CONNECTIONS

The newsletter by and for Mohawk employees

2015 Vol. 4 Ed. 1

PLUS
A day in the life
Vermont Teddy Bear
Buffalos big move
Crazy kid tales

Whos claimed to have met fame? Find out inside!

CONNEC TIONS

New Hires Promotions

Syracuse, NY

Orlando Robertson, Business Systems Analyst

Karen Sevier, Claims Processor
Lisa Crannage, Accounting Supervisor
Juan Vasquez, Import Coordinator
Anthony Kozdemba, Senior Domestic Coordinator
Sarah Jordan, Business Systems Analyst
Macey Morse, Administrative Assistant
Alexander Clemons, Associate Import Coordinator
Christian Grannell, Intern
Pamela Rubenstein, Administrative Assistant
Caitlin Cariseo, Intern
Lauren Felasco, Intern
Sue K. Nans, Export Compliance Manager
Nathan Holsing, CHB Manager
Majay Donzo, Intern
Cortney Pasdiora, Intern

Buffalo, NY

Brian Rosiek, Intern

Cynthia Kavanaugh, Compliance Specialist
Bonnie Emmens, Import Coordinator
Thomas Lefancheck, Export Coordinator

Rochester, NY

Colleen Glenn, Import Coordinator

Barbara Kuszlyk, Import Coordinator

Cleveland, OH

Ryan Sansom, Export Coordinator

Pamela L Peaco, Import Coordinator

Chicago, IL

Kyle King, Import Coordinator

Erick Garcia, Export Coordinator

Syracuse, NY

Scott Perkins, Senior Export Manager

Jenna Cammuso, HR Specialist

Buffalo, NY

Larissa Filip, Export Team Leader

John Kohler, General Manager
John Semo, Regional Sales Manager

Rochester, NY

Christy Brodzinski, Import Supervisor

Albany, NY

Holly Santimaw, Account Executive

Tina Quintana, Senior Export Manager

Anniversaries
15 years

Kim Allen (SYR)

Bob Boss (ALB)

10 years

Michelle Sardella (SYR)

Ken Stoutenger (SYR)

5 years

Lori Acito (ROC)

Laurie Kazmierczak (SYR)
Matt Machovec (SYR)
Katie Rodgers (ROC)
Wayne Wolfe (SYR)
Christy Brodzinski (ROC)
Matt McKinstry (SYR)
Christopher Lindstrand (SYR)
Lisa Shatraw (ALB)

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

Letter from
the CEO
Dear Team & Family Members,
Summer is heating up and so is Mohawk!
With seven months behind us, I am very
happy to report that the state of the
company is very strong! In June, the
Syracuse branch, Domestic and MGTA
posted record revenue. In July, Rochester,
Buffalo, and MGTA (again) posted record
numbers! As a result, the company as a
whole hit a new milestone for revenue
and profit in July!
For the year, company revenue is up
14.3% over last year (which is almost
exactly what we budgeted)! A big
contributor to the revenue increase is
MGTA which is up a whopping 18% over
last year! Great job MGTA team! Profit for
the company is up 20% year to date! Our
financial success would not be possible
without your dedication and hard work.
Well done and congratulations team!
As you know, we rolled out our updated
Vision Statement for the company at the

beginning of the year. As a reminder,

here it is again: The leader in delivering
world-class, personalized logistics
solutions while enriching the lives of
our people. The statement captures
the essence of who we are and what we
are about. We will continue to update
our Vision from time to time, but your
personal and professional growth will
always be front and center.
The results of the Great Places to Work
(GPTW) survey are in! Our score went
from a 76 last year to an 86 this year, so
we went from a C+ to a B+. Next year our
sights are on getting an A+! The road to
an A+ starts with establishing trust at all
levels of the company. We are committed
to getting there. With the help of the
GPTW committee, we will review the
entire report and brief you on it at the
last roundtable meeting of the year in
November.
Allow me to update you on the status of
some of our objectives for the year. Our
training program is coming together
slowly but surely. Putting together
the content is very tedious and time
consuming and involves the entire
executive team with Chuck Miller at
the lead. Our goal is to have the entire
program ready to go by the fourth
quarter of this year. We are also working
on a new employee development plan

that we will roll out with the training

program. It will revolutionize your
experience at Mohawk!
Related to training, Uwe Runge from ILT
in Germany arrived Monday, August 17,
as our first exchange employee. He will
be working in a number of branches
and departments during his 18 month
assignment, initially in Syracuse. We are
working on expanding the program to
give Mohawk people the opportunity
to work with our agents in Germany,
England, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.
We hope to have this off the ground
by the beginning of next year. We are
excited about the opportunity this will
give our team to learn about other
cultures and business practices.
On the technology front, the new
software for the domestic department is
in place and continues to be enhanced to
meet the needs of our company and its
clients. Most of the enhancements will be
completed by this October. Training on
the internal portal will be rolled out by
the domestic team soon. We appreciate
the time and effort that Wayne Wolfe,
Matt Machovec, Joe Gallagher, and the
entire domestic team have put into this
project. As I write this, we are moving
our telecom network to Sprint which will
Continued on next page....
3

CONNEC TIONS

Continued from previous page.

greatly improve response times at
the branches.
Steve Flohr is diligently working with
CargoSphere (our international rate
database) on making enhancements
to the quoting module. He is making
progress and will be reaching out to the
branches to set-up training once it is
completed.
The sales team is using the new CRM
and we are seeing the benefits. Thanks
to Travis Waldref for taking the lead! We
will be looking to increase usage across
the company so that the entire team has
visibility into the sales pipeline, who we
are talking to, not talking to, and what
new business we are closing.
None of these software integrations
would have been possible without a top
notch IT team and thats what we have at
Mohawk! Thanks to Randy Kraft and his
entire team!
Lastly on the tech front, we will assemble
a task force at the end of the year to
4

evaluate our international software.

