the supply line - electric supply inc · november 2014 the supply line page 3 mission: take care of...

November 2014 The Supply Line

The Supply Line

I recently listened to a slightly edgy but enlightening and positive webinar presentation by JimKnight, a younger guy who, for almost two decades, ran Hard Rock’s training worldwide.

From tuning in to this one-hour educational investment, I found myself motivated to check outtwo short videos that were mentioned; Every Life has a Story and Think Different.

Every Life has a Story is a video that is part of Chick-fil-A’s best-in-class new hire orientation.This privately owned six-day-a-week David could surpass its seven-day-a-week Goliathcompetitor, MacDonald’s, before the end of this decade. When it comes to articulate, polite fastfood workers who consistently deliver accurate orders, Chick-fil-A rocks i.e. kicks butt whencompared to their competitors.

Not only was I motivated to watch the videos once, the first viewing triggered two additionalviewings. You see, I am always hungry for an edge or advantage to help us start off runningwith our new hires.

Before going further with this article, I urge you to set aside five or ten minutes within the nextday and go to YouTube so you too can check out these short videos.

Maybe you will think I am making a big deal out of nothing, but I think there is no less than oneimportant lesson to be learned from each. I also believe that Electric Supply will be a morecohesive and resilient workplace if more of us make a habit of practicing the messages I amabout to address; both triggered while watching these videos.

The complete title of Every Life has a Story includes If We Bother to Read It. The videoprompted me to think of people I have met and failed to invest sufficient time to get to know.Some of those people include some of you.

Too often, people rush from point A to B to C; seemingly too disenfranchised or maybe even toodisciplined to be spontaneous and carve out the time needed to be inquisitive and build new anddeeper friendships. In those situations, folks also miss out on much of what life is willing tooffer.

I am not suggesting that discipline is a bad thing; those with no or too little discipline constantlystruggle or flounder. If focused properly, discipline is a wonderful trait. But to use it wisely, wemust know when to turn it on as well as to turn it off. But I digress…

Volume 23Issue 11

November 2014

From The CEOInside this issue:

A CHARTER MEMBER

Continued on page 2

From the CEO 1-2

Important Info & Phone #’s 3

Walking Challenge 3

Monthly Awards 4

Birthdays & Anniversaries 4

Strategic Planning Update 5

Family News 6

High Voltage Tips & Topics 6-11

Safety Pays 7

November Events 9

Meet the Credit Department 10

Team Member Happenings 11

Training Calendar 12


Friendships at work are important on many levels. For starters, friendships help us maintain our sanity (or in my case, what is left ofit). People who have close friends at work, people who have learned each other’s stories are more likely to look forward to being atwork. People who don’t have close friends at work are much more likely to dread coming to work and that makes for a long, boringday. Drudgery robs individuals and their workplaces of energy, creative thinking and creates a downward spiral that can spread likean aggressive cancer; sometimes throughout an organization.

Without a doubt, workplaces that are friendship-friendly are more sustainable and more profitable than those workplaces thatdiscourage growing friendships at work.

Before going further, please allow me to shift gears and delve into the second video, Think Different. This video celebrates peoplewho were different over the past decade such as Rosa Parks, Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali), Albert Einstein, John Lennon, andGandhi; all remarkable individuals who accomplished great things but were (or are) different from many of us. The sad truth is if weare closed-minded, we often reach unfounded conclusions and those conclusions can build mental barriers that will exclude manypeople from our comfort zones; all based solely on personal bias. The good news is if we recognize that we tend to be closedminded, we can make a concentrated effort to work around our weakness and we just might learn someone’s story and gain a newfriend.

Those featured in Think Different are famous today but if we had met them at Electric Supply before knowing of their pendinggreatness, would we have reached out to learn more about them, to perhaps become friends or would we have shunned them?

Too often, many turn away from other people because they happen to be packaged different from what many of us consider normal.And each time we turn away or snub someone, we miss an opportunity to learn their story. Not that we bond with everyone we meetbut it is 100% accurate to say we bond with none of those we have chosen to shun.

If managers are close-minded, companies are incapable of recognizing and promoting talent; especially if it is hidden in a uniqueperson who dares to be different.

