The Romarkable
1st Edition—2014
For internal distribution only.
Message from the Family
Dear Romark and ICW Families:
It is hard to believe how quickly
another year is flying by.
First, we want to thank our associates for making our growth possible and worthwhile. We know
you are working hard and many
hours during busy season and we
appreciate your flexibility and
commitment. We thank you for
working SAFELY –our highest value. As you already know, we
want everyone to go home at the
end of each day the same way
you arrived at work. Of course,
quality, productivity and sustainability are further measures of
Romark excellence and your active engagement makes it happen every day. We have had
the opportunity to share appreciation lunches with many of our
associates recently and look forward to thanking you all in person.
We continue our learnings of new
systems as Red Prairie has
changed the way we measure
our workflow and has exemplified the strength and character
of our team. We have innovated
and reinvented processes and
learned new ways of looking at
tasks. We have provided training in Safety topics, computer
skills, emotional intelligence,
driver Safety, wellness, leadership and more. We have adjusted shift schedules in some locations to allow for more flexible
schedules. We have challenged
ourselves to learn more about
our Safety culture and have required active participation from
our insurance carriers to be the
Safest and best facilities that we
can be.
We will soon recognize another
milestone - Waco’s upcoming
35th anniversary. We will continue to acknowledge long-term
associates, promote and transfer
eligible associates, hire new associates, engage in community
service - once again all without
compromising Safety and our
other cornerstones. We continue
to bid for new business and expanded relationships with existing customers. In Lancaster, we
have built a solid reputation with
our customer’s customer. Our
coffee business has grown and
our public warehouse business is
starting to grow. We expanded
or adjusted leases to meet our
changing business needs and we
learned how to handle new
products. We have taken good
care of our facilities and are
excited about our Copack expansion in Hazleton.
We have been unafraid to challenge ourselves to change and
continuously improve. As always, the secret ingredients in
our ability to explore opportunities and manage our growth
thoughtfully and wisely are our
relationships with our associates,
vendors and customers and the
strength of our team –you all
make a difference every day
and allow us to continue to expand our business and exceed
our customers’ expectations.
We have come a long way and
continue to improve and grow
while maintaining our legacy
Romark values.
Thanking you and your families
for your caring and dedication,
Marc and Amy Lebovitz
“The best way to predict
the future is to create it.”
- Alan Kay
The Romarkable
Page 2
Day In The Life Of A Waco Shuttle Driver
If you ask any of our drivers,
shuttling is no easy task. It is
very different from most commercial driving jobs. While
most drivers are going forward all day, Shuttle Drivers
are driving backwards (into
dock doors) just as often as
they are driving forward to
their destination. On average, a driver has 27-30 trail-
er moves during an eight-hour
shift. Some days require as
many as 50 trailer moves. Each
day varies and is influenced by
what lines the plant is running.
Their day starts by talking to the
Shuttle Drivers ending their shift.
They discuss workload and any
hand-off items. Then phone calls
from the plant immediately start
coming in requesting items such
as packaging, peanuts, milk,
pallets or requesting waste or
recycling trailers moves. The
job responsibilities vary from
shift to shift as well. 2nd and
3rd Shift Drivers have to pull
off-shift orders at our Pack
and Raw Department. 1st Shift
has extra challenges due to off
-road traffic at the plant and
school traffic on Mars Drive
during the school year. Our Shuttle Drivers do an excellent job.
They work in all elements including rain and extreme heat and
cold. They provide excellent customer service no matter what the
conditions or how heavy their
workload. Interesting fact – our
Shuttle team combined has over
60 years of service with Romark
Logistics.
Nitrogen Flushing
Romark Waco recently started warehousing a new product at our 1108 Jewell location. This product is preserved by nitrogen flushing. Nitrogen flushing is a preservation method used to protect packaged foods such as peanuts, coffee beans, nuts, rice cakes, snack
crackers and chips. When you've picked up a bag of chips at the grocery store, you have probably noticed the bag is puffed and filled
with 'air.' This air is not exactly like the air we breathe. The package doesn't contain oxygen. When processed food is exposed to oxygen, it deteriorates. Oxygen can be removed from the packaging by removing all of the air with a vacuum, which will increase the shelf
life of the food packed inside. Regular vacuum packaging works fine for sturdy solid foods like beef jerky and fresh meat, but it doesn't
work well for foods that are delicate, like snack chips and crackers. These foods need protection during transportation, so they won't be
crushed or broken. Food manufacturers use nitrogen flushing and sealing machines to force the regular air out of the packaging and inject
nitrogen gas into the packaging. Nitrogen doesn't react with food like oxygen does, so foods stay fresher longer and it doesn't affect the
flavor or texture of the food. Since the nitrogen fills up the bag, it helps to protect the delicate foods inside.
COFFEE FACTS:

