Q5. As many people start focusing on becoming healthy in the New Year, how does management focus on the health of employees?
While the new warehouse designs position the company to better serve customers and meet long-term growth, it also is advantageous to employees’ ergonomic health and overall well-being. Standard Sales promotes wellness and a healthy lifestyle for all employees. The new warehouse features a state-of-the-art fitness center that all employees are encouraged to use.
As part of a beverage industry captive insurance group, the company began hosting health screenings for its employees approximately seven years ago. Two years ago, only a handful participated in the screening, and in 2015, the majority of employees in Odessa participated. The program benefits employees as the company will pay an additional portion of their insurance premium for those fully participating.
To date, four instances of life threatening, pre-existing conditions were discovered in the screenings. One employee exhibited a number of troubling symptoms, and was diagnosed with multiple health conditions including Type Two Diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The screening was the beginning of a new way of life for the employee, who dropped half of his bodyweight and drastically changed his lifestyle. The employee is truly an inspiration! Focusing on employee wellness makes good sense for all parties as insurance and medical costs continue to increase.
Q6. Managing an alcohol related business can come with great success and liability. Does the company provide any type of alcohol consumption awareness or safety programs?
Although Standard Sales distributes some non-alcohol beverages, for example, Sparkling Ice, Red Bull and Nestlé’s flavored milks, the majority of the products distributed contain alcohol and are not legal for purchase to anyone under the age of 21. Standard Sales Company believes it has a responsibility to be part of the solution when it comes to issues of alcohol abuse including excessive consumption, underage drinking or drunk driving. No company benefits when its products are abused. With an annual budget dedicated strictly to this effort, more than $1 million dollars have been dedicated to responsibility and outreach efforts designed to educate, facilitate and support a variety of alcohol abuse prevention efforts since 2002.
In addition to assisting community grass roots programs, Standard Sales provides three programs to address the issue of underage drinking head on:
• “Family Talk” offers tips to parents to help them start the conversation early and keep it going.
• WE ID provides retailers with the tools needed to check IDs and signage to discourage the behavior from occurring in the first place.
• Anheuser-Busch Speaker Bureau provides nationally recognized speakers to businesses, universities, high schools and military bases to provide educational messaging when it comes to underage drinking, excessive consumption and drunk driving.
Standard Sales also supports local initiatives such as Project Graduation, Prom Promise and others. Additionally, the company provides support to community events with Designated Driver and Safe Ride programs in an effort to prevent drunk driving.
Q7. The founder of Standard Sales, Ted Roden, is known for his leadership and philanthropic contributions to Odessa. How does current management carry on Ted’s legacy and how can other business leaders learn from his example?
Ted Roden’s influence continues to be part of the company’s culture when it comes to community support, education, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. He truly lived to the adage, “Too whom much has been given, much is expected”. Although Lanny Layman, CEO and President, is the last of the original partnership group, many of the newer partners had the pleasure of having a personal relationship with Mr. Roden. The partners live by Roden’s quotes such as, “Nothing’s impossible…the impossible just takes a little longer,” and “You have to look at the risk/reward ratio. What is the risk in what you are doing and what is the benefit? Now, is the benefit worth the risk?” Stories continue to abound of Mr. Roden’s wisdom and generosity even 64 years later.
Roden believed in making a difference in the community. Roden and his wife, Jan’s, generosity extended to many Permian Basin institutions and organizations including The University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa College, Medical Center Hospital, Texas Tech Health Science Center at the Permian Basin, Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center, and St. John’s Episcopal School.
The company and partnership team continues to honor the legacy of Mr. Roden by giving back to the communities where operations take place which includes product, volunteers and financial assistance to many worthy charities. In the Permian Basin, the company has provided notable support to The Boys and Girls Club of the Permian Basin, Permian Basin Rehab Center and the United Way. In 2008, the management team established, The Standard Sales Company, LP Charitable Giving Fund, in honor of Mr. Roden. Additionally, several retired partners provided resources to establish The T.G. Roden Memorial Scholarship Fund of Standard Sales L.P., a scholarship available to full-time employees or their qualifying children or spouse.
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