The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were established in 1970 to assure employers provide a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA violations can result in company fines, disruption of work, and unnecessary opportunity costs.  For a deeper understanding of OSHA regulations, visit their website.

When we walk through our customers distribution and manufacturing facilities, we keep an eye out for any rack damage that could be perceived as a “willful violation” in the eyes of OSHA for storing materials in damaged racks.  A “willful violation is issued by OSHA when an employer exhibits plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health”.

Some of the things that we look for, and you should be aware of, include:

• Stored materials must not create a hazard.
• Storage areas must be kept free from accumulated materials that may cause tripping, fires, or explosions, or that may contribute to the harboring of rats and other pests.
• How accessible the materials are to the user.
• Condition of the containers where the materials are being stored.
• When stacking materials, height limitations should be observed.
• Damage to racking structure caused by forklift operators.

When we come across these instances we make recommendations for safety, including repairing or replacing the damaged rack sections.  When is the last time you took an assessment of your rack?  Take advantage of the slower summer months and schedule a rack/safety audit.

John Garrett
Service Manager
PeakLogix
24/7 Service Hotline 866.850.8559

May is here and along with the spring flowers comes graduation ceremonies and the excitement of new opportunities for graduating college seniors in the industrial engineering, supply chain and logistics fields. DC Velocity published an article in April forecasting the continued gains in the material handling industry.

PeakLogix participated in a Classroom Day at Modex 2012 this past February, which provided us with the opportunity to meet college and high school students from across the country who are interested in pursuing careers in our industry.

Thanks to Bob Giberson for leading a tour group and to Mike Holler for presenting PeakLogix to the students. Most importantly, congratulations to all of the graduates we met….we hope to see you again soon!

Karen Lynch
Director, Marketing & Client Services
PeakLogix

I’ve often heard that things are “always bigger in Texas”, but having never been there before, I just assumed it was a phrase coined by the tourist industry to get more people to visit the lone star state.  After all, I live and work in Virginia where I’ve grown up hearing the phrase “Virginia is for Lover’s” all my life.  While it seems to be a worthy marketing slogan, I’ve seen nothing to indicate that Virginia has a higher number of “lovers” than Texas or any other state for that matter.

So, when I received a call from one of our clients about pricing a large floor striping project in Texas I didn’t really prepare myself for what Texans call “large”.  As I reviewed the drawings of the project, the scope became increasingly clear.  The client needed yellow traffic lines marking floor storage for palletized products in their new

1 million plus square foot warehouse.  I totaled the linear footage of the lines and it came to just under 200,000 linear feet, that’s almost 38 miles of floor striping!

Our standard method of applying floor striping is to use a masking tape edge on either side of the stripe and apply the floor coating between the two.  This gives a much cleaner edge and a better finished product than using a sprayer.  This also means that for this particular project we would have to purchase and apply 76 miles of masking tape all by hand!  To top it off, the client was under an extremely tight timeline and needed the work finished in less than 45 days.

Our striping crew leader jumped right in, feet first, along with 9 other employees and began work on the project.  It took exactly four weeks to complete the project so we were able to meet the client’s deadline and complete the project on-time and on-budget.

The crew worked 10 hours a day, 7 days a week for an entire month to make sure the client’s schedule was not impacted by the project.  I can’t commend our crew enough on their dedication to get the project done on schedule while implementing the quality installation that PeakLogix is known for, all within a highly compacted schedule.  One of the crew members’ actually reporting losing 26 lbs during this project from all of the miles of walking involved in a striping project this large!  After taking a much deserved break, our crew is back in action, ready for the next big challenge.  Call us (800.849-6332) if you have any questions or would like to learn more about all of the turn-key project management services PeakLogix offers to our clients.

Project Details:

• 37.8 miles of 4” yellow and white striping
• 4,500 linear feet of 18” wide “vector” striping
• 76 miles of masking tape used
• 2,300 rolls of masking tape used
• 450 gallons of paint
• Estimated distance walked by each crew member during the installation – 300 miles each x 10 crew members = 3,000 miles (NY to LA is 2,778 miles)
• Weight lost by one of the crew that month due to the walking – 26 lbs.

Jerry Shaw
Project Manager
PeakLogix
14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1517    F: 804.794.6515

C:804.615.2846
www.PeakLogix.com 

In my 11 ½ years of working at PeakLogix, I can honestly say it is a pleasure to work with such a great “team” of individuals.  A team where everyone from the Client, to the Regional/Area Director, to the Client Support team, to Procurement, to Project Management, to Accounting (both Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable), takes ownership of a project and works together to ensure the client receives the best results, while we maintain a strong sense of pride in successfully implementing projects throughout their various stages.

