ISSUE 4, 2021 Illinois North & Wisconsin “Best of the Best”
PAGE 2 On-site at Memphis International Airport
PAGE 9 Kids Club Registration Ends Soon
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OHANA RESOURCE GROUP In order for Ozinga to
continue being the leader in the industry and live out our purpose of making a positive impact on individuals, it’s vitally important that our coworkers remain healthy, both physically and emotionally. Ozinga has given our coworkers the opportunity to serve each other by organizing Coworker Resource Groups to help support our coworkers in a variety of different ways. One of those groups is called Ohana. The coworkers who are part of Ohana are those you can rely on for anything during a time of need. Their passions lie in areas of love, trust, compassion and faith so that one can find balance in their lives. Whether it be as simple as a ride to work, a meal delivered, or more serious concern such as the of the loss of a loved one, illness, or struggling with a personal issue, Ohana is here to assist. While all volunteers are just people helping people and not professionally trained, these coworkers have huge hearts and the desire to help others. All conversations are kept confidential, and all the members of this group are more than willing to help get you
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Must have been a full-time employee for the calendar year
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No OSHA recordable injury
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No accident or incident deemed preventable by the review committee
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No Tardy – not a minute late for the scheduled start time
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No unapproved absence
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No written warnings (of any kind)
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No customer complaints
The competitive spirit of our team has served as a catalyst for others and created a fun and competitive atmosphere. In fact, we have seen more customer compliments than ever before! This year, we recognized a total of 95 individuals who earned the “Best of the Best” (representing the 2020 calendar year). Additionally, we had 35 individuals who have been repeat award recipients since the 2016 implementation of the program! The 29 repeat recipients are as follows: Barry Wagner
Gary Sherman
Mike Flanagan
Blake Thome
Gordon Langer
Perry Biederman
Illinois North & Wisconsin “Best of the Best” Celebration
Brandon Lopez
James Smith
Randy Pohlman
Brian Olsen
John Blaski
Raymond Raupp
Charles Perenchio
Kurt Nauman
Robert Lewinski
David Ehlert
Mark Rieder
Robert Parrilli
Beginning in 2016, the Illinois North and Wisconsin regions implemented a “Best of the
David Hill
Martin Kulick
Scott Vance
Best” program with the intent to recognize individuals with outstanding contributions to
David Sell
Martin Valencia
Thomas Sherman
Ozinga and the ready-mix profession.
Dennis Zynda
Michael Meyer
William Homo
Douglas Swanson
Michael Murray
connected with a professional should the individual need require it.
Collectively, local management has identified that a well devised driver recognition program plays an important role. We have a great appreciation for the critical role our team members have in not only the manufacturing and delivery of our product but in promoting our purpose and the success we celebrate. For the “Best of the Best” program, specific objectives and attainable goals were established and further include: 2
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TALENT WANTED The search for exceptional talent to join Ozinga is ongoing. Please continue to refer friends, family and acquaintances to ozinga.com to look for open positions and encourage them to apply online.
TRAINING FOR MANAGERS Ozinga has partnered with Rapid Learning Institute (RLI) to begin offering online, micro-burst training for managers. This type of training allows learning in the flow of work, with most videos 5-7 minutes long and with simple, yet thorough quizzes to test your knowledge. If you are a new manager at Ozinga and have not yet explored RLI, please email Jennifer Cáceres at jennifercaceres@ozinga.com for login information.
COWORKER EXPERIENCE SURVEY September 7-30 you will have the opportunity to complete the annual Coworker Experience Survey, consisting of the core 12 statements on the next page, and one additional statement about the organization as a whole. We value your anonymous feedback and want to know what it’s like working at Ozinga – where we are doing well, and where we can improve. This is your opportunity to tell us about your experience working here. Results are compared and shared annually for continued learning, leader development and improvement. Please be sure to complete the survey in September!
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COWORKER EXPERIENCE SURVEY PREVIEW 1.
I know what is expected of me at work.
2.
I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
3.
At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4.
In the last 7 days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person. 6.
There is someone at work who encourages my development.
7.
At work, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important. 9.
My coworkers are committed to doing quality work.
10.
