Flexible Spending Account Open Enrollment

What is a Flexible Spending Account?  FSAs are tax-advantage accounts that let you use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible medical expenses.  You can use an FSA to save on average 30 percent on healthcare costs.  Don't think of it as money deducted from your paycheck - think of it as money added to your wallet.  

Considering an FSA?  Here are 7 things you need to know:

1. Contributions are tax free. 

2. Your entire annual balance is available on day one. 

3. After annual enrollment, you can only change elections with a "Qualifying Life Event". 

4.  An FSA lets you pay for more than you think. 

5. You can pay for eligible expenses directly, or get reimbursed later. 

6.  FSAs let you pay for your spouse and eligible dependents, too. 

7. FSAs are "Use It Or Lose It" accounts.  

Open Enrollment for a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) will begin on November 1st and end on November 14th.  If you wish to enroll in an FSA or Dependent Care account for the 2023 calendar year, you must complete the fillable form in your Paycom Profile no later than 5 pm PST on November 14th.  The form will become available on November 1st.  The path in Paycom is Paycom> Documents> 2023 FSA Enrollment form. If you do not wish to enroll, you do not need to complete the form.

Breast Cancer Awareness 

Thanks to all who participated in the Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Challenge!  

Halloween Costume Winners 

1st Place: Alexis White's son dressed as his Grandfather, Chief White

2nd Place: Kellee Prchal's Family as the Prchal Bros Circus

3rd Place: Matt Tjard's son as Cousin Eddie

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos- we had a record number of submissions this year! If you are in the top three, please reach out to Stephanie Loft to talk prize details.

Spokane Employees

Special Dates in November

Child Safety Protection Month

National Adoption Awareness Month

Native American Heritage Month

Peanut Butter Lovers Month

1st - All Saints Day

3rd - Sandwich Day

6th - Daylight Saving Time Ends at 2am

10th - U.S. Marine Corps Birthday

11th - Veterans Day

13th - Caregiver Appreciation Day

23rd - National Adoption Day

24th - Thanksgiving

25th - Black Friday

26th - Small Business Saturday

28th - Cyber Monday

Employee Spotlight

Employee: Silvia Horton

Position: Accounting Specialist 

Hi! I’m Silvia Horton (Yes, I was Hortonized😊), some of you probably still remember I used to be Campbell when I started at Pearson in 2008 as a temp.

I was born in Reynosa, TM, Mexico. I was about 5 yrs. old when my parents brought my sister and I across the border, that was my life changing trip lol. Raised in southern ID and moved to the Northwest during my teenage years. Worked out in the fields long enough to know that I didn’t want any children I had to go thru that. So I moved to Spokane to study Electronic Engineering, but what I liked the most about EE was phased out very quickly and I ended up looking for something different to work in. I liked soldering the parts into the circuit boards, nowadays the components are so tiny and microscopic that machines do all the work most of the time. I came to Pearson as a Temp and part time AR Specialist, focusing on customers based in Mexico. I’m Bi-lingual, can read, write, and speak Spanish. I became a permanent  employee in 2009 and have been here ever since!

Pearson has seen me at the hardest part of my life (my divorce) and seen the best as well (my marriage to Larry Horton, former Service Tech for Pearson) and that is what I love most about Pearson are all the people. I also like being an AR person, most of the time 😊.

On the weekends I normally have grandkids over but leave Sundays to focus on football (go Bronco’s! Don’t care they’re not the best right now either😊) and husband Larry, not necessarily in that order though.

                                                               Thank you for sharing, Silvia!

Thanksgiving Cactus Or Christmas Cactus? Which One Do You Have?

by Farmers' Almanac Staff                          

Christmas cacti are such beautiful plants when they flower, and we often hear that cuttings have been passed down from generation to generation, often still thriving after decades.  But are you sure you know which holiday cactus you have?  They are often confused.

Here’s a startling revelation:  you may have a Thanksgiving cactus instead of a Christmas cactus!  Although they look very similar, they’re two different plants.

