AWB Member Spotlight

All in the family at Associated Petroleum Products

It all started with a lemonade stand.

Luke Xitco and Frank Pupo Jr. were boyhood friends who first cut their teeth on running a business by selling lemonade. Little did they know at the time that they would one day own and operate Associated Petroleum Products, a major Tacoma-based petroleum and propane dealer.

Their fathers, John D. Xitco and Frank Pupo Sr., also close friends, purchased APP, then a small business with only about 12 employees, in 1982.

After studying accounting and marketing at the University of the Puget Sound the younger Pupo and the younger Xitco, fresh from his studies of business and economics at the University of Portland, began working full-time at the company in the mid-1990s.

Soon their fathers began looking at their sons as potential successors in running the business.

“We figured that these boys are working hard, they got brains, the only thing we were worried about – they were young,” said the elder Pupo. “I think we just felt it would work. Naturally, we had some concerns.”

The transition to management had a steep learning curve for Luke and Frank Jr.

“We were very young,” said Luke. “It was quite the baptism by fire. I think our dads enjoyed watching us trip over ourselves occasionally. We had good mentors, and we still do.”

Today with Luke and Frank Jr., both 39, running the business, and Luke’s brother John Jr., as a partner, the company earns $600 million in annual sales and employs some 200 people. And it’s still growing today, even in the face of a poor economy.

Since 2002, APP has expanded into the propane business in a major way. The company’s propane operation is among the top 50 by volume in the country. Currently, it covers the Canadian border to the Oregon border and into Eastern Washington with a move into Oregon planned for the future.

“I would say they’re one of the top five companies in the state by gallon-volume,” said Lea Wilson, executive director of the Washington Oil Marketers Association. “They’re a highly reputable company,” she said. “They have done a great job in growing that business. I think APP has done a really good job finding niche markets that fit their business model.”

Additionally, the company, an AWB member since 2010, has become a leader in treating stormwater runoff from its site near the Port of Tacoma since installing a new $750,000 state-of-the-art system. The system has treated 732,000 gallons since March.

We’re happy with what they’re doing,” said John Diamant, the Department of Ecology environmental engineer who oversees APP’s stormwater permit. “I think they’ve really turned the corner. I think the new system will be a role model for the Tacoma area. They really chose to heed our directives and go beyond that.”

“It’s not all about making money today,” said John Jr. “It’s about making a good living for ourselves and our employees. Our fathers gave us a great opportunity, and we could have blown it. But we built something out of it. We did it on our own, slowly.”

InnovaTek testing ways to reduce airline emissions, costs

Air travel is about to get cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

InnovaTek, a Richland research and development firm, received an award from the Department of Energy to create a fuel cell range extender for battery-powered airport ground support equipment. The $150,000 grant from the Small Business Innovation Research program is aimed at determining the feasibility of the technology to meet the needs of airlines and ground handling companies to reduce emissions and fuel costs.

“The technology will facilitate the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable fuels for airport ground service equipment thereby improving environmental conditions at airports and their locals as well as improving energy security and sustainability for airport operations," said Dr. Patricia Irving, InnovaTek’s CEO and principal investigator on the project.

InnovaTek will collaborate with JBT AeroTech, a ground service equipment manufacturer, and EnerFuel, a fuel cell developer, to create a modular electric power system for an airport cargo loader with an extended range of at least 10 hours of operation.

“When the development process is complete, this technology will have applications throughout the transportation industry, particularly in battery-powered vehicles that are used over extended periods of time before they can be recharged,” said Daniel Betts, EnerFuel’s director of business affairs.

Air quality is a serious issue at airports, especially in ramp areas where baggage and cargo handling takes place. Emissions, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and particulates from combustion-powered vehicles negatively impact employees’ health. Additionally, a substantial percentage of airline and ground support costs go toward fueling and emission treatment systems, significantly impacting the price of air travel.

