How often do you hear companies say that their “employees,” “associates,” or “people” are their most important assets, but then act and do things that would make you think the exact opposite?

At Team Fishel, we feel very strongly that our Teammates are what make us different and allow us to be The Best Choice for our Customers. One of the many ways this commitment is expressed is in the length of service many of our Teammates have given to Team Fishel.

In this issue of the Spirit we are celebrating the 50 years of service that John Blair has provided our company. Thank you, John, for your dedicated years of service. You’ve touched many lives in those 50 years and we are all better off from the experience.

We hope to celebrate other 50-year anniversaries someday, and I look forward
to celebrating with many more Teammates as they reach their 20, 25 and
30-year milestones with Team Fishel. This is what separates us from our
competition; we value service and dedication in a world today where many companies do not, and our commitment to that value is demonstrated in our Teammate Development programs.

Teammate Development is our Number One Strategic Initiative and, along with our value of Providing Great Opportunities for Great Teammates, we feel we can offer Teammates an opportunity to grow and develop to meet their goals, and in turn, contribute to the success of Team Fishel.

Over the past year our Teammate Development Team has been focusing on the following:

Identifying the best candidates to become future Teammates. For the past several months the Teammate Development Team has been developing standardized interviewing forms to identify candidate talents and to streamline the interviewing process. This Rapid Response system uses our OnBase document imaging system to move applicants through the interviewing and hiring process much faster than ever before. This means that we can quickly capitalize on skilled, qualified applicants and get them working for Team Fishel.

Developing skills and training requirements for all major job functions. In the 2006 Teammate Survey response it was expressed that Teammates would like a little more clarity about their development and training to progress in careers with Team Fishel. To address this initiative, the Teammate Development Team is currently developing Career Progression Plans for many of the major job functions at Team Fishel.

Establishing training programs that meet our requirements. The Teammate Development Team, in conjunction with our Safety Department, has identified and developed the minimum training requirements by job classification to ensure we schedule and complete training timely. These sessions include such topics as Competent Person, Confined Space, and Field Supervision.

Measuring the results of our training programs. As Vice Chairman Eric Smith likes to say, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

Ensuring that Teammates receive regular and effective feedback on their performance. Teammates should be receiving a performance evaluation on an annual basis. The Teammate Development Team is working with local managers and supervisors to ensure this requirement is met.

This on-going focus on our Teammates and their development will allow us to continue to provide the level of service our Customers have come to expect from Team Fishel. It makes us The Best Choice for our Customers, Suppliers and most importantly, our Teammates.