Save the Date:

Flu Shots: Come get your free flu shot for the season on September 29th from 9am to 10:30am in Spokane. Free immunizations will also be offered in Ashland, and the date and time will be announced shortly. Flu shots are key in providing protection for yourself against the flu. 

Blood Drive: Vitalant will once again be hosting an on-site blood drive for our Spokane location. This will be held on September 10th from 8am to 10:45am and link to reserve your appointment slot has been emailed. At last year's blood drive we made eleven donations- let's see if we can beat that this year!

Special Dates in September

6th - Labor Day

11th - Patriot Day

12th - National Grandparents Day

15th - Yom Kippur begins

17th - Constitution Day

18th - United States Air Force Birthday

22nd - Autumn begins

26th - Gold Star Mother's and Family Day

Employee Spotlight 

Employee: Jake Dulaney

Position: Parts Sales Representative

What Jake loves about working at Pearson: “Pearson has been nothing but good to me since I had started in October 2019. I enjoy working on the parts team and other departments that we correspond with. Everyone gets along which creates a positive & low-pressure atmosphere that is easy to work in.”

Jake's Story: “Was born in Lehighton, Pennsylvania which is about 30 minutes outside Allentown, PA. Allentown is mainly known for being a Billy Joel song. I am the youngest of three. Have a sister 10 years older and a brother who is 2 years older. My mom was a Receptionist at the local township building and my dad was Human Resource Manager at Merrill Lynch in nearby New Jersey

Grew up in the town of Bangor, PA. Bangor is known for slate quarries and pasties (a pastry full of potatoes, beef, and onions.) The school mascot was the Bangor Slater. It was a kind of cool looking mascot.

My hobbies as a child were basketball, wrestling, boy scouts, hunting, volunteering at the American Cancer Society, and hanging out/getting in trouble with the neighborhood kids. My parents eventually divorced each another and our house sold in Bangor. That is when I moved to Coaldale, PA in 2010, my junior year of high school. Coaldale is the heart of the coal country in PA. It is a very depressing place and was a giant culture shock compared to Bangor.

Sadly, most of the coal mining in the area had vanished over the years and does not employ many people now. At one time, the area was bustling, but America has really moved away from using coal. The area very rich in history though, which I had always found interesting.

In 2011, I had graduated high school and attended Bloomsburg University of PA. After taking a few semesters off, I had finally received a bachelor’s in Business Administration in fall 2016.

In late 2016, my father’s behavior began getting strange and he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. I had moved in with him to give care and the only job I could get in the town was with the USPS. I was a letter carrier for about 2 years and just saved up money with hopes of eventually moving some day once I was able to get proper care for my dad.

After 2 years, I was able to get reliable part time care during the week and my mom aka his ex-wife, would come up every weekend to care for him. Having saved up money, I had basically picked a random place to move and landed in Spokane, WA. Just needed to start somewhere 100% new.

Moved into an apartment on the South Hill in August 2019. Took about a month to get situated and started applying for jobs which led to me being hired as a temp and eventually full time at Pearson.

A few months after we had begun working remote, my father’s health had taken a turn for the worse and he required 24/7 care. I had then relocated back to PA and have been here since. Unfortunately, my father passed away in early 2021.

Now, I am just focusing on improving myself and accomplishing my goals. I lift 5 days a week and consume about 1000-1500 calories a day. Really trying to get in the best shape of my life. I also have interests in cryptocurrencies, learning Spanish, and cooking Italian dishes from fancy recipes I find online.

Currently, I am at a point in my life where I am happy for the most part and just take everything day by day. I am a big fan of being positive in other’s lives and my own. I will end this on a quote, “Don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff."

Thank you Jake, for sharing your story!

Leaders in Packaging 2021

Packaging World magazine names the 2021 Leaders of Packaging in their July issue and Pearson was named as a leader in three categories: Palletizing/Depalletizing, Case Erect/Seal, and Case/Tray Packing. 

Click here to view the full list.

8 Revealing Everyday Documents You Never Knew You Should Shred

By Kelsey Kloss, Reader’s Digest Author

Once trash is off your property, it’s legal for anyone to take. Prevent identity theft by making sure these documents aren’t tossed in one piece.

Put them in the shredder

With a huge emphasis on digital security, it may slip your mind that physical papers left in the trash can be a gold mine for identity thieves especially with loads of junk mail overflowing the mailbox. Even something seemingly small such as an address or a partial account number could be useful information for those looking to exploit you. Here are the main culprits of documents people believe won’t cause any harm by tossing without ripping up first.

Boarding passes

Shred documents after you land: Your boarding pass has your name, your travel plans, and a barcode that free websites can decipher. This code often reveals your frequent-flier number, which crooks can use to log in to airline accounts to view upcoming travel plans, check in to flights, and even cancel trips. Since most boarding passes are mobile now, remember to never share a photo of it on social media.

Prescription labels

Whether stapled to the Rx bag or on the bottle, these labels may list your name, the date of initial dispensing, the name and strength of the drug, and the dispensing pharmacist’s name. Thieves may use this info to refill prescriptions or steal your identity.