Back in the early 1990s, we had two individuals who joined our team; one as a driver and the other in the wire room and receivingdepartment. Each wore their hair much longer than most guys; maybe down to the middle of their backs. Yes, there were tats andpiercings but more importantly, there was an abundance of integrity and work ethic. Unfortunately (for us), David Myers who wasone of the two, left us to follow his USAF spouse west where David became an excellent outside sales person. Three decades later,we are very fortunate that the other “longhair” is still with us and today; Jason Tregler is our MIS Manager. Every day, Jasonleverages his computer knowledge and experiences from other positions in our workplace to ensure that our MIS department isreliable, valuable, user-friendly and growing along with technological advances and changing customer demands. And yes, Jasonstill brings a remarkable work ethic and a high level of integrity to work every day (along with a few tats). These guys werediamonds in the rough and thank goodness some of our folks recognized their raw talent.

Decisions regarding who to hire and who to promote are tough enough when our judgment is at its best. If minds are already made upor are prejudiced, good decisions become impossible and we won’t survive for long.

Fortunately, my observation is that most of our team passes muster on every potential challenge addressed in this article. As a team,many of you have made friends at work and continue to take positive steps to make new friends and to strengthen existingfriendships. I think you are also very open to meet people who are different, individuals who fall outside of mainstream stereotypesand you are willing to listen to their stories as well as to share your story.

You are the fabric that makes our workplace fun, profitable and sustainable. As someone who tends to be an introvert, I am veryfortunate to have so many positive role models who serve as an inspiration, who make me want to do right for each of you.

After all, you are the best!

...continued from the CEO


Mission: Take care of our people,customers, & suppliers.

Vision: To be the distributor and employer ofchoice.

Values:Innovation

Provide creative solutions to take care ofour customers

Professional Treat everyone with integrity and

respect Maintain a knowledgeable, reliable, and

disciplined team Continually improve teamwork,

accountability, and communication

Success Commitment Execution Commit to do the right things right, first

time every time

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)BENSINGER DUPONT

PHONE (866) 757-3271

CONSUMER CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICE

HILLSBOROUGH (813) 289-8923OTHERS (800) 388-2227

ETHICSLINE

TO REPORT SUSPECTED ETHICAL

ABUSES & FRAUD

PHONE (800) 500-0333FAX (800) 500-0993

FLORIDA BLUE MEDICAL

MEMBER SERVICES

(800) 583-9072WWW.BCBSFL.COM

INSURANCE QUESTIONS

AMANDA SANDS, ME WILSON

813-349-2259

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

November 27th - ThanksgivingDecember 25th - Christmas

December 26th - Day after Christmas

Quality Quote

The intelligence of the team exceeds the intelli-gence of the individuals in the team.

- Senge

Walking Challenge begins in November!

Get ready to put on that pedometer and start competing in the Electric Supply WalkingChallenge!!! This will be a 7-week challenge starting on November 3 and running throughDecember 19. Prizes will be awarded for the most steps overall and most improved.

The reigning champions from last year are (in order of top 5 finishers) Ron Croll, HiramZamora, Shaker Brock, Alex Clark and Carlos Gomez. Katy Carey won the most im-proved award last year as well. Will they stay on top this year? Join the challenge andlet’s provide the best competition possible!


Thank you for your service and dedication.Electric Supply appreciates you!

Thank you for a job well done. We appreciate you!

Julian Linan 11/10

Tim Williams 11/10

Jack Smith 11/12

Rocky Rumore 11/15

Ralph Kluesner 11/23

Norman Pananganan 31 years

Tom Stark 22 years

Jason Tregler 21 years

Jerry Meguiar 19 years

D ĂƩ ��Žī ĞǇ 13 years

Derrick Alexander 10 years

Edwin Hylton 10 years

David Roman 8 years

Jim Reilly 7 years

Monthly awards & more!

Keith Blaine Damon Smith

Warehouse person of the month Driver of the month


Strategic Planning: Working for a sustainable future

People Team Update

Our People Team met two times in October to continue our strategic approach to helping Electric Supply become aneven better place to work.