Yes, there is the possibility that we may
be leaving IES/Descartes for another
provider. This will depend on how they
stack up compared to the competition. In
the meantime, we will continue to work
with IES to make the improvements to
be as efficient as possible in the event we
stay with them.
Kudos to the MGTA team for
coordinating our first Trade Day on
September 17th. A lot of hard work and
time went into planning this event. If
you have not seen the agenda, please
check out our MGTA web site for more
information. We know it will be a huge
success!
In other MGTA news, I want to welcome
Kristen Morneau as Senior Trade Advisor
out of our New England office. MGTA-NE
is a joint venture with OceanAir. Kristen
will be reporting to Bev Seif. Welcome to
the family, Kristen!
How about that party in June? It was an
incredible experience for me to meet
some of our extended family for the first
time as well as see some old friends. I

continue to be humbled by the great

people that make up our company. I
especially want to thank my partners,
Cindy Sardella and Mike McSherry, for
their support, friendship, and for the
touching tribute that they put together
for me that night. I will always remember
that feeling of being surrounded by
family and friends. Mike, you out did
yourself as the master of ceremonies.
We all know what you will be doing as a
second career!
As we do with every publication, special
thanks goes to the Charitable Fund and
GPTW committee for their voluntary
work. You continue to make us proud!
And of course we owe Michelle Sardella,
Jenna Cammuso, Deb Sanders, Cindy
Sardella, and Lauren Felasco a big thank
you for their work on putting together
this great publication! Great job!
Thank you to our Mohawk family and our
extended family. We exist for you and
because of you.
Best,
Gar Grannell, President & CEO

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

Client Kudos
Special thanks to Steve Flohr and Terri
Comtois for all the great work they did to
get us the pricing we needed to win this
business [CONMEDs export and import
ocean freight].
~Gar Grannell, President & CEO
I have thoroughly enjoyed working with
my friends at Mohawk over the last eight
years. You have been most kind, patient,
thoughtful, generous with your time and
expertise, and I could not have done my
job without your ever present assistance.
You have expanded my knowledge
exponentially while also keeping me
and Daikin compliant with the myriad
regulations present in our over regulated
environment. For that I will be ever
grateful. To me Mohawk is more than
a supplier of services. It is a wonderful
group of dedicated people who made
my job easier while still managing to
have some fun in the process. Thank you
for everything.
~Bob Kemper (retired) of Daikin Applied
On behalf of our company president,
our sales staff, myself, and everyone
else involved in this, thank you [Marcus
Mindell (Syracuse, NY),] very much for

handling this for us. Your efforts are

greatly appreciated!
~Liza Adamitz of Strathmore Products
I want to extend our gratitude and
appreciation for all the outstanding
efforts that Rebecca Wulforst (Rochester,
NY) provides in service and support of all
our Logistics Operations here at Brothers
International Food Corporation. Through
many adverse challenges, whether it
is delays at the dock, freight terminal,
carriers, etc., or need I say, weather
related, Rebecca consistently provides
the dedicated support to keep our
shipments moving in a timely manner
and minimize additional freight charges.
~James D. Maier of Brothers
International Food Corporation

able to handle anything that is thrown at

you after these past few months of trials
and tribulations. We really do appreciate
all your hard work & patience.
~Shawn Gigante of Caplugs, Inc.
You [John Strough (Syracuse, NY)]
always submit such well organized and
complete Post Entry Amendments.
~ David J. Rivosecchi of CBP

Don Quinn (Syracuse, NY), great job

by your entire team! Your group came
across very well and answered any and
all concerns and questions. Your people
are all impressive!
~Bill Gaffney of Raymond Corporation
Thank you [Eric Patricko (Buffalo, NY)]
so much for all your help and support
during this most trying time. You will be
5

CONNEC TIONS

What is the Michael J.

McSherry Charitable Fund
and how can I help?
Cindy Sardella,
Secretary for MJM
Charitable Fund Committee
(Syracuse, NY)

The Michael J. McSherry Charitable

Fund exists to provide funding for the
charitable giving of its employees. The
fund consists of employee and matching
corporate contributions. Donations are
made to causes sponsored by employees
with a focus on directly reaching
individuals who are most in need in
Mohawks local communities. If you have
a charitable cause or know of someone
in need, please fill out a Charitable Fund
request form and submit with any back
up documentation or explanation. A link
to the form is posted on the Home Page
in Sharepoint. You do not need to be
contributing to the fund in order to ask
for a donation to something.
Through the years the fund has been
able to provide generous donations to
not for profit and private individuals in
annual amounts totaling over $30,000
to date. Here is a short list of where
some of your generous (tax deductible)
contributions have helped:
Buffalo City Mission
Food Pantry St. Vincents Church Albany
Elmcrest Childrens Center
Food Bank of CNY & WNY
Samaritan Center
OnPoint for College
Hospice
American Heart Association
Rescue Mission

Ronald MacDonald House

Private donations to help our own staff
Wounded Warriors Chicago
We get many wonderful, heartfelt thank
yous from many of the people the fund
has been able to help. We share these
thank yous with the staff via email from
time to time to show how much good
the fund has done and also to remind
everyone about the fund.
If you dont contribute to the fund
presently, please consider it. No amount
is too small and remember that any
donation you make is matched by the
company as well. Please also consider
being a part of the Charitable Fund
Committee, a group made up of
employees from all branches. The group
meets once a month via conference
call to go over all of the donation
requests and votes on each request. New
members will be solicited around the
end of August for the new roster.

