News

Employees of the Year

2009 - Stephen Majka

2009 - Nikol Place

2009 - Curtis Ross

2009 - Warren Smith

2009 - Heather Trotter

Employees of the Month

July 2010 - Michael Krassin Mike started working in the Transportation Department in April of 2005 as a Dispatcher. Since then Mike has been a huge help to our drivers in assisting them with breakdowns, directions, rescues or any other issue or help a driver may need. He also assists our customers with product issues and delivery information. If for any reason an issue arises Mike makes sure everyone is well informed from start to finish. Mike has recently taken over the responsibility of keeping track and ordering the fuel for our trucks and maintains the billing and pricing so that we will get the best price on diesel. Mike is very reliable and always willing to help out. He fills in on weekends, overnight shifts and holidays when he is needed. Nominated by Heather Trotter

June 2010 - Michael Dunham Michael began his employment with us in June of 2006 as our PC/LAN technician. His responsibilities include cleaning and maintaining the health of our PC, Server, Fax and Printing equipment. He takes great pride in ensuring our equipment is running optimally and when issues arise takes full responsibility to make certain the issues are resolved. Recently, we acquired some used networking equipment with plans to implement catch-weight scanning in our warehouse. The equipment arrived with limited documentation. Michael took it upon himself to not only find the necessary documentation via the internet-but also documented the setup and configuration required to add this equipment to our network. He, on many occasions, has brought to the table proactive measures which has prevented a potential disaster. Michael’s desire to go above and beyond is paramount to our success and we are pleased to name him “Employee of the Month”. Nominated by Michael Albertson and Francine Spicer

May 2010 - Vicki Clark Vicki started working in the Accounts Payable Department in August, 2005. She moved from the Information Systems Department after working there for three years and she’s one of the best things that ever happened to the Accounts Payable Department. Vicki is always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done and does it with great pride. When she is asked to take care of a hot project her response always is “I will do what it takes to get the job done”. She will take on any task that is given to her and do whatever is necessary to fulfill that task, and is always trying to think of ways to improve our procedures. Vicki is dependable, very detail oriented, makes very few errors and is a pleasure to work with. We are fortunate to have her in the Accounts Payable Department. Vicki is an excellent employee and is very deserving of the title “Employee of the Month”. Nominated by Donna Podany

April 2010 - Edward Homza Ed started with Willow Run Foods as a Professional Driver on July 24, 2004. Since then he has done a great job taking care of some of our Wendy’s customers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Ed takes his profession very seriously. He has had 13 accident free quarters, he attains the maximum quarterly safety bonus, has 0% damage, drove 20,000 miles and delivered 25,000 cases quarter ending December 2009, and these are just a few of his accomplishments! Ed is one of the most reliable hard working employees we have who is always in uniform and reports to work well prepared to perform his job in a professional, timely and efficient manner. It is an honor and privilege to have an employee like Ed who routinely shows his dedication and professionalism. Nominated by Steve Zelenyak

March 2010 - Mason Akins Mason started working for Willow Run Foods in July of 2006 as a Loader in the Night Warehouse. From the beginning we noticed Masons’ exceptional abilities. His attention to detail and willingness to go above and beyond quickly made him one of our best truck loaders. Soon Mason started taking on some of our complicated and high cubed loads. His complete understanding on how the product comes off the trailer has brought praise from a lot of our professional drivers. Mason also sets the standard high when it comes to attendance. He comes in early every day and very rarely misses a day. He is well liked by his coworkers and has a positive attitude. It is an honor to work with Mason and we are fortunate to have such a great employee. Thank you Mason! Nominated by Dale Yoder

February 2010 - Chris Hamlin Chris started his career with us in August of 1992 working in our Shipping Department as a let down person. During that time he had proven himself to be very dependable with an excellant attendance record. He also demonstrated his value to Willow Run when he took on more resposibility as an Assistant Manager. In that position he was available to work in all areas; freezer, cooler and dry as well as work weekends and holidays. He even spent time doing body work on our trucks and did a great job. Chris most recently accepted a position in our Receiving Department as a Receiving Clerk. Some of his daily duties include collecting checks and verifying authorization numbers, verifying all purchase orders and manifests match, downloading temperature monitors and sending corresponding reports, signing in drivers, and setting up all UPS orders, just to name a few. Chris is an excellant employee who always offers to help and is willing to go the extra mile without being asked. Nominated by David Zelenyak

