Friday, March 21, 2014

Spelunking: Ben Caldwell

Ben Caldwell has lived all over the world. His father was in the Air Force, and he was in the Army before settling with our BAT team as an account executive in January.

When he is not at BAT or finishing his education at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Ben stays busy helping in the community and enjoying the outdoors. He volunteers with the American Red Cross, the Nebraska Humane Society and at a local pet foster/shelter. His love of animals extends to his home, where he has three dogs and a bird.

In the next month, his free time will get a little busier. His wife is expecting a baby girl.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Spelunking: Ann Turner

Ann Turner, Administrative Assistant for Accounting, may be the oldest member of our team, but can still relate to the younger team members.

It could be because she's moved so much in her life. It could be her love of camping that keeps her young. Or, it could just be what life has taught her.

"The older I get, the more I realize I'm just like the next guy and have the same problems as anyone else," she said. "Sometimes, when I think my issues are worse than anyone could imagine, I meet someone who has it worse."

She started as a temp in July, and fit in so well that she "permanently" joined the team in October.

Ann is an avid reader, calling her love of reading an addiction. Her favorite book series is a set of murder mysteries by Nevada Barr.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Spelunking: BAT Celebrates Sixth Year With Spirit Week

Can you believe BAT is now six years old? To celebrate our anniversary, we held our First Annual BAT Spirit Week. Each day had a special theme for which we could dress up for prizes.

Monday was Best Team Spirit, Tuesday was Hat Day, Wednesday was Pajama Day and Thursday was Crazy Hair Day. Today was BAT Spirit Day, and we were treated to a professional massage!

Our daily winners were Charlie on Monday, Katy on Tuesday, Anthony on Wednesday, Joe on Thursday and Charles on Friday.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday
Friday

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Spelunking: Moreno Completes First Half Marathon

Cindy Moreno shows off her medal.
This weekend, BAT Director of Sales Cindy Moreno donned a crown and pink tutu to run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World in Florida. It was her first time running in a half marathon, and she finished 14,772 out of 19,000 runners.

For those who don't know, a half marathon is 13.1 miles. She finished it in 3 hours and 29 minutes. Since it was her first time, her goal was to finish and not be the last one across the finish line.

"It was hard work, but so much fun at the same time," Moreno said. "I will be doing this again, and my goal next time will be to finish under three hours."

For more information about the event, visit the Run Disney website.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Echo: More Regulations Coming For Trucks

Earlier this week, President Obama announced plans to improve the fuel efficiency of trucks. He told the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to propose the new regulations by March 2015.

The White House has released a fact sheet with details on the announcement. Truckinginfo.com has article explaining the announcement and what is already on the way, including reactions from the trucking industry.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Echo: Intermodal Continues to Grow

There are some bright spots besides the reflection of light off the tons of snow we've seen this year-- intermodal traffic has been growing over last year's numbers, with a year-to-date increase of 1.1 percent, according to the American Association of Railroads.

The report, ending Feb. 8, showed the commodity with the highest increase was farm and food products, followed by grain.

For more information, read the AAR's report.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Spelunking: If We Could Be Olympians...

Every four years, the Winter Olympics inspires the young- at least for a month- to train for a winter sport. Sometimes, though, even adults have dreams of standing on a podium as the National Anthem plays. So, if we could, which sports would some of our BAT team members compete in?

Steve Coenen: I have been an avid curler for about 8 years now. Haven’t made it to the Olympics yet, but it is a dream! I’ve got a few kinks to work out, but I will make it. I know I will.

Krysten Parrish: Skiing. I have only been skiing a few times in my life and I loved the rush it gave me. But I’m also an adrenaline junkie.

Steve Barnes: This isn’t close. Who wouldn’t want to be on a bobsled team? First of all, John Candy is a coach. And Doug E. Doug is awesome. Whatever happened to Doug E. Doug…

Cindy Moreno: I wish I could compete in downhill skiing, I love skiing and the thrill of going that fast and still being in control is exciting.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Spelunking: BAT Team Shares "Super" Recipes

Football's grand finale is this Sunday, and we've made it pretty clear many of us at BAT are big fans of the sport. So, of course we know exactly what food to prepare for our family and friends who will be watching the game with us.


Here are some of our favorite recipes you should try:




Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

(submitted by Charles Elmore)


 


1 package of little smokies to 1 package of bacon,


Slice bacon into halves and roll it up around the "smoky"


Set oven to 350 and very lightly oil the pan, depending on how you like your bacon cooked will determine the cook time so you will have to check periodically.


Drain the grease from the pan and place the "smokies" on a plate of paper towels to remove any excess grease.


Place them in a container or bowl and layer in BBQ of your choice.


