CITY Beverage-Arlington Heights Tops Six Million Cases
For the past year, CITY Beverage-Arlington Heights sales staff eagerly followed their team car’s movement around the “race track” posted on the sales office wall. In January 2007, Mike Gertz, the beer distributor’s sales manager, challenged his staff with the “Six Million Case Chase.” Their monthly success was reflected in the progress around the track.
“Our goal was to sell an unprecedented six million cases of Anheuser- Busch products,” says Gertz. “Posting our steady gains each month focused our 65 team members and fueled their on-going motivation.”
Before year’s end, the team exceeded their goal, ultimately selling 6,042,853 cases – an increase of 5.4% over the previous year. Gertz rewarded the team with a big night on the town.
“By popular demand, we went to downtown Chicago for our celebratory evening out,” Gertz notes. “The CITY team attended a Blackhawks game, stayed overnight at the Embassy Suites and used a charter bus to transport the revelers safely around the city.”
“Celebrating this achievement together as a group is a fitting prize for a team that has grown to trust each other since coming together as one company two years ago,” Gertz reflects. “Each individual’s hard work helped us reach a common and exciting goal.”
GNH Teams With Forgotten Harvest to Feed the Hungry
Metropolitan Detroit, like the rest of the country, struggles to cope with the hunger of many residents who live at, near and below the poverty line. Since 1990, Forgotten Harvest has worked to alleviate this on-going problem by rescuing perishable and prepared foods and delivering them to organizations that serve the hungry. In July, refrigerated trucks began traveling to Ontario to accept donations from Great Northern Hydroponics (GNH).
When Soave Enterprises’ Treasurer Rick Brockhaus became a board member of the Detroit-based non-profit earlier in 2007, he immediately saw an opportunity to bring the Soave facility and the food gathering organization together. In six months of teamwork, GNH has provided several hundred thousand pounds of tomatoes to food banks and soup kitchens throughout the metropolitan area.
“Forgotten Harvest embraces its mission of feeding metro Detroit and Soave Enterprises and its employees feel this is another way to give back to our community,” said Brockhaus. “This combined effort brings two likeminded organizations together and makes everyone a winner.”
The rescued tomatoes are those that have minor surface imperfections, and are, therefore, not suited for commercial sale, but they are otherwise completely healthy produce. Prior to their donation to Forgotten Harvest, the fruit was recycled back into the fields as organic fertilizer. It now goes to help feed the 500,000 people in the tri-county area who live below the poverty level. “The Forgotten Harvest trucks now make regular stops at our facility – twice a week at the peak of the summer growing season, and then once a week during the fall,” notes Darrin Didychuk, President of GNH. “We look forward to continuing our partnership in 2008.”
Named 2007’s Non-Profit of the Year by Crain’s Detroit Business, Forgotten Harvest currently rescues 8.6 million pounds of food per year. Soave Enterprises is honored to be one of its contributors.
Special achievements deserve special recognition. Hats off to the following for a job well done!
- Ten-year-old Raymond Rushing, son of CITY Beverage- Arlington Heights Controller Kathy Rushing, was recently awarded his first degree black belt in karate. Before receiving the degree, Raymond was required to demonstrate his leadership skills and briefly became a teacher to his own instructor. Currently on the National Karate Traveling team, he hopes to someday operate his own karate school, as well as become an orthodontist.
- Jack Seltzer, Head Golf Professional of Soave Enterprises-owned Bay Dunes Golf Course in Panama City, Florida, has qualified for the 2008 PGA Seniors Championship. With an overall total of 289, Seltzer scored among the top 35 finishers from a nationwide field of 265 Club Professionals at the PGA Club Professional Championship.The 2008 PGA Seniors Championship will be held at historic Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York in May. We wish Jack the best of luck!
- University Preparatory High School senior Lauren Welch is helping prom dreams come true for many of Detroit’s economically disadvantaged teens. Lauren, daughter of Soave’s Communication Technician Mitch Welch, has spearheaded Project Prom Success to assist young women with their prom attire. At a recent benefit dinner, Lauren was presented with a certificate of recognition by Jemell Cotton, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s community ambassador.
- Soave Enterprises’ Treasurer Rick Brockhaus has been named to the Forgotten Harvest Board of Directors. A non-profit organization, Forgotten Harvest’s mission is to relieve hunger in the Detroit metropolitan community by rescuing prepared and perishable food and donating it to emergency food providers.
- With a memory that can recall when Kalamazoo Beer Distributing’s warehouse was the Lawson Ice Arena for the Western Michigan University hockey team, Inventory Coordinator Ted DeVries celebrated his 30 year anniversary with the company on February 1, 2008.
- Strong Steel Products has helped further the athletic and academics dreams of Cass Tech junior William Campbell, son of crane operator William Sassie Jr. The company donated funds to send the highly ranked defensive tackle to the U.S. Army All-American Jr. Combine. Following Campbell’s outstanding performance at the football camp, he rose from 55th to 11th position in the nationwide ranking of high school juniors. Campbell has received, and verbally accepted, a full scholarship to the University of Michigan.