January 2010 - Bill Vest Bill is an extremely valuable member of the Transportation Department. He is considered to be a very competent and knowledgeable driver and an integral part of a team driver route. Bill and his co-driver provide services to some of our most demanding delivery situations in the Boston area. By demanding we mean busy streets, limited parking, stairs, elevators and everything else that goes with making efficient and accurate; time sensitive deliveries in a major metropolitan area. EXCELLENT WORK! Bill started with us in July of 2006. He is always in uniform, has no log violations, attains 100% on-time bonus, is eleven quarters accident free and attends 100% of Safety Meetings. Bill is one of the most professional, conscientious, reliable, honest and hard –working employees we have. We would like to thank Bill for the sincere dedication he routinely displays on the job, and it is with great pride that we present him with this recognition for his outstanding performance. Nominated by Len Basso

December 2009 - Jason Sherwood Jason Sherwood started his career at Willow Run Foods on January 16, 2006 for our Receiving Department as a PM Receiver. Jay was hired to help out with the Quiznos cooler catch weights. It wasn’t long until he mastered all aspects of the catch weights, where he went from stacking to preparing and recording the weights. Currently his main job is to set up the freezer weights and sticker both the freezer and Quiznos cooler weights. From unloading, checking in, to put away, his versatility makes him valuable in each area of the warehouse which includes the freezer, cooler and dry sections. Jay’s main focus is usually on the put away, going from section to section to make sure all products are put away in a timely manner. His attendance and willingness to come in early or stay late for loads, shows his dedication. Jay’s versatility and dedication to his job makes him a valued asset to Willow Run Foods. Nominated by Pat Virgil

November 2009 - Katie Rodriguez Katie has been employed as Payroll Specialist at Willow Run Foods since November 2008. With only a couple of weeks of training she was off and running on her own. Since then, she has reduced the time it takes to process payroll and has taken on other responsibilities within the department. Although she has only been employed with Willow Run Foods for one year, Katie has proven her dedication to her job and Willow Run. At times during the past year, Katie has had to deal with several child care issues but despite this, she has never let us down. On several occasions, she has been here at midnight working on payroll to compensate for time she needed to take during the day for her children. Katie always takes full responsibility for her job and has NEVER left us in a bind. She is accurate, conscientious and hates making mistakes. She is also very accommodating with the employees. Nominated by Carol Wallis

October 2009 - Nate Bebla Nate started with us in September of 2008 and it was clear from the start that he was a perfect fit for Inventory Control. Nate’s attention to detail is his greatest asset. No matter what task he is assigned, the quality of his work is consistently top notch. His duties range from counting and rotating product in all areas of the warehouse, to stocking the kitchens and making inventory adjustments. One of the most important things Nate does is to organize the split aisle in the dry section. On a daily basis, he is in the split aisle taking items sold as splits out of their master case and placing them in the appropriate pick slot. This helps ensure that the customer gets the correct item and that we aren’t sending a customer more than what they pay for. Nate is a good team player and has a positive attitude. For these reasons and more, Nate Bebla is a great asset to Inventory Control, Willow Run Foods and deserving of “Employee of the Month”. Nominated by Kevin Brown

September 2009 - Roger Crumb Roger started his employment with Willow Run in March of 2005. He has many qualities of an Employee of the Month and is being recognized for the exemplary work he puts in and often volunteers for. Roger’s position as Yard Jockey is never limited by what his title is. He will cover any position within the Transportation Department to the best of his ability, within a moments notice. He has made his career here number one in his priorities and continues to do an outstanding job. Roger assists in the wash bay and fuel island as well as rescuing drivers. He often helps out in Maintenance and is always aware of any new damages that may have occurred with trucks or trailers. Roger is very flexible with his schedule and is a super trainer for new employees. He is always asking about new business and cares very much about the success of our company. He is the Yard’s “go-to-guy”. Roger’s conscientiousness, work ethic and dedication have earned him the Employee of the Month recognition. Nominated by Clarence Clink and Bob McKay

August 2009 - Joseph Demilio Joe joined Willow Run Foods in May 2005. In July of that year Joe became a Driver Coach and held that position for 2 1/2 years. In December of 2007 Joe obtained his Class A CDL and has been a Professional Driver since then. Joe delivers three Wendy's routes each week and never refuses to help when we need him in an emergency. During the first quarter of this year Joe delivered 36,100 cases. His on time percentage was 99.62 and he only had 2 delivery errors. Joe closed the quarter as our 7th ranked driver overall. Idle times and over speeds are nonexistent with Joe. His paperwork is always in order and neatly filled out. You can always find Joe in uniform and ready to dispatch on time. His positive and cheerful disposition is why his customers and colleagues all think so highly of him. Nominated by Tim Porter and Steve Zelenyak