Categories
New Hire Introduction

The Newest Members of MK!

Everyone please give a warm welcome to Quentin and Alan!

Quentin is originally from the St. Louis area and is now living in Texas. He was been driving for 20 years with a Class B license and recently made the switch to Class A. He will be signing on with our 4 on 4 off driving program. (Pictured on the left).

Alan is from the Nashville area and recently decided to get into the trucking industry. He will be signing on with our three-week out schedule. He is very eager to start driving. (Pictured on the right).

We are glad to have you both on our team!

Categories
Recognition

Who Are We?

This week’s “Who Are We” is dedicated to Karl Simmons, Marvin Keller’s Owner Operator Driver Trainer.

Karl was referred to Marvin Keller in 2013 by a friend who previously drove for us. This year will be Karl’s eighth year with MK! Hiring in as a company driver, Karl was asked to help grow our fleet by becoming a Driver Trainer. In 2020, Karl was able to purchase his own truck and lease on with us as an Owner Operator. We are thankful Karl is willing to continue training our drivers after this huge accomplishment. Karl enjoys working for MK due to our family atmosphere and willingness to go above and beyond to get our drivers home. He says that we are true to our motto of, “More Respect Per Mile.”

Karl has many tricks he shares with his trainees to ensure they are prepared. He shared two of them that he feels are of high importance.

  • Do not hesitate to shut down in bad weather. No load is more important than safety.
  • Do not let the possibility of violating stress you out. Violations happen and it is more important to legally get to safety.

Karl likes to spend time with his girlfriend and kids while at home. They like to go on trips and drive around in Karl’s 99 z28 Camaro. Karl’s favorite pastime is racing his Camaro.

Categories
Customer News

Hydro-Gear Spotlight

Author: Rachel Fry

Hydro-Gear has been in business since 1991.  It started as a joint-venture with Agri-Fab to assemble hydrostatic transmissions and axles before supplying them to the OEM (original equipment manufacturer).   Today, they design and produce components and drive products for commercial and industrial markets. 

Most of the freight that MK hauls is components, metal parts to build this machinery.  These parts come together to create transmissions, axles, drives, piston pumps, wheel motors, and other transmission and drive systems.  It’s likely that Hydro-Gear parts are used in the power equipment we use at home, such as lawnmowers.  Our usual lanes from HG deliver to the warehouses in Princeton KY and Mattoon IL.  Then those get taken over to the factory as needed.  A lot of our HG lanes are out east.  Saint Marys PA, Berea OH, Massillon OH, and Middleburg Heights OH are our frequent lanes.  Their busy shipping season is during the fall and winter since a lot of their equipment is being assembled for spring work.

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Paperwork Management

Click the link below the image to watch our Facebook video on paperwork management!

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Make It Monday

On this week’s Make It Monday, we are featuring Low Carb Meals! A handful of the MK office employees are challenging themselves by sticking to a Low Carb Diet. Dieting isn’t always fun, but it makes it a lot easier when the people close to you are all on the same journey together.

Try out these yummy low carb meals and let us know which ones worked for you! Also, send in your favorite recipes through the messaging option in the App. We would love to share your recipes with the team.

Breakfast

  • 1 medium head broccoli chopped or bag of frozen
  • 1 12- oz package Jones Dairy Farm Little Links cooked and sliced
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar divided
  • 10 eggs
  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • Grease the ceramic interior of a 6-quart slow cooker well.
  • Layer one half of the broccoli, half of the sausage, and half of the cheese into the slow cooker. Repeat with remaining broccoli, sausage, and cheese.
  • In a large bowl, whisk eggs, whipping cream, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour over layered ingredients.
  • Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours, until browned on the edges and set in the center.

Lunch

  • Add the ground beef to a medium-size saucepan. Cook over medium heat until browned.
  • Drain the grease and add the seasonings and the tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove the pit from the halved avocados. Load the crater left from the pit with the taco meat. Top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, and sour cream.
  • If you want to make a larger area in the avocado for the toppings, spoon out some of the avocados and set aside to make guacamole! Then fill with toppings.

Dinner

  • 1 1/2 Pounds Beef Steak Cut Into Thin Strips
  • 1/2 Packet Fajita Seasoning Such As McCormick Brand
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion Diced Small
  • 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 2 Medium Green Bell Peppers Diced
  • Add all ingredients to a 5 quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Serve beef fajita meat in flour or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Categories
Customer News

Sherwin Williams Spotlight

Author: Mindy Miller

Sherwin Willams is one of Marvin Keller’s largest and best customers. We deliver to so many different locations for them and provide excellent service. When you hear the name Sherwin Williams, you automatically think of paint, right? They also sell home goods that don’t involve paint, like wallpaper. You can buy that at any one of their stores. They are also branching out in order to spark more creativity. They have created a design center where anyone can go and try their hand at decorating their own home, complete with the ability to see what it would look like as a finished product. Very impressive!

Sherwin Williams does not just sell paint in the United States. The company has a rather large presence throughout North America, but also in both South America and Europe. The company’s name came from its founders. When it first started in 1866, two different individuals made the decision to go into business together and sell paint. One carried the last name Sherwin, while, you guessed it, the other was Williams. They decided it would be easiest to create a company that carried both of their names. Altogether, there are approximately seventeen different brands of paint owned by them. With so many different options for paint and other items, Sherwin Williams is the largest paint company in the world and employs approximately 52,000 people!

