This week ARDEX hosted the NAFCT National Academy of Floor Covering Training Heat Weld, Flash Cove Certification Course. Well done to all the participants, thanks for coming! For more information about the NAFCT, check out their website: http://www.nafct.com/
INSTALL, the International Standards and Training Alliance, is in the process of rolling out polished concrete training. In support of this training, ARDEX Americas created a polished topping curriculum for INSTALL and implemented the training by providing an instructor. Among the first polished topping training locations were: New Jersey Local 251, Detroit Local 248 and Ohio Local 373.
ARDEX is heavily involved with INSTALL’s Substrate Preparation Certification trainings including: proper installation of patching and leveling materials and moisture control systems.
INSTALL, an association of flooring industry professionals, is dedicated to providing the most up-to-date training for their apprentices, journeymen and contractors. Given the recent industry trend towards polished concrete, adding the training was a reflection of the interest in the marketplace and the desire to help INSTALL contractors provide a complete range of floor coverings.
Pat Cunningham, ARDEX Technical Services Supervisor and Decorate Overlay Specialist, is currently serving as an instructor for the new trainings. “I was thrilled to be invited to be part of the new sessions. I believe it’s an important step that INSTALL is taking to stay current in their course offerings. Given the growth in the polished flooring market, it is a great opportunity for the INSTALL members.”
Cunningham is aided in his efforts by three INSTALL Instructors: David Gross of 251, Steve McCool of 248 and Guy Kappele of 373. The contributions of all INSTALL Flooring Instructors in this new market will be invaluable. In addition, contributions by assorted equipment and tooling manufacturers, distributors and their representatives have proven mutually beneficial. The new polished topping trainings are slated to be held frequently at all locations, and the expectation is to rollout the training throughout the south and western parts of the United States next.
ARDEX Director of Technical Services Seth Pevarnik, also an INSTALL instructor and supporter of the association, said, “ARDEX is proud to be a trusted partner of INSTALL, and we look forward to training the apprentices, journeymen and contractors in this, and future, generations.”
On Sunday, May 5, 2019, four ARDEX employees completed New York’s City 40-mile ride, Five Boro Bike Tour. The ride, which wound through the streets of the city, included scenery from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan. Despite the constant rain and cold temperatures, the riders persevered and completed the ride in under 4 hours.
The riders were: Kathryn Gardner, Recruitment and Employee Development Manager, Chris Knight, Director of Tax, Accounting and Business Planning, Brian McMahon, ARDEX Pump Systems and Facilities Management and Mark Rosepink, Senior Graphic Designer. Congratulations to the entire cycling crew, who are already planning an even bigger team for 2020.
This year marked ARDEX Americas’ 13th year of participation in the Adopt a Highway event in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Jesse David, Lori Angelo and 18 additional volunteers gathered to pick up trash along 1.2 miles of Todd Road that leads to the Aliquippa headquarters.
Rhonda West, ARDEX Director of Human Resources and project leader said,
I’m thrilled to have a team of employees and company executives who have an interest in participating in this semi-annual effort. It underlines ARDEX’ commitment to the community and the environment by taking time to clean the landscape in our local area.
Yesterday was the annual ARDEX « Turkey for you, Turkey for me » event! ARDEX’s dynamic leadership team: Jesse David, President, Americas; Lori Angelo, Chief Financial Officer and VP Shared Services; and Mike Crouch, President, Americas, Latin America, Innovation & R&D were on hand to give out turkeys to every employee.
The ARDEX tradition has been in practice for decades, and as employees gather in the technical training center to eat pie and collect their huge birds (mine was a staggering 19.25 lbs!), it’s a rather festive way to celebrate the upcoming holiday. That pile of boxes held about 150 turkeys to be distributed yesterday.
Overheard: « ARDEX finds a good home for every turkey! » And if that isn’t a great Thanksgiving message, I don’t know what is! Happy Thanksgiving all!
Lori and Jesse prepare to begin handing out the turkeys!
ARDEX folks eye up the table of pie.
Keeping watch over the turkey pile.
Mike helps Pam, our ARDEX Academy guru, with her turkey.
The festivities continue.
