Randy A - Affiliated Foods Inc

January 2015
Volume 6, Issue 5
“Happy New Year” greetings.
It does not seem possible that a new year is upon us. The 12 months of 2014 rocketed by leaving in its wake some endings and
some new beginnings. We remember the passing and retirement of longtime retailers, employees, friends and family. With each
there was a renewing.
Doug Street took the reins of Affiliated Food Service when Mike Snyder retired to Oklahoma. Doug brings years of food service
experience to Affiliated and along with his team, have secured increases in sales and profits.
Dave Hiatt was promoted from the Controller position to the Chief Financial Officer of the company. Other changes included Jeff
Robinson’s promotion to Chief Operations Officer and Alan Craig filling Jeff’s former position as Director of Purchasing.
Also in 2014, the two year major remodel and upgrade of Plains dairy came to completion, providing money saving processing
efficiencies, quality products and plant longevity.
The big project at Affiliated completed this past year was a much needed Truck Maintenance facility. The 50,000 sq. ft. complex
is state of the art for us and a tremendous asset.
Thanks to all for your contribution to a great year in sales of over $1.5 billion and consolidated rebates and allowances returned
to member retailers totaling over $54 million! The management team appreciates your dedication, hard work and support that
made these totals possible.
As we approach 2015 and the many challenges that we will face with consumer confidence in the economy and markets, our
focus must be to continually bring our member retailers the lowest cost of goods available and the best promotional programs.
For they must have these tools to compete in the ever changing dynamics of the markets we serve.
Randy A
Thanks. Have a blessed New Year.
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Kendall’s Kountry Meat Market
Celebrates 20 Years in Business
Kendall purchased the equipment from the meat
market going out of business, and then worked on
getting a loan for his new business, which he named
Kendall’s Kountry Meat Market. That proved more
difficult than he had expected. One bank already
had turned them down when they contacted Lea
County State Bank.
“A Smith’s supermarket was going to open in January 1995 and the other bank was worried the market
for meat and produce would be satisfied,” said Kendall. “But we thought we had a niche.” So did the
folks in the loan department at LCSB, who helped
the Bradys secure an SBA loan for their new business.
Kendall and Alice Brady, upper left corner, with their
hard working employees.
Kendall Brady began his career in food as a grocerystore stocker. He was 16, a Hobbs high school student. Five years later, he moved to the meat department where he learned the art of meat cutting. He
spent the next 16 years sharing his mastery of meat
cutting with customers at a large grocery store until
he saw an opportunity to go into business himself.
With the help of Lea County State Bank, that opportunity turned into reality.
It was 1994 and a Hobbs meat and produce market
was closing its doors after 15 years in business. Kendall decided the time was right for him to make the
leap from employee to employer. He found a former
sporting goods store that was empty and came with
lots of promise, except for its location: “It was not on
the beaten path,” he said.
Kendall’s wife, Alice, quit her job as a paralegal and
they set about to get the building ready to open,
installing the equipment, a little kitchen and a dining
area. Their idea was to sell meat and a little produce
and serve some simple items such as burritos and
barbeque sandwiches.
Business was slow for a while. “I’d watch cars drive
by hoping to see their blinkers go on and turn toward
our store,” said Kendall. Their seven employees often
did not have much to do.
But word gradually spread and today, 20 years after
opening the doors, Kendall’s Kountry Meat Market is
a thriving business with 20 employees, who are now
always busy. In addition to fresh cuts of meat, the
store sells grocery staples and a little produce, and
still has a small dining area. They even have a drive
thru window, “So you can come in hair curlers and a
bathrobe to pick up your food,” said Alice. “It doesn’t
matter what you wear.”
Kendall said that more than once, he has filled a lastminute catering order for 20 people, delivering the
food within a half hour.
The Bradys were so impressed with the initial service
they received from Lea County State Bank that they
still have all of their accounts with the bank.
“We recommend the bank to everyone,” said Alice.