“Airlines and ground handling companies are facing ever-increasing pressure to reduce the level of emissions and fuel consumption from their operations because of the environmental impacts and costs,” said Nick Heemskerk, global product development manager at JBT AeroTech. “We are excited about the potential of an efficient battery electric power system for JBT’s equipment that has an extended range through integration with InnovaTek and EnerFuel’s technologies to meet these needs.”

NewWood brings economic hope to Grays Harbor County

Grays Harbor County just got an economic shot in the arm.

Thanks to the NewWood Manufacturing Corporation, a recently established wood products company, there are 150 new jobs in this coastal county. For many Grays Harbor residents who have suffered through years of high unemployment caused by the decline of the timber industry, it’s welcome news.

An AWB member since December 2010, NewWood is located at the Satsop Development Park, in Elma. The company takes locally sourced wood and plastic landfill waste and brings it to its 275,000 square-foot facility, a former Boise Cascade plant that closed in 2006, where it is converted into recycled building materials that are redefining the construction industry.

“Putting workers and materials that were considered throwaways by others into a recycled product at a re-opened factory is the very definition of the 21^st Century sustainability economy,” said John Bowser, NewWood’s CEO.

With NewWood in full operation, Southwestern Washington is starting to feel a positive economic ripple effect.

Wilson Recycling provides three tons of plastic lumber wrap and hay bale covers to NewWood each week from its Shelton facility, creating a market in the Northwest where one never existed.

“Before NewWood, the market was stagnant,” said Scott Wilson, president of Wilson Recycling, who plans on creating three new jobs in response to NewWood’s business. “Overseas markets were buying, but the price was so low that it made more sense for people to burn or bury their waste or just pay the fees at the landfill. NewWood’s entry into the market has made it viable for us to sell.”

In addition to improving the local economy, NewWood is also committed to improving the environment. The company:

• Uses recycled pens and paper inside its factory
• Prints its marketing materials on high- grade recycled paper
• Uses LEED certified toxin-free cleaning products throughout its facility
• Encourages employees to bring in plastic waste for recycling; and
• Maximizes truck trips by sending its recycling company back to its facility with a load of cardboard, glass, aluminum and batteries after delivering recycled raw materials at NewWood.

The company has also found a way to recycle one of Grays Harbor County’s best-known landmarks — the abandoned nuclear plant cooling towers at Satsop, closely adjacent to New Wood’s plant. Now the towers supply the plant with the water it needs to operate.

“This is a truly an exciting time for our company,” said Bowser. “After all these months of hard work and preparation, it is extremely gratifying to see it all come to fruition.”

Davenport Tower earns LEED Gold certication

Spokane’s Davenport Hotel and Tower has always been ahead of the curve.

Long before environmental concerns were on most people’s minds, founder Louis Davenport introduced farsighted energy saving measures to his hotel, opened in 1914. The Davenport was the first hotel to condition its air so that cleaning efforts were minimized. The hotel featured the first central vacuum system in a hotel, allowing one set of motors and filters that cleaned all 405 rooms; and it was also first to design air walls in its ballrooms so several events could be held while heating or cooling only one space.

And the innovation continues today.

On May 5, the Davenport Tower received LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the only hotel in Washington to obtain Gold status and` one of only 33 hotels in the world with that designation.  LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings.

“We are delighted with this news!” said Lynnelle Caudill, the Davenport’s managing director. “It was just over one year ago we set out to pursue LEED certification.  We worked to improve our usage of energy, lighting, water and materials, and added a variety of other sustainable strategies. Owners Walt and Karen Worthy have a tremendous commitment to the environment and to the staff and guests of the hotel, who increasingly want to know what our efforts are in this area, this was absolutely the right thing to do.”

Among the Tower’s many unique, sustainable features are high efficiency water cooled chillers; high efficiency natural gas boilers; guestroom heat pumps; compact fluorescent bulbs; motion sensors for lights; low-emissive windows in all guestrooms; energy efficient elevators; automated energy control in each guestroom; vapor barrier insulated walls and ceilings insulated;  extensive recycling throughout the hotel; and cloth hand towels instead of paper in public bathrooms.