ARDEX employees volunteered at the Veteran’s Salute Breakfast on Friday, November 10. The event, which ARDEX helped to sponsor, was hosted by Community College of Beaver County and Senator Elder Vogel Jr.
ARDEX Americas was a corporate sponsor at the 25th Annual Run for Humanity this past weekend. The event, hosted by the Habitat for Humanity of Beaver County included a 10K run and 5K walk/run.
The weather was bright and sunny as participants looped around scenic downtown Beaver and enjoyed the riverfront views.
Team ARDEX had a strong showing again this year, and eight of the attendees took home medals! ARDEX employees attending the event with their friends and family were:
Michael Bender
Jesse David
Dave Fabyonic
Ken Gloor
Anna Hancq
Doug Marple
Jim Masterson
Eric McGrosky
Deb Miller
Steve Miller
Kara Psomas
Melissa Alliston Rai
Martin Reilly
Alyssa Sineway
The eight medal winners included four first places (pictured) by Ken Gloor who ran the 10K, Nick Miller, Lynn Gloor and Mike Bender, who all participated in the 5K. Other medal winners included: Eric McGrosky, Doug Marple, Marilynn Marple and Martin Reilly.
Brett Anthony, recently retired sales professional for the northern California market, was recognized for his years of untiring service to ARDEX Americas. Presenting the retirement award are Jesse David (right), ARDEX Americas President, and Aaron Chaffee, Regional Sales Manager, Western Region.
After nearly 23 years, Brett retired in late April of this year. He came to ARDEX Americas from the commercial flooring industry, and his relationships with many major flooring companies were instrumental in growing sales in his territory. Over the years, many of his fellow employees and customers have come to rely upon his product knowledge and expertise.
Looking forward to the years ahead, Brett is eager to spend time with his family, especially his four grandchildren. The award, which reads in part, “your loyalty and friendship will long be remembered,” echoes sentiments expressed by his coworkers, who will miss his unwavering commitment to excellence.
John Bailey, ARDEX Americas Government and Military Sales Specialist, retires at the end of June after nearly 21 years of service. He began his ARDEX career as a Sales Professional for North and South Carolina. Over the years, John’s strong work ethic and great relationships with local distributors, architects, general contractors and flooring contractors made him a trainer and role model for rookie ARDEX sales professionals. As business in his region grew, he was promoted to Team Leader of the Carolina-Virginia Sales Team.
In 2009 the ARDEX Government & Military Sales Team was formed. Bailey, a retired major of the US Air Force (USAF Special Operations and Logistics), was appointed as the very first ARDEX Government and Military Sales Specialist for the Southeast. He was instrumental in opening this large, previously closed, market sector for his Southeast sales team.
John’s ARDEX career included many years of extensive travel, and special thanks to his wife Barbara for her patience and encouragement during his tenure. ARDEX Americas thanks John for his years of professionalism, commitment and service, and wishes him best of luck on the next phase of his life.
NASFA, the National Association of State Facilities Administrators, recognized ARDEX Americas during their 2017 Conference & Resource Expo held from June 11 to June 14, 2017. Robert Jones (left), President of the NASFA Virginia Chapter, presented the award to Mike Tracy, ARDEX Business Development Manager, in appreciation of ARDEX’s participation and support for the event and the organization.
The Expo was held at the Sheraton in Virginia Beach, Virginia. NASFA is an association committed to fostering communication and providing leadership for the state facilities professional.
ARDEX’s Jeff Simeone, Sales Professional Tile and Stone Installation Systems, was lucky enough to throw the first pitch at the May 22nd Bradenton Marauders baseball game. The Bradenton Marauders, the A Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, played against St. Lucie Mets, the A Affiliate of the New York Mets. Simeone was selected to throw the pitch as part of the after event for a Boone Distributor’s sales meeting.