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

BR EA KING N EWS
Mohawk Ballers drop regular season
finale to Planet Fitness 54-45
Don Quinn, General Manager
(Syracuse, NY)

From left to right: Gar Grannell, Wayne Wolfe, Pete Dolson, Chris Beehner, Chris Savage,
Tom Troia, Joe Gallagher, Mike McSherry, and Christian Perra.

Mohawks Syracuse branch put

together a great bunch of guys for
our first ever basketball team. Besides
the players, we were treated to some
of the most exciting highlights by our
own wanna-be sports broadcaster,
Don Quinn. Even if we couldnt make
the game, Don shared exquisite play
by play action.
The Mohawk Ballers ended the regular
season with a record of five wins and
four losses after struggling against Planet

Fitness. The Ballers loss put them in a

three-way tie for third place in the Horn
Company regular season final standings.
The Mohawk Ballers and Planet Fitness
met for the second time in four weeks.
The Ballers couldnt find their groove
and suffered an abysmal shooting
performance. Once again fan favorite
Swaggy Pete Dolson lead all Mohawk
scorers with 17 points. Domestic Joe
Gallagher chipped in with eight points,
Savage the Intern had six points while
Wayne Wolfe and Beans OMG-that-

was- a- foul Beehner chipped in with

five points each. Christian Perra rounded
out the scoring with a season low of two
points in the game. Player-Coach Tom
Troia was uncharacteristically lost for
words; he didnt have much to say other
than the fact that he was disappointed
because he felt the Ballers played hard
and fought a tough battle.

CONNEC TIONS

A DAY I N T H E L I FE O F A

D O M E ST I C
COORDINATOR

Joe Gallagher, Domestic Coordinator (Syracuse, NY)

The world of domestic

freight is an absolute beast. It can
chew you up and spit you out. It can
be a blessing and a nightmare in the
very same day. This is an inside look at
domestic transportation here at Mohawk.
On an average day, the domestic
department receives 200-400 emails,
and that is not including the clients that
email us directly. I start off my morning
going through the task bar in Outlook,
checking to see what I left myself the
night before. My job at this point is
to mark, sort, and prioritize all of the
emails and tasks that are already facing
me at 8 a.m. This is the part of the day
that isnt always so stressful (unless the
problematic emails are missed pickups
that I need to notify customers of and
get corrected, or a lost tradeshow crate,
or a carrier thats billing you $3,000 more
than they should be).
So now its 8:30 a.m., and hopefully
I am cruising along with some easy
corrections and tracking some of my
shipments that are on the board. Then
the emails of the day start up; I will get
everything from POD requests (simple),
confirming charges (again, simple),
8

quotes (LTL, FTL, trade shows, imports/

exports to Canada), and requests to set
up shipments of all sorts. This is where
the fun really starts for me, and in my
opinion, its what we are really being
paid for. Our job at this point in the day
is to effectively manage and prioritize all
the tasks in front of us without getting
overly stressed and going mad (which
sometimes WILL happen).
On this particular day, Ive started off
with a couple of easy charge corrections
and my shipments in transit arent
having any issues that I know about.
I get an email titled urgent shipping
request. So I stop what I am doing, pop
open the email, and read what is has to
offer. Its an air freight shipment that a
customer wants to pick up today and
deliver tomorrow by noon. This is one
of my customers, so I first reply all to let
everyone in the department know Im
working on it. Then I create a new quote
with all the details. I call FedEx Freight
to find out the latest time we can notify
them of a pickup for that particular
zip code on any given weekday. Once
I have that information, I run the
rates on FedExs website, and begin
entering them into our transportation

management system. I then reply to the

original email, and make sure I word
everything correctly and have all the
disclaimers in there that will cover our
butts if something were to go wrong.
Before I get done with the email, I get
a phone call. Its another one of my
customers and he doesnt sound too
thrilled. He tells me the tradeshow I set
up for him last week delivered one piece
short. The first thought in my head is,
why didnt I know about this ahead of
time? I do everything I can to comfort
the customer and gather the information
about the missing piece. I hang up and
go back to finishing my air freight email
when Matt Machovec, Senior Domestic
Coordinator, drops off four bills of
lading that were faxed over from Pace
Electronics. Bruce, the client, sends over
pre-made BOLs that I enter into the
system so he can see the charges. If I
dont get them done within 15 minutes, I
can expect a phone call asking where the
charges are.
Im starting to get a little flustered,
as the work is starting to pile up. The
phone rings, Pace is calling. Bruce says
he needs a spot quote for 16 skids that
are being shipped out today. I take

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

down that information and then get

back to finishing the air freight email
FINALLY. I double-check the details in
the email and send it off. In Outlook, I
unmark the green box and flag on my
task list, which tells me its a quote that
needs to be done today. Now I need to
decide whether I should call about the
missing tradeshow crate or get working
on Bruces spot quote. Both are urgent
matters but I believe I need to find
that missing crate first. So I pull up the
shipment and call Forward Air.
Im put on hold so I decide to at least
start entering the information for Bruces
spot quote into TMW (when Bruce calls
in a spot quote its really just a volume
shipment that needs to go that day).
I get halfway through entering when
someone answers on the other end
of the phone. So I save my work, write
down the shipment number Ive created,
and start giving Forward Air all the
information they will need to find the
freight. Fifteen minutes later they are
calling the destination terminal to see
if the freight is on their dock. They put
me back on hold and I see my phone
blinking; its been fifteen minutes and
Pace is calling to find out where those
charges are! I let the phone ring and see
that Bruce has left me a voice mail. As Im
still on hold, I glance back to see whats
been going on in my email. One quote
request for Revolution, one shipment
request from Cryomech, one quote
request from Chris Aquino, and three
shipment/quote requests from JMA.
Not all of these are my responsibility.
Everything that is mine gets marked with
a color-coded box depending on what
the request is for. Theres an email from
Tricia at Downtown asking on the claim
status of a shipment. I mark that as well.
Renee George, who used to work in our
department, stops over to drop off a few
invoices from accounting that dont seem
to be ours. I add those to the pile that she
gave me yesterday. I take a quick look at
the delivery order folder and see seven
in there (thats righttwo containers are
coming in today). And its only 9:15 a.m.