“The Davenport Tower’s Gold LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The urgency of [USGBC’s] mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and this serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”

Future plans for the hotel, an AWB member since 2004, include bringing the historic hotel building and the nearby Davenport-owned Hotel Lusso up to the same LEED Gold standard as the adjacent Davenport Tower.

“It amazes me how many meeting planners are making LEED certification a big part of them bringing a convention to a city,” said Matt Jensen, the Davenport’s marketing director. “They want to know that we’ve got LEED certified buildings where they’re meeting and in the hotels where they’re staying. In the future, you’re going to see more hotels moving up to LEED certification if they want to continue to play in the corporate travel market. It’s nice that the Davenport is at the front end of this trend.”

Better Business Bureau names Andelcare Business of the Year

Andelcare is on a roll.

This elder home care provider won two Better Workplace Awards from AWB in February for its job training and advancement and innovative benefit and compensation programs. Now, on April 28, it received the Better Business Bureau’s 2011 Western Washington Business of the Year Award.

An AWB member since 2005, Andelcare was selected by volunteer judges who rated companies on customer service, community involvement and innovative business practices.

“Andelcare demonstrated a business model structured around providing not just great customer service, but also a work environment where people are rewarded for excellence in service,” said William Wood, one of the 2011 judges.

Opened in 2003 and based in Bellevue, Andelcare provides companionship, homemaking, personal care and nursing services for the elderly, the disabled, and patients recovering from surgery and hospitalization.  Andelcare employs more than 100 people and serves King and Snohomish counties. 

“This award validates all those years of hard, hard work, sleepless nights and time spent building and uniting a really great team of people,” said Marla Beck, Andelcare’s owner. “Our number one focus is excellence of care for our senior-aged clients.  Our caregivers enrich lives by preserving the stability, dignity, security and independence enjoyed by aging-adults when they continue to live in the comfort their own homes.”

Andelcare offers some of the top pay in the industry, and takes great care in recruiting caregivers.

“We select our care workers through a careful assessment process, but mostly they need to be caring, patient individuals,” said Beck. “With a focus on excellence of care and tending clients’ core needs, we carefully match clients and caregivers as well as provide coaching, recognition and rewards to our staff.”

Additionally, Andelcare employs an outside service to conduct random surveys of customers and care workers to provide feedback on its performance, helping it maintain its high level of customer service.

You can learn more about Andelcare by reading a profile of the company in the Spring 2011 issue of AWB’s Washington Business magazine.

 

Goodwill graduate reaches high, makes good on his potential

An opportunity, not a hand out, was all Michael Bulling ever wanted.

And that was exactly what Goodwill Industries International gave him.

Bulling, a 34 year-old Lakewood resident with cerebral palsy, is Goodwill’s 2011 Kenneth Shaw Graduate of the Year award winner for his determination to find work and gain skills. Don’t be surprised if you see him the next time you go through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Bulling has worked nearly four years as a custodian at the airport, sweeping, washing chairs, dusting among other duties.

“Goodwill gave me a chance by helping me get a job and a fresh start — the same for anyone with a disability or anyone who never had a chance,” said Bulling, who works for Capitol Building Maintenance. “Goodwill gave me an opportunity and I took the ball and ran with it. Now I have a career, not just a job.”

Bulling’s mother, Kyu Chon, calls him the “$5 million kid,” for all the operations he had as a youngster starting with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck that caused him to be born three months premature at 1.5 pounds. Within two weeks of his birth, he had already been diagnosed with a learning disability and cerebral palsy. Although he graduated from Tacoma’s Lincoln High School, in 1995, and found a few custodial jobs, it was not a happy experience despite his hard work.

“I liked my jobs, but the treatment was not so kind,” said Bulling. “I left for personal reasons. It was not my choice. I was pulling my share, but the managers didn’t treat me very well. They didn’t give me the advocacy and support I needed.”