Categories
Recognition

Who Are We?

Hello, everyone! My name is Tatum Ellis and I’ve been with Marvin Keller for two years. Over these past couple of years, I’ve done a variety of things for MK, but my main focus now is our social media! I push everything out on different social media platforms and help create content for it. This is what I am interested in and going to school for. I attend Eastern Illinois University and I’m majoring in Corporate Communications with a minor in Public Relations. I will be graduating this summer which is very exciting! I’m very grateful to be able to work and focus on getting my degree.   

When I’m not here working or studying for school, I enjoy spending time with my friends, family, and dog. My dog’s name is Eva. She is a cocker spaniel, poodle mix, and is seven years old. She’s definitely the queen of naps. She’s truly the best dog “Eva”.  

And if you guys don’t already know I’m a part of the family tree here! Marvin is my grandpa, Joe is my uncle, and Rick is my dad. My other grandpa, Preston, also drives here too! Who wouldn’t want to work with their family?! That’s one of the many reasons why I love working here at Marvin Keller because of our family-oriented culture. 

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Podcast Recommendations

Our podcast fanatics have compiled a list of their favorite podcasts to share with you. Start off the list with our team’s favorite, Crime Junkie Podcast recommended by Aleta, Kassie, Mindy, and Rachel.

Kyler Houser, Recruiting Team

  • Impaulsive
  • Views
  • King and the Sting
  • Unfiltered

Aleta Crouch, Owner Operator Team

  • And That’s Why We Drink
  • Cold Case Files
  • Sword and Scale

Mitch Wilson, Customer Team

  • The Joe Rogan Podcast
  • Adam Corolla Show

Kassie Waggoner, Accounting Team

  • 88 Days: The Jayme Closs Story
  • Cold
  • Red Collar
  • Monster: DC Sniper
  • Relative Unknown
  • The Orange Tree
  • The Drop Out
  • The Dating Game Killer
  • The Clearing

Mindy Miller, Customer Team

  • Something Was Wrong
  • Anatomy of Murder
  • Crime Beat

Michael Richards, Company Driver Manager

  • The Dan Lebatard Show with Stugotz
  • This Past Weekend with comedian Theo Von
  • The Monday Morning podcast with comedian Bill Burr

Try these out and share your favorites!

Categories
Announcement & Hot Topics

Make It Monday

On this week’s Make It Monday we are featuring the Instant Pot Pressure Cookers! The Instant Pot was created with the need for making fast, tasty, and healthy meals in mind. With their pressure cooker abilities, Instant Pots are able to bring tasty meals to the table within minutes.

If you haven’t already joined the Instant Pot family, the model below can be purchased for $80.00 on Amazon or Walmart. If you want to use your Pro Points, that would equate to 800 Pro Points.

Here are two recipes to try out brought to you by Aleta Crouch and Mike Richards.

Root Beer BBQ Chicken – Slow Cooker Recipe from Aleta Crouch

  • 2 thawed chicken breast
  • ½ bottle honey BBQ sauce
  • ½ can root beer
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • Cook chicken on slow cooker setting on high for 3 hours
  • Drain juice
  • In a bowl mix BBQ sauce, root beer, salt, and pepper
  • Pour mixture over the chicken
  • Cook covered on high for 30 minutes

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos from Mike Richards

  • Add raw chicken to your instant pot. ( I usually use breasts or tenderloins, whatever you prefer)
  • Add enough chicken stock to cover the raw chicken.
  • Add whatever spices you prefer on your taco meat. (I like to use regular taco seasoning and add dried chilies to give it a bit of spice.
  • Pressure cook the chicken for roughly 20 minutes until the meat is tender and pulls apart.
  • Serve on tortillas and garnish with whatever taco toppings you prefer.
  • Added note from Amy Graven – I have done something similar but poured a jar of salsa over the chicken as my seasoning and pressure cooked it.

Categories
Customer News

ADM/Stratas Spotlight

Author: Donna Reed, Customer Team

Marvin Keller has been hauling products for ADM/Stratas Foods for about 12 years and has been steadily increasing our load volume. They are our 3rd largest customer. We are primary on several Stratas lanes including Walmart in Brundidge, AL, Opelika, AL, and New Albany, MS, and Kroger in Forest Park, GA, and Valdosta, GA. We also haul several loads a week for ADM Milling warehouses. MK is considered a top carrier for ADM/Stratas, which puts us in the position to have our trailers preloaded and be able to use their drop lots. We are known as a carrier who is reliable and can make deliveries on time without problems. Big shout out to all drivers as this helps with feeding families around the world.

ADM is an American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation. They operate more than 270 plants and 420 crop procurement facilities worldwide where they transform natural products into ingredients. Some of the major ingredients they supply are cereal grains and oilseeds that are processed into food and beverages, animal feed, fuel, and other industrial products for their markets worldwide. They also provide agricultural storage and transportation services. Products are transported with dry vans, refers, tankers, hoppers, railcars, planes, and cargo ships.

In 2008, ADM and ACH Foods formed a 50/50 joint venture forming Stratas Foods, whose corporate office is located in Bartlett, TN. They are a leading supplier of a variety of fats, oils, sauces, mayonnaises, and dressings for food service (food ingredients) and private label markets of retail facilities, such as Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, and Supervalue grocery stores. They have production facilities in CA, IL, GA, NJ, TN, and TX. With supplying to both the foodservice and retail markets, Stratas was able to adapt quickly during covid shutdowns.