Joe Gallagher working hard or hardly working?

I could go on and on like this. This is what
we do on a day-to-day basisthis is
our job. This is why we are not normally
able to make company meetings and
lunches. Domestic freight is this neverending, never-surrendering BEAST
that constantly needs to be fed. Just
when you think you are in the clear,
three emails will show up (within the
same minute) that all need immediate
attention. My least favorite is when I
get an email about charges being off
by $3,000. My heart literally sinks in
my chest when I see that, because at
that moment, I dont know if I made
a mistake, if it was the carrier, or the
shipper. We could be on the hook for a
lot of money, and thats not an easy thing
to tell the boss.
Some days do go very smoothly. There
are days that we laugh and laugh and
laugh, and on those days all I can do is
smile. I feel very blessed on those days to
be working at Mohawk with the people
that are surrounding me. Our team is
a very dedicated bunch of individuals
who will have each others back when
we need it the most. We almost never
leave the office until the work is done.
We routinely have someone grab lunch
for us so that we can work through ours.
Mid-afternoon can be absolutely brutal,
with an email coming in every twenty

seconds. The fact that we make as few

mistakes as we do is unbelievable to me.
I guess Im sitting here writing this
because I want everyone to understand
what we do in domestic. We dont just
do our job. In Mohawk fashion and
tradition, we go above and beyond what
is required and work long hours to get
the job done. Our main goal is customer
service, and it is the value that Mohawk
brings to its clients that is important.
We are not always the cheapest option,
and frankly I dont think we should
be. What we do is not calculable in
numbers; it is calculated in our service
and our dedication to being the best. In
2014, we proved that we could achieve
outstanding numbers, keep our heads on
straight, and strengthen our friendships.
Domestic freight, this monstrosity of
a beast, cannot be beaten, but weve
learned we can tame her one day at a
time.

CONNEC TIONS

Vermont

Teddy Bear
Alexa Blasi,
Customs & Trade Compliance Assistant
(Syracuse, NY)

One crisp morning in late September,

Tina Jordan, Christine Marks, and I
rolled through the vibrant green hills of
Vermont as the sunrise reflected off the
burgundy, orange, and crimson colored
fall foliage. As we continued on our
scenic journey, we came upon the quaint
town of Shelburne. It was there that we
reached our end destinationVermont
Teddy Bear.
Vermont Teddy Bear, for those of you
who are unfamiliar, is a client of our
Albany office. The company doesnt just
sell your average cute cuddly stuffed
friends; they have an abundance more
to offer and thats where Mohawk has
become a key player. Albanys import
department has been handling the
Customs clearance for the teddy bear
shells imported that are stuffed in the
factory in Shelburne. We also handle the
mass movement of their sister companys
product, PajamaGram. PajamaGram is a
clothing company for the whole family
women, men, and children. PajamaGram
even has a line of clothing for pets!
As we walked up the paw spotted
path to the big red bear barn, we were
greeted by a bin full of 6-foot tall, lifesized teddy bears. We opened the doors
and the excitement only seemed to
10

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

VTB employees with Tina Jordan, Christine Marks, and Alexa Blasi.
continue while we looked around the
gift shop full of hundreds of teddy bear
variations. It seemed like there was a
bear or a bear outfit to fit any occasion.
Behind the colossal-sized wooden doors,
you could take a tour of the bear stuffing
factory, where you could pick out your

We spent much of the afternoon

going product by product, as Kagan
and Sarah (with some help from their
textile specialist) explained what
each type of clothing was made from.
Some details that helped classify the
product, according to the Harmonized

The company doesnt just sell your

average cute cuddly stuffed friends; they have
an abundance more to offer and thats where
Mohawk has become a key player.
own bear and dress him (or her!) up from
the inside out. We couldnt seem to keep
our paws off of all the cute stuffed toys
and endless clothing options.
Down in the gift shop, we were greeted
by our two enthusiastic and energetic
hosts, Sarah and Kagan, the companys
offshore product coordinators. They
led us up colorfully painted staircases
to their office, where samples ranging
from bears yet to be sold in stores to
new clothes from the PajamaGram line
were in the works. Throughout the day,
Tina, Christine, and I worked with Sarah
and Kagan to learn more about the
PajamaGram product.

