A Message from the CEO A Message from the CEO
Employees are either engaged or they are not. Our Strategic Path feeds the engaged and dispels the disengaged. Make no mistake about it, we have a very highly developed business which “right fit” people can expect to win. However, our opportunity is not for everyone. Despite our rigorous selection process, sometimes people just do not fit. Our systems are set up to detect and sort out these people, the “brotherhood of the miserable.”
I’m not talking about people interested in honest disagreement and debate. No, I’m talking about complainers who always assume the worst. If left unchecked, these people can become negative leaders in the organization and might recruit others into their fraternity and we weed them out regardless of their performance. Far be it from us to hold a person back in their search for something more right fit for their life. If our company’s values leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, then why stay and work here, that person should move on with their life.
If you think what I am saying sounds harsh, take another look at the reality. Our company gives each team member every opportunity to succeed. We lay our corporate culture on the table and keep no secrets about our values, and it is the individual’s choice whether to adhere to our system. A person elects to follow either a negative or a positive outlook on life. This parable of a young man struggling to know who he is and sharing his inner battle with his mentor, he describes his situation this way: “It is like I have two wolves fighting within me. One is moral and good. The other is immoral and untrustworthy. I’m torn up inside. I don’t know which one will win.” The mentor responds, “I do. The one you feed the most shall win.” We strive to identify the “bad wolves” in our midst. I call them “corporate terrorists” and they have no place in our company. Like members of a sleeper cell, they actively work against the company. This minority cannot be ignored and must be reengaged or aggressively removed as one would remove a threatening cancer.
In our recent Gallop Employee Engagement Survey for our company, there was only a small percentage, less than 4%, of our company identified as being “disengaged”. Gallop’s data shows that 15% of the U.S. working population is “actively disengaged”. Because we hire our people with science and hold them together with leadership and culture we rank well below the rest of the U.S. As we complete the next round of Gallop surveys, my hope is the small percentage of disengaged employees becomes even less and the number of engaged employees continues to grow.
It is all about being the best in the world at whatever we do!
Salvation Army Red Kettle Kick-Off with Captain Ken Chapman
Thursday,November2at2:00pm forAreaManagersandStoreManagers
SLA Sales Update
Congratulations to our Top 20 SLA’s in Q3!
Q3 ended strong in September. Below are the Top 20 in Sales from July 1 - September 30.
Top 10 SLA’s earn 5% commission and Top 11 - 20 SLA’s earn 4% commission.
Who will earn 5% and 4% in Q4 selling season?
Q3 Top 20 SLA’s
Every year during the holiday season our employees, team members, friends & family volunteer to “Ring the Bell” and collect donations at our red kettle locations. The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Kick-off meeting will be on Thursday, November 2nd at our headquarters in Maitland, FL. This year our team captains are Dave Skibinski, Omar Armijo, and John Meija. During the kickoff meeting, our team captains and store managers will meet with Captain Chapman, Area Commander to start preparing for the Red Kettle Challenge.
What is the Red Kettle Challenge?
SMG will have 3 red kettle locations in the Orlando and Bay Hill area from November 26th through December 24th. This is a great opportunity for families, friends, and groups to give back to the community and all are encouraged to participate by signing up for a shift to “ring the bell”. Do you have a high school student who needs community service hours? This will be the perfect opportunity to get them. This event is not limited to SMG employees only, all are welcome. There will be a contest with prizes, an opportunity to ring the bell with Mr. Thedford in his Santa hat and spread some Christmas cheer. The Team Captains will be sending out sign-up sheets to reserve a time slot to volunteer. Help support our community by participating. If you are not in the Orlando area and want to participate in the “ringing of the bell”, please reach out to your location Salvation Army and find locations, they are always in need of volunteers.
New Mobile App Update
Lotsofprogresshasbeenmadeontherevampedmobile App. Our IT team has been working hard on enhancements to the App and the big one is it will be in both Spanish and English. Having the App in dual languages along with all the new features will be a game changer for our business. Look for it to launch in early 2024.
Special Recognition for the MIami 1 Team, 3 associates totaling $616,462 in sales.
We Are Growing Again!
SMGisgrowingagain!