I have a best friend at work.
11.
In the last 6 months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
12. In the last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
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ALUMNI WITH HISTORY
management. Ed worked at our Alsip Yard #2, then proceeded to open up the Chicago Heights yard with Tom Kerkstra. He then spent the final 16 years of his career as yard manager of Lemont.
The Nevin Family Ozinga has always stated that it’s the people who make our company special, and we’ve been very fortunate to have multi-generational family members work for our company. IL South Sales Manager Andy Nevin is one of our current coworkers who knows this all too well. His late grandfather, Mike Mossuto, was a ready mix driver in our Alsip yard from 1953 to 1988.
Not only did Ed Sr. encourage his son to join Ozinga, but in 2015 his granddaughter and Ed Jr.’s daughter, Michelle Jongsma, joined as the fleet administrator, and this year, his grandson Charles Jongsma started as a ready mix driver in Indiana. What a family tree.
As a young child, Andy remembers his grandfather stopping by the house to let him sit in the truck. “He was a unique character and always felt that Ozinga had a good culture,” said Andy. “He also always had great things to say about the company.”
If you have a similar story to share, please contact Sharon Simons at 708.269.9660.
In 1997, Andy’s cousin, Joe Winters, joined Ozinga as a ready mix driver in Joliet. In 1998, Andy started working for Ozinga as a ready mix driver. Shortly thereafter, Andy’s dad, John Nevin, started working as a yardman in our Chinatown location. John retired in 2008. In 2013, Andy’s sister, Mary Welch, joined Ozinga as a senior accountant. His brother, Mike Nevin, joined Ozinga in 2015 as a yardman at our Northside yard. This is a great example of a long line of family members who have made Ozinga their home.
The Jongsma Family Ed Jongsma Sr. retired 22 years ago after 30 years with Ozinga, but his legacy with our company spans wider than that. His father used to work for Ozinga as a bookkeeper with Neil Poort, so Ozinga was always around Ed as he was growing up. Ed’s career with us began as a ready-mix driver, and over the years he moved into 6
After five years at Ozinga, Ed encouraged his son, Ed Jr., to apply for a job at Ozinga—with additional encouragement from Ed Jr.’s youth coach, Marty Ozinga III.
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LUCKY #7
The following retirees are celebrating 7 years or more of retirement from Ozinga. Congratulations to each and every one of you. If we happened to have missed anyone, please reach out to Sharon Simons at 708.269.9660. Albert Aardsma William Ackerman Daniel Anderson Willie Andrews Dean Boersma Stephen Briget Robert Bulthuis Maxine Carey John De Boer Harry De Bruin David De Haan Gerald DeHoog Randall De Vries Richard Duffalo Paul Duvauchelee
David Dykema Robert Elzinga Frank Gatz Joseph Gentile Joseph Heimer David Hoekstra John Huiner Martin Huizenga Clarence Huizenga William Jefferey Philip Kostelyk Willie King William Lawrence James McAvoy Kenneth Metzger
William Miller Kenneth Murr John Nevin Jesus Nieves Albert Noort Dennis Nystrom George Oostema James Peterson Waldemar Pietka Gary Rapp Clarence Reynolds Connie Schaffner Dennis Smith Tommy Swicegood Randall Theis
Glenn Tillman Glenn Underwood Jack Vander Meer Bridget Warren Johanna Watkins
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GEORGE HOPMAN EXEMPLIFIES OZINGA’S VALUE OF SERVICE On Tuesday, July 13, Ron Adams, a Frankfort resident, was pulled over near the exit ramp of I-80 and LaGrange Road when a semi-truck caught his car and dragged it down the road. The semi-truck initially stopped long enough for Ron’s car to get loose, but then took off. George Hopman, ILS Operations Manager, was driving southbound on LaGrange when he noticed Ron’s car in distress—the tires appeared to be coming off and the car began careening down the hill. George jumped out of his car, called 911 and ran down the hill to assist Ron, who was okay but understandably shaken. George stayed with Ron and kept him calm by talking about family and business. He gave details of what happened to the police when they arrived, and he stayed with Ron until his son arrived to take him home. Ron stopped by Ozinga later that afternoon with a token of appreciation for George’s kindness. “While sitting with me, George raved about how much he loves Ozinga,” said Ron. “As a business owner, I wish I had employees like George.”