Tea was the favored drink in the New World until 1773 when colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King
George. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference to coffee.

34% of American’s drink gourmet coffee beverages.

American’s drink more coffee than soft drinks.

Consumers aged 25-39 years of age are the strongest consumers of gourmet coffee beverages.
Co-Pack Inventory
Congratulations to Kim
Olexa on her recent promotion to the position of CoPack Inventory Supervisor in
our Hazleton facility.
Kim has been with Romark
for over 3 years and previously held the position of CoPack Clerk on the 1st shift
where she was responsible
for posting jobs, doing reversals and returns.
Kim has a Bachelors Degree
in Business Administration
from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to coming to
Romark she spent 8 years at
a local corrugate manufacturing plant where she had
various job duties which in-
clude production scheduling,
supply ordering, safety, and
payroll.
When asked what she likes
most about her new position ,
Kim responded that she really enjoys how interactive she
gets to be with not only the
Co-Pack processes but also
how much she gets to work
with associates.
In her spare time Kim enjoys
playing bingo with her mom,
spending time with her family and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Romarkable
Page 3
The Journey from Waco to Lancaster
Kevin Gamber, Mike Kidwell and Fred
Williams formerly worked on the Waco
management team and have now joined
the Lancaster site. Romark is very excited to be ale to offer these transfer opportunities to its associates. Let’s get to
know these associates a bit better!
Kevin Gamber has been employed with
Romark Logistics for almost 8 years and
started working in the Co-Pack Department while in high school. Kevin has
worked in Lancaster since the beginning
and has recently been promoted to the
position of Operations Manager. Prior
to him joining Lancaster Kevin worked indepth with the P/R Department in Waco.
Kevin and his wife are the proud parents
of 9 month old Aubrie Monroe.
Mike Kidwell is just beginning his 7th
year with Romark. Prior to working at
Romark, Mike spent 5 years at another
Waco distribution center. In Waco Mike
was the night shift manager and he
joined the Lancaster management team
in June. Mike’s favorite thing about his
job is that it is challenging. In his spare
time Mike enjoys riding motorcycles. He
especially loves being with his 6 children, the youngest being his 8 month old
daughter.
6 years and prior to transferring to Lancaster he worked exclusively in the CoPack Department. Fred is really enjoying his transition into distribution and
loves that no two days are the same.
Fred is no stranger to distribution, working in the logistics field over 20 years.
Fred enjoys spending time with his family
and is very involved with American Legion and Veteran Support activities.
Below, from left to right: Fred Williams, Mike
Kidwell and Kevin Gamber
Fred Williams has been with Romark for
4X10 Shift Changes
Both the Hazleton and Lancaster locations have moved from
the traditional 8 hour shifts/5
days a week to 10 hour
shifts/4 days a week. Waco
led the change to 4X10 by
implementing this schedule in
2012.
Hazleton moved to this shift
scheduling strategy on May
19, 2014. The shifts run Monday to Thursday and are now
referred to as A Shift, B Shift
and C shift. The C Shift is what
was formerly known as the
Weekend and there are now
20 associates. The Weekend
shift works, Friday, Saturday
and Sunday.
The Lancaster facility moved to
the 10 hour shift schedule on
June 22, 2014. The shifts for
Lancaster also run 4 days a
week but there are 6 different
schedules. For example, the
Blue shift works Sunday to
Wednesday 6AM to 4:30PM.
Michael Zavistoski, General
Manager of Hazleton, had this
to say about the new schedule:
“I am very pleased with the
results of Hazleton’s transition
to the 4X10 schedule. It has
always been important to our
management team to not only
serve our customer, but also
provide a work/home balance
for our associates. Recognizing
that we are a seasonal business, with a wide swing in volume, the 4X10 has really
New MHE in Hazleton
The Hazleton site has been
receiving several pieces of
new Material Handling
Equipment (MHE) that will
replace the older fleet in the
Warehouse. Several of the
older pieces that were used
in the Warehouse will have a
new home in Co-Pack. Since
Co-Pack volumes have significantly increased they will be
a welcomed addition.
With these new pieces of
MHE, eight more deep
reaches will be added to the
fleet to support the changing
business need. Prior to the
new equipment arriving the
facilities department added
more space for parking.
New MHE is not the only
improvement that the Hazleton site has seen recently.
New batteries were received
in along with energy efficient
chargers. The new batteries