Tariff Schedule, were what fabric the

apparel was made ofusually cotton or
polyesterand whether the fabric was
knitted or woven. We were getting down
to the nitty gritty of these pajamas and
relaxation wearing apparel. One product
that caught our attention was pajama
jeans. This product offered the comfort
of pajamas with the appearance of
wearing jeans. It was quite an interesting
idea that they explained was marketed
towards the working on-the-go-mom.
Nevertheless, we found a classification
for those too! At the end of our meeting
it was clear that Mohawk really proved to
be a valuable resource to Vermont Teddy
Bear. Tina was able to provide expertise
on the wearing apparel classifications,

while Christine focused her attention

more on gaining feedback on how
Mohawk can provide the company with a
premiere freight forwarding experience.
On the operational side, I was able to
explain a bit more about the day-to-day
Customs clearance process, giving Kagan
and Sarah a better idea of how things
work on our end of the chain.
Overall, our day at Vermont Teddy
Bear proved to be a great success. We
were able to offer our support while
demonstrating first hand how Mohawk
goes the extra mile to offer the best
personalized services possible to our
clients. This trip was a great experience
for me, being new to the compliance
department. I also got a chance to meet
with other employees at the Albany
office, as well as listen in on specifics of
classifying wearing apparel.
If you and your family (especially those
with children) are ever in the Vermont
area, taking a trip to Vermont Teddy Bear
would be a beary rewarding experience
for all!

11

CONNEC TIONS

Construction worker during renovations.

Buffalo
Move
John Kohler,
General Manager
(Buffalo, NY)

Back in early 2015, the Buffalo team

relocated to new digs. We had only
been open three years and wed already
needed to blow out two walls to make
room for more staff. Wed outgrown out
space and knew it was time to move on.
What a hectic moving day it was in the
midst of an epic winter in Buffalo. We
moved from an apartment style office
to a facility with numerous amenities.
My favorite is the coffee cart that comes
by every morning around 10:15. I just
cant get enough of those breakfast
sandwiches.
Our new building has a gym on site
12

and we finally have TVs in the office for

important sports eventsand meetings
of course.
We soon discovered it wasnt all fun and
games though. The internet was down
the entire first day in the new office and
it was a mad scramble to get billing
done because we moved two days
before months end. We all know about
the month end billing crunch especially
to start the 1st quarter and new year
off right. Getting to the office everyday
became quite the chore, as it required
climbing two flights of stairs (that
honestly felt more like 10). We all realized
rather quickly how out of shape we really

Geoffrey Matzel (Buffalo, NY)

helping with the move!

were, all the more reason to make use of

the gym on site!
Now that we have been here for several
months, it truly feels like home away
from home. A special thank you to the
whole Buffalo team for their dedication
over the years to bring us to where we
are today.

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

Buffalos renovated modern-style kitchen.

From left to right: John Kohler, Larissa Filip, Tammy Kesick, Melanie Jones (no longer with MGL), Geoffrey Matzel, Brianne Victor,
Kristen Scharlock, and Chavonne Mattio.
13

CONNEC TIONS

Restaurant Review
Jenna Cammuso,
Administrative Assistant
(Syracuse, NY)
Texas de Brazil
Destiny USA, 306 Hiawatha Boulevard,
Syracuse, NY
$44.99 Dinner
$24.99 Salad bar
MTh: 5:00pm9:30pm
Fri: 5:00pm10:00pm
Sat: 5:00pm10:00pm
Sun: 4:00pm9:00pm

Do you like meat? No, I dont mean a

piece of steak or chicken every now
and then. I mean LOTS of delicious,
fresh, perfectly seasoned M-E-A-T!! The
Brazilian Steakhouse in Destiny USA
provides all that and MUCH more!

mashed potatoes, Brazilian cheese bread

(unfortunately, not as good as it sounds),
and fried plantains as a palate cleanser.
What do you mean you are full already?
Were just getting started! Strap on that
feed bag, partner!

Even before the meat-fest begins, you

can feast on the beautiful salad bar,
which is a meal in itself. It includes Greek
olives, imported salami and cheeses,
shrimp salad, fresh Buffalo mozzarella,
artisan breads, grilled Portobello
mushrooms and more. The four dressings
are made in-house and I could not pick
the best one if I tried. As side dishes, the
steakhouse offers your fill of self-serve
sauted mushrooms, jasmine rice, au
gratin potatoes (YUM-MY!), feijoada
(black beans) and lobster bisque, which
is a bit spicy, creamy and perfect. This is
a salad bar that would even delight any
vegetarian!

At each place setting, you have a chip.

Red on one side for not yet, and a green
side for BRING IT ON! Once you flip up
your green chip side, specially trained
gauchos will begin arriving at your table
with sumptuous offerings of beef, lamb,
pork and chicken on sword-like skewers,
right off the grill. There are 16 different
cuts in all. Some choices of the heavenly
samples include flank steak, parmesan
chicken, leg of lamb, bacon-wrapped filet
mignon and chicken, Brazilian sausage,
barbecue pork ribs, and my personal
favorite: the braised beef rib. There need
be no concern regarding how you like
your meat prepared. Your server will ask
your entire party for their preference, and
the gauchos will bring varieties that will
satisfy everyone.

In addition, your server will bring three

more side items to your table: garlic
14

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

A view of the restaurants buffet from a table in the dining room.

DRINKS:

TIPS:

I have never sampled one of the Brazilian

cocktails, but the offerings sound very
interesting. The signature cocktail, The
Caipirinha, is a blend of a sugar cane
spirit, a whole fresh lime, crushed ice
and cane sugar. Texas de Brazil has an
extensive wine list from all over the
world, and the bar has weekly Happy
Hour specials and events.

Join the e-club for free. You will receive a

50% off a dinner coupon within 48-hours
just for signing up, plus special offers
throughout the year! Visit their website
at texasdebrazil.com/eclub/.

DESSERTS:

Every March, the restaurant offers VIP

dining cards. For $59.99, you receive a
VIP card good for 12 dinners at half price,
through September 30th. The offer is
good for dining on Sundays Thursdays
only. Use the card towards just 3 dinners
and it has paid for itself. Its a tremendous
savings!

