Issue 82 January 22, 2015

January 2015

Welcome back from 2014 and welcome into 2015. We hope everybody that had some time off over the holidays enjoyed it, and for those that were here working; we appreciate all that you got accomplished.

First let me tell you that the business climate appears to be very solid and we fully expect to see at least similar sales and probably a slight increase from 2014.

We do have some challenges ahead of us in 2015 which will not only challenge us but

reward us and help carry Tyler Pipe into the future. To stay successful in today’s

business world, we have to have continuous improvement. We fully expect to install a

new coating facility for our fittings. This is a huge project but will enable us to give our customers a fitting that

looks just as good as the day it was painted. We fully expect to see a decrease in our injuries. 2014 was a tough

year for us. We will be conducting a safety survey with ALL Tyler Pipe team members the last week of January.

The survey is prepared and analyzed by the National Safety Council and will give us a clear direction of where we

are and what we need to improve on to create a safety culture which will clearly make us a better company. We

are also refocusing our efforts to our customers. We expect to give our customers the best

quality products: What they want, where they want, and when they want. This may sound

pretty simple, but it will take a 100% accommodating effort from all team members.

Please stay focused, give 100% everyday, do the best job you possibly can and we will

meet our challenges and again have a successful year in 2015.

Yep, We did it again! We beat last year’s total of 1,514 pounds of non perishable food items collected to be donated to the East

Texas Food Bank. Initially we reported the weight as 2,042 pounds but East Texas Food Bank gave us the official weight

which is 1,988. I’m still overjoyed by the effort put forth by everyone, which was tremendous. The goal was to beat last year’s

collection and we achieved our goal. The group effort that was put forth was extraordinary; from the outside sales guys

donating Walmart gift cards to buy food for the drive to the local hourly and salary team members bringing in cases and cases

of canned goods daily to fill the crates. It was truly a group effort.

I’ve been fortunate enough in my life that I never had to endure

hunger, however; I’m not oblivious to the fact that hunger exist in

East Texas. I can sleep well at night knowing that Tyler Pipe took

upon itself to do something about hunger during the holidays and did

it in a big way. As an added bonus to the Tyler Pipe annual food

drive, not only did one non-profit organization benefit, but two. Greg

Simmons has taken it upon himself to furnish a check to PATH

wherein he pays a dollar for every pound collected at Tyler Pipe. I

am sure this is one check that Mr. Simmons does not mind signing.

This check will be presented to PATH, (People Attempting to Help),

so they can fill their food pantry with the necessary items to assist families in East Texas whom are in need. Way to go Tyler Pipe !

By Faye Pettigrew

Issue 82 January 22,2015

You wake up at 3:00 AM on a cold mid-winter day – not because you can’t sleep but because your shift starts at 4:30 or 5:00 that morning. You are lucky. Some shifts start earlier than that. As you quietly move about the house, as not to disturb the rest of your family while they still sleep, you make note to put on extra thermal apparel. The forecast says that the temperature will not get out of the teens today and that an Arctic wind in excess of 20 mph will be prevalent all day long.

The coffee timer has gone off, as it does everyday, Monday through Thursday, allowing you a morning reprieve from the impend-ing cold that you will soon encounter. Breakfast is eaten alone and was possibly prepared the night before. This quiet time is probably going to be the last you experience until are able to lay your weary body down to sleep that night. It’s warm in your house and you are not looking forward to confronting the bone chilling cold that awaits you. It is difficult to determine which is worse – the sub-freezing cold of winter or the oppressive, sweltering heat of summer. But today you don’t really think about either. This is what you do. This is how you provide for your family. So, you do it, with no complaints and few, if any, regrets. You may even think of the minor bit of good fortune that you have with your job. After all, you are going to be, at least, under the cover of the foundry roof and only having to contend with the north wind, that inevitably find its way past any blockades or tarps installed to keep it out. You can now thank your lucky stars that you don’t work in shipping! Those poor men and women have to contend with this cold and wind out in the open. My, this coffee tastes good at this time of the day.