hold a charge longer thus
reducing the need to change
them as often.
Right: A photo of one of the
new deep reaches that Hazleton’s RDC has received thus
far.
helped us align our labor
with this demand and
achieve a greater equilibrium .”
Page 4
The Romarkable
Our Associates are Romarkable!
Above is a photo of our facilities staff at a
meeting they had at the snowy Hazleton
site in February. From left to right: John
Moran, Wes Miller, Randy Lewis, Justin
Irwin, and Luke Walker.
Congrats!
Baylor’s new McLane Football Stadium in Waco is scheduled to be ready
for the 2014 season opener. The
Stadium will be the largest project in
Central Texas history and has the
potential to transform the city as well
as be a catalyst for economic development along the Brazos River. The
stadium will seat a crowd of 45,000
and has a canopy that should shade
approximately 45%-55% of seats
throughout the day. Romark Logistics
Waco purchased a Stadium Brick that
Baylor fans will walk across as they
enter the stadium. The photo on the
right features what our brick will say
and look like.
Training to be a first responder!
Romark of PA: Alfred Njie (L) and James
Hayes (R) graduated on 3/11/14 from the
Lead Worker training program facilitated
by the Manufacturer and Employer’s Association. In this program Alfred and James
attended a series of training seminars that
focused on leadership development.
Some of the Lancaster associates were able to get certified in First Aid, CPR and
AED at a training that was held onsite on 5/23/14. Above are some photos of our
associates practicing CPR. It was a really fun class in which new skills were obtained
that are important to the safety of our associates. The best part of this class for
everyone was when the participants were able to practice their bandaging skills on
their co-workers. Nice job Lancaster on making our workplace safer!
Team Work !
Chris Adams, Shanna Kirkland, Jason Sherrill, and Blake Yglesias of Romark Waco attended
an eight-week High Performance Leadership Training with Jay Mathis of Mathis Training and
Development. Some topics covered included Building Trust, Resolving Conflict, Emotional Intelligence, Effective Communication, and Leveraging Time. The picture to the left shows a team
building exercise they participated in. The goal was to move a marble inside the tubes from
one side of the room to the other. The three participants with tubes could not speak. One
participant was designated as the “Leader” and could speak to give instructions. This was no
easy task. The marble was difficult to maneuver in the tube because it rolled quickly. Given
enough time, they probably would have been able to make it all the way across the room.
While this exercise was fun and entertaining, it was also thought provoking and an example
of the importance of working together to accomplish a common goal.
The Romarkable
Health, Wellness & Safety Corner
Biggest Loser Winners
Richie Schlitz won the Waco Biggest
Loser Challenge with a BMI loss of
16.0%. Andrew Rodriquez came in
second with a loss of 15.5% BMI.
Great job, Waco!
TO
S
N
IO S !
T
A R
UL NE
T
A
IN
R
W
NG UR
O
C LO
AL
Edward Calderon won the Lancaster Biggest
Loser Challenge with a BMI loss of 12.44%.
Janice Washington came in second with a
loss of 12.22%. CONGRATS!
Page 5
Danny Vasquez from Hazleton was the
Company’s Biggest Loser losing 18.52% of
his total body weight! In total the facility
lost 271.6 pounds during the most recent
competition. Good job PA!
“Success is dependent on effort”—Sophocles
What is a Hazard?
Ten Good Reasons to
Drink More Water
Water seems to taste best when you
are extremely thirsty, but here are
ten reasons why you should drink
more water, even if you’re not thirsty:
1.
It prevents bad breath. Why? It
washes away odor-causing particles
and bacteria, and helps keep saliva
flowing.
2.
It prevents or reduces heartburn
symptoms.
3.
It prevents urinary tract infections by
diluting urine and lowers the bacterial count. It may also reduce the risk
of bladder cancer.
4.
Employees - anyone in the workplace.
So keep your eyes open in your workplace and follow all safety procedures related to your
workplace hazards.
It prevents constipation. How? It flushes out toxins and decreases your risk
of colon cancer.
5.
It prevents headaches. Dehydration is
the cause of many headaches.
Bend Those Knees, Lifting Will Be a Breeze
6.
7.
It aids digestion.
8.
It boosts your immune system and
helps fight off colds.
If you’re going to be effective in protecting yourself from workplace hazards, obviously you
first must understand just what those hazards are. While it may seem like a simple enough
term, “hazard” covers many different things. A hazard may be an object (tools, equipment,
machinery, materials) or a person (when distracted, mentally/physically incapable).
Four general hazard areas - Generally, all workplace hazards exist in four areas as follows:

Materials - liquids, solids, gasses, etc.

Equipment - machinery, tools, devices.

Environment - noise, temperature, atmospheres, workstation design.

Bending your knees is perhaps the single most important rule when lifting moderate to heavy
objects. Take a tip from professional weight lifters. They can lift tremendous weights because
they lift with their legs, not their backs. When lifting a case or box, your feet should be
placed close to the object. Center yourself over the load, then bend your knees and get a
good hand hold. Lift straight up, smoothly. Allow your legs, not your back, to do the work.
It could reduce the chance of a heart
attack, some studies show.
9. It wards off daytime fatigue.
10. It prevents back and joint pain.
Page 6
The Romarkable
Welcome To The Romark Family
Gabriel Paul Mickalowski
was born on June 22, 2014.
Gabriel is the son of Ron
Mickalowski (PA).
Big brother Joey is holding
baby Jalen Michael Gil who
was born on July 1, 2014.
Joey and Jalen are the
grandsons of Roberto Gil
(PA).
John Patrick Sirkot was
born on March 21,
2014. He is the son of
John Sirkot, Hazleton.
Macey Rae Kuehl was born
on June 16, 2014. She is the
granddaughter of Debbie
Irwin, VP of Operations for
Romark.
Kudos to our Kids!
Big sister Khloe holding baby Timothy lll who was born
on March 10, 2014. Khloe
and Timothy are children of
Waco Warehouse Associate
Tim Rodriquez.
Jaxon Ray Sherrill was born
on January 21, 2014 He is
the son of Jason Sherrill,
Waco 2nd Shift Lead.
Denali Paige Luna was
born on November 19,
2013. She is the daughter
of Josue Luna, Waco
Warehouse Associate.
Kudos to our Kids!
Congratulations to Ricky
Leal, son of Richard Leal
(ICW-Miami) on winning 4th
place in the Reiner-Heinser
Tennis Tournament with
Coach Reiner-Heinser
Sabrina Garcia, daughter of Joe Garcia
(Waco) had a great school year at Connally JH! She was inducted into the National Jr. Honor Society, received numerous
awards such as 7th Grade AVID Student
of the Year and her softball team was
selected for a softball tournament in June.