Ahora estrenando en Colombia: ¡ARDEX y PROARCA en la expoconstrucción-expodiseño de 2017! Se celebrará del 16 al 21 de mayo en Corferias en Bogotá. Comienza al mediodía el día 16, y corre de las 10 am hasta las 7 pm los otros días. ¡Venga a visítenos en el puesto 701 del primer piso del Pabellón 4 para conocer a los autonivelantes de ARDEX en vivo! www.expoconstruccionyexpodiseno.com
Now showing in Colombia: ARDEX and PROARCA at the 2017 expoconstrucción-expodiseño trade show! May 16-21 at the Corferias Expo Center in Bogotá. It starts at noon on May 16, and runs from 10 am to 7 pm all other days. Come visit us at Stand 701 in Pavillion 4 on the first floor for a live ARDEX self-leveling demo! www.expoconstruccionyexpodiseno.com
Aliquippa, PA, April 8, 2017 – ARDEX Americas, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance building products, received the 2017 Healthiest Employers in Western Pennsylvania award by the Pittsburgh Business Times. This marks the fifth time ARDEX Americas has won the award.
Over 100 companies entered the competition, and 24 winners were selected across the different categories. This year ARDEX Americas competed in the 100-499 employee category, and there were six winners in this category. Winners were selected based on a score compiled from leading health intelligence platform Springbuk®. The order of winners in each category will be announced at the awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 8, to be held at the Westin Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh.
Breanne Thompson, ARDEX Benefits Manager, said, “The Healthiest Employer Award is very thorough in considering everything from wellness benefits to senior management involvement, and ARDEX is delighted to once again win this prestigious award.” ARDEX Americas was founded in 1978, and since the beginning has always placed great importance in promoting the health of employees. “Having ARDEX’s dedication to employee health recognized reaffirms the extraordinary success we’ve experienced,” Thompson added.
For more information on ARDEX Americas, please visit www.ardexamericas.com.
You can read the Pittsburgh Business Times at www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh.
For more information about the Springbuk platform, visit www.springbuk.com.
The ARDEX team continues to grow. Check out some new hires that have recently joined us! And while you’re at it, check out our job openings too!
Drew Sinquefield – Drew has been hired as a Sales Professional, Tile & Stone Installation System, as part of the Northern Texas Team. In this position he will report Michael Frey, Regional Sales Manager, South West. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family and being outdoors.
Doyle Cave -Doyle has been hired as Sales Professional to support the Western Canadian Team. In this position he will report to Don Brletic, Regional Sales Manager, Western Canada. Doyle was previously employed with Mapei Canada. When he is not working he enjoys coaching and playing hockey.
Jared Johnson – Jared has been hired as a Sales Professional to support the Carolina Team. In this position he will report to Andy Smith, Regional Sales Manager, Carolinas’ and DC Metro area. Jared enjoys going to the beach and spending time with his 3 year old daughter when he is not working.
Carl Roberts – Carl has been hired as a Sales Professional to support our Mexico Sales Team in Puerto Rico. In this position he will report to Jorge Garza, Division Manager, Latin America. Carl was previously employed with AOR building Supplies in San Juan PR. When he is not working he enjoys spending time with his family.
Naun Grado – Naun has been hired as a Sales Professional to support our Mexico Sales Team. In this position he will report to Jorge Garza, Division Manager, Latin America
Matt Lavery – Matt has been hired to work in our Aliquippa Production Facility. In this position he will report to Dan McLaughlin, Aliquippa Plant Supervisor. Matt was previously employed with Universal Refractories. In his free time he coaches 8th grade football and basketball.
Joey Tisak – Joey has been hired to work in our Aliquippa Production Facility. In this position he will report to Dan McLaughlin, Aliquippa Plant Supervisor. Joe has been self-employed for the past 7 years. When he is not working he enjoys watching sports.
Jeremy McCrackin – Jeremy has been hired to work in our Dallas Production Facility. In this position he will report to Scott Carroll, Dallas Plant Supervisor. Jeremy was previously employed with National LandCare. He has been working as a temporary employee with ARDEX for the past 6 months.
This month marks Robert “Bob” Dalton, Director of Customer Operations and Commercial Excellence, 25th year milestone in his career with ARDEX Americas.
Bob started with ARDEX on February 10, 1992 as a Sales Professional in Eastern PA, Southern NJ and Delaware, and has made significant contributions to the growth of our organization over the 25 year time span. In July 1995, he was promoted to Midwest Regional Manager and was named Sales Manager, Central Division, in 2008. In April 2010, ARDEX responded to the changing market by redesigning its sales structure and Bob was named Business Manager, West Division, leading the company’s sales efforts in 25 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces.
