Archive for December, 2014

Another year is winding down, and, thanks to our amazing employees and customers, it was another great one.

Growth

As we do every year, we grew. Throughout the year, we hired nine new employees, and we created six new positions. We now have 24 total employees.

Our loads arranged also increased. We arranged the movement of more than 12,000 loads, about 500 more than last year.

In April, we created a new division, LTL. This new division allowed us to dedicate a team to helping customers save money on their shipments that were less than a truckload. Eighteen percent of customers were able to save money through our new LTL division.

Charity

As we succeed, we believe it is important to help others succeed. We donate to causes throughout the year as we can. This year, our total contributions were about $23,000.

One of our favorite charities is a literacy foundation, which holds a golf tournament each year to help raise funds. A large amount of our donations this year went to this foundation.

For the first time this year, we hosted a food and fund drive in our office. We also provided sponsorships to a few golf tournaments raising money for charities, as well as sponsored a race. And. of course, we participated in the charity event of the year, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Fun

As we celebrated our sixth anniversary in March, our organized fun began. We held our First Annual BAT Week in March, with the most popular day being BAT Spirit Day with 14 participants. Then, in October, we held our first BAT Games.

We had two family outings- one to Henry Doorly Zoo, the other to the Rorie Farm. We also had no problem with dressing up for Halloween and an Ugly Sweater Party.

We have major things planned for 2015, and we cannot wait to share them with you.

Once upon time, we’d crack out as authentic of a “thank you” as possible when we were gifted an ugly Christmas sweater. We’d fear the day we had to wear it to show the giver we appreciated it.

Today, the sweaters have become so popular, second-hand clothing businesses set-up pop-up shops just to sell the ugly apparel. We have parties and contests to honor the sweaters.

BAT held its own contest today with Eric Damon and Joe Kier winning in a tie. Eric’s v-neck cardigan sweater featured candy cane trim and snowmen with Steve Barnes’ and Anthony Harder’s heads. Joe’s puffy paint and felt creation has a snowman and Santa holding a present and a candy cane.

Ugly Sweater Contents participants are (back row) Luke, Charlie, Joe, Eric, Mike, (front row) Katy, Rebecca, and Katie.

While the homemade sweaters won overall, Katie Forney’s authentic ugly sweater came in a close second place.

We like to have fun at BAT, and 2014 saw more of it than ever before. A lot of first-time events and activities mixed with the old to help us work better as a team and enjoy our time together. Here are some of our favorite memories from 2014:

Being Hired: Ben Caldwell was one of the first of our new hires for the year, and just that was “pretty good moment” for him.

Pie Face: Last year, Ashley Jankowski took a pie in the face for the team meeting a goal. This spring, Stephen Sinclair, the person who pied her, got the whipped facial for an accomplished goal.

“I got him back,” Ashley said while describing her favorite moment of the year. “And I got him good!”

BAT Games:  The first-ever BAT Games, a training and team building activity, was held at the beginning of October. It was part trivia game, part physical challenges.

“It was just a creative, different way to get the group excited and motivated,” Krysten Parrish said.

BAT Games

Fall Family Outing: Our Annual Fall Family Outing was held at the Rorie Farm in October. Ben also loved this event, describing it as, “good food, good people, good times.”

Fall Outing

Christmas Party: Our celebration of the year was an obvious favorite.

“I got to hang out with people I don’t get as much interaction with in here,” Steve Barnes said. “Everyone let their hair down and really just kicked back and enjoyed themselves. It was really fun.”

Eric Damon added, “Jon Ellsworth’s dancing at the company Christmas party was pretty fantastic.”

Blazin’ Pianos performs at our Christmas Party.

This weekend, BAT’s Annual Christmas Party was held at Steinhart Lodge in Nebraska City, Neb. Our amazing entertainment for the evening was Blazin’ Pianos, dueling piano players. Everyone enjoyed singing and dancing along.

The evening also featured our Second Annual Batty Awards! The winners were:

• Best Back Flip on a Jumping Pillow- Charlie Elmore
• Most Creative Nickname- Ian Goodrich with Ear Wig
• Most Check Calls in November 2014- Jon Ellsworth
• Brokered the Most Loads in 2014- Anthony Harder with over 1,900
• Built the Most Loads in 2014- Katy Wilson and the National Team
• Customer Rep Supporting the Customer with the Highest Average Revenue per Load- Krysten Parrish
• Biggest Suck Up and Moocher of BAT Bucks- Steve Barnes
• Biggest Supporter of BAT- All the Spouses and Partners of BAT Employees (all guests took home a prize too)
• The Job Hopper Award (moved positions the most at BAT)- Tie between Ben Caldwell and Jon Ellsworth
• Brought on the Most New Customers in 2014- Cindy Moreno

Prizes included 42-inch TVs, $300 in airfare, extra vacation time, hour long massages and $100 gift cards. Six prizes were auctioned off using BAT Bucks.

Following the party, we stayed overnight at the Lied Lodge.