Have a Purpose Story to Share? Ozinga wants to know how you or your coworkers are living our purpose to make a positive impact on individuals, their families and the community for generations. Email internalcomms@ozinga.com to share your story. 8
OZINGA ON-SITE AT MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Ozinga On-Site was recently chosen to supply concrete for a new consolidated de-icing facility that is now under construction at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. The 3.3-million-square-foot facility will provide an efficient, centralized location for aircraft to de-ice prior to takeoff during the cold winter months. “Airport projects like the one in Memphis require very consistent, high-quality concrete to support the high wheel loads and tire pressures that are typical with large aircraft,” said Ozinga On-Site General Manager Stacey Justice. Having the entire operation on-site allows everyone to benefit from more frequent and effective collaboration between the various groups that are involved in making the project a success. The on-site operation also provides a high degree of process control, with rapid feedback between the contractor’s paving and quality teams and the Ozinga batch plant. The team in Memphis will be supplying more than 200,000 cubic yards of concrete for the facility, with work scheduled to finish in mid-2022.
OZINGA SUPPLIES CONCRETE FOR FACEBOOK DATA CENTER IN DEKALB, IL Facebook is building an $800 million data center in DeKalb, IL at the corner of Gurler and Peace Road, situated by the DeKalb I-88 corridor. This data center sits on 505 acres and will rely solely on renewable energy. 9 Continued on next page
The scope of the project encompasses providing concrete for a range of projects that ultimately encompass more than 20 football fields: building, underground, site, duct banks, exterior paving and caissons. The project can accommodate five buildings; two are set to be completed by 2022. With Ozinga’s portable plant in DeKalb and our ready mix yard in Sycamore—both equipped with CarbonCure® Technology, we strategically positioned ourselves to handle the demands of a project currently at more than 100,000 cubic yards. Ozinga has also been supplying other projects with our DeKalb and Sycamore operations in order to support the project. This includes an infrastructure project such as ComEd substations. In addition, we’ve also supplied product to other customers at Facebook, such as Adjustable Forms, John Burns Construction, Abbey Paving, Premium Concrete, Action Fence, Ringland Johnson, MA Mortenson, Campton Construction, CJ Drilling, Sjostrom Construction, and Elliot & Wood. It has been a collaborative effort between sales, operations, quality control, dispatch and our drivers on the front line to streamline a successful project. Employee project highlights: Ladonna Woodyatt - ILN Dispatch: Ladonna has been with Ozinga for 4.5 years and typically dispatches for the DeKalb/Sycamore plants. She works closely with the contractors on site, brings them hats and shirts and has built a great relationship with the team of customers. “The Facebook project is by far one of my favorite and rewarding projects to dispatch! The site is so neat and it’s like a small city there; it’s so huge.” Jason Grupe - DeKalb/Sycamore Batch Operator: Jason has been with Ozinga for 20 years. He’s either batching Facebook out of Sycamore and DeKalb—their biggest day was approx. 1,800 cubic yards! All drivers must wear all PPE and go through a prescreening (temperature check) to receive a colored wristband, which enables them to go onsite all day. “I love working for Ozinga and it’s exciting to see large projects come out our way to be a part of!”
Kids Club Registration Ends Soon! The 2021/2022 Ozinga Kids Club registration is open until August 31. Sign up your young Ozinga fan to be a Kids Club member today and continue all the exciting benefits:
Fun introductory gift
Birthday treat
Ozinga Kids Club certificate
Other surprises, emails and contests throughout the year
Visit ozinga.com/kidsclub to register your child today!
Ryan Cialdella - VP of Innovation & Market Development: Instrumental in working closely with Facebook’s development team and general contractors in developing custom mixes tailored to their criteria of reducing Embodied Carbon, which is the CO2 emitted from manufacturing of materials and construction of buildings. These relationships, along with CarbonCure Technologies, give Ozinga an advantage in securing current and future work. 10
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19001 Old Lagrange Rd Mokena, IL 60448