“I’m old school and I like talking to a real person,
someone who can help me, when I call the bank. I
believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. That is the kind of service we get at the bank, and
how we run our business.
By: Nancy Harbert
Article reprint courtesy of Saul Villarreal, Retail
Manager, VP, Lea County State Bank, Hobbs,
NM. The article appeared in “Business Bank
Notes”, Autumn Edition 2014.
Kendall’s Kountry Meat Market has been an Affiliated
Foods Retail Member since December 7th,1994.
For the lucky AFI driver that gets to deliver to the
market, Kendall has given them a hot fresh brisket
and cheese burrito, and has never been missed in 20
years. That is very generous and I bet the drivers look
forward to the stop!
Kendall also sells smoked beef jerky he makes every
day. They have established a successful catering
business, with the ability to provide food for large
We would like to wish them many, many more years
events. Admitting that he doesn’t know how to say no, of success!
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After the holidays, when all of the shopping
has been done, and gifts have been given—
after everyone gets back to school and back
in a routine, it is time to take care of you; this
is why January is National Mental Wellness
Month.
At Affiliated, we want healthy employees both
inside and out. Taking care of your mental
well-being should always be at the top of your
list. By doing this, you will create positive
changes mentally and physically.
Below are a few strategies to reduce stress
from the Mental Health Cooperative:
1. Develop a positive attitude--people with
positive attitudes are apt to be happier, more
successful, and better able to handle crisis
and stress. And in concert with the positive
attitude, get an attitude of gratitude for what
you have instead of dwelling on what you
don't.
2. Avoid negative self talk--laugh at your mistakes and say I'll remember next time.
3. View a crisis situation as an opportunity-creative problem solving can expand your
options. Try to make a list of good things that
could result from the problem you're having to
solve.
you can skip meals or eat junk food. A diet
rich in fruit, vegetables and fiber will help you
maintain the physical and mental stress you
need to deal with the situation.
7. Get enough rest- sleep disturbances are
common during stress.
Like the song lyrics go…
“Don’t Worry Be Happy!”
October Breast Cancer Awareness
Mammogram Drawing Winners
Thank you to all who took the time to have
their mammogram screening done during the
month of October. We appreciate your participation as we try to encourage employees to
take advantage of the preventive services
that Affiliated covers under your medical plan
for free, while also taking care of your own
health! We held a drawing for everyone that
had completed their mammogram during
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the
winners are shown below with their prizes.
Congratulations, ladies!
4. Laugh--Humor is a great stress reducer.
Studies indicate laughter can make you
healthier.
Second Place Winner - Michele McDonough
Rachel Ray Cookware
5. Exercise--Regular exercise increases energy and releases brain biochemicals to ward
off depression and anxiety. Just a 15 minute
walk a day will help keep body and soul together.
6. Improve your diet--During times of stress
Third Place Winner - Denise Fortenberry,
MK Purse and Wallet
First Place Winner - Rebecca Durnford – Galaxy Tablet
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Courtesy of Rebekah Blythe / HR
Amarillo Botanical Gardens was aglow with more than
100,000 lights at the annual Christmas Garden of Lights
exhibit.
Twinkling lights illuminated pathways, trees and shrubs
throughout the gardens, while live entertainment took
place each night of the event on the garden’s patio.
The “Three Piece Zoot” that preformed on Friday,
December 5, 2014 was included in a long lineup of
great local performers and musicians. A couple of the
band members were two of AFI’s very own...Randy
Smith, IT, EDI Coordinator on guitar and Tim Terry,
Manager Retail Store Systems on guitar with
Ylaria Balderas, AC Nursing Dept. Admissions, was on
keyboard and vocals.
AFI had the chance to have them play at our annual
Christmas Party for the second year now, which in fact
was a great success.
We are looking forward to a third year to once again
enjoy their music, and wish them all the best in their
future musical endeavors.
