New Look for the Gary Indiana Office · 8/21/2013  · Alejandro Lopez-Kansas City, KS Katie Copeland-Shawnee, KS 4 years 21 Sergio Cervantes-Kansas City, KS 18 years Damian Trejo-Cruz-Field

Gary Indiana Operations has completed a much needed remodel to the inside of its office building. The work done to the office includes all windows replaced, new

office couch and coffee table, removal of old floor tile and installing new tile, new lunchroom sink, countertop, cabinets, new bathroom panels, sink, vanity and toilet.

Many walls had drywall damage from leaking windows so new drywall sheets were installed and finished. Old office lights were removed and new energy efficient

lights installed in each room. A dirty job that got done was all Ethernet cable was replaced and run from an Ethernet cable hub through the wall and into the dirty

hot attic. From there all the cables were run down the walls and into new wall Ethernet boxes in each room, this removed all the ugly cables running along the floor.

After all work was completed the ceiling and walls were painted and new vinyl base cove was installed in all rooms. Except for the window installation all work was

done by Carl Kurek; the crew assisted in tearing up all the old floor tiles and removing all office furniture and equipment and then bringing it all back once the work

was completed. Being a jack of all trades came in very handy for Carl in the office remodeling; it was a lot of hard, dirty work but the offices look great now.

A few years after John was born, his Dad met a stranger who was new to their

small Texas town. From the beginning, John’s Dad was fascinated with this

enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with their family. The stranger

was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As John grew up, he never questioned the strangers place in his family. In John’s

young mind, the stranger had a special niche. John’s parents were complementary

instructors: His mom taught him good from evil, and his dad taught him to obey.

But the stranger ... he was the storyteller. He would keep them spellbound for

hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If John wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, the stranger

always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even

seemed able to predict the future! He took the family to their first major league ball

game. He made them laugh, and he made them cry. The stranger never stopped

talking, but John’s dad didn’t seem to mind.

Sometimes, his mom would get up quietly while the rest of the family were

shushing each other to listen to what the stranger had to say, and she would go

to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (John wondered now if she ever prayed for the

stranger to leave.)

John’s dad ruled their household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger

never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in

their home ... not from them, their friends nor any visitors. Their longtime visitor,

however, got away with four-letter words that burned John’s ears and made

his dad squirm and his mother blush. John’s Dad didn’t permit the liberal use

of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged them to try it on a regular basis. He

made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely

(much too freely!) about sex. The stranger’s comments were sometimes blatant,

sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

John now knows that his early concepts about relationships were influenced

strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of John’s parents,

yet the stranger was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger

moved in with John’s family. He has blended right in

and is not nearly as fascinating as he was

at first. Still, if you could walk into John’s

parents’ den today, you would still find the

stranger sitting over in his corner, waiting

for someone to listen to him talk and watch

him draw his pictures.

His name? We just call him “TV.”

Monthly Newsletter of A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.

August 2013Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Brian Smith-Grenada Railway April Washburn-SL Real Estate Dept 6 years

2 Gerardo Trejo Cruz-Field Ops David Minor-McMurray, PA Kim Overbey-Field Ops Carlos Medrano-Stockton, CA 24 years

3 Randy Houtman-Field Ops Ramon Vaca-Valdez-Kansas City, KS 19 years

4 Julie Buckley-Clearfield, UT 7 years

5 Adam Rangel-Field Ops 7 years Randy Houtman-Field Ops 4 years

6 Tereza Marak-Montgomery-Phoenix, AZ 2 years Mark Hall-Tacoma, WA 12 years Jessie Walker-Gary, IN 12 years

7 8 William McDanie-Kansas City, KS Karla Anderson-Corporate HQ Michelle Armstrong-Kansas City, KS

9 Taige Smith-Clearfield, UT Kevin Best-Gary, IN 3 years

10 Adam Rangel-Field Ops Denise Burnside-Corporate HQ

11 Ector Roman-Kansas City, KS Fred Chipp-Corporate HQ Alejandro Romero-Salazar-Kansas City, KS 7 years Pompeyo Guzman-Kansas City, KS 4 years

12 Antonio Calderon Hernandez-Kansas City, KS 19 years Casey Miller-Field Ops 11 years

13 Joel Riva-Kansas City, KS Luis Bautista-Kansas City, KS 12 years

14 Janet Walker-Corporate HQ

15 Michael Van Wagenen-Corporate HQ Adam Jenkins-Granite City, IL Gabriel Arreola-Kansas City, KS Salomon Guzman Sr.-Kansas City, KS 19 years