You may be wondering how and why

any desserts would be offered after
the onslaught of meat and salad and
side items. But, you would be mistaken
not to set aside some room in your
dessert stomach and try one. I myself
have sampled the Brazilian cheesecake,
double chocolate mousse cake, and
carrot cake. Each one was phenomenal.
The selections change seasonally, but
they also have pecan pie, citrus-infused
crme brle, coconut chess pie, key lime
pie, and bananas foster pie.

Make reservations. You can call ahead or

make them online, and its worth your
while to do so. The place fills up quickly!

are two or three gauchos at your table

offering their selections. Take your time,
and do not worry about turning down
items for which you are not quite ready.
Your server, along with restaurant
management, will visit your table several
times to ask if there is anything youd like
to request. The only time you miss out on
trying something is once youve walked
out the door!

PACE YOURSELF! Going to Texas de

Brazil is just as much an experience as
it is a dinner. I would suggest allowing
at least 1.5-2 hours to fully enjoy
everything it has to offer. It is easy to
get overwhelmed, as sometimes there
15

CONNEC TIONS

10

11

12
13

14

17

15

16

1. Nita Tanner 2. Lisa Shatraw 3. Renee George 4. Gina Zagger 5. Laurie Kazmierczak 6. Kelsey Polanski 7. Cindy Sardella 8, 9. Olivia & Jill
Parker 10, 11, 12. Ryan, Jeff, & Alex Parker 13. Suzanne Cappon 14. Dan Gotch 15, 16. Tina & Alexa Jordan 17. Lynde Folsom.

In October 2014, the

Mohawk team raised $1835
for this charitable walk!
The pups even love pink too!

Kari Aiduk and Jill Parker.

16

Clinton Square in Syracuse, NY.

Renee George and Kelsey Polanski.

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

From left to right: Sarah Jordan, Mickenzie Moore, Gabrielle Quinlan, Renee George, Lynde Folsom, and Kelsey Polanski.

Charity for
Children Run
Renee George, Import Coordinator (Syracuse, NY)
Team Mohawk participated in the Charity for Children 5K/8K
run at Green Lakes on May 17. We ended our race with
Gannons Ice Cream and some of us gathered for a small picnic.
All of the funds raised stay local, right here in our community!
The horn to start the race was let off by a young boy who has
benefited from the funds collected by the organization. The day
of the race was the first day he could walk. AMAZING!

From left to right: Kelsey Polanski, Mickenzie Moore, Renee George,

Gabrielle Quinlan, and Lynde Folsom.

17

CONNEC TIONS

KIDS SAY
THE DARNEST
THINGS...

I was coughing
in my bedroom the
other morning and my
3-year-old daughter,
Ari, peeked her head
down the hall and
yelled, Hairball!
Kim Allen, Office Manager
(Syracuse, NY)

18

This morning in the car blasting some

tunes on the way to the babysitters my
4-year-old son Daniel (above) says, Mom,
can you turn down the radio, Im trying
to watch cartoons in my head and I cant
hear them!

Another time, Daniel was in the

bathroom for a long time. I knocked on
the door and asked him if he was OK. He
replied, No, I cant poop, I think I have a
bone in my butt!

10 minutes later, he had still not left the

bathroom so I asked again if he was OK.
He said, Im done but I think I broke my
butt bone!
15 minutes later, I discovered him like
this, (see above) asleep on the toilet!
Ginette Robinson, Account Executive
(Rochester, NY)

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

Heres an interaction my brother Dave

had with his son, my nephew, Mac while
trying to teach him how to use the
clothes dryer.

DAVE: No, its just lint (showing him how

to clean the lint trap).

MAC: When Im a rock star Im not gonna

have to do my own laundry.

DAVE: No, its on the filter. Just empty

the lint in the basket.

DAVE: Now put them in the dryer. The

next step is the most important; clean
the lint filter (while lifting the filter out).

MAC: Cool. Why does it [the lint] stick

together? Its not wet? Is it because of
static cling?

MAC: Thats nasty! What is that? Is our

washer broke?

DAVE: I dont know. This isnt a science

lesson! Just make sure you throw it out!

MAC: Is that on our clothes?

MAC: Youre an angry teacher.

DAVE: We should have been done by
now Mac, this is important. Do you know
what the number one cause of house
fires is?
MAC: Too many wet clothes?
DAVE: GO. JUST GO. I quit..
Lisa Shatraw, Logistics Coordinator
(Albany, NY)

19

CONNEC TIONS

GETTING TO
TEAM
Ryan Sansom, Export Coordinator
(Cleveland, OH)
After sitting at orientation with Cindy
Sardella not long ago and finding
a common interest in writing, I was
inspired to submit my contribution to the
Connections newsletter.
First and foremost, I am a husband and
father to the most amazing women on
the planet, my wife Mary Ann, and my
daughter, Melody Rain. Without them,
well, life would be incomplete, and rather
monotonous. They inspire me, motivate
me, teach me, and love me, for which I
consider myself to be the luckiest man
on Earth.
Hailing from the great city of Cleveland,
Ohio (surrounding suburbs), I, like most
homers as we are known, am a suffering
and miserable Cleveland sports fan.
The Indians (better known as the Tribe
around here), the Cavaliers (or Cavs),
and our beloved Browns are teams I
grew up idolizing, and suffered great
disappointment with (you Buffalo fans
know what I am talking about). I played
football and basketball growing up, and
played football for the Marine Corps for
several seasons, which helped teach me
teamwork, work ethic, achieving goals,
the importance of exercise (which I am
not so good at these days), and most
importantly, loyalty.
20