Our new mentoring program has been kicked off. We are looking forward to good feedback from those participating.We will adjust our approach as needed to improve this process and look forward to extending the opportunity to manymore team members in the future.

We are also looking at new ideas to help us keep our ESOP excitement going. It is critical for everyone to take pride inownership and always look for ways to make us a more profitable company. We will be having a representative fromOmni Cable share some best practices with the People Team in an upcoming meeting.

Communication, and the methods we use to communicate, is something we as a team are working hard on. This hasbeen a constant shortfall identified in our annual Employee Satisfaction Survey. We will be trying a different method tocommunicate using monitors with scrolling messages. A test run is in place in warehouse E. Always remember, com-munication takes participation from everyone. Please take time to look at the monitor and read the information. Wewant feedback from you on what is beneficial and your suggestions for improvement.

We continue to discuss ways to ensure fair and equal application of our policies and procedures when we meet.

People Team:Christy Watts, Matt Coffey, Rick Atkinson, Melanie Brock, Carlos Gomez and Mike Cronin

Growth Team Update

Open BranchTeam is currently researching a couple of potential areas to open a branch.

Industrial Counter DaysWe are planning to have an industrial counter day in early 2015. Please be on the lookout for additional details.

Utility team is focusing on additional opportunities with current customers.Power plantsUtility contractors

Customer SegmentationA sub-team has been created to review.

We need your helpCurrently we have a variety of service guarantees to our C&I customers. We are looking to create a Service Guaranteefor utility customers. If you have a suggestion please forward it to the Growth Team.

Growth Team:Harry Irwin, Shaker Brock, Frank Burgess, David Donovan, Ralph Kluesner, Matt Smith, Shariette Jones, DeneseMcKinney


High Voltage Tips & Topics

News from the Land of Sales and Purchasing

Last month was our Electric Supply golf tournament. From the comments I heard from our customers and fellowteam members, everyone had a great time. Thank you, Shariette, for putting on another fantastic event.

We would like to congratulate Garrett Sharpless on being promoted to Will Call. We are excited to have him on theteam and know he is going to do well. Congratulations Garrett.

Matt and I attended the IMARK Annual Meeting in October where we met with many of our supplier partners to dis-cuss business and ways we can help each other. Our meetings went very well and it was nice to catch up with oldfriends. We are on track to have a great year as far as IMARK Gainshare goes so please order from IMARK supplierswhenever possible.

For those of you interested in product training, please go to IMARK University on the IMARK website. There aretons of courses you can take to better familiarize yourself with electrical products. If you have any questions aboutIMARK University please ask me.

See you next month,

Shaker

Family News

Matt Coffey became a grandfather again! Padme Rose Forsythe was born on October 14th at 5 pounds 8ounces. Padme joins big sister, Eve. Congratulations to the Coffey and Forsythe families! Enjoy yournew bundle of joy.

Zachary Williams, son of Tim and Susan Williams, is proudly sporting his “Student of the Month” t-shirt, which he won in September. Zachary is in 5th grade at Valrico Academy in Riverview.Congratulations, Zachary!

Justin and Allison Halsema completed the 10 Mile Tower of Terror Run at Disney’s HollywoodStudios on October 11th. Justin says he is still recovering and in pain and vows to never do itagain. Congratulations for completing the run, Justin and Allison!


High Voltage Tips & Topics cont...

“Safety Pays” Winners

Safety Pays paid off with three winners in October. Congratulations to our winners: Carlos Cotto $51; Jerry Mitcheltree $56;and Hiram Zamora $36.


Only 17.5%: Pathetic

Do you recognize this statistic? It represents the number of Florida’s registered voters who participated in the August2014 primary elections. Put another way, a whopping 82.5% did not bother to vote.

Why is this pathetic? Voting is our right, it is our privilege, and it is our duty. People fought wars and died so wewould have this privilege. There are no acceptable excuses for failing to exercise one’s right to vote.

If you are not registered to vote, now is the perfect time to register. You won’t be able to vote in the November 2014election but you’ll be ready next time.

On November 4 (Election Day), Hillsborough County polls will be open from 7 am to 7 pm.

