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Text Box: Customer Gives an “Atta Boy” Our customer at John Deere Harvester Works recently gave an “Atta Boy” to the following group of VSI employees who did an excellent job of cleaning and painting machines: Benny Ibarra and Dustin Vergane (cleaning and prep work), and Howard Hill, Adam Woodhurst, and Ronald McBride (painting). Thanks to all of you for the team effort that resulted in such praise from the customer! Thank you Heidi Murdoch, Facility Manager, wishes to thank the following employees for their efforts which led to good QA scores in August: Shavon McRoy, Cynthia Masterson, Carla McKnight, and Nykeasha Tillman. Keep up the good work! Fit for a President We would like to commend all of our employees at the Caterpillar Aurora facility for their efforts in preparing the facility for President Bush’s visit in August. We received high praise from our customer for our efforts. Caterpillar Group President, Gerry Shaheen, asked that everyone be told how proud he was of the teamwork of the entire WLED workforce. Consistent Quality Special recognition goes to Joe Scamardi, Facility Manager at the Caterpillar Joliet facility, and his employees for their efforts to prepare that facility for an open house on August 28th. Our customer is extremely complimentary of your efforts, and says, “We appreciate the effort and the quality of work your group has done to help us prepare the Joliet Facility for this and other activities.” Good job! Customer Satisfaction Our customer at the Caterpillar Bergstrom facility in Joliet, Illinois, asks us to pass on their thanks to the VSI employees for their extra attention to detail in preparing for an open house. Way to go! Good Work We received a thank you note from the Coordinator of the Day Care at Northminster Church after our employees extracted the carpet on August 15th. She said her office looked great. Nice job! Attention to Safety KUDOS to Vern Haskins for noticing a bad outlet and wires in the help desk office at the Caterpillar Pontiac facility. He notified our customer promptly and the issue was addressed. Good attention to safety, Vern!

Let’s Get to Know...

Mark Bethell is a Facility Manager for VSI’s John Deere Harvester Operations in the Quad Cities, a position he has held since February of 2005. Mark is a native of the Quad Cities and has a colorful job history that includes US Air Force, hair stylist, physical trainer, DJ, and home construction. He is married with 2 children. His wife, Madonna, works at the VSI Alcoa facility. He most admires his mom for working 2 jobs to provide for him while teaching him to be a caring individual.

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Text Box: Jesse Carter has been selected as Employee of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2005. Candidates for this award were evaluated on criteria such as Customer Service, Quantity & Quality of Work, Safety, Teamwork, and Attendance. Others nominated for this award were: Phillip Houston, Cindy Simpson, William Spiller, Eugenia Langhorn, and Francisco Cervantes. The task of selecting a single winner is always difficult, so we have revised the Employee of the Quarter program to also give nominees recognition of our appreciation with a certificate for 20 KUDOS. As winner of the Employee of the Quarter award, Jesse will receive a $200 bonus and a framed certificate. Jesse has been with VSI since September 2001. He currently works at our Pontiac facility. He is very hard working, dedicated, and willing to do extra. As our customer writes, “Jesse’s knowledge and willingness to go the extra mile is exceptional, and it is an every day occurrence with Jesse. All of the crib attendants look up to Jesse and use his knowledge for guidance.” He shows great initiative and leadership in getting the job done. He not only has worked accident free, but is an advocate for safe work habits and participates on the safety committee. During his time with VSI, he has had excellent attendance and is always punctual and dependable. He is truly deserving of this award, and VSI would like to thank him for the daily contribution he makes and the commitment he demonstrates regularly. The next Employee of the Quarter award will be decided in late October (for the 3rd quarter of 2005). Hourly, non-supervisory employees shall be nominated by their supervisors. Nominations will be based on their performance in July, August, and September 2005.