As Accounting Manager for PeakLogix, I deal with our clients on the front-end when I work with our Regional Directors to set up businesses in our system, negotiate the terms of payment, and work with our clients’ accounting department to continue building and nurturing these important relationships.

Additionally, on the back-end of the accounting process, I have the opportunity to deal with each of our material handling industry vendors and manufacturers to negotiate terms and implement payments while continuing to develop and foster these important relationships.

I sincerely hope that our sense of pride in being part of the PeakLogix team and understanding leaderships’ vision and direction to work hard, is transparent to our clients.  If Wikipedia is correct, we certainly have the strategic leadership in place that will hopefully result in continued opportunities to prove ourselves as a significant competitor within the material handling industry while implementing successful projects in the future.

Nancy T. Green
Accounting Manager
PEAKLOGIX

14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1507    F: 804.794.6515
www.PeakLogix.com 

The vast majority of the PeakLogix team had never been to Nashville and everyone fell in love with the city. It was a fantastic weekend of honky tonks, Grand Ole Opry, city tours, and checking out the country music scene.

This was a great bonding experience for our staff and now the PeakLogix team is back in the office feeling refreshed and working closer than ever before to ensure all of our customers’ material handling needs are served exceptionally well.

Sandy Giberson
President
PEAKLOGIX
14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1513 F: 804.794.6515
www.PeakLogix.com

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MHEDA helps material handling integrators and forklift dealers operate better businesses and provide more value for their clients. This year’s board meeting trip was another great experience.

This year’s meeting revolved mostly around how we can make our profession more professional. MHEDA started a new MVP program to elevate the elite member firms in the eyes of the end user community, the vendors, and our peers. The MVP dealers must meet a rigorous set of standards to achieve this status (PeakLogix has been recognized as an MVP for 2012 – one of only about 20 or so distributors).

Additionally, there was a lot of time and effort spent discussing social media and although I don’t pretend to understand it all – I realize it’s here to stay. I am now committed to figuring it out and getting on board. Stay tuned to the PeakLogix Blog because we are planning to update it more frequently. Also, if you have any suggestions on ways that we may be able to improve our social media campaigns, we are always eager to hear your comments.

The MHEDA Board works hard on Education and Networking for its members benefits. Everyone should check out MHEDA’s web site, www.mheda.org, it’s truly a great site with super content and resources.

It is always great to meet with the 20 or so business owners from around the country, that make up the MHEDA Board of Directors, to talk about what’s working in our industry and how we can help each other improve in the areas that may not be gaining as much traction as we would like.

Until next time,

Robert Giberson
Principal
PeakLogix
14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1504
C:804.337.2045
F: 804.794.6515
www.PeakLogix.com
Click Here to Visit Our Online Catalog!

My husband and I planned a much needed long ”weekend get-a-way” up to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia for some snowboarding fun the weekend of January 13-16. We hit the slopes pretty early on Saturday, January 14th and although it was very busy, and only 8 degrees outside, we were having a great time. It had been a while (since before we had our 2.5 yr old twins) since we’ve been snowboarding so we spent much of the morning re-learning the mechanics, etc.

After taking a break for lunch we decided to run over to Silver Creek to get a few runs in thinking it would be a little less crowded, with shorter / wider runs. We probably should’ve just called it a day, but we all know the cost of those lift tickets make you want to get the most bang for your buck.

Long story short, I was about 100 yards from the lift on our last run of the day (my best run too, thus far) and I went to stop to say something to one of my friends when I caught an icy edge and went down. Once I was down, it was immediately obvious that something was very wrong. I asked my friend if he could “please hand me my arm” because I didn’t have any feeling below my elbow. At that time, all I could feel was my arm kind of flopping around in the snow beside me – I later learned that these were severe muscle spasms trying to place my hummers bone back where it belongs. Yep, that’s right folks; I broke my right hummers bone snowboarding only weeks before the industry’s biggest tradeshow of the year. Go Figure! I guess I should have known better because this is really just my kind of luck.

I have been on the mend since. Physical Therapy is a bear, but I am slowly starting to resume some sense of new normalcy in my life. I just had a check-up with my surgeon today and he says that the bone is healing very well. I still have another couple to four months of physical therapy ahead of me though. Most importantly, he said that I can try to start driving again, but should probably do it for a while before I start toting the kids around again (considering I can’t really pick them up still).
Since I spent so much time planning and preparing for Modex 2012, it was only natural for me to be heart broken when I realized I wouldn’t be able to make it! So, I have spent the past couple months (in my limited capacity) digging up as much information as possible about it so that I would be able to feel like I was still part of it.