As the market landscape continued to evolve and ARDEX diversified its business, we made a strategic decision to focus even more resources and attention on our customers and how we service and create deeper relationships and value. To support this key initiative, Bob was named Director of Customer Operations and Commercial Excellence in 2012.
Bob’s leadership and commitment to the business have allowed him to consistently deliver new sales growth, provide leadership to our organization, solidify and strengthen our relationships with customers and design strategies to meet the current and future needs of our organization.
February 3, 2017 marks Randy Holt’s 20-year Anniversary with ARDEX. Randy began his career at ARDEX as a temporary Production worker in the Coraopolis facility, and was then hired on as a full-time employee. When ARDEX moved to the Aliquippa plant in 2000, Randy became a shift leader and with his desire, dedication, and drive to learn everything he could about the Aliquippa facility he quickly became a part of the newly formed maintenance department and has since become the Maintenance coordinator for that team of three. He is the ‘go to guy’ in the maintenance department and has the most experience working on and working with the equipment here in Aliquippa. Due to Randy’s knowledge of not only the plant equipment but also the plant processes he helps train new guys in the plant on both equipment and OSHA policies. He has also provided support and training for the Mansfield, TX, Stockton, CA and Dallas, GA plants both during commissioning and after, with the ongoing day to day maintenance. Randy’s knowledge of ARDEX and the equipment that we use in the plants has made him a valuable resource for not only the Aliquippa plant but all of the other plants in the system as well.
February 1, 2017 marks Tim Kehayias’ 20-year anniversary with ARDEX Americas! Tim began his career as a DC Metro Sales Professional and went on to management roles, as well as being involved with critical special programs for the company, including Ardiflo and ACMS. In January of 2016, Tim brought his experience and talents to the Chicago market, joining the team as a Sales Professional.
February 1, 2017 marks Stephen Bass’ 10-year Anniversary with ARDEX. Stephen began his career at ARDEX as a Purchasing Manager, where he continued to take on more responsibilities in important company initiatives and new product commercialization. His outstanding efforts and dedication earned him the then newly-created position of Supply Chain Manager, Strategic Initiatives and New Product Commercialization. As the first person in the company to hold this title, Stephen was tasked with shaping and defining the role to meet the needs of the company. In addition to his Supply Chain Duties he has maintained his role as Purchasing Manager working closely with the Purchasing people at all our facilitates to make sure we take advantage of all synergies and “Best in Class” processes that allows our company to enjoy the best quality, cost and delivery of materials that make up our top of the line products.
February 23, 2017 marks Udell Hollins’ 10-year anniversary with ARDEX. Udell began his time as a temporary production laborer, and was then hired on full time in February of 2007 in the Runner/Sanitation role. In this role Udell is responsible for ensuring that all mail is delivered in a timely manner, as well as maintaining the cleanliness in the Aliquippa plant. Udell’s friendly manner and politeness are two attributes that have served him well in this role.
February 12, 2017 marks Brian Leheny’s 10-year Anniversary with ARDEX. Brian started his career in ARDEX production and learned the different jobs to support our manufacturing operation. In 2012 Brian was promoted into the position of Control Room Leader. In this role Brian carries out many responsibilities which include coordinating daily schedules, managing bulk silo inventories, making daily crew assignments and ensuring his production team meets daily safety, quality and efficiency goals. Brian has been a key production team leader that has helped our organization expand and integrate new investments and processes.
Congratulations to you all on your years of service, here is to many more!
On January 18th in Las Vegas, ARDEX Americas once again held their annual “Reception with Friends” customer event which gathers industry friends from all over North America, represented by Distributors, Contractors, Architects and Association Partners. From jumbo shrimp to sleight of hand magic, ARDEX friends from Canada, Mexico and the United States filled the Paris Las Vegas Hotel ballroom and enjoyed a night of relaxation, food and entertainment. Mark Walsh, ARDEX Director of Sales – US remarked, “The event gets bigger each year. Friends from tiling to flooring and friends old and new, this event allows us to celebrate 2016 and look forward to an exciting 2017”.