2016
Employee News MESILLA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION V O L U M E
1 1 . I S S U E
1 1 .
9525 Escobar Dr. 3590 West Picacho Ave. El Paso, TX 79907 Las Cruces, NM. 88007 T- 915-872-2250 T-575- 524-2835
M A R C H –
3750 Stewarts Lane Nashville, TN 37218 T-615 627-5117
901 Carriers Dr. Laredo, TX 78045 T 956 717-9849
A P R I L
10210 N Vancouver Portland, OR 97217 T 503 286-6110
www.m-v-t.com
M A R C H - A P R I L .
Employee News
V O L U M E
1 1 .
I S S U E 5 . 1 1
Sending a big hello from Denver, I’m Steve Lusty. A NEW member of our MVT TEAM
We are still getting rain and snow here in Denver, any warmth I can get from your welcomes is more than appreciated. I recently joined the MVT in February of this year and I am heading up the new Denver, CO terminal. I began my career in the transportation industry over 20 years ago and am so excited to be working for a great company that’s still expanding. If you are a little confused about the Denver Colorado terminal, don’t worry you didn't read that wrong. MVT is expanding the horizon with this terminal here and hopefully another one in Laredo TX. Big and exciting thing are definitely coming your way.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Insider Letter
2
Welcome Denver
3
Bataan Death
5
Best Business
7
Bataan Death March 9
Top 100 Award
10
Season Opener
12
401K
14
Driver Day
16
A little bit about myself for those of you who haven’t met me: I have a beautiful wife named Ginger and two sons, Sam (24) and John Luke (19). Sam recently graduated from Western Carolina University and works in Denver, CO at a 3PL and John Luke is a sophomore at Colorado School of Mines majoring in Engineering Physics. Although Ginger and I are emptynesters, our boys still keep up pretty busy. I am an avid NASCAR fan and skier (snow and water). I also enjoy riding my Harley with my wife and boys. I’m a huge SEC fan having graduated from Mississippi State University and always keep my cowbell handy. Go Dawgs! I’m excited to be a part of the MVT family and have only heard amazing things about this company.
Sincerely,
Steven Lusty From Left Steve Lusty and wife Ginger Lusty .
“Goooo Dawgs! Sic ‘em!” -#1 SEC fan
To Mesilla Valley Transportation is always on the move in finding new ways to improve the company. From our employees to our drivers to the design of our trucks. We like to set our standards high. If we didn't we would be just another trucking company, and that’s just not us. Mesilla Valley Transportation has now expanded with a terminal in Denver CO. This up and coming terminal right now has 5 team members We would like to introduce the new Denver team to the MVT family. Of course there is Steven Lusty who you met on the previous page. He is the Director of Operations at the Denver Terminal. Jimmy Kennedy is our Operations Manager. Danny Baron is our Fleet Manager and Alicia Kolniak is our Recruiter. Their goal is to have over 150 drivers running out the terminal before the year end. Be sure to welcome each member when you get a chance. Pictured: Jimmy Kennedy Operations Manager, Danny Baron Fleet Manager, Alicia Kolniak Recruiter, Steven Lusty Director of Operations, David Thies Fleet Manager. EMPLOYEE
NEWS
page 3
VOLUME
11
ISSUE
PAGE
11
4
My Bataan Experience
A letter written by Greg Ginger Newest MVT member
I had the privilege of participating in the 27th annual Bataan Memorial Death March. MVT sponsored 26 participants for this year’s event. Being new employee eager to show enthusiasm for my newly adopted MVT family, I signed up my first week, perhaps not fully appreciating what was going to be required. Fortunately for me, there were two options for the course, a 14 mile route and a full 26 mile marathon. Not being the least bit in shape, I fortunately selected the short course. This left me six weeks before the race; plenty of time to prepare. Every day I would look at the calendar and think, ‘OK, this is the day I’ll start training’; but, for a whole host of very poor excuses, I never seemed to find the time. It was too late, Race Day was here.