Jessica Sandoval, daughter of
Johnny Sandoval (Waco) made
the A Honor Roll this last school
year.

Ashlie and Abby Throne,
daughters of Jennifer Throne
(PA) both made honor roll this
last school year.

Ricky and Bryan Leal, sons of
Richard Leal ( ICW-Miami )
both graduated with honors
from middle and grammar
school.
Nathan and Harry, Jr., sons of Harry Bowers (PA), have really
been excelling in wrestling. For 2013-2014 Nathan (L) was the
District 13 runner-up, Pennsylvania State qualifier and the 2013
Coal Cracker Champ. Harry (R) was the District 13 Champ,
placed 6th place in the Pennsylvania state wrestling championships, was the 2 time Eastern National Place winner (placing 6th
both times) and was named an All American Wrestler in 2014.
Congratulations To Our Graduates !!!
Berald Hill (Lancaster) graduated
with a Bachelor's degree from the
University of Phoenix in December
2013.
Senovia Fonseca (Lancaster)
had several family members
graduate from high school
this year.
Top Left: Hector Fonseca Nephew; Top right: Dalila
Fonseca, Niece; Bottom Left:
Chyna Fonseca, Niece; Bottom Right: Alana Fonseca,
Niece.
Marina Miniovich ( pictured with her brother
David) daughter of Svetlana Miniovich (NJ), received her BS from the
University of Maryland
on May 22, 2014. Marina has procured an accounting position with the
firm of Deloitte&Touche.
Neita Bright, wife of
Howard Bright (Waco) ,
graduated from Tarleton
State University with a
Bachelor’s Degree in
Criminal Justice. She now
works as a Case Manager with the Adult Probation Department in Waco.
Daniel Throne, son of
Jennifer Throne (PA),
graduated from HAHS
Career Center where he
earned his welding certification. He is continuing
his education at LCCC,
focusing his studies on
Computer Aided Drafting
and Design.
Sainabou Njie, daughter of Alfred Njie (PA),
graduated from Kindergarten on 6/14/14.
She will be headed to
1st grade at 10th St
Elementary.
Nice Work!
Daylan Patrick Lewandowski (right), son of David
Lewandowski (Waco),
graduated from Hutto High
School in Hutto, Texas.
Right: Great work to
Kevin Leal
(ICWMiami) on earning a
4.0 GPA from Miami
Dade College of Business Administration.
Page 7
Isaac Garcia, son of Joe
Garcia (Waco), graduated from Connally HS in
May. He was a member
of the National Honor
Society and received
numerous awards.
He
will attend Baylor University in the Fall.
Anthony Benson, Jr. , son
of Anthony Benson
(Waco), graduated
from Connally High
School. He is planning
on attending Tyler Junior College.
“I attribute my
success to this—
I never gave or
took any excuse.”
Florence
Nightingale
Kick-Off to Summer– Hazelton Knoebel Family Picnic-2014
Olivia Duran, Cindy
Olivo’s daughter, enjoying her time on a
ride.
Marilyn Rodriguez & Family
Mr. & Mrs. Nick Marizan
Kenny Wood & daughter Sophia (above)
FLor Pichardo & family (right)
Jennifer Jones & Family
Julio Sanchez & Family
On Saturday, May 24, 2014 the Hazleton facility celebrated the start of summer by having a
picnic at Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg,
PA. There were just a few passing showers but
other than that the weather was great as the day
spent together!
Veterans supporting Veterans
Author: Fred Williams
Ride 2 Recovery (R2R) is produced by the Fitness Challenge, a (501C3) in partnership with the Military and VA
Volunteer Service Office to
benefit mental and physical
rehabilitation programs for
our country’s wounded veterans and healing heroes that
features cycling as the core
activity.