The last 24 months have been a busy time for our company. We are expected to close on Presta Me, a chain of 22 pawn stores located in Costa Rica and Panama in the upcoming week. In addition to this acquisition, we will acquire a store located in Ft. Lauderdale called Big Daddy’s, soon to be La Familia, all prior to the end of October. By the end of the year, we will close on 2 stores located in Barbados bringingourtotalstorecountto97!
With this anticipated growth, there have been some promotions. Edwin Lopez has been promoted to Regional Vice President of Operations overseeing the Puerto Rico, Panama, and Costa Rica markets. Eric Deanda has been promoted to Regional Manager overseeing his original stores, the Tampa market and part of the Orlando market. Pedro Galarza has been promoted to Regional Manager overseeing his original stores and 2 Areas in Puerto Rico. John Mejia has been promoted to Regional Manager overseeing his original stores, South Florida, and part of the Orlando Market. Javier Perez has been promoted to Director of Operations and will be relocating to Costa Rica to oversee both Panama and Costa Rica markets.Congratulationstoall!
In-Store Jewelers at La Familia Pawn & Jewelry
Welcome to the team! We are excited to share that we now have in-store jewelers. The following store locations will offer cleanings and inspections, jewelry repairs, ring resizing, stone resetting, clasp replacement, watch batteries, and just about anything else you can imagine. Our jewelers are located at the following store locations: Kissimmee 1,Kissimmee5,andOrlando1
In-Store Jewelers
Kissimmee 1
Kissimmee 5
Orlando 1
Ringing in $163,000 in HDQ
Assisted Jewelry Sales for the month!
Conch Pearl Sales
Congratulations to St Vincent for $58,350 sales with a profit of $49,875!
St Vincent $58,350
Nassau $25,534
TCI – DT $23,441
Antigua $ 9,422
Cayman $ 8,205
Montego Bay $ 5,324
May Pen $ 3,719
Freeport $ 2,889
Oistins $ 800
Kingston 1 $ 550
Gallup Engagement Survey
The Gallup Engagement follow-up survey started on October 2. We again are partnering with Gallup, a nationally recognized workplace survey firm, to conduct anEmployeeEngagementassessmentofouremployees.
This is considered “The Pulse” of our organization. This survey is very important to our organization as it measures and positively impacts employee engagement. This program will gather insights through a confidential web survey. Your interview responses will be presented only as part of an aggregate of all other responses and notidentifiablespecificallytoyou.
You will receive an invitation from Gallup to participate in the survey. Your participation is critical to the success of this program, and I encourage you to answer all questions openly and honestly. The survey should take nomorethan10minutes.
Your feedback will provide important context regarding the state of Simple Management Group today and where wewanttobeinthefuture.
Thankyouforyourparticipation.
RosaWedge, VPofHumanResourcesOCTOBER BIRTHSTONES
Opal and Tourmaline
Opal, the traditional October birthstone, is believed to have originated in India. In ancient Rome, this became opalus. Most opals are valued for their shifting colors in rainbow hues and dramatic play-of-color has inspired writers to compare it to fireworks, galaxies and volcanoes. Ancient Greeks thought opals bestowed the gift of prophesy and protection from disease. Europeans long maintained opal to be a symbol of purity, hope and truth. Hundreds of years ago, opal was believed to embody the virtues and powers of all colored stones.
Tourmaline, has multiple colors in one crystal. Very few gems match tourmaline’s dazzling array of colors. It has a color palette for every mood. Among the most popular are the pink and red rubellites, the emerald green “chrome” tourmalines, and the neon green and blue-to-violet “paraíba” tourmalines.
Management Camp was held in Orlando 1, Florida
September 20 & 21 was a big success!
We hope you enjoyed attending!
Building Excellence in Every Role through learning in our Management Camps!
Corporate
DanHolman
MariaGamero
CarlosMaysonet
Area Managers
DaveSkibinski
JohnMejia
OmarArmijo
Kissimmee 6
EmilioDiaz
Kissimmee 7
CarlosBustamante
EdgarMorales
Orlando 2
JenniferIldefonso
Orlando 3
JustinLaFleur
Orlando 4
HectorLopez
Orlando 6
RafaelDeLeon
Orlando 7
HeidySantiago
Orlando 9
BryanCancel
Volusia 1
RachaelOrin
Volusia 2
StevenGainey