Receipts

Shred all receipts you don’t save. Those from credit card purchases reveal the last digits of your card number and possibly your signature. Crooks can also use receipts for fraudulent returns and benefit from your store credit if you don’t shred documents. If you really want to play it safe, switch to paperless receipts wherever you can—you’ll be helping the environment, too! Make sure you organize these important documents for your family before it’s too late.

Pet medical papers

Keep records of major events, and shred the rest. Papers from a vet visit show a pet’s name—which a Google Apps survey of 2,000 people found is the most common password choice.

Return labels

Shred free return labels you receive in the mail, along with any envelopes with your name and address. Thieves often pair this with what you post on social media (family member names, work history) to piece together your identity. When writing your return address on an envelope, omit your name.

Resumes

Don’t toss resume copies or drafts without shredding. Resumes hand crooks your name, phone number, address, email address, employment past, and education history in one convenient piece of paper, hence why it’s so important to shred documents and not simply throw them out.

Extra birth announcements

Children are 51 percent more likely to be victims of identity theft than adults. Shred birth announcements you don’t save, which typically have the child’s name, birth date, weight, eye color, and other personal identifiers. If the newborn is yours, don’t accept monetary gifts (like a savings bond) that ask for the child’s social security number—it is often not required to open an account.

Extra funeral pamphlets

Thieves use the identities of more than 2 million deceased Americans every year to apply for loans, open credit card accounts, or file tax returns, collecting billions of dollars in refunds. Shred extra funeral pamphlets or obituaries you don’t save. If a loved one passes, list age in the obituary but not the birth date or mother’s maiden name—these personal identifiers are handy for ID thieves.

Source: Reader's Digest

Where in the World is Pearson?

Opelika, Alabama - Golden State Foods

Pearson recently completed a commissioning trip for a TF60 tray former at Golden State Foods in Opelika, Alabama. Golden State Foods was established even before Pearson in 1947 and is now one of the largest diversified suppliers to the food service industry. The Opelika location specifically is a meat processing facility that opened it's doors in the summer of 2018 and has been providing protein products to big names like McDonalds and Nestle.

Lee Musgrave, Field Service Technician, did a fantastic job with this project and representing Pearson on-site (so much so that the customer says he wants to work for us if he ever leaves Golden State Foods!). Pearson also received glowing praise from the customer about the quality of our products, stating "I love Pearson equipment. You build great machines." 

Birthdays

5th - Greg Nowak & Ron Pounds
6th - Ben Becker & Kevin Dickson
9th - Ryan Souza
12th - John Burgess
16th - Ricardo Cardenas
17th - Michael Limewood
18th - Brendan Wood
19th - Mike Oien
21st - Henry Osam & Brandon Ryan                                                                                  
23rd - Steve Turner
25th - Maria Sepulveda                                                                                     
26th - Niels de Koning                                                                                
28th - Robert Werchas                                                                               
30th - Ken O'Connell                                                 

Anniversaries

1 Year: Tripp Griffin & Madison Seiple
3 Years: Spencer Croom & Sam Culbertson
5 Years: Isaac Walton
6 Years: Kevin Dickson & Steve Lowe
8 Years: Robert Brummett & Susann Roeder
9 Years: Glenn Thompson
13 Years: Baran Thompson
16 Years: AZ Zaman
34 Years: Greg Lesher

New Employees

Zack Zmarlak - Spokane, WA

Zack joined Pearson on August 23rd as an Electrical-Mechanical Technician. Zack is an outdoor enthusiast, but can also game with the best of them and he has held a Rank 1 on World of Warcraft for an entire week!

DeAndrea Payne - Ashland, VA

DeAndrea started as an Inventory Specialist in Ashland on August 9th. DeAndrea loves Caribbean food, Now and Laters candy, and can play a mean game of arcade basketball. 

Nathan Lee - Milton-Freewater, OR

Nathan joined the Sales team as the Regional Sales Manager in the West Coast territory on August 31st. Nathan enjoys hanging out with his wife and three boys in the mountains, eating his favorite cuisine (Mexican food), and watching Motocross whenever he can. 

Returning Employees

Andy Miller - Ashland, VA

On August 11th Andy rejoined the Pearson team as a Machinist for the Ashland location. Andy has nearly twenty years of Machinist experience with Flexicell and Pearson combined, and we are feeling very lucky to have him back on the Pearson Packaging Systems team!

Welcome back Andy!

Brain Game

The first five people to solve this riddle will receive a $5.00 Starbucks gift card! Email your response to sstenton@pearsonpkg.com

Name three consecutive days without naming any of the seven days of the week.

July Blog Brain Game Answer:  What has a heart that doesn't beat? Queen/King of hearts, artichoke, or celery.

Winners: Marcus Reed, Kurt Larson, Tyler Levering, Ben McGhie, & Scott Walker

Did You Know?

There are more pop and classic songs with "September" in the title than any other month. 

Quote Of The Month

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in it's place is something you have left behind... let it be something good" 

- Mac Anderson

Learn A New Word

Anfractuous:  Full of windings and intricate turnings

Cozy Recipes that are Perfect for Fall

Fall is upon us, which means it's time for apple and pumpkin treats galore! 

Video courtesy of Tasty

Enjoy! If you make any of these delicious treats, make sure to snap a photo and email it to sloft@pearsonpkg.com to be featured in next month's blog.