16 John Gari-Phoenix, AZ 20 years Mark Belfiore-McMurray, PA 24 years Roberto O.Camargo-Kansas City, KS 9 years

17

18 Bruce Skousen-Corporate HQ 27 years Fran Matay-McMurray, PA 5 years

19 Donna Derks-New Orleans, LA

20 Jennifer Davis-Kansas City, KS Alejandro Lopez-Kansas City, KS Katie Copeland-Shawnee, KS 4 years

21 Sergio Cervantes-Kansas City, KS 18 years Damian Trejo-Cruz-Field Ops 4 years Justin Maldonado Rodriguez Kansas City, KS 1 year

22 Nathan Oien-Field Ops 2 years

23 Christopher Dick-Field Ops Jose Galvan Avila-Kansas City, KS 2 years

24 Luis Abonce-Kansas City, KS

25 Rocky Smith-Corporate HQ

26 Erika Montgomery-Clearfield, UT

27 Matthew Waltrip-V&S Railway 1 year

28 Lynn Kinsey-Salt Lake City, UT Robert Marquez-Field Ops 15 years Hortencia Cantu-Field Ops 2 years Bonnie Horn-Toledo, OH 1 year

29 Portia Dempsey-SL Real Estate Dept Albert Bonds-Natchez Railway 5 years

30 Ramiro Tadeo Arzola-Tacoma, WA 3 years

31 Christopher Redmond-Grenada Railway

Birthdays and Anniversaries for August 2013 Birthdays Anniversaries

Copyright 2013 A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.

New Look for the Gary Indiana Office

The Stranger

Cheryl Norton [email protected]

PO Box 30076, SLC, UT 84130801-977-6328

To Contact the Editor:Direct Line to Rhonda L. Nicoloff, President

801-244-5083

National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Grassroots Program

Thank You

More BBQ!

Fundraiser

Top Performers for June 2013Katrina Gougis New Orleans, LouisianaBeth Wyatt Shawnee, KansasDusty Popovich McMurray, Pennsylvania

Top Sales Year-to-DateDave Minor McMurray, Pennsylvania Katrina Gougis Beth Wyatt Dusty Popovich Dave Minor

The NRC’s grassroots program was created to invite United States Congressmen to visit NRC member facilities

and construction project sites. These visits give the Members of Congress firsthand knowledge of the rail industry

and demonstrate how rail contractors and suppliers are positively affecting the rail industry and the local and

national economy.

Dusty Popovich attended one of these events at Tram Construction in Garrison, Kentucky to represent A&K.

There Congressman Thomas Massie joined representatives from Tram Construction Inc. and NRC for an

introduction and briefing followed by a tour of their rail yard. Tram Construction specializes in track inspection,

track construction and rehabilitation, construction materials and supplies.

“As a member of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials subcommittee of the House Transportation

Committee, I appreciate how vital railways are to our nation’s economy,” said Representative Massie. “Railways

are important to our community because they create jobs, and job creation is a priority for Congress. Tram

Construction employs more than two dozen northern Kentuckians and is an example of how local industry can

boost the economy.”

Member companies gain positive publicity, foster good relationships with their congressional members, and

build strong contacts for the NRC to utilize when advocating for rail industry issues on Capitol Hill.

In an effort to improve our safety, we are asking everyone to submit a safety suggestion or idea that

could improve our safe work practices as well as enhance our safety program.

This suggestion can be anything you feel could improve the overall safety of the employees at A&K.

The Safety Board will review all suggestions and determine which suggestion will improve our safety

program the most.

The person who submits that suggestion will win the safety award.

Write your suggestion and submit it to your supervisor. All suggestions should be sent to Cheryl Norton

at Corporate Headquarters by September 9th for consideration.

Rhonda recently received this nice thank you letter from Drew Weimer. Drew is the son of Russ and

Abby Weimer (Toledo, Ohio) and was the A&K Scholarship recipient for 2011.

Dear Rhonda,

I would like to send you this letter just as a simple thank you for helping me fulfill my goals in higher education. The scholarship I have been awarded is helping make my journey through school easier on me and my family, and we are very thankful for that.

Last year, my football team and I were able to win the GLIAC championship and go onto the second round of the playoffs. Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in such a memorable season. I have enclosed a copy of a picture of the Championship rings we received as a memento of our accomplishments. Thanks Again, Drew Weimer

Two more BBQ’s were held at Corporate Headquarters in July. The first was July 11th

and was hosted by our Operations group which includes (as pictured) Fred Chipp,

Rocky Smith, Karla Anderson, Chi Tran, Korey Richins, and Jim Okroy. They prepared

sloppy joes, with chips, veggies, frog-eye (fruit) salad, and ice cream bars for dessert.

