General Parts, LLC

Serving those who feed the nation

I want to take a moment to

thank all of you for the ef-

fort and hard work that you

put forth in 2014. As you

know, the first half of the

year started slow, and it

took some time for us to

gain traction. We finished

the year very strong and in

dynamic fashion, setting

the stage for a prosperous

2015.

The New Year is now upon

us, and we have some very

exciting things happening

throughout the company.

Expanded programs with

companies such as Mid-

dleby, Manitowoc and

Henny Penny should pro-

vide us with new opportu-

nities in all locations.

Within the next thirty days,

we will “officially” open

our 19th branch location in

Pensacola, Florida. Addi-

tionally, we have also just

hired our first technician

for our St. Louis satellite

operation. Our newest

branch offices in Okla-

homa City and Tulsa have

gained a strong foothold in

Oklahoma and are booking

more and more business

each day. This truly will be

an exciting year for Gen-

eral Parts. Let’s make it

our best ever.

Bruce Hodge

Worth Knowing

“Your smile is your

logo, your personal-

ity is your business

card, how you leave

others feeling after

an experience with

you becomes your

trademark.”

Jay Danzie

Manufacturer Praises Local Technician

The Waupun Correctional Facility kitchen in Waupun Wisconsin recently installed a new disposer. General Parts received a call indicating the disposer was “completely down.” Wiscon-sin Service dispatched Technician Russ Hein to the correctional facility. Due to lack of a security detail he was unable to look at the unit that day, but returned a couple of days later. Russ checked the unit. He replaced the control panel with a new control panel on site, still not working. After speaking with the manufacturer’s service manager on 12-1-14, Russ replaced the reed switch and found the wiring problem on the waste express unit and corrected wiring in control panel. The manufacturer’s Service Manager noted “the unit malfunctioned as a direct result of improper wiring techniques used at the time of initial system installation by the installing electrical contractor. General Parts successfully corrected the errors found, and the system was returned to normal operation per the manufacturer specifications.” Russ replaced the reed switch based on his decision and was not a result of a confirmed defect. Russ received high praise from the manufacturer on this repair.

Business Develop-

ment News

2

2015

Shape Up Challenge

2

Technician Laptop

and Table Reminder

2

Safety focus: Why? 3

Recent Staff

Additions

3

IT Frequently Asked

Questions (FAQs)

3

Employee Milestone

Anniversaries

4

Inside this issue:

President’s message

February 2015 Volume 17 Issue 2

2015 RFMA Restaurant Facility Management Association

Conference

The sales team traveled to San Diego CA on Feb 1-3, 2015 for the

RFMA (Restaurant Facility Management Association) Show.

RFMA is a true collaboration of industry professionals. General

Parts is a charter member. Through RFMA, we help restaurant facil-

ity managers maintain equipment consistency while focusing on the

many other aspects of their job.

The annual conference allows facility professionals to work as a

team. They share best practices, information and ideas to protect

their companies’ assets. Restaurateurs also work with vendors at the

conference. Vendors educate attendees on technology improve-

ments, strategies and services. Together, they find solutions to pre-

sent and future problems.

Business Development

Technician Tablet and Laptop helpful hints

EAT 5…servings of fruits and vegetables a day

SLEEP 7…hours every night

TAKE 10…minutes to yourself

MOVE 30…minutes each day

4 OTHERS…do one random act of kindness 90 people are participating in the 2015 Shape Up Challenge!

*Remember:

To qualify for the Wellness Program benefit of $480 or discounted insurance premium in 2016 you will need to participate in

at least 1 health challenge in 2015. This is the 1st challenge out of 3.

Another challenge is schedule during the summer (to be determined). The Get Moving Challenge is scheduled in the fall.

Let the 2015 Shape Up Challenge Begin!!!

February 2015 Volume 17 Issue 2 Page 2

GENERAL PARTS GROUP LAUNCHES MOBILE WEBSITE

General Parts Group brings the convenience of mobile access to restaurateurs. Now users can easily sched-ule commercial appliance repair services, order restau-rant equipment parts, find locations and search General Parts job postings using their smart phones and tablets. The new mobile site condenses the content-rich web-site down to the essentials so that busy restaurant facil-ity managers can swiftly access urgently needed infor-mation. The two most popular functions on the mobile site are booking a service and parts look up.

