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Associate Appreciation Event

Thousands of dollars in awards, including a 55” HD television, were distributed to Team Freshway associates at our recent Associate Appreciation Luncheon. We hold an Appreciation Luncheon every month to reward our associates for their hard work and dedication.

Team Freshway associates were recognized for achieving 5, 10, 15 and 20 years of service with the company.

 

Tim Redmon, SQF practitioner was honored for 20 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Tim Redmon, Phil Gilardi, Frank Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Tim Redmon, Phil Gilardi, Frank Gilardi

 

Devon Beer, President and COO of Freshway, was honored for 15 years of service.

L to R: Phil Gilardi, Devon Beer, Frank Gilardi
L to R: Phil Gilardi, Devon Beer, Frank Gilardi

 

Pat Mallon, shipping associate, was honored for 15 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Pat Mallon, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Pat Mallon, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Maria Kennedy, production associate, was honored for 15 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Phil Gilardi, Maria Kennedy, Frank Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Phil Gilardi, Maria Kennedy, Frank Gilardi

 

Carol Herbst, quality technician, was honored for 15 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Carol Herbst, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Carol Herbst, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Hope Gates, zone manager, was honored for 10 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Hope Gates, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Hope Gates, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Hermila Mendoza, production associate, was honored for 10 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Hermila Mendoza, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Hermila Mendoza, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Tina Colthar, production associate, was honored for 10 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Tina Colthar, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Tina Colthar, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Mamadou D. Sao, production associate, was honored for 10 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Mamadou D. Sou, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Mamadou D. Sou, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Bill Johnson, Operations Manager, was honored for 10 years of service.

L to R: Devon Beer, Phil Gilardi, Bill Johnson, Frank Gilardi, Tony Arnold
L to R: Devon Beer, Phil Gilardi, Bill Johnson, Frank Gilardi, Tony Arnold

 

Tricia Menchhofer, Supply Chain Specialist, was honored for 5 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Tricia Menchhofer, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Tricia Menchhofer, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Dan Baker, Director of National Accounts, was honored for 5 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Dan Baker, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Dan Baker, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Aaron Williams, shipping associate, was honored for 5 years of service.

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L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Aaron Williams, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Tony Arnold, Director of Human Resources, was honored for 5 years of service.

L to R: Devon Beer, Tony Arnold, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Devon Beer, Tony Arnold, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Craig Cotner, Procurement Manager, was honored for 5 years of service.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Craig Cotner, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Craig Cotner, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi

 

Paul Nichols, maintenance associate, was honored for 5 years of service.

L to R: Devon Beer, Phil Gilardi, Paul Nichols, Frank Gilardi, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Devon Beer, Phil Gilardi, Paul Nichols, Frank Gilardi, Tony Arnold

 

We also awarded gift cards and a 55” HD television to associates who qualified for our quarterly incentive program drawing. All of our associates have the opportunity to qualify for the drawing by maintaining perfect attendance and a positive safety record.

 

Halima Sawadogo, production associate, was the winner of the HDTV drawing.

L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Frank Gilardi, Halima Sawadogo, Phil Gilardi
L to R: Tony Arnold, Devon Beer, Frank Gilardi, Halima Sawadogo, Phil Gilardi

 

In addition to our quarterly incentive program drawing and service awards, Freshway Foods holds an annual company picnic and a health fair for our associates and their families. Freshway Logistics, our forward distribution and logistics company, also awards drivers for achieving safe driving milestones with membership in the Million Mile Club.

If you are interested in joining a company where every associate matters, we encourage you to visit our website to submit your resume.

 

 

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Meet Our New Accounting Supervisor: Will Fridley

Meet our new Accounting Supervisor: Will Fridley!

Will originally joined Freshway in the summer of 2014 as a college intern. At the time, he was studying Accounting at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. After graduation, he worked for a Columbus area company for awhile before making his way back to Team Freshway.

During his internship, Will worked on cost reduction initiatives in our production area. “Because of the scale of our operation, small improvements can save tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Will says.

Will says his time as a Freshway intern had a strong influence on his decision to join Team Freshway after college. “I knew about many of the people at Freshway from growing up in Sidney,” Will says. “There are some high profile people working here, and I was impressed with how willing they were to help me succeed,” he adds.

Will chose a career in Accounting at a young age. “At Lehman High School, I took accounting my freshman and sophomore year, and everything clicked for me,” he says. “The school created two more classes for my junior and senior year. There were only two students in those classes,” he adds. When Will went to college, he had already selected his major. “I thought, this is where I will start, because I really enjoy Accounting,” he explains. “I figured I would try it out for a year and see what happened, and of course, it all turned out well.”

Will credits Miami University with helping prepare him to contribute to Freshway’s success. “Miami did a very good job of using real-world situations in the classroom,” he says. “All of my professors had business experience,” he adds, “In fact, one of my professors worked in the produce industry.”

Today, Will works with Freshway Logistics to track all of the costs associated with our transportation and logistics activities. “I keep track of all of the trips our drivers make, whether the delivery is for Freshway Foods or one of our other logistics customers,” he says. “I track payroll and other costs to ensure that our management team has the information they need to make good business decisions,” he adds.

One of the things that Will enjoys most about working at Freshway is the interaction he has with other Freshway associates. “Everyone is phenomenal here,” he says. “I work with incredibly intelligent people who are also down to earth,” he adds. “I find myself in many situations where I feel I can have an easygoing conversation and a professional conversation with the same person,” he explains, “I can talk about last night’s baseball game and last month’s income statement with the same person.”

Will is excited about the opportunity to work in the fast-paced fresh produce industry. “There is no room for error, and you have to really pay attention,” he says. “We put out such an incredible volume of produce daily, so you have to be constantly on the lookout for improvement opportunities,” he adds.

Please join us in welcoming Will to Team Freshway!