The second was held on July 25th and was hosted by employees from our IT

department, Legal & Railroads which includes Bruce Skousen, Joe Herrera, Abraham

Zwygart, Michael Van Wagenen, and Aaron Parsons. Their menu was pulled pork

sandwiches, baked beans with (Bruce’s) elk meat, green salad and pasta salad with

ice cream for dessert – always a favorite on a hot summer day.

We have had many customers, associates and friends join us for our BBQ days.

Thanks to everyone for their efforts to host these wonderful luncheons.

On July 27th the 5th Annual “Ride the Brainwave 5k/Motorcycle Rally/Poker

Tournament” fundraiser was held in Draper, Utah. This was put on by Children

& The Earth. This all day event included a 5k walk/run, motorcycle rally, live

music, vendors, great food, and stuff for kids too. It is the mission of Children

and the Earth to assist underprivileged and at-risk children. All the proceeds

from the event go to sponsoring 30+ kids with multiple ranges of health issues

and special needs.

Austin Hulse, Lisa Earl’s nephew was one of the sponsored kids for this

event. Austin is on a list waiting for a heart transplant. Austin was only

expected to live to approximately 18 months old. He was born with multiple

defects to his heart and was also hydrocephalic which doctors could not

determine why. He did not show signs of this, only that he had water on his

brain and needed help draining. He has under gone 107 surgeries to date;

3 of these being open heart surgery at different stages of growth in his life

to try to keep his red and blue blood cells separated. He is outgrowing the

last band that is doing this for him and is on oxygen full time now. Most of

his surgeries are from complications of the tubes running from his brain

releasing the pressure caused by the fluids; and scar tissue causes the

tubes and pump to not work properly, and also causes him to have seizures.

You would never know if you were to see Austin that he is now 17 years old. To

most not knowing him you would think he is 12 or 13 with a mind of an adult

and the greatest personality and positive outlook. He is an amazing miracle.

Special thanks to Austin’s school, K12 on line school, that set up his booth at

the event.

Many of the employees of Corporate Headquarters made donations to help

support Austin and this great charitable organization. Thank you!

Congressman Massie, Dusty Popovich

National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Grassroots Program

Thank You

More BBQ!

Fundraiser

Top Performers for June 2013Katrina Gougis New Orleans, LouisianaBeth Wyatt Shawnee, KansasDusty Popovich McMurray, Pennsylvania

Top Sales Year-to-DateDave Minor McMurray, Pennsylvania Katrina Gougis Beth Wyatt Dusty Popovich Dave Minor

The NRC’s grassroots program was created to invite United States Congressmen to visit NRC member facilities

and construction project sites. These visits give the Members of Congress firsthand knowledge of the rail industry

and demonstrate how rail contractors and suppliers are positively affecting the rail industry and the local and

national economy.

Dusty Popovich attended one of these events at Tram Construction in Garrison, Kentucky to represent A&K.

There Congressman Thomas Massie joined representatives from Tram Construction Inc. and NRC for an

introduction and briefing followed by a tour of their rail yard. Tram Construction specializes in track inspection,

track construction and rehabilitation, construction materials and supplies.

“As a member of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials subcommittee of the House Transportation

Committee, I appreciate how vital railways are to our nation’s economy,” said Representative Massie. “Railways

are important to our community because they create jobs, and job creation is a priority for Congress. Tram

Construction employs more than two dozen northern Kentuckians and is an example of how local industry can

boost the economy.”

Member companies gain positive publicity, foster good relationships with their congressional members, and

build strong contacts for the NRC to utilize when advocating for rail industry issues on Capitol Hill.

In an effort to improve our safety, we are asking everyone to submit a safety suggestion or idea that

could improve our safe work practices as well as enhance our safety program.

This suggestion can be anything you feel could improve the overall safety of the employees at A&K.

The Safety Board will review all suggestions and determine which suggestion will improve our safety

program the most.

The person who submits that suggestion will win the safety award.

Write your suggestion and submit it to your supervisor. All suggestions should be sent to Cheryl Norton

at Corporate Headquarters by September 9th for consideration.

Rhonda recently received this nice thank you letter from Drew Weimer. Drew is the son of Russ and

Abby Weimer (Toledo, Ohio) and was the A&K Scholarship recipient for 2011.