Technician Tablet and

Laptop users re-

minder.

At the start of each

activity when work-

ing on a work order

be sure to use the Ac-

knowledge, Travel,

Start and Done but-

tons.

Q: Why can’t I just keep these extra desktops, laptops and phones at my branch and hand them

out as I need to?

A: We keep an inventory of computers by user location. Giving someone other than the original

assigned user goofs up our inventory. Also, maintenance is performed on the computers re-

turned to IT to remove viruses and to update operating systems and programs.

Q: Where can I find directions for the new phone system

on what features are available and how to use them?

A: Click the Zultys icon on the company intranet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Nebraska—Karl Breitkreutz Technician

Oklahoma—Mike Dill Dispatcher Oklahoma City

Tennessee—Chris Hudson Shipper/Receiver

Wisconsin— Bill Steed Business Development Distri-

bution Center, Brian Kirchberg Technician Madison,

Corporate—Tim Marten Purchasing Administrator

Arizona—Ramon Mendez Technician Tucson, Miguel

Estrada Technician Tucson

Colorado—Aaron Stockton Technician

Florida—Russ Broxson Service Manager

Indiana—Don Hershberger Technician Fort Wayne,

Bob Armstrong Technician Fort Wayne

Minnesota— Katrina Hall Service Administrator,

Layne Theesefield Shipper/Receiver

Welcome all new staff additions!

February 2015 Volume 17 Issue 2 Page 3

Safety focus — Why? General Parts provides safety training for the benefit of the technician to be aware of safe work conditions as

well as to protect the technician from potential hazards at the worksites. Potential hazards include electrical,

physical strain or overexertion, road conditions and weather conditions, among others. Many institutional

customers as well as large companies require safety training of all our technicians.

Think before acting. Keep safety in mind at all times. Use proper tools, techniques and procedures.

Don’t perform a task that requires 2 people by yourself. Wait until the 2nd person is available.

Technician Tablet and Laptop

continued:

11311 Hampshire Ave S

Bloomington, MN 55438

EMPLOYEE MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES 20 YEARS

Carol Wolfe IL, Corporate Customer Service Manager

Mike Skaja IL Lead Master Certified Technician

10 YEARS

Shannon Hall MN Warranty Administrator

5 YEARS

Margaret Revette AZ Phoenix Parts Specialist

Phone: (952) 944-5800

Fax: (952) 996-9301

Email: hr@generalparts.com

Authorized Service and Parts for Foodservice Equipment, Refrigeration

and HVAC

GP Parts Direct Distibution Center is maintaining 98% Inventory accuracy!!!

General Parts, LLC. supplies parts and repair services to the commercial kitchen and restaurant industry. Founded

in 1939, General Parts distributes parts and provides service for over 60,000 customers and 400 manufacturers of

commercial foodservice equipment.

In 2002, General Parts was the first service agency in the United States to meet industry requirements and became

CFESA’S first “Certified Company”.

Many of our customers include fine dining, casual dining and fast food restaurants, colleges, universities, hospitals, nursing homes and sports venues. Corporate headquarters

are located in Bloomington, Minnesota and with major

branch operations strategically located in Arizona, Colo-rado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wis-consin we are ideally positioned to provide quality service

throughout the United States.

We’re on the web:

generalparts.com

Want to share news or tidbits about your department, location or

recent business event? Send to hr@generalparts.com Thank you.

With heavy hearts, the WI branch is saddened to announce the loss of a beloved member of its team. Tony Balistreri (Service

Technician) passed away on Christmas Eve 2014. Tony had recently been fighting an array of health issues. He was a valuable,

knowledgeable, and respected technician and person. His unique and friendly personality had customers specifically requesting

him for service and the office personnel always smiling. Tony worked for General Parts from 1981 to 2001 and again from

2010 to 2014. Please keep Tony’s family in your thoughts and prayers as he is greatly missed by many.