 




Buffalo Chicken and Cheese Balls

(submitted by Cindy Moreno)


 


1 store bought rotisserie chicken


¼ cup hot sauce (recommended Franks Red Hot)


1 teaspoon ground black pepper


1 ¾ cups sharp cheddar cheese


¼ cup freshly sliced scallions (I don’t use these)


1 cup all-purpose flour


3 eggs (lightly beaten)


2 cups panko bread crumbs (or any brand bread crumbs)


Vegetable Oil, for frying


Heat Oil to 350 degrees


Pick the meat from the chicken and discard the skin. (I cut up the chicken in my food processor but you don’t have to) Place chicken in a large bowl and add the hot sauce, pepper, cheese, scallions and toss to combine. Roll the chicken into 2 oz balls about the size of a golf ball.


Place flour, eggs and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Roll each ball in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs and set aside.


When the oil is hot fry the chicken balls in batches cook for about 2 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken to paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil.


***another thing I have added in the past is cream cheese to the middle. I roll the cream cheese into small balls and when making the chicken balls I wrap the chicken around the cream cheese and then fry them. YUM!! But extra work and time.


For frying I use my Fry Daddy. They are inexpensive if you need to buy one and handy for this and chicken fingers.


I serve these with a bowl of ranch or blue cheese dressing.


 




Easy Summer Salad

(submitted by Krysten Parrish)


 


Salad:


1 package of coleslaw


1 package of chicken flavored Ramen Noodles uncooked (break up the Ramen noodles in the package so they are small and in bite size pieces)


4-5 green onion stalks (chop into small pieces and use the entire stalk)


1 small package of sliced almonds


½ cup of sunflower seeds


Dressing:


½ cup of oil


3T of vinegar


2T of sugar


Chicken flavoring from Ramen Noodles





Throw all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Toss. Make sure Ramen noodles are broken up well. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Super easy and super yummy! Only takes 10 minutes to make.


 




Football Treats

(submitted by Ashley Jankowski)


 


I do a giant rice krispie bar… but made with cocoa krispies instead of regular to get the brown color, and I shape it in to a football and put frosting laces on it.


I also make Oreo ball footballs.


Take 1 package of your favorite flavored Oreo’s (I use Mint Oreos) and crush them. Mix the crushed Oreos with 1 8 oz package of softened cream cheese.


Mix these together until the mix is almost paste like.


Mold the mix in to football shaped individual servings and set aside.


Once all molded together, freeze the footballs to hold shape.


After frozen for 30 min to an hour, remove from freezer and dip in melted chocolate.


Allow chocolate coating to harden and top with melted white chocolate laces for decoration.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Echo: CSX Teaches Intermodal 101

Anyone who doesn't completely understand intermodal shipping, or who may not be able to see the benefits, has a tool to help them. CSX shared this week their information kit on intermodal shipping.

The page includes two easy to understand videos which explain the benefits- both financial and environmental- of intermodal shipping.

Check out the "course" at www.intermodal.com.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Echo: Roads Are Key Factor For Dangerous Jobs

Did you know transportation incidents are the top cause of fatal work injuries? backlink In fact, according to stats from the 2012 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and published on Finances Online, transportation incidents are almost half the causes and more than double the second most common cause.

Thanks to that, truck drivers (combined with drivers and sales workers) are on the top ten list of most dangerous jobs in 2012. Road incidents also helped put refuse and recyclable material collectors on the list.

Probably the only positive piece of information from the stats is that the overall number of work fatalities has gone down by about 29 percent in the last 10 years.

Top 10 most dangerous jobs in America: It's not truck drivers, electricians or power line installers who have the most safety hazards

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Echo: Trucker Provides Winter Driving Tips

People in every state are facing the effects of the polar vortex, and many really don't know what do when they face the hazardous conditions the weather can create on the roads. Alan Wrobel came to our rescue this week-- he is a truck driver who has driven more than 800,000 miles in 8 years, and provided tips he has used to stay accident-free.

His tips can be found on Road & Track's website.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Spelunking: Happy New Year

As we look forward to the new year and form our goals, we can't help but remember all we gave back to the community this past year. We are fortunate to have accomplished all we have, and giving back is a small way to say thank you and to pay our fortune forward to help others.

This year, we contributed to the following organizations:
  • Women and Children
  • Cornerstone Christian School
  • Cheryl Heimes Memorial Scholarship Fund
  • St. Pius School
  • Aerotek Charitable Golf Tournament
  • Children’s Hospital
  • Dollar General Literacy Foundation
  • Omaha Lightning Non-Profit Basketball organization
  • Food Bank for the Heartland
We hope everyone has a great 2014!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Spelunking: Merry Christmas

Let's face it- no one wants to work this week. Maybe it's because we always had this week off from school when we were little, or we have little ones now who have the week off. But, many of us do have to work for various reasons. Adding a little fun to the week helps keep spirits up.