Dear Rhonda,

I would like to send you this letter just as a simple thank you for helping me fulfill my goals in higher education. The scholarship I have been awarded is helping make my journey through school easier on me and my family, and we are very thankful for that.

Last year, my football team and I were able to win the GLIAC championship and go onto the second round of the playoffs. Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in such a memorable season. I have enclosed a copy of a picture of the Championship rings we received as a memento of our accomplishments. Thanks Again, Drew Weimer

Two more BBQ’s were held at Corporate Headquarters in July. The first was July 11th

and was hosted by our Operations group which includes (as pictured) Fred Chipp,

Rocky Smith, Karla Anderson, Chi Tran, Korey Richins, and Jim Okroy. They prepared

sloppy joes, with chips, veggies, frog-eye (fruit) salad, and ice cream bars for dessert.

The second was held on July 25th and was hosted by employees from our IT

department, Legal & Railroads which includes Bruce Skousen, Joe Herrera, Abraham

Zwygart, Michael Van Wagenen, and Aaron Parsons. Their menu was pulled pork

sandwiches, baked beans with (Bruce’s) elk meat, green salad and pasta salad with

ice cream for dessert – always a favorite on a hot summer day.

We have had many customers, associates and friends join us for our BBQ days.

Thanks to everyone for their efforts to host these wonderful luncheons.

On July 27th the 5th Annual “Ride the Brainwave 5k/Motorcycle Rally/Poker

Tournament” fundraiser was held in Draper, Utah. This was put on by Children

& The Earth. This all day event included a 5k walk/run, motorcycle rally, live

music, vendors, great food, and stuff for kids too. It is the mission of Children

and the Earth to assist underprivileged and at-risk children. All the proceeds

from the event go to sponsoring 30+ kids with multiple ranges of health issues

and special needs.

Austin Hulse, Lisa Earl’s nephew was one of the sponsored kids for this

event. Austin is on a list waiting for a heart transplant. Austin was only

expected to live to approximately 18 months old. He was born with multiple

defects to his heart and was also hydrocephalic which doctors could not

determine why. He did not show signs of this, only that he had water on his

brain and needed help draining. He has under gone 107 surgeries to date;

3 of these being open heart surgery at different stages of growth in his life

to try to keep his red and blue blood cells separated. He is outgrowing the

last band that is doing this for him and is on oxygen full time now. Most of

his surgeries are from complications of the tubes running from his brain

releasing the pressure caused by the fluids; and scar tissue causes the

tubes and pump to not work properly, and also causes him to have seizures.

You would never know if you were to see Austin that he is now 17 years old. To

most not knowing him you would think he is 12 or 13 with a mind of an adult

and the greatest personality and positive outlook. He is an amazing miracle.

Special thanks to Austin’s school, K12 on line school, that set up his booth at

the event.

Many of the employees of Corporate Headquarters made donations to help

support Austin and this great charitable organization. Thank you!

Congressman Massie, Dusty Popovich

Gary Indiana Operations has completed a much needed remodel to the inside of its office building. The work done to the office includes all windows replaced, new

office couch and coffee table, removal of old floor tile and installing new tile, new lunchroom sink, countertop, cabinets, new bathroom panels, sink, vanity and toilet.

Many walls had drywall damage from leaking windows so new drywall sheets were installed and finished. Old office lights were removed and new energy efficient

lights installed in each room. A dirty job that got done was all Ethernet cable was replaced and run from an Ethernet cable hub through the wall and into the dirty

hot attic. From there all the cables were run down the walls and into new wall Ethernet boxes in each room, this removed all the ugly cables running along the floor.

After all work was completed the ceiling and walls were painted and new vinyl base cove was installed in all rooms. Except for the window installation all work was

done by Carl Kurek; the crew assisted in tearing up all the old floor tiles and removing all office furniture and equipment and then bringing it all back once the work

was completed. Being a jack of all trades came in very handy for Carl in the office remodeling; it was a lot of hard, dirty work but the offices look great now.

A few years after John was born, his Dad met a stranger who was new to their

small Texas town. From the beginning, John’s Dad was fascinated with this

enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with their family. The stranger

was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As John grew up, he never questioned the strangers place in his family. In John’s

young mind, the stranger had a special niche. John’s parents were complementary

instructors: His mom taught him good from evil, and his dad taught him to obey.

But the stranger ... he was the storyteller. He would keep them spellbound for

hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If John wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, the stranger

always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even

seemed able to predict the future! He took the family to their first major league ball

game. He made them laugh, and he made them cry. The stranger never stopped

talking, but John’s dad didn’t seem to mind.