A better option: Early voting options are available at any early voting site in your home countyuntil Sunday, November 2, including weekends. These early voting sites will be open from 7am to 7 pm.

A valid photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport is required for early voting and ElectionDay voting.

To be safe, go to http://www.votehillsborough.org/ for complete details and thank you for exer-cising your right to vote!


ESI Toastmasters would like to congratulate Shannan Fields on her recent

accomplishments. Shannan had previously achieved The Competent Leader

(CL) and Competent Communicator (CC) awards. Accomplishments not easily

attained. She has continued her progress in Toastmasters serving as the VP of

Education among many other duties. Recently Shannan received the Advanced

Leader Bronze (ALB) and Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB) awards.

Both of these achievements had not previously been met by any ESI

Toastmaster. Shannan has worked hard for this remarkable feat and we are extremely proud of her.

Thank you for your efforts and support of our Toastmasters Club.

If you are interested in joining Toastmasters in order to learn how to listen effectively, think on your feet

and speak confidently, please see Katy Carey and she will assist you. You will also learn valuable

leadership skills in a supportive, non-intimidating environment. Hope to see you at our next meeting!


Derrick Alexander – “Derrick is always willing to do whatever it takes to help any customer he comes across. He is agreat team member.”– Nominated by Kyle LongIn the Round of Applause submission, Derrick was recognized for his responsibility, professionalism and going the ex-

tra mile. Congratulations Derrick!

Round of Applause


November Events

November is customer appreciation month! Let our customers know weappreciate them!

1st week of November: Free hat with your purchase of $50 or more! Limit onehat per order

2nd week of November: Free giveaways for all: pens, pencils and more! 3rd week of November: Breakfast on Tuesday, chili on Wednesday, Boxed lunches on Thursday!

Gasparilla Walk/RunWould you like to join us for the 2015 Gasparilla Walk/Run the weekend ofFebruary 21st? We are teaming up with GCM and hope you will join us! Therewill be incentives and rewards all participants. Get moving and take home someloot!

Team Member Suggestions

For many years, Electric Supply has practiced a “No Surprises” policy when it comes to customer communication. ClintWood’s suggestion is very timely:“As a service to our customers, we should notify them of any back order that occurs when an order is placed. Doing this,the customer has no surprises when the order arrives. It also gives the customer time to get the material elsewhere if thejob at hand has to be completed ASAP.This suggestion will remind our veteran employees of the “No Surprises” policy and will help newer team members under-stand that we have a strong commitment to ensure that customers are always notified of any order shortages before theirmaterials are delivered.For Clint’s reminder suggestion, he will receive $50.00.

Alex Clark suggested we put up a “Pardon Our Dust” sign dur ing our construction. Great idea, Alex! The sign will

make people aware of the renovation, create a positive buzz and let people know the temporary patchwork is not permanent.

Alex will receive $50 for his suggestion.


Meet the Credit Department

Forty-five years!!!!!! That’s how many years of combined service the ESI credit depar tment has. So this teamknows their stuff and a lot about Electric Supply. During a recent interview with the credit team, we uncovered some inter-esting and fun information.

Prior to joining ESI, some interesting jobs were held. See if you can guess who had each one: (1) shucking oysters, (2)teaching racquetball, (3) grooming horses and (4) coordinating a funeral director convention (see answers at the end). If thecredit team ever goes missing, we can be sure to find them in New York City. All four agreed that was their favorite travelspot. Credit Manager, Denese McKinney, may take a detour to Las Vegas and to Italy with her husband on the way though.The first thing they would do in the event of a lottery win, Denese and Hanna would travel, Michelle would go to a WorldSeries game and Linda would learn how to play the drums. No drum sets at ESI please, Linda.

Who doesn’t love a good meal?! Just don’t bring mayo or any type of corn into the credit department. They are not fans ofeither. Their bucket lists include buying a new house, paying off all bills, traveling and buying a Jaguar XJ220. Hope youget to buy your dream car soon, Michelle. And if they could be someone else for just one day, they chose Coco Chanel,Michelle Obama and Cleopatra.

