonio
2. Eric Hernandez - San Antonio
3. Richard Risher - Dallas
3. Abraham Lopez - Dallas
3. Francisco Aguilar - San Antonio
4. Salvador Deleon - San Antonio
4. Juan Guerrero - Dallas
4. Ever Fuentes - Dallas
5. Albert Sampson - San Antonio
5. Juan Salas - San Antonio
5. Arturo Almanza - Dallas
6. Henry Rodriguez - San Antonio
6. Fabian Alcacio - Dallas
6. Fabian Perez - Houston
7. Daniel Martinez - San Antonio
7. Eduardo Hernandez - Dallas
7. Sedrick Finnie - Houston
8. Billy Smith - Corpus Christi
8. Brandon Hudson - Houston
8. Nelson Maldonando - Dallas
9. Gabriel Rodriguez - Valley
9. Armando Saenz - San Antonio
9. Ruben Ayala - San Antonio
10. Ignacio Vargas - Valley
10. Jesse Perez - San Antonio
10. Robert Mancillas - San Antonio
11. Robert Dominguez - Valley
11. Juan Escobedo - San Antonio
11. Michael Lyons - San Antonio
12. Daniel Cramer - Corpus Christi
12. Edward Vargas - San Antonio
12. John Gorsching - San Antonio
13. Jose Camarena - Dallas
13. Victor Garcia - San Antonio
13. Manual Longoria - San Antonio
14. Rumaldo Lozano - Valley
14. Roman Castillo - Houston
14. Robert Juarez - Dallas
15. Sergio Lopez - Valley
15. John Trejo - Houston
15. George Sandoval - Dallas
pallet jack
1. Jose Estrada - San Antonio
9. Augustine Escatiola - DSM
2. Raul Garcia - Dallas
10. Curtis Jones - San Antonio
3. Luis Lopez - San Antonio
11. William Wilkerson - Dallas
4. Raymond Alaquinez - San Antonio
12. Pedro Guzman - San Antonio
5. Cresencio Reyes - San Antonio
13. Santos Ibarra - San Antonio
6. Isabel Waters- San Antonio
14. Jose Ramirez - San Antonio
7. Josue Luna - Houston
15. Andres Vallejo - San Antonio
8. Ruberto Villa - San Antonio
5
Home of t he Be st
Best in Service Highlight
When I was much younger, we never discussed excellent customer service, primarily
because it was the norm. Every business seemed to be focused on excellent response
and attention to detail. No one minded going the extra distance to satisfy, and you
were almost always satisfied. Today, unfortunately, it is not the same. Today we are
always amazed when we receive great or even good service from a large institution.
We seem to take poor service for granted and expect to be treated badly leaving us
amazed and sometimes shocked when we receive fabulous service. I am writing to you
all today to let you know I am shocked!
Since my first meeting with Aaron Stokey, I have received nothing but excellent service.
Tremendous attention to detail and follow through has been the norm. If something
wasn’t perfect the first time, he made it so quickly. I can’t remember when I have been
treated so professionally and courteously and have received such good care. I am not
easy to satisfy and demand a high degree of service. Aaron has delivered since day one.
Just thought you should know.
Sincerely,
Kevin Finnegan, FMP
Director or Restaurant Branded Concepts
dba Fat Charlie’s
Aaron is an Austin Sales Representative and has been
with Labatt since 2007.
6
New Employees
Michael Muela
Lance Rampy
Originally from El Paso, TX, Michael attended New Mexico
Highlands University. His hobbies include yard work and
mountain biking. Michael is married with three children,
and three grandchildren.
Originally from Lubbock, TX, Lance graduated from Texas
Tech University. He earned his BA in Communications and
MS in Sports Management. Lance is married and enjoys
playing golf and cooking.
Randy Lancaster
Jordan Goedecke
El Paso
Sales
Lubbock
Sales Administrator
Dallas
Las Cruces
Sales
Sales Mentee
Randy is originally from Deming, NM. In his spare time he
enjoys all types of motor racing cars and motorcycles. Randy
has a wife of 12 years, Leslie, and two sons, Parker and Preston.
Jordan’s hometown is Edmond, OK. She earned her BS in
Nutritional Sciences from Oklahoma State University. Jordan
is a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta National Sorority, and
enjoys cooking and going to the movies.
Michelle Gonzales
Jonathan Stines
DSM
Receptionist
San Antonio
Network Administrator
Michelle enjoys dancing in her spare time. She has won first
place in Salsa dancing competitions. Michelle’s hometown
is San Antonio, TX.
Jonathan graduated from Texas State University with a BBA
in Computer Information Systems. He is originally from
Ennis, TX. Jonathan’s hobbies include playing the guitar, bass,
keyboard and drums.
Matthew Soileau
Brian Stalter
Matthew’s hometown is Plano, TX. He graduated with a BBA
in Finance from Texas A&M University. Matthew enjoys
spending time with his wife and daughter, scuba diving, and
playing baseball.
Brian’s hometown is Albuquerque, NM. He graduated with
a BA from Indiana University. Brian has a wife, Mary Beth.
In his spare time, Brian enjoys hiking, biking, playing tennis,
and being outside.
Clarence Smith
Stephanie Proske
Houston
Training Manager
San Antonio
Bid Coordinator
Clarence graduated from the University of Memphis with a
BBA in Hospitality and Resort Management. He is originally
from Tunica, MS. In his spare time, Clarence enjoys spending
time with his son, Omarion Reed.
Stephanie’s hometown is La Grange, TX. She graduated from
St. Mary’s with a BBA in Management. Stephanie was also a
member of the St. Mary’s volleyball team.
Ron Soliz
Travis Tempel
Houston
Transportation Manager
San Antonio
Logistics Coordinator
Ron’s hometown is Houston, TX. He has a wife, Tiffany, and
two children, Justin and Madison. In his spare time, Ron is a
softball coach and high school umpire.
Travis graduated from Texas Tech Univeristy with a BBA in
Marketing/Supply Chain Management. Originally from San
Antonio, TX, he enjoys playing with his dogs and watching
college football. Travis is a huge Spurs fan.
Lesley Estes
Jared Darnell
San Antonio
Senior Marketing Analyst
Austin
Labatt Online Customer Trainer
Lesley’s hometown is Austin, TX. She graduated from
Texas State University, where she was a National qualifier
for the water ski team. Lesley is recently married, and enjoys
improvement projects.
Albuquerque
Sales
Lubbock
Sales
Jared’s hometown is Lubbock, TX. He graduated with a BS
in Exercise and Sports Science from Texas Tech University.
During his time there, Jared played baseball. In his spare time,
Jared enjoys playing golf.
7
New Employees
Sadee Cloak
Albuquerque
Sales Administrator
8
Jordan Wolfington
San Antonio
Produce Marketing Specialist
Sadee graduated from the Univeristy of New Mexico with a
BA in Finance. She enjoys running and is currently training
for a half marathon. Sadee’s hometown is Albuquerque, NM.
Jordan graduated from Texas A&M University, where she
studied Ag Economics and Food Marketing. During her time
there, she was a member of the dance team. Jordan is recently
engaged and will be getting married in 2014.
Liz Breedlove
Kirsten Chapman
San Antonio
Sales Mentee
San Antonio
Purchasing Agent
Liz graduated from Texas A&M Univeristy with a BBA in
Business Management. She is originally from San Antonio,
TX. In her spare time, Liz enjoys hiking, sports, watching
movies and traveling.
Kirsten’s hometown is Jourdanton, TX. She graduated with
a BBA in Marketing from St. Mary’s University. Kirsten also
played on the St. Mary’s volleyball team.