Sometimes, his mom would get up quietly while the rest of the family were

shushing each other to listen to what the stranger had to say, and she would go

to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (John wondered now if she ever prayed for the

stranger to leave.)

John’s dad ruled their household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger

never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in

their home ... not from them, their friends nor any visitors. Their longtime visitor,

however, got away with four-letter words that burned John’s ears and made

his dad squirm and his mother blush. John’s Dad didn’t permit the liberal use

of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged them to try it on a regular basis. He

made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely

(much too freely!) about sex. The stranger’s comments were sometimes blatant,

sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

John now knows that his early concepts about relationships were influenced

strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of John’s parents,

yet the stranger was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger

moved in with John’s family. He has blended right in

and is not nearly as fascinating as he was

at first. Still, if you could walk into John’s

parents’ den today, you would still find the

stranger sitting over in his corner, waiting

for someone to listen to him talk and watch

him draw his pictures.

His name? We just call him “TV.”

Monthly Newsletter of A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.

August 2013Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Brian Smith-Grenada Railway April Washburn-SL Real Estate Dept 6 years

2 Gerardo Trejo Cruz-Field Ops David Minor-McMurray, PA Kim Overbey-Field Ops Carlos Medrano-Stockton, CA 24 years

3 Randy Houtman-Field Ops Ramon Vaca-Valdez-Kansas City, KS 19 years

4 Julie Buckley-Clearfield, UT 7 years

5 Adam Rangel-Field Ops 7 years Randy Houtman-Field Ops 4 years

6 Tereza Marak-Montgomery-Phoenix, AZ 2 years Mark Hall-Tacoma, WA 12 years Jessie Walker-Gary, IN 12 years

7 8 William McDanie-Kansas City, KS Karla Anderson-Corporate HQ Michelle Armstrong-Kansas City, KS

9 Taige Smith-Clearfield, UT Kevin Best-Gary, IN 3 years

10 Adam Rangel-Field Ops Denise Burnside-Corporate HQ

11 Ector Roman-Kansas City, KS Fred Chipp-Corporate HQ Alejandro Romero-Salazar-Kansas City, KS 7 years Pompeyo Guzman-Kansas City, KS 4 years

12 Antonio Calderon Hernandez-Kansas City, KS 19 years Casey Miller-Field Ops 11 years

13 Joel Riva-Kansas City, KS Luis Bautista-Kansas City, KS 12 years

14 Janet Walker-Corporate HQ

15 Michael Van Wagenen-Corporate HQ Adam Jenkins-Granite City, IL Gabriel Arreola-Kansas City, KS Salomon Guzman Sr.-Kansas City, KS 19 years

16 John Gari-Phoenix, AZ 20 years Mark Belfiore-McMurray, PA 24 years Roberto O.Camargo-Kansas City, KS 9 years

17

18 Bruce Skousen-Corporate HQ 27 years Fran Matay-McMurray, PA 5 years

19 Donna Derks-New Orleans, LA

20 Jennifer Davis-Kansas City, KS Alejandro Lopez-Kansas City, KS Katie Copeland-Shawnee, KS 4 years

21 Sergio Cervantes-Kansas City, KS 18 years Damian Trejo-Cruz-Field Ops 4 years Justin Maldonado Rodriguez Kansas City, KS 1 year

22 Nathan Oien-Field Ops 2 years

23 Christopher Dick-Field Ops Jose Galvan Avila-Kansas City, KS 2 years

24 Luis Abonce-Kansas City, KS

25 Rocky Smith-Corporate HQ

26 Erika Montgomery-Clearfield, UT

27 Matthew Waltrip-V&S Railway 1 year

28 Lynn Kinsey-Salt Lake City, UT Robert Marquez-Field Ops 15 years Hortencia Cantu-Field Ops 2 years Bonnie Horn-Toledo, OH 1 year

29 Portia Dempsey-SL Real Estate Dept Albert Bonds-Natchez Railway 5 years

30 Ramiro Tadeo Arzola-Tacoma, WA 3 years

31 Christopher Redmond-Grenada Railway

Birthdays and Anniversaries for August 2013 Birthdays Anniversaries

Copyright 2013 A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.

New Look for the Gary Indiana Office

The Stranger

Cheryl Norton [email protected]

PO Box 30076, SLC, UT 84130801-977-6328

To Contact the Editor:Direct Line to Rhonda L. Nicoloff, President

801-244-5083