Without sports, I would not be the team

player I am today, nor would I know what
I am capable of. This brought me to join
the United States Marine Corps when I
was 17 years old. I figured, what better
way to learn discipline and team work?
I served eight years in the Marines and
achieved the rank of Sergeant (E5) at age
20. I had not yet learned how to be a man
(truly), but was put in charge of an office
of 15 other men and women Marines.
It was a daunting, yet challenging task,
which forced me to grow up quickly.
The Marines taught me far more than
discipline and team work. They taught
me logistics (aviation), adaptability,
attention to detail, troop welfare, mission
accomplishment, pride in what I do, and
so much more that the list could go on
for pages and pages. Living in Japan,
seeing the Rock of Gibraltar from the
Mediterranean Sea, sailing through the
Suez Canal, flying over Kuwait, taking a
two month vacation in Iraq (in support of
Iraqi Freedom in 2003), traveling through
Spain, and many other countries and
cultures provided me the chance to learn
other cultures, customs, and courtesies.
It also helped me learn the importance of
global logistics, and the vital importance
of getting supplies from A to B. Logistics
has become a part of who I am. From my
travels on the customer side and with
other freight forwarders (the enemy!),

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

KNOW YOUR
MATES
and working for the state of Ohio as an
Export Consultant, I have been blessed
with seeing the logistics world from
several different angles. MGL obviously
embodies an elite level of customer
service, both externally and internally,
and I am so grateful to be a part of such a
bright and growing team.
I also have an absolute adoration for
music. Growing up I was always obsessed
with music. There was a Walkman (for
those historically challenged, this was
our version of an iPod growing up) with
headphones attached to me virtually
everywhere I went. My mother exposed
me to Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Vivaldi,
Beethoven, and to motown, reggae,
soul, and disco. My father introduced
me to folk (Dylan, CSN, James Taylor),
rock-n-roll, and blues (my true love).
They provided me a chance to hear
these genres of music at such a young
age. I was engulfed with Pink Floyd and
Muddy Waters, Earth, Wind & Fire, and
Marvin Gaye when I was just four years
old. I never picked up an instrument
as a child. However, at the age of 30, I
decided I should learn to play guitar.
My grandfather has been a professional
bluegrass musician for almost 70 years
and has always been an inspiration to
me.

could only imagine the thoughts she had

racing through her head. Here we go with
the mid-life crisis. Cant wait to have 30
something year old men thinking they are
rock stars in my garage making awful noise
all the time.
In spite of her doubts, she was incredibly
supportive and purchased a Telecaster
(electric guitar) for my 31st birthday. The
rest is history. I now actually get paid
to play my guitar and sing the music I
love (Blues & Rock) in front of crowds.
The money is very small, nowhere near
enough to pay for all my guitars and
band gear. But, the real reward is being
able to entertain people and share my
passion and love for music.
In closing, I would like to thank Cindy
Sardella for inspiring me to write which
is such a passion for me. Ive written lots
of poetry and many of my own songs. I
would like to thank Kenton Grimes for
believing in me, and providing me the
wonderful opportunity to join the MGL
family. My family and I are so very happy
and excited for this new endeavor, and in
just a few short months of employment, I
already feel at home.

So, there I was, at 30, telling my wife,

Im going to learn how to play guitar. I
21

CONNEC TIONS

HAVE YOU MET ANYONE

FAMOUS?

T ELL US YOUR STORY.

FUNNY
CIDE
BOB
COASTAS
Therese Straigis, Corporate Pricing Analyst (Syracuse, NY)
Pam Rubenstein, Administrative Assistant (Syracuse, NY)
The only celebrities I met were Thoroughbred race horses. I met
Seattle Slew, a triple crown winner in 1977. I also met a local
celebrity, Funny Cide from Sackets Harbor, NY. He won the first
two legs of the triple crown, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness
Stakes in 2003. If you go to a bar in Sackets Harbor, they have
glasses with Funny Cide on them. Yep I am that crazy horse
person!
22

My one and only brush with fame! This picture was taken in
April of this year at the Jim and Julie Boeheim Foundation
Gala at the Turning Stone. Bob Costas was the guest speaker.
We were among family and friends who attended to honor
my father-in-law and his wife. Bob Costas was SO funny! He
was very personable and was happy to oblige any requests for
pictures with him.

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

BILL
CLINTON
GLEN HETRICK
John OSullivan, Chief Financial Officer Melissa Harrington, Import
(Syracuse, NY)

Coordinator (Albany, NY)

KANSAS
Tom Troia, Senior Import Coordinator

When Hillary Clinton was planning to

run for the Senate, she and her husband
Bill stayed in Skaneateles for a week.
Everyone was excited that the former
leader of the free world was in our
little town. People would congregate
by certain places in the hope of seeing
them. On a Saturday morning, I went to
play golf at my usual early hour and saw
Secret Service agents with dogs at the
golf course. I was told that the former
President was teeing off at 8:00 a.m., so
I called my wife and said, this is your
chance to see him up close. She came up
with each of my three children, and when
the President went by in his golf cart,
they waved to him. He told the driver
to stop the cart and introduced himself
to my three children individually, and
asked them how old they were and other
assorted questions. Imagine someone
that important taking the time to make
our familys day.

Ive met Glen Hetrick, a special effects

make-up artist and one of the judges on
the SyFy channels show Face Off. We met
him when we were in Universal StudiosOrlando where he was also visiting with
his family.

Does meeting the rock band Kansas

count? The picture (on the next page)
was from a few years ago at the Turning
Stone. Ive seen them live 51 times and
possibly three more times this year,
including another show at Turning Stone,
(so you can really see the sickness!) A
Kansas fan like myself is considered a
Wheathead. A Wheathead is a group of
die-hard Kansas fans that travel around
to see them and also have Wheatfest
gatherings.