You don’t do it every day, but sometimes, you think about your fellow team members who are going through the same or similar routine at their homes. They, too, will have to deal with the harsh conditions that, not only Mother Nature can dish out, but the physical requirements of the jobs to be performed. But, enough daydreaming. Time to go to work. Hope that car of mine will start on a morning this cold…

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SPECIAL? If you have read this far, you have that answer.

By Pat Baldwin

Every year Tyler Pipe goes above and

beyond to make an extraordinary effort

to support, participate and improve the

communities that we live in. Whether it

is participating in the numerous Fun Runs, events likes like the Day of Caring and the Backpack Program to Food Drives and

the Literacy Council; Tyler Pipe is always looking for a way to

give back.

Giving comes from the heart and it is wonderful that our facility

is filled with caring individuals like Ann Cobb. As you

remember the United Way was an active participant in our

Health Fair in December. They held a drawing for a 32” flat

screen TV just for Tyler Pipe Team Members whom were

actively giving to the United Way. Ann stepped up and accepted

the challenge and it paid off big for her. She was the lucky

winner of the flat

screen TV.

The United Way has

hundreds of pro-

grams that touch 1

in 3 residents that

live in Smith

County. If you

would like to learn

more about the

United Way of

Smith County and the programs they support go to

www.unitedwaytyler.org

The Event Planning Committee is

constantly looking for new members

and would love to have YOU, if you

are willing to give your time. There is

nothing much to it just semi-annual

meetings to gather ideas, thoughts

and suggestions for events

throughout the year. The time

commitments are minimal and the

meetings are conducted around your

schedule. If you don’t think you can

serve on the committee we would

still love to hear your suggestions, ideas or thoughts on

events to provide for our Team Members.

For instance, we have not yet decided what should be the

GRAND PRIZE for those who participate in the most com-

munity events for 2015. Last year it was the opportunity

to watch a Texas Rangers Major League baseball game at

Globe Life stadium in an executive suite equipped with all

the amenities. We are now soliciting ideas for the next

great GRAND PRIZE. Any ideas? What about Dallas

Cowboys tickets for four, Dallas Mavericks tickets for four,

Family tickets to Six Flags or Splash Water Kingdom or

maybe go back to the Rangers game in the executive

suite again, all of which are good ideas and maybe you

have some too.

So if you’re interested in becoming a part of the Event

Planning Committee or have ideas you would like for us to

consider, stop by Human Resources and let’s talk.

Issue 82 January 22, 2015

Was part of your new years resolution to get in shape, to start eating healthier, to loose weight? Maybe you just want to get

more involved in your community. Well if any of the suggestions listed above pertains to you in anyway, then this is info is

for you. Tyler Pipe once again will be providing all of it’s Team Members the opportunity to become healthier this year or get

more involve in local community activities. You can do this by either actually running or volunteering in the “Fresh 15k Run”

or the “Tyler Run 4 Autism”. There is nothing more satisfying in life than to do something to help someone else. Tyler Pipe will pay all registrations fees for you plus a guest to participate in either event. If running is not for you, they are also asking

for volunteers. Volunteers duties are easy and simple; and they have something for anyone and everyone who is willing to

give their time. Duties such assisting with registration, providing tee-shirts and trinkets to the participants and handing out

water to the runners are just a few of the simple things you can do.

For more information on how to sign up, stop by Human Resources for details.

Where: Pollard Methodist Church Gounds,

Congratulations goes out to all those who made their 5 years of milestone increments in 2014. A special congrats to

those who reached 25 years of seniority for they have been inducted into the Silver Anniversary Club .

5 Years 30 Years

CAMERON, JOSHUA CARMAN, PENNY GOMEZ, FELIX OLLIFF, VICKI

10 Years MEDINA, EFREN RAMIREZ, LILIA

JACKSON, GWEN SHEPHARD, JENNIE NELSON, DAN SLAYTON, LOYD

KING, LESLIE E. SWANER, CHRIS 35 Years

MONTGOMERY, ROY TULLIS, ROBERT FEHLINGER, NANCY RAMIREZ, RODRIGO

15 Years DACUS, DAVID LOLLAR, LONNIE

BAEZA, TONY SHIRLEY, MICHAEL LARA, JOSE. JOHNSON, MORRIS.