The schedule listed an arrival time of 5:00 AM, which meant getting up at 3:30 AM Sunday morning to give myself enough time to safely drive from El Paso to the White Sands Missile Range. By the end of the day, this was by far the easiest thing I had to do. While driving up there in the dark, I tried to remind myself of the old adage that 90% of success is just showing up. I was hoping that was going to hold true when I opened my truck door on Base, but a full dose of reality slapped me in the face instead. It was a cold, very cold, desert morning, with temperatures hovering in the mid 30’s. I was grateful for every layer of clothing I had on, and wished for a few more by the time the Opening Ceremony started at 7:00. I couldn’t decide if I was nervous or just cold, but I was comforted a little by the knowledge there were nearly 7,000 participants for this year’s event shivering alongside me. I started thinking about the course. Heck, 14.4 miles sounded doable while I was sitting in the El Paso terminal, but now that I was here there was no denying it. I saw many of the hard-core marathon runners huddled underneath garbage bags and space blankets trying to stay as warm as possible. Most of the military participants were in full BDU’s, and looked considerably warming than me. Even if the military personnel were cold, I got the distinct impression their training wasn’t going to allow them to show it. I am not an expert by any means, but I do have some experience with road racing. I have participated in several 10k events and even ran a half marathon, but standing on the parade ground waiting for the start, those days seemed like many, many moons ago, as the saying goes. Just because you have the “knowledge” of what was going to be required, doesn’t mean you possess the “abilities”, let alone the “skills” needed to pull it off.
There were many lessons I took away from the event, teamwork, goal setting, and comradery, but the most important was a truly humbled appreciation for the men who sacrificed and suffered that terrible event in April, 1942. During the opening ceremony, I was too far in the back to see the survivors on stage, but as I crossed the finish line, I had the honor of shaking hands with four of the men who served. This was a very humbling experience I will never forget.
PAGE
Bataan Death March
EMPLOYEE
NEWS
2016
5
PAGE
6
Written by: Damaris Mateo –Marketing Border On Friday March 11th under a bright desert sun (and just a tiny bit of wind) Border International Las Cruces made things official. As the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, members of the Border family, and very, very large Michelin man looked on, Royal Cut the symbolic Grand Opening ribbon and kicked off a fun afternoon full of freebies, giveaways, vendors and food. A big thank you to everyone that came out, we hope you had a great time.
#GroupSelfie5am
Written by: Damaris Mateo –Marketing Border Int.
Walking in to Border Las Cruces the first thing that hits you is the rich, deep aroma of coffee. Not exactly what you’d expect from a truck and trailer dealership, but a welcome surprise. Border Brew Is like a caffeinated oasis amongst a sea of trucks. This isn’t your run of the mill cup of joe, either. Border Brew’s Master Barista has got over 15 different blends and an espresso bar. For the cutting-edge coffee connoisseur, there’s the nitro brew, a cold-brewed, nitrogen infused coffee that is richer and smoother than it’s hot brewed brother. Not a coffee fan? Italian sodas, smoothies, tea and more. Teas are just a few of the non-coffee options on the menu. Don’t forget to try our food selection as well. You won’t regret it! Come try it out today! * Located inside Border International - Open to the Public – 2701 W. Amador Las Cruces*
MVT Services Employees also get: With their company badge or paystub. Be sure to check it out!
PAGE
Attention MVT!! It is with great honor to announce that our amazing Training Department won an award for being a Top 100 Learning Organization. Mesilla Valley Transportation is now among the Top 100 Learning and Development Organizations in the WORLD!
Congratulations! Your organization is a 2016 Learning! 100 Award Winner honoring the top learning organizations in the world. As a Learning! 100 Award winner, your organization is being recognized for its learning culture, innovation and organizational performance. You will join an impressive list of other honorees including Salesforce, AT&T, USAF, American Heart Association among others. View last year’s winners here. Learning! 100 Award Notification Form As a winning organization you are invited to participating in a number of programs across the year. Congratulations on being selected a Learning! 100 Award winner. We look forward to sharing your organization’s successes with the enterprise learning community in 2016. Sincerely, Catherine Upton Learning! 100 Award Chair & Group Publisher, Elearning! and Government Elearning! Magazines A B2B Media Company
Awesome job Training Department!!!!
10
Written by MVT Training and Development Department
EMPLOYEE
NEWS
PAGE
11
Building Written by MVT Training and Development Department
The Training Department know the importance of team Building. Hosting different classes and training to help our MVT team grow strong. The first activity consisted of one person being blindfolded and one person leading the blindfolded person through a maze that was set up on the back patio of the El Paso Terminal. The person leading the blindfolded person was only able to speak and not help the blindfolded person in any other way. There were two teams simultaneously doing this activity and the team with the faster time won. In the end, this exercise taught us how communication styles differ from person to person as well as how trust is needed in order to “move forward� in our work. The second activity had team members line up one behind the other and put their hands on each other’s shoulders. All team members were blindfolded except the last one. The object of the game was for the person in the back to lead all other team members around a course picking up objects and bringing them back to put in a bucket. No one was allowed to speak but and could only communicate through touch with the last person tapping the shoulders of the person in front of them and so on until the message was received at the front of the line. Each person took turns leading the rest of the team. This exercise helped to show that communication should allow others to go in the right direction while making sure that the message is constant for everyone receiving it. There was also a healthy dose of trust needed among team members. If you haven't had the opportunity to attend any of these classes be sure to check them out, it will be well worth it.