Our ugly sweaters
In typical BAT fashion, we had a little fun already this week with a contest. Yesterday, we donned our favorite over-the-top Christmas sweaters and we judged each sweater's ugliness. Joe Kier proudly won the ugly sweater contest.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Spelunking: BAT Grows in 2013

This is the time of year when we traditionally look back and think about all we have accomplished. This year, we are proud of quite a bit:

  • Increased our employees by 30 percent
  • Up 40 percent gross sales on our military division
  • Increased our carrier base by 25 percent
  • Certified as a Veteran Owned Small Business in April
  • Started BAT Trux in December

Stay in touch with us (by following this blog, liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter or Google+) to see all we accomplish in 2014.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Spelunking: BAT Introduces The Battys!

Phillip proudly pumps
his bat trophy in the air.
This weekend, BAT celebrated the past year with our annual Christmas party. But, this year was different- it was the first year we celebrated our team members with an awards ceremony called the Battys.

The highlights were:
  • Stephen Sinclair winning three awards- Biggest Weasel (for weaseling his way out of things), Biggest Brown Nose and Worst Timing.
  • Phillip Kinsey getting three "trophies" for his award, the Phil in the Blank Award.
  • Joe Kier and Steve Barnes winning Funniest in the Office.
  • Maureen Shea winning the award for Biggest Breakfast Bill.
  • Marissa Hough winning the Tree Hugger Award.

The party was held at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Neb. We got to try out a flight simulator and check out the exhibits at the museum. For musical entertainment, Smoke 'n Guns came all the way from Nashville, Tenn. to perform.
Smoke 'n Guns performs.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Press Release: BAT Trux Opens Next Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa-- BAT Logistics, one of the fastest growing 3PL providers of transportation services, is expanding with BAT Trux, its own trucking company.


Barry Franz
BAT has leased the first truck, a Peterbilt 389 truck with a new 53-feet stepdeck, for this new adventure. The truck will haul military freight starting next week.

"We are excited about expanding our operations into asset based trucking," said Liz Wayne, Government Services Manager.

Barry Franz was hired as the driver. He has eight years of experience hauling specialized sheets of glass.



 

About BAT Logistics
Backhaul and Track Logistics d/b/a BAT Logistics provides transportation solutions to the shipping community. Our core strength is full truck load services in dry, refrigerated, and rail commodities. Our services are executed using key national carriers with a focus on small to medium sized carriers. We operate in headhaul and backhaul lanes both regionally and cross-country. We also utilize door-to-door rail services that cover the entire nation. Our industry knowledge and experience using rail transportation gives us a clear and distinct advantage over the competition.


###
batgroup@batlogistics.com
Phone - 4028858100
Fax - 4028858101
20 Arena Way, Suite 2
Council Bluffs, IA 51501

Monday, December 2, 2013

Echo: Shipping Season

Today is Cyber Monday, and many of us are patiently waiting for break to shop. But, after clicking whatever button completes the purchase, a flurry of activity happens to get the package from the warehouse to the front door.

Here's a brief video the National Retail Federation shared that goes behind the shipping scenes: Ship the Box

There's also this neat video The Telgraph posted of Amazon's warehouse:

Friday, November 22, 2013

Echo: JFK Lives Wherever We Go

Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. From roads to an airport to a train station to even a space center, his name is memorialized wherever we go.

JFK had a huge influence on a lot of things during his short life, but one of the highlights was his goal to land a man on the moon by 1970. In July of 1969, his goal was accomplished, thanks to the support from Lyndon Johnson.

Air travel for the President also changed under JFK. His presidency is considered when Air Force One officially entered the jet age. The new Boeing 707, SAM 26000, became a moment in history a year after it entered service- it was the plane that flew Kennedy to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, and, later that day, was where Johnson took the oath of office. At Johnson's request, the plane also transported Kennedy's body back to D.C. The plane last served as Air Force One for Bill Clinton.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Thank You

Today is Veterans Day. It is the day we honor all who served and sacrificed for our country. A favorite tradition is singing the songs of our Armed Forces.

This video is from the annual Memorial Day Concert allows us all (even those who may have forgotten the words) to sing along:

For information on the history of Veterans Day, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Spelunking: Be Like Peyton

No matter what team is your favorite, it is obvious Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning is a future Hall of Famer. He is the fastest ever to reach several passing records and has been named player of the year or MVP several times.

Of course, Steve Barnes and Krysten Parrish had to see they could be as great as Peyton at something. So, we checked the Wikipedia page, and found an accomplishment that seemed attainable- the Saltine challenge.

What is the Saltine challenge? It is a competition in which you must eat six saltine crackers within one minute. You may not drink anything during the challenge and all crumbs must be eaten. Peyton did it while in college at Tennessee, failing the first time, but beating it when he changed his strategy- he stacked them and ate them all at once.

Krysten got all six in her mouth, but still had full cheeks at the end of the minute. Steve came close, but also failed. Even Peyton failed the first time...