Here is what I have learned about Modex 2012:

•The George World Congress Center is HUGE – but designed very well.
•Even though our staff stayed on-site at the Omni, it was still about a mile walk to the show.
•The Industry Night at the Aquarium was a great success with lots of networking opportunities. It was a great way to end the first day and provided a nice way to connect with business associates, etc that you might have missed during the show day. From the Beluga Whale to divers – there was much to be seen and enjoyed.
•Modex 2012 was organized and well staffed.
•Evidence of spring approaching could be seen in the flowering trees nearby, increasing the expectations for the venue.
•MHEDA sponsored a classroom day that we were able to participate in which provided us an opportunity to meet with some of the bright young minds that may be interested in our industry upon graduation. A special “Thank You” goes out to Mike Holler, Director of Operations for PeakLogix who presented to approximately 70 students and to Bob Giberson, Principal of PeakLogix, who toured the student group throughout the show.
•Overall, the recurring theme that seemed to be communicated by everyone I spoke with is that there was a ton of optimism throughout the entire industry – we spoke to well over 100 people representing a vast array of businesses, and are hopefully looking to work on projects soon!
Thank you all for baring with me as I sort through my own personal mess. I apologize for the down-time to our blog and hope to re-invigorate it from here on out with commentary from various voices within PeakLogix.

So, stay tuned and be sure to stay connected with us through Linked In and FaceBook too!

Dawn Mooney
Creative Director
PeakLogix
14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1506 F: 804.794.6515
www.PeakLogix.com
Click Here to Visit Our Online Catalog!

During the month of December, we collected jars of peanut butter for a local elementary school program “Backpacks of Love, Inc.”. The goal was to send a jar of peanut butter home with those identified children in need who would benefit from an additional food source during the school break. In addition to our employees donating enough jars of peanut butter so that every child went home for the holiday break with one, PeakLogix also made a large donation to “Backpacks of Love” in honor of our clients and vendors to help supply food to these identified children throughout the rest of the year. A holiday card was mailed out to our valued clients and vendors letting them know this had been done.

In addition to participating in the “Backpacks of Love, Inc” peanut butter drive, PeakLogix employees also donated canned goods and other non-perishable items for a local single mother raising two daughters. Although this mom is a hard worker and does the best she can, having extra groceries will make a genuine difference to her expenses. A dozen grocery bags were delivered to this family that were filled up and overflowing, along with a gift card and cash!! Our recipient was overwhelmed and very appreciative of the generosity.

I am proud to work for a company who shows compassion for those less fortunate. It is often difficult to find the proper balance between work/home/others. I believe that the folks at PeakLogix do a fine job of this.

Pam Stiles

Client Services
PeakLogix
14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1500    F: 804.794.6515
www.PeakLogix.com

There are a few key indicators that can’t be overlooked.  My email inbox is bombed daily, my projects list has more than doubled in size and gone are the days of coming into the office and having no voice mail to fetch!

As I try my best to stay organized and keep my tasks prioritized, I am grateful for all of my awesome colleagues who have been so essential to getting me to this point.  My goal was to do my best to try and hit the ground running to make an impact as quickly as possible so that I could earn my keep around here at PeakLogix.

Being new to the industry a year ago, I still have much to learn.  However, I feel like I am learning from the best people possible.  I have never worked with a better group of people before.

I had no idea a year ago just how valuable my decision was when I accepted this position.  Not only has this been a great decision for my career, I have made some of the best friendships and have had the privilege to learn from some of the smartest people I have ever known.   PeakLogix is a small, lean company and I am often times amazed at what we are able to accomplish.  It just proves to me that Jim Collins knew what he was talking about in Good to Great when he said “..to build a successful organization and team you must get the right people on the bus, and put them in the right seats”.

I have witnessed PeakLogix operate like a well-oiled machine and excel at sophisticated projects that you would have thought a much larger organization was managing.  The PeakLogix team has a refreshing “can-do” attitude coupled with the visionary leadership of Bob and Sandy Giberson to create an environment that I am still just as excited to be a part of as I was a year ago when I was hired.  This place makes me what to do great things!

Dawn Mooney
Creative Director
PeakLogix
14409 Justice Rd
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.302.1506      F: 804.794.6515
www.PeakLogix.com