Bulling only received the advocacy he really needed for future work when he found out through a friend about Goodwill, an AWB member since 2001.

Bulling joined Tacoma Goodwill’s Supported Employment program. This service helps people with developmental disabilities receive competitive jobs in the community. Bulling’s case manager assisted him in getting his current job.

Now the sky’s the limit for Bulling.

“He feels as though he has a lot to offer, and I think he does,” said Leah Ferrer-Warner, his case manager at Goodwill. “It is his goal to be an advocate, and I think he’ll do it.”

Already, in April, Bulling attended a Goodwill conference, in Washington, D.C., including meetings with members of Congress. He also speaks at a variety of events, at local Boys & Girls Clubs and in front of organizations advocating on behalf of the disabled.

“In five or 10 years, I see myself working as a consultant with people with challenged and disadvantaged needs, or alongside the Port of Seattle and the CEO,” said Bulling. “They need an advocate like me – somebody who has guts and who is not afraid to speak up and speak out. They need to understand that if I can do it, anybody can do it. All you’ve got to do is believe in yourself.”

First turbine erected at Puget Sound Energy wind project

 
Looking for a clean energy future?

Puget Sound Energy’s Lower Snake River Wind Project in the wheat fields and rangeland of Southeastern Washington’s Garfield County reached a major milestone at the beginning of April with the completion of the first of 149 430-foot-tall turbines. When all the turbines are erected and operating in spring 2012, the facility will be PSE’s largest wind power operation and one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest – generating 343-megawatts of electricity, enough to serve more than 230,000 homes.

“One of the obvious benefits with wind power is zero emissions,” said Roger Thompson, PSE spokesman. “From a climate change standpoint, the environmental attributes are quite apparent. Another benefit is that fuel costs for utilities are essentially free.”

“This project, like our existing Hopkins Ridge and Wild Horse wind facilities, is supporting a cleaner, greener energy future for Washington state,” said Kimberly Harris, PSE president and CEO. “But more than that, it is creating good jobs and a stronger, more secure energy future for our nation.”

PSE, an AWB member since 1927, is pursuing federal stimulus-package funding and state incentives for using apprentice labor for at least 15 percent of the construction work. These incentives lower the cost of the project for the utility’s customers. In addition, the apprentice program supports skills training and apprentice development in a variety of trades.

Work is also progressing on the project’s 15,000 square-foot operations and maintenance building near Pomeroy. Approximately 25 permanent employees from PSE and Siemens Energy – the turbines’ manufacturer – will occupy the building once it opens this fall.

"It's exciting to see the first wind turbines going up at the Lower Snake River project," said Dean Burton, chairman of the Garfield County Commission. "Puget Sound Energy has been a strong partner in our community and its wind project is bringing a lot of benefits to the people of Garfield County."

Tyson Foods takes aim at hunger through action and awareness

One in four Americans fears they may have trouble putting food on the table in the next year. For Tyson Foods, that is one American too many.

"There is a tendency to think about hunger on Thanksgiving or Christmas but hunger exists every day," said John Tyson, chairman of the Springdale, Ark., food giant, an AWB member since 1981.

To help make a dent in the hunger problem and spark more community involvement, Tyson contributed 1 million pounds of meat this March to food banks and pantries in 23 states, the latest in a series of the company’s in-kind donations.  In the last 10 years, Tyson has donated the equivalent of 312 million meals in the U.S.

Tyson’s donation was accepted with open arms by social service agencies.

“While we provide many different kinds of foods to the agencies we serve, meat and poultry are typically among the most requested, but least available, foods,” said Lynn Brantley, president and CEO of Washington, D.C.’s Capital Area Food Bank.

To put hunger on the front burner, Tyson teamed up with the Food Research and Action Center to commission a nationwide survey of 1,509 adults on hunger as part of his company's KNOW Hunger campaign. Hart Research Associates conducted the survey.

Thirty-five percent of respondents said they personally know someone who has experienced the problem of hunger in the past year. And the bad economy is making the problem even worse.

