Bible Study

Due to popular demand, we will be continuing the Bible Study group. The meetings are held every other Thursday evening in the office lunchroom. For more information, please contact Dean Law.

Company Picnic

Mark your calendars, the annual Frattalone company picnic will be held on Saturday, June 23, 2001. This year the picnic will be held at Spooner Park in Little Canada. The park is a great set up for our big group. It has a big pavilion, a nice kids play area, sand volleyball courts and we will be having a 100-foot slip-n-slide for the people who want to cool off. Employees will receive more information in the mail soon.

Saints Game

We have tickets reserved for the Saints game on Friday, July 13^th. We have also reserved a spot on the north side of the parking lot for tailgating before the game. The BBQ will fire up around 5:00 p.m. and the game starts @ 7:05 p.m. The cost is $10.00 per person, which includes a game ticket, food, beverages and door prizes. Please contact Shelly in the office if you are interested. Tickets go fast!

CLC Golf Tournament

Frattalone Excavating will be holding the 3^rd Annual Central Lakes College Golf Tournament on Tuesday, July 17^th this year. The tournament has been a huge success in the past two years, raising over $27,000.00. All proceeds go to the Heavy Equipment Program at the College located in Staples, MN.

Jerry Richert Memorial

On June 2, Cedar Lake Speedway will be hosting "The Jerry Richert Memorial" race in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Jerry Richert drove dump truck here for over 14 years until he retired in the fall of 1998. Prior to his employment here, Jerry was an extremely successful sprint car driver with Frattalone Companies Excavating & Grading, Inc. as his sponsor for several years. In the fall of 1998, Jerry passed away and will be honored this year at Cedar Lake with a race in memory of him. Frattalone Companies, along with Frattalone Paving, are excited to announce that we are teaming up to be a sponsor of this event. Along with the sponsorship, we have made arrangements with Cedar Lake Speedway to have a tent set-up with food and beverages before the race and a reserved section of seats for the race for our employees and their families. Cost of the event is only $15.00 per person (tickets for the race alone go for $20.00). Please contact Shelly Boss @ 651-484-0448 or email shellyb@frattalonecompanies.com to reserve your spot. Please sign up early, since there are only so many seats. We hope to see you all there!

It’s time to put away that snow blower and take out the fishing poles! Our 2001-2002 fishing contest began 4-1-01. The same rules apply as in years past. We’ve already had three walleye entries ranging from 8-10 lbs.

Rules:
Employees and immediate family members are automatically eligible. Entries must be verified at a bait store and include the name and phone number of the person who weighed the fish. Turn in all entries to Dean Law or into the office. There are 5 divisions: walleye, northern, bass, crappie and sunfish.

The results for the 2000-2001 fishing contest are as follows:

Bob Helland was the winner of the drawing of all the entries we received.

All awards will be presented at the all company meeting on April 26^th, 2001. Beginning next year we will be presenting awards at the company picnic held in June.

Congratulations to all!
Happy Fishing!

Spring Fishing Tournament

The annual Spring Multi-Species Fishing Tournament will be on Saturday, June 16^th this year. It will be held at Lindwood Lake located in Wyoming, MN. More information will be available soon.

Rod Building Class

The Fishing Rod Building Class that was held in February was a success. More than a dozen employees participated and built a wide variety of rods ranging from spinning rods to bait casters. Now put those rods to work and get fishing!

How is Your Ticker?

The good news about heart disease (the number one killer in America) is that a healthy heart is within everyone’s reach. You already know some of the rules: Consume less fat, eat fruits and vegetables, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check, etc. But there are more ways to boost a health heart, including some you probably didn’t know:

Don’t skip breakfast. Most heart attacks occur before noon – possibly because the cells that help blood to clot are stickiest then. Eating breakfast appears to make those cells less sticky… and less likely to clump together and block a vital artery. So, start bringing an apple or a bagel for that morning break.

Cut Sweets. Sugar is not directly related to heart disease, but cutting back limits empty calories and helps leave room for fiber and nutrients.

Meet the ‘B’s". You may have heard about the antioxidants (vitamins C, E and beta carotene), which appear to slow plaque formation in the arteries. Now there is evidence that folic acid, a B vitamin, and vitamins B6 and B12 may help prevent heart attacks. You can get all three "B’s" from a balanced diet.

Lighten up. People who overreact to stressful situations appear more likely to have heart trouble.

Ask about aspirin. Aspirin has been shown to protect the heart by preventing clot formation. But don’t start taking aspirin regularly without your doctor’s approval. Besides its many side effects (like stomach irritation), long-term aspirin use may present other potential dangers.

Quit smoking. Smoking doesn’t just affect your lungs. The fact is you’ll cut your risk of heart attack by 50-70% within five years if you quit. Ex-smokers have about the same risk of a heart attack as people who never smoked.

Get more exercise. Sedentary living, not high cholesterol, is the single biggest factor in heart attack deaths. But, you don’t have to be a marathon runner. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity three times a week delivers the benefits of regular exercise. Not only does exercise reduce the chance of a heart attack, it is also gives you more energy, reduces stress, promotes better sleep, builds muscle and reduces fat. So, take a walk, ride your bike or just climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Any little bit will help in your journey to live a longer and healthier life.

Well, once again spring has sprung and it’s time to get fired up in the field. Everyone is extremely anxious to get back to work so they can fill those bank accounts that they drained over the long winter. As the season gets started, we need to remember to work safely as well as productively. About a month and a half ago, we received an OSHA citation for an unsafe trench and for not having the spoil pile 2’ back from the excavation. Three sides of the excavation were dug properly, but one of the sides was left too steep. These violations cost all of us $3,500.00. We need to stay focused on keeping the job sites safe 100% of the time and having the mind set that OSHA will be stopping out to our job site every day. Being safe and working safely has to be part of our pre-task planning on every job site, every day. This also helps the company stay profitable. So, as the summer continues to get busier and busier, remember that OSHA will be stopping out to visit your job site. Let’s show them that we are on top of our Safety Program.

Have a safe and profitable summer!

Steve Buche
Field and Safety Coordinator

New Employees