Unfortunately, the confusion between these holiday succulents is perpetuated by the fact that they’re often mislabeled in garden centers.  And since they both bloom in late fall or early winter it further adds to the confusion.  But it’s nice to know which one you truly have.  Here’s how to tell them apart:

Thanksgiving Cactus                                                               

Leaves: You can tell the Thanksgiving cactus apart from the Christmas cactus by the shape of its leaves.  The leaf segments, called “phylloclades,” and are serrated or “toothed,” with pointy spines; with 2-4 on each side.  This is why these succulents are referred to as “Crab Claw Cactus.”  The end of the last segment is slightly concave with a point on each side.

Flowers: Flowers of the Thanksgiving cactus are produced from the tips, or from where the leaf segments join. They resemble a long tube, appearing as if it's a flower within a flower.

They come in a range of colors, mostly pastels, including red, pink, peach, purple, orange, or white, and typically bloom in Thanksgiving.

The blooms on a Thanksgiving cactus come in many colors, with yellow pollen-bearing anthers.

Also, look at the pollen-bearing anthers—Thanksgiving cactus anthers are yellow, while Christmas cactus anthers are pink to purplish-brown.

Christmas Cactus

Leaves: The leaves of the Christmas cactus have a more rounded, scalloped edge. The tip of each segment is slightly curved but they can look almost straight across.

Flowers: The flowers of the Christmas cactus are usually pink or white and bloom in December. But don’t be surprised if you also see blooms between March and May on these plants.

Getting Your Holiday Cacti To Bloom

If you’re hoping to get blooms in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’ll need to begin temperature treatments several weeks before.  Your plant will need 12 to 14 hours of total darkness, along with cool nighttime temperatures of 60-65º F for about 3—4 weeks in order for buds to form.

One way to do this is to place the plant in a dark closet from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.  Or, you can cover the plant with a large paper bag in the same time frame.  Once you see buds, you can resume normal lighting, but keep the plants cool.

If you keep the plant in a continuously cool room (around 50—60º F) in September and October, chances are excellent that it will produce flowers, although you’ll notice growth will be slower.  If temps are too cool, you’ll find that the buds may drop off.   So it’s a bit of a balancing act.

March Blooms?

Sometimes Christmas cacti and Thanksgiving cacti show prolific blooms in March.  t’s not uncommon for this to happen.  In fact, don’t be surprised if you see blooms anywhere from March to May, although usually, these blooms are more sparse than you’ll see around the holidays.  The reason is that most holiday cacti bloom more than once a year.  Check to see if you see any buds forming between the leaf sections.  You can encourage them to bloom using the steps above, or just wait and see what happens!

_______________________________________________________________________________________    Where in the World is Pearson?

Canada

 BASF is a clean farm that is comprised of six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions based out of Canada. They have around 111,000 employees in the BASF Group which contributes to the success of their customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world! They say that they combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility.  Pearson recently commissioned a CE25 for them and things are running smoothly! *Pictured is one of their plants in Germany.

Case Packing for Cartons of Baked Goods

This robotic top loader used a custom-designed end-of-arm tool to pick and place cartons of baked goods at rates up to 62ppm. An intuitive HMI supports operation and troubleshooting, and changeovers are quick and tool-less. Plus, the cell comes with Remote Access capability, machine status lighting and safety redundancy.

 Birthdays

Anniversaries

1 Year: Devin Bates, Jason Campbell, Matt Cornett, Chris Gallagher, Ryan Hammond, Eric Nix, Kevin Rigg      and Dylon Sisson
2 Years: Jeremy Gagnier, Steve Myers, Mike Oien and Ronny Pintor                                                                    3 Years: Randy Phillips
6 Years: Derek Schilperoort
9 Years: Lonnie Shelton
16 Years: Ben Becker
25 Years: Miguel Ramos
27 Years: Joe Hurst
32 Years: Leo Robertson

Retirement

                                                                                                         Steve Hedgpeth

                                                                       27 Years of Service                 

After 27 years working as a Mechanical Engineer, Steve is moving on to the next great adventure- retirement! Throughout the years, his innovative design concepts have led to patents for multiple end effectors including case packing single serve cups, disposable forks and our servo adjustable palletizing tool.  He shared his gained knowledge as a leader, mentoring countless young engineers that have become exceptional engineers in their own right.  We thank you Steve for your tireless years of service and we wish you a happy, loving and healthy retirement!     