When asked what advice they have for new hires, the team agreed to not be afraid to ask questions. Be yourself. If youmake a mistake, admit it and reach out for help; everything can be corrected. Take advantage of other opportunities. Andfinally, be courteous and helpful to everyone.

Prior job answers: 1-Michelle; 2-Hanna; 3-Linda; 4-Denese




Electric Supply Named 59th in the 2014 Tampa Bay Business 100

Electric Supply has been named by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as one of the top privately held companies inTampa Bay. We ranked 59th out of the 100 companies at the awards ceremony on October 23rd in Tampa.Each year the Tampa Bay Business Journal ranks Tampa’s Top 100 private companies by highest revenue in Hernan-do, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties. We are pleased to receive this award!

Check out a video of George in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “One Question One Minute” clip. George stateshe is most proud that the company has been able to post a double-digit increase in its Employee Stock OwnershipPlan over the past year.

at http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/print-edition/2014/10/24/no-59electric-supply-inc.html

United Way Day of Caring October 2nd 2014

A team of Electric Supply team members participated at Meals on Wheels. They provided hot, fresh, nutritious meals to thehomebound, disabled, and elderly throughout the Tampa community. Each meal was delivered directly to the doorstep of thehomebound individual by a friendly, caring ESI volunteer around the noontime hour.

Another team volunteered at The Children’s Home, a place where children learn to smile and families learn to flourish. Thisgroup of volunteers painted the exterior of the homes and provided expert landscaping labor.Thank you ESI volunteers!

Team Member Happenings

Welcome our newest team members, Henry VanPetten, Yusif Tolbert and Kyle Tregler. All three joined our warehouse team inOctober. We’re pleased to have you on board!

Saul Cothran has rejoined the Electric Supply team! We’re glad to welcome him back.


The Supply Line

A monthly publication for the employees andcustomers of:

Electric Supply, Inc.4407 N. Manhattan Ave.Tampa, FL 33614Phone 813-872-1894Fax 813-874-1680George Adams, Jr., President & CEO

Although all facts are accurate, no warranty isexpressed or implied with regard to accuracy.Opinions are those of the publisher.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. To beplaced on our mailing list, just let any of oursalespeople know. Copies are also available at ourcounter area.

Printed on recycled paper.

Visit us on-line

In addition to the monthlySupply Line newsletter, you can check on

important upcoming events anytime on-line.

Visit us atwww.electricsupplyinc.com

To sign up for our eSupplyLine, pleasee-mail us at

[email protected].

We welcome your comments and suggestions.Send your suggestions to

[email protected]

Thank you!

Webinars – All at 2:00pm in the Conference Room11/03 Telephone Skills for Administrative and Front-Desk Professionals11/19 How to Negotiate with Customers: Handling Unreasonable Demands11/21 Avoiding the Top Ten Most Common Writing Blunders

EDGE – Thursdays at 9:00 in the Training Room

Product Training – Most Tuesdays at 10:15 and 2:15 in the Training Room

Computer Based Training – There will be 2 EXCEL classes this month. Space islimited to 3 people. Please sign up in advance.

Mondays October 6, 13, 20 and 27 at 10:15am in the Training Room

Toastmasters – 11:00 in the Training Room. Meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each Month11/04 and 11/18

CDs – Available upon RequestEach CD Pack is 6 training hours. Anyone may check out the CDs. Please see Melanie if youwould like to earn training hours listening to CDs.

ESI Library - Read a book! We have several in our library to choose from.Are you are interested in joining the book club? This is a great opportunity to read a great bookand discuss it with your coworkers. Our next book will be: When Fish Fly: Lessons for Cre-ating a Vital and Energized Workplace from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market.

All Team Members MUST attend 3 of the 7 courses listed below:March: Effective Communication (Melanie)June: Customer Service (Melanie)July: Getting Along with Difficult People (George)August: Time Management (Melanie)October: Active Listening (Christy)November: Customer Service (repeat)December: Work/Life Balance (Melanie)January: Effective Leadership (Melanie) – this does count toward your 2014 soft-skills.

the supply line - electric supply inc · november 2014 the supply line page 3 mission: take care of...

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