The Affiliated Family News
Photo courtesy of Kevin Ball, Executive Director of The Amarillo Botanical Gardens
References and excerpts from: http://amarillobotanicalgardens.org/,
http://www.connectamarillo.com/ and http://kissfm969.com/
Musicians don't retire; they stop when
there's no more music in them.
Louis Armstrong
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AFI Bakery / Deli News
February is time for the big
Dance
What is the big Dance?
Super Bowl XL1X, February 1st 2015!
able. Offer your customers Vegetable
trays, fruit trays, cheese trays, and meat
trays this is the time to sell them. Do not
forget to make some Sub sandwiches as these will sell very well at this
time too.
Days to Remember- Super
Bowl –February 1st
and pound cake platters. You need to
get the customers to come to your department so make an attractive display
for the Super Bowl.
In this month you all need to work on
small or bite-sized items. You can see
Jaime
on your order guide we have various
kinds of cookies. We also have 1.0
Once the Super Bowl is over get
ready for Valentine’s Day which is on ounces and 2.0 ounces and also we
have mini bite brownies and wedding
February 14th this year. Keep in
mind that restaurants are packed on cookies and strudel puffs. If you are
this day so offer meals to go and tie looking for some small items for the first
two to three weeks of this month you
in a couple of bottles of wine to get
the customer’s attention. Plan ahead need to do some of this for your displays.
Also, make your plans for next month;
and get that extra sale.
February is cherry and chocolate month;
As always have fun and be creative. remember that Valentine’s Day is a good
month for the bakery. You need to build
Thank You
a good Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day
display. Take advantage of the parties
Bobby
going on during these events.
So let’s get our Deli Departments ready
for the big dance. Appetizers such as
cheese sticks, chicken tenders, chicken
nuggets, and Jalapeno poppers are
some of the items to keep in mind. Salads, cheeses and deli meats are also
great push items. For the stores that
have fried chicken make sure you have
plenty on hand and offer a party platter
by adding a few bucks and putting the
chicken on a deli tray. Display the tray by
the chicken with the price, the number of
pieces that the tray comes with so customers know that they are available and
take orders so that you are ready.
Remember to have some of the sugar
free items as we have plenty of these
now. Also, after the busy holidays everything gets back to normal after two to
three weeks. Keep track of your rights
and wrongs done as far as department
sales for those holidays so that you will
have them for your next year’s records.
How many pies and rolls did you sell,
how many hours did you use and how
empty was the bakery the day after
Thanksgiving? By keeping track of things
like that for your records, you can prepare for next year.
Have your plans ready for the Super
Bowl; this is at the end of the month; take
advantage of those get-togethers and
parties; make cakes with the logo of the
participant teams and cupcakes with the
colors of teams. Make some cookies
This is a great time to push your party
trays start now by letting your customer’s
know that they will be available. Put
signs up and make some flyers to let
your customers know that they are avail-
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Jaime Ortega / Sales Manager / B/D
[email protected]
Bobby Pena / Deli Specialist
[email protected]
Employee of the Month - Mario Rodriguez
Congratulations are in order again to Mario Rodriguez. For the second
time, Mario has been selected as Employee of the Month; the first time being in March, 2014. Mario now serves as an Order Selector Trainer in the
Perishable Shipping Department. Mario has completed three years of service and works under the direction of Jeffrey Williams. Jeffrey tells us that
Mario is a model employee, is very dependable and always willing to learn
new things. Jeffrey says he can count on Mario to help out in the office
when needed and feels every supervisor would benefit from an employee
like Mario.
Mario and Vanessa share two children; a daughter, Yaritza who is five
years old, and their son, Ayden, who is now eleven months old. Mario
and the family like to spend time together watching movies and doing
family activities. Mario’s favorite food is Asian and his favorite movies are
comedy’s.
Mario has taken a break from school this semester but plans to return later
this year. He has been attending Amarillo College working towards an
Associates Degree and plans to become an Electrical System Technician.