Later on, upon probably the 10th

retelling of the encounter, my motherin-law asked my wife what it was like
to get a hug from the President of the
United States. I said, hug, what hug, and
jokingly asked, where his hands were at
all times.

It was a rather quick encounter, as he had

other people there who wanted to speak
with him and we didnt want to keep him
from his vacation, but he was very nice
and happy to meet fans of the show.

(Syracuse, NY)

Continued on next page.

It was a rather quick

encounter...but he
was very nice and
happy to meet fans
of the show.

23

CONNEC TIONS

At center, Pam and Tom Troia with the band Kansas.

Boris
Mikhailov
Joe Meschino, Export Coordinator
(Albany, NY)

Years ago (too many to safely disclose),

while my wife and I lived and worked in
Moscow, we attended hockey matches,
both regular league and international.
Russians are passionate about hockey,
equating it with Canadians as a national
sport. Back then, Soviet hockey teams
rivaled the best of the NHL. The
Central Army Team culled the most
talented players in the country, which
formed the core of the national teams
that competed at the Olympics and
international tournaments. Some of the
players became international superstars,
like Vladislav Tretiak, Aleksandr Yakushev,
Valery Kharlamov, Sergei Makarov, and
the captain of the great teams for many
yearsBoris Mikhailov. After retirement,
Mikhailov achieved near mythic status
in Russia as a commentator and sports
official.
For one match, my wife and I were lucky
enough to get seats close to the ice.
My wife and I would relax in our seats
between periods. In such moments,
Id usually flip through the program or
crowd watch in the huge arena, soaking
in the history. All of a sudden, I was
gently nudging my wife. A tall, dignified
Boris Mikhailov, Soviet ice hockey player.
24

man in a well cut suit was making his way

(alone no less!) down the aisle, along the
boards.
Look! Look! Thats Boris Mikhailov! See! See!
He looked back at me with that stiff
contempt lofty beings display toward
lower, common folk, and kept walking
toward his cordoned off VIP section. But
this American wouldnt let his Soviet
prey escape. We reached the partitioned
area of those more worthy, with me on
his heels. Two uniformed Soviet guards
instantly barred my way.
Please, please, I begged. I just want
to get his autograph! They smiled and
sheepishly stepped aside. Back then,
uniformed Soviet guards were some of
the most stern, disciplined enforcers, on
the planet. They didnt tolerate insolence.
But they were very sensitive about public
incidents with foreigners, especially
Westerners,at the time. Mikhailov
realized he couldnt shake off his pursuer,

turned irritably, grabbed at my program

and penned some quick jottings.
Just like termites suddenly swarming out
of a pried open space, all of a sudden,
at least a dozen little boys waving their
autograph notebooks rushed out of the
masses, and lined up behind me. Their
idol had just become touchable!
Ey, Ey, guys what the. . . Mikhailov
spewed toward the guards. They
smiled again, shrugged their shoulders.
Boris was left juggling the pens and
notebooks, just short of his sanctuary.
I chuckled as I walked away. My wife
shook her head and smiled as I returned.
What trouble big kids can cause!

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

Special
Occasions
First comes
love, then comes
marriage...
Congratulations to Mohawks most
recent newlyweds.

Buffalo, NY

Erick Patricko, August 2015

Chicago, IL

Dee Yingsprasert, May 2014

Syracuse, NY

Gabrielle (Sgouris) Quinlan, May 2015

Michelle (Sardella) Kelley, August 2015

Introducing...
Buffalo, NY

Baby boy, Kristin Scharlock, April 2015

Syracuse, NY

Grandson, John O'Sullivan, Nov. 2014

Baby girl, Quyen Duong, April 2015
Grandson, Mary Sacco, June 2015

Clockwise from top left: Michelle (Sardella) Kelley and her husband, Brent, at Jamesville
Beach Park in Jamesville, NY. Gabrielle (Sgouris) Quinlan and her husband, Ryan, at
Orchard Vali in LaFayette, NY. Mary Saccos grandbaby, Jack. Do you ever feel this way?
25

CONNEC TIONS

MOMENTS

26

2015 VOL 4 ED 1

Bowling night fun in the Cuse

with the General Managers.
Back row from left to right: Denise Deany, Kenton Grimes,
Jeff Parker, Gerry McDevitt, Don Quinn, Alexa Blasi, and
Chris Lindstrand. Front row from left to right: Suzanne
Cappon, Colleen Gravina, James Harvey, Carla Torrillo,
Bob Boss, Johnny Kohler, Keith Bajor, Tina Jordan, and
Kari Aiduk.

At the American H
eartwalk
in Syracuse on Mar
ch 28.
Back row from left to
right: Mickenzie Moo
George, Cindy Sard
ella, and Lisa Cranna re, Renee
ge. Front
row from left to right
: Kelsey Polanski, an
d
Lynde Folsom.

any, NY last
Network awards dinner in Alb
The Tech Valley Global Business
Mike Kuhn.
and
ker,
right: Bob Boss, Jeff Par
October. Back row from left to
in.
Ste
ert
Rob
istine Marks and
Front row from left to right: Chr

27

Connections Newsletter Team

Cindy Sardella, Vice President, Human Resources
Michelle Sardella, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist
Jenna Cammuso, Administrative Assistant
Debra Sanders, Executive Assistant
Lauren Felasco, Marketing Intern

Published by
Mohawk Global Logistics
123 Air Cargo Road, N Syracuse NY 13212
T: (315) 455-3003
mohawkglobal.com

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Presented by
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November 17, 2015

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