JOHNSON, CHRIS SMITH, DWIGHT PRUITT, DANNA STONE, TOMMY .

KIMBLE, LESTER TEER, DONNELL ROBERTS, RONNIE KIRTLEY, JERRY

MCGHEE, STEPHEN TRACY, PATRICK HUNT, GREG DEWBERRY, LESTER

25 Years RAMOS, RAMON MAYFIELD, WILLIE

BOWLES, WAYNE LEGUIZAMO, SANTIAGO 40 Years

CORDOVA, EDDIE ORTEGA, JUAN WILLIAMS JR, BURNETT COPE, KENNETH

CURRY, GARY PETREA, BILLY REYNOLDS II, CHARLES ROZELL, HAROLD

DAVIS, LARRY SIMMONS, GREG BYRUM, RONALD TUCK, MITCHELL

GODWIN, JOHN WOOD, DARREN LOGAN, CHESTER TUCKER, DONALD

MARTIN, LARRY WALKER, LORETTA

WILEY, ROBERT ALEXANDER, RANDY

55 Years

MADISON, JAMES

Issue 82 January 22,2015

Lorie Prescott ~ 1

Harold Golden ~ 2

J.P. Kaufman ~ 2

Greg Hunt ~ 4

Alton McGee ~ 4

Tommy Taylor ~ 4

Jeff Hitt ~ 5

David Minnick ~ 5

Jason Sieben ~ 5

Rick Tatman ~ 5

Larry Thompson ~ 5

Craig Akin ~ 8

Diane Newman ~ 8

Jennifer Heys ~ 9

Richard Mask ~ 9

Johnnie Sutton ~9

Crystal Blalock ~ 13

Eddie Cordova ~ 13

Austin Shultz ~ 13

Vicki Olliff ~ 14

Ray Allen ~ 16

David Ellis ~ 16

Otis Turner ~ 17

Bill Bliss ~ 20

Felix Gomez ~ 20

Jerry Freeman ~ 21

Melvin Phelps ~ 22

Felipe Soto ~ 22

Donnell Teer ~ 22

Pat Korkmas ~ 24

Sacramento Esparza ~ 25

David Dacus ~ 26

Bobby O’Neal ~ 26

Charlene Starling ~ 27

Kenneth Cope ~ 28

Did You Know— Pre-Diabetes

Pre-diabetes can be a wake-up call for your health

It’s the time of year when many people resolve to make better choices about their health. A simple thing that you could do is to have your blood sugar levels tested to see if you have “pre-diabetes.”

Pre-diabetes can leads to type 2 diabetes, but you still have a chance to avoid developing it, says Dr. Christina Bratcher of UT Health Northeast. An estimated 75 million Americans have the disease, making it very common.

It has no symptoms and is linked to having a sedentary lifestyle, being obese, and having a genetic predisposition for it, she adds. The best way to determine if you have pre-diabetes is to have your blood sugar tested.

“If you’re gaining weight and you’re less active than you used to be, you’re setting the stage for pre-diabetes,” Dr. Bratcher says. “However, not everyone with pre-diabetes will develop full-blown diabetes.

One in four of those diagnosed with pre-diabetes will get diabetes within five years, she says. That’s why it’s important to see your healthcare provider on a regular basis if you have pre-diabetes.

Diabetes damages your heart and blood vessels. About 70 percent of people who have it die from a heart attack or stroke, Dr. Bratcher says. Diabetes also causes small blood vessel disease that can damage your eyes and kidneys.

You can avoid developing diabetes by changing your lifestyle – eating healthy foods, getting exercise, and losing weight, Dr. Bratcher says. Clinical trials have shown that these work better than drugs.

“The good news is that losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can make a big difference when it comes to pre-diabetes,” she says.