Mario plans to continue working at Affiliated and desires to purchase a
home for his family in the near future.
Randy Arceneaux, CEO and President of Affiliated Foods presents the
“Employee of the Month” plaque to
Mario Rodriguez
He selected gift certificates from Jorge’s Mexican Cantina and The Plaza.
Mario will also receive an additional 250 Safety bonus points. Congratulations, Mario! Thanks for a job-well-done!
The following employees were also nominated this month. Congratulations to all!
Susan Appel and Rodolfo Ochoa Chavez
Courtesy of Rita Koontz / HR
Spotlight on the Warehouse
Newcomer o the Month:
Please meet Pedro Ibarra Acevedo he is a custodian and works in the
Grocery Sanitation Department under the supervision of Freddy Jimenez.
Freddy holds Pedro in high regard. He said “Pedro is a hard worker and
always willing to do whatever is needed to make sure that the job gets done.
He is here everyday and very dependable. He is the type of employee that I
wish I had two or three more of.”
Hats off to Pedro for a great job well done! We hope that all his future is filled
with great success.
Courtesy of Cynthia Mauricio / WHSE Admin Asst.
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Above & Beyond
2015
At Affiliated Foods, when we hire a new order selector there is a working standard that must be met in the
first 60 days of employment. The Warehouse Management System calculates time for each store order based
on Engineered Labor Standard. This time standard must be met at 100% by the first 60 days. Once the selector achieves 100% of standard and keeps that standard or above, they become qualified order selectors. This
process helps orders to be pulled in a timely manner. January...Above and Beyond…
Grocery Top Pay: Victor Garley, Victor Hernandez, Jamar Smith, Isaiah Gutierrez Grocery Qualified:
John Gonzales Jr, Noah Luman, Justin Velasquez, Emanual White, Paul Dancy, Varmuyan Saryoung.
Perishable Top Pay: Edward Butler Perishable Qualified: Erik Jacobo, David Sisk, Manuel Campbell,
Jewan Smith, Bryan Garcia, Keith Rohrbach, Nicholas Agoha HBC Top Pay: Selena Betancourt HBC
Part-Time Qualified: Kasandra Vaugh, Amanda Enriquez, Tameka Scott, Rachel Tijerina, Billie Daulton
Courtesy of Jimmy Ross / Director of Warehouse Operations, David Trimble / Assistant Director of Warehouse Operations, Enrique Barreras / Dry Grocery Supervisor, Jeffrey
Williams / Perishable Supervisor and Israel Guajardo / HBC Supervisor
PTG Announces Retirement - Joe “Dale” Freeman
PTG announces the retirement of Joe
Dale Freeman. He was a driver and
began his career with Affiliated Foods
on June 13, 1987, that is over 27 and
a half years with our company.
He was presented a plaque, watch,
and a check on Friday, January 9,
2015 by Jaime Ferrell, PTG Operations Manager.
We would like to thank Dale for his
many years of dedicated service and
hope that he will embrace his retirement with great enthusiasm. We wish
you all the best.
The Affiliated Family News
L to R: Gene Blackburn; Director of HR, Joe Dale Freeman, Jaime
Ferrell; PTG Operations Manager and Rick Sims; PTG Safety Manager
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“Savings in the Bag...Freshness Guaranteed”
Did you Know??? That on most roll out wrap products there are tabs at the end of
the box that locks the roll in place...Punch both sides in and the roll will not fall out
when you are pulling the wrap! WOW!...Most consumers do not know this!
Reference: www.staceysnacksonline.com
“THANK YOU” to all who have contributed to the success of the Newsletter”! A special thanks to Dale Thompson and Kevin Fortenberry
for their continued support and help! The Affiliated Family News / Cathy Gallivan / [email protected]
If you have any thing to contribute please e-mail the “AFI Family News” @ [email protected]
1401 Farmers Avenue
Amarillo, TX 79118
806-372-3851
WINTER CHUCKLE
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