TAKE ADVANTAGE: Enroll in 401K Today Written By: Rebecca J. Serros
HR
If you are one of the many Americans who wait until the last minute to file your taxes, you’re not alone! In a recent survey done by Turbo Tax, 20 to 25 percent of Americans wait until the final day to file. April 15th is nationally known as Tax Day and the Human Resources Department at Mesilla Valley Transportation wanted to take the opportunity to promote MVT’s 401k as a way to save on taxes. While visiting various facilities throughout El Paso, TX carrying a mixture of delicious nutty snacks and 401k enrollment guides, we explained the importance of taking advantage of a retirement savings account. Our message connected our efforts as we saw an increase in enrollment by over 25 percent! By participating in the company’s retirement plan, you’ll be able to take greater control over your financial future and as well as take full advantage of the MVT matching contribution. When you enroll you’ll be able to take advantage of some attractive benefits such as: Pay less tax, save more money: Pre-tax contributions, may help lower your taxable income and might put you in a lower tax bracket Time may help boost savings: Don’t delay, start today! The longer period of time you have to invest may help boost your savings with the power of compound earnings Automatic payroll deductions: Simply choose the amount you want to contribute and enjoy the convenience of automatic payroll deductions Second Quarter enrollment will run thru April 30, 2016. Look for some exciting announcements in the coming weeks about our 401k plan. In the meantime, contact Human Resources with questions you may have regarding your plan. Third Quarter enrollment will take place July 2016.
i m o k w a c ti o a b c c
Pictured: Laura Sandino in HR
EMPLOYEE
NEWS
S
PAGE
11
Hi M-V-T! Very happy to be a part of your family here at MVT. I will be working here as a part-time intern for Marketing. Seeing how this company collaborates gets me excited to work and put in 100% of my effort. We don’t know what the future holds but I hope to make a career out of M-V-T after graduating with my marketing degree from UTEP. What is there to know about me? I am known to always have a positive outlook on most situations with a smile on my face. I don’t let life phase me too much. Keep moving forward and keep working harder. My activities usually include anything involving a good crowd along with hopefully something adventurous. Laying back and having quite time with a book in my hand is my taste of a good time as well. I was Miss El Paso of 2014, I had a blast representing El Paso and meeting so many awesome faces around our city. Given that privilege molded me into the person I’m working to become. I wish there was more to say about me. But other than that I am just excited to be a part of this company. Everyone keep working hard and smile because you are a part of a really cool company!
Best regards,
Alex Valenzuela
Hello! My name is Cassidy Lee and I am one of the new interns working with the Marketing Department at Mesilla Valley Transportation. I was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM and moved to Las Cruces to attend New Mexico State University and to pursue a job with the New Mexico State University Fire Department. I soon realized that my true passion was business management and marketing. As such, I am currently earning a Bachelor in Marketing and a Bachelor in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship and expect to graduate in December of 2016. I have many interests including welding, running, ballet, spending time with my fiancé and taking our dog out on fun adventures. I am looking forward to this continuation of my education as an intern and joining the Mesilla Valley Transportation Family!
Sincerely, Cassidy Lee
Letter from the Editor So again, I’m a little late on publishing this newsletter. BUT I can’t express how excited I am for my new interns. YAY!!! (So no more excuses on publishing late I guess, shoot.) If you see Alex or Cassidy around please give them a warm welcome... but not too warm.. I know they are pretty ladies but they are fiercely Intelligent so you better watch out!! All jokes aside though, I am thrilled to have them on board and part of the team. I think they will be a great addition to the MVT family. I’m learning life is tricky, I know slow learner over here, but we all probably get caught up in a million and one things. Sometimes we get distracted by things that just fill our days, instead of the things that should impact our day. I have to remind myself that from time to time. You only have 24 hours in a day. The hours in a day don’t differ from a rock star or a millionaire but they do differ to how we use them. So be wise on how you use your time. Commit yourself to be better than yesterday. If you set this as a goal you will accomplish great things. I hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. If you have any suggestions that you would like to see please feel free to contact me. Email me at emily.roof@m-v-t.com
“BE BOLD. BE KIND. BE AWESOME!”
Emily K. Roof Marketing Director
“You can’t live a positive life with a negative mind!”
V O L U M E
Making the Difference Everyday
The MVT Way
1 1 .
I S S U E 5 . 1 1