"There is a new face to hunger: people who have lost their jobs," said Tyson.

Additionally, 80 percent of respondents believed organizations and leaders in their local communities should play a major role in the effort to ensure that low-income families and children have the food and nutrition they need.

“The research shows that the vast majority of Americans believe that hunger is a problem for the country, and it also shows they are committed to the belief that no one should go hungry,” said Jim Weill, president of FRAC.

“As we’ve become involved in hunger relief over the past 10 years, engaging our employees, customers and communities, we’ve seen evidence of what this survey confirms,” said Tyson.  “People do think hunger is a serious issue.  They’re willing to become involved.  But they also need to be shown how it directly impacts their own communities.  We believe creating more awareness creates more involvement.” 

Walmart urges customers to get SMARxT about drug disposal

Don’t throw it down the drain!

That’s the message Walmart is trying to get across to customers with medications they no longer need.

On Thursday, the nation’s largest retailer joined a national partnership to educate customers about the proper way to dispose of unused prescription drugs. Walmart, an AWB member since 2005, is the first of 139 supporters to launch a national educational program in more than 3,500 of their pharmacies promoting the SMARxT Disposal partnership.

“We are extremely pleased that Walmart has joined us in our campaign to educate people on how they should dispose of their unused medication in their homes,” said Rowan Gould, acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Walmart has millions of customers across the country, and by providing information to each of them, we are sure to have a big impact on preventing chemicals and drugs from reaching our waterways and affecting our plants, animals and ecosystems.”

Flushing medications down the toilet or pouring them down the drain allow drugs to enter waterways, harming plants and animals.

One way to prevent this from happening is by increasing awareness about proper medication disposal. SMARxT Disposal recommends people pour their unused medication into a sealable plastic bag, add kitty litter, sawdust, or coffee grounds, and then seal the plastic bag before disposing of it in the trash.

“We understand that keeping these medications out of Washington’s streams and lakes is critical to the overall health of our communities,” said Jennifer Spall, spokeswoman for Walmart.

Signs in now posted more than 3,500 Walmart pharmacies and online with directions for customers on the proper disposal of their unused medications. The company will also print SMARxT Disposal’s information on all pharmacy bags, a friendly way of educating customers on drug disposal.

“Walmart is pleased to be an active corporate supporter of SMARxT Disposal,” said Dr. John Agwunobi, president of Walmart Health and Wellness. ”Our customers are looking for environmentally friendly ways to dispose of their unused and unwanted medications, and SMARxT Disposal can provide the answers our customers are seeking. We are proud to be part of this solution and we know that our communities will benefit from this partnership.”

Comcast donates $25,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County

Digital literacy is more important than ever in today’s information-based economy. That’s why Comcast is helping South Sound children improve their technology skills with a $25,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County.

The money will ensure that clubs in Lacey, Olympia, Rochester and Tumwater will be able to provide the most up-to-date digital technology and software to help prepare at-risk youth for college and future careers.

"Kids need to learn and conquer technology,” said Joe Ingoglia, CEO for the Thurston County clubs. "It's used everywhere. You hear talk of bridging the digital divide. We are trying to bridge that gap for kids. We want to provide those kids with opportunities they might not otherwise have."

Unfortunately, some young people have serious problems competing with their peers because they can’t access computers, smart phones and other devices.

“You need a really rigorous curriculum and very sharp instructors to guide people through technology,” said Walt Neary, spokesman for Comcast. “The Boys & Girls Clubs are great for young people. The clubs are real pioneers in the art of teaching young people digital literacy and how to use technology.”
Comcast has a long history of supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs, and the current donation is the largest grant it has given the organization so far.

“We’re really excited about this grant,” said Neary. “We hope we can do more things with the Boys and Girls Clubs down the line. We donate in various ways to hundreds of organizations around the state. We believe giving back to the community is essential. It’s the right thing to do for business and it’s definitely the right thing to do for the heart.”