Wedding

Machelle and Mark Johnson's daughter, Cassie, got married on Saturday, October 22, 2022.  Machelle said, "When I started at Pearson she was 10 years old, and now she's married.  Love the fact that I could achieve both my career and family goals while working for this amazing company."               

Engagement

Dan Brockman proposed to his girlfriend, Rhylee, on their six year anniversary. They met after he was being a smart aleck, and said that if he was going to be wined and dined, he needed flowers, chocolates and a bear. Dan knew she was special when the next day he found flowers, chocolates and a bear in the passenger seat of his truck. Since then they have adopted a beautiful chocolate lab named Maisy and have been remodeling their home in Reardon. We look forward to the wedding photos to come in Fall of 2024! 

New Employees

Luis Gonzales - Assembly Contract

Kenneth Spicer - Procurement Admin

Luke Bond - Electrical-Mechanical Technician

Sean Logan - Inventory Specialist 

Jensen Newhall - Inventory Specialist 

Nick Russell - Electrical-Mechanical Technician

                                                               Welcome to You All!

Brain Game

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

What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, laser printers, circular saws, ice cream makers and disposable diapers all have in common?

September Blog Brain Game Answer: I weaken all men for hours each day.  I show you strange visions while you are away.  I take you by night, by day take you back.  None suffer to have me, but do from my lack.  What am I?   Answer:  Sleep

Winners:  Michael Norton, Jessica Darst, Jared O'Hara and Tristan Erdman

Did You Know?  Sharks possess an internal navigation system similar to GPS that allows them to use Earth's magnetic forces to travel long distances with accuracy.  The researchers from Florida State University made the discovery by subjecting 20 bonnethead sharks, part of the hammerhead family, to "magnetic displacement" exercises that replicated geographical locations hundreds of miles from where they were captured.  When the sharks were exposed to magnetic cues emulating a site about 375 miles south of where they were captured, they turned to swim north, exhibiting a "homeward orientation" suggesting the use of magnetic forces in their navigation.

Quote Of The Month

"Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value."

- Albert Einstein

Learn A New Word

Amatorculist - A little insignificant lover; or a pretender to affection

Recipe                     

                                                Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese

   Time: 45 minutes                                                                                                                                                     Yield: 6-8 servings 

Chef Erick Williams didn’t really like mac and cheese until he and his sous-chef spent a few years perfecting this recipe for his Chicago restaurant, Virtue. The thing about it that converted Williams into a fan? It’s silky and creamy throughout, with (almost) no crispy bits (the chef is generally against cheese getting crunchy). Don’t be fooled by the fact that a hot oven is involved in this Thanksgiving side dish—this is really a stovetop mac and cheese. It only hangs out in the oven for 10 minutes, just long enough to get all the cheese properly melted.

 Ingredients

•  1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
• 2 lb. extra-sharp cheddar, coarsely grated
• 4 oz. full-fat cream cheese
• 1 lb. elbow macaroni

Directions

Step 1

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Bring evaporated milk and whole milk to a bare simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt. Working in batches, whisk in three fourths of the cheddar, then all of the cream cheese.

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil (it should have a little less salt than seawater). Cook macaroni, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Step 3

Add macaroni to cheese sauce in pan and mix until well coated. Evenly spread out half of macaroni mixture in a 13x9" baking dish. Sprinkle half of remaining cheddar evenly over. Layer remaining macaroni mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake until all of the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy! If you decide to make this delicious recipe, make sure to snap a photo and email it to zhutson@pearsonpkg.com to be featured in next month's blog.