Held in partnership with the
Fitness Challenge Foundation,
R2R raises money to support
cycling programs at military
and VA locations around the
U.S. to help healing heroes
overcome obstacles they face.
Cycling is an important part of
the recovery process because
it’s an activity that everyone
can do, no matter the disability and cycling helps speed up
the recovery process.
The cyclists began their 500
mile journey from Houston to
Arlington, TX with a scheduled
stop in Waco on March 26.
American Legion Riders Post
121 in Elm Mott, TX members,
Fred Williams (Lancaster),
Brent Dodd (Waco RDC) and
Mike Kidwell (Lancaster), as
well as all members of the
post, support R2R. Fred and
others were in attendance as
the cyclists arrived and departed from the Waco VA
Hospital. The post also provided motorcycle escort for
the cyclists along their journey from Killeen TX to Waco
TX and then onto Cleburne
TX.
Thank you associates for all you
do each day to make Romark a
great place to work!
2014 Anniversaries
HAZELTON, WACO, LANCASTER, ICW, NJ
Like us on
Visit us on the web!
www.romarklogistics.com
10 YEARS
Sean Baigis
Robin Becker
Brian DeBalko
Brian Fitzgerald
Scott Polly
30 + YEARS
Mark Rebarchak
Edward B Gamber
John Reilly
Curtis Hyde
William Snodgrass
Debbie Irwin
Carmen Tejeda
Patrick Lee Myner
15 YEARS
Robert Nolan
Lana Miniovich
Jose Rodrigues
5 YEARS
John Flynn
Debbie Greener
Craig George
Edward Hamilton
Roberto Gil-Espinal
20 YEARS
Ed Turner
Robert Hodgkins
Mark Kane
Joseph Medlock
Mike Uptmore
Peter Segeda
Joseph Miernicki
30 YEARS
Marino Maronta
Malinda Elliott
Do you have family news you
would like to share? Please
visit your Human Resources
Department to share or email
your photo and stories to:
ICW:
[email protected]
Hazleton:
[email protected]
Waco Associates participated in a Habitat for Humanity Work
Day on Saturday, July 12. They helped construct a home for a
local family of four.
Lancaster:
[email protected]
Waco:
[email protected]
Save the date for our upcoming holiday events!
Hazleton: Saturday, December 6th
Waco: Saturday, December 6th
Lancaster: Tuesday, December 2nd & Wednesday, December 3rd
ASSOCIATE APPRECIATION LUNCHES
Michael Zavistoski and Wes Miller grilling up
burgers and hot dogs in Hazleton
Master Griller Jerry Aguirre
Some Waco associates piling up their plates
with some delicious lunch
Romark is nothing without our most valuable resources—our associates! To celebrate our associates, some of our Romark locations
recently hosted an onsite BBQ lunch. In Hazleton, there were a number of chefs up at the grill. For both Texas locations there was
one master chef, Jerry Aguirre. Many hanks to Jerry for traveling to share his cooking skills!
Thank you associates for all you do each day to
make Romark and ICW a great place to work!
Our ICW, Miami Team – Warehouse Associates ( left ) and Office Staff ( right )
Our ICW, Edison Team-Warehouse Associates ( left ) and Office Staff
( right )
Emotional Intelligence Training
What is Emotional Intelligence you ask? Emotional Intelligence is a combination of personal competencies and social competencies. The Hazleton Leadership Team held an onsite
Emotional Intelligence training session in February which was taught by Gina Whalen of
the Manufacturers and Employers Association. In this workshop, the participating learned
to identify personal tendencies, which will allow them to become more sophisticated in
their ability to spot and use emotions to their advantage in every situation possible.