Dedicated to our Internal & External Customers, the future ... · so make sure you are ready for some Halloween fun! Don’t forget to find Perry’s moustache. If you find it in

CongratulationsAl Wojdak

“A Salute to Those Who Make a Difference.”Retirement: That’s when you return from work one day and say, “Hi, Honey, I’m home - forever.” Back in February of 1986, an ambitious young man decided to start a transportation company designed to provide World-Class service while only making one call to do it all. This aspiring man named Perry, knew he would have to rely on the help of a committed driver to meet and exceed his dream. Fortunately, he hired the formidable Al Wojdak! (the very first Custom hire) Al has been driving for The Custom Companies since Day One. From middle of the night runs to Wisconsin and Indiana, Al has always been there to Make It Happen! And when the Los Angeles terminal opened, Custom counted on Al to make the cross-country trek. Al has always been one of the most Loyal, Dedicated, and Dependable employees Custom has ever known! He is Customer First through and through and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. No matter what is asked of him, he is always there and ready to assist. Perry has relied on Al to perpetuate his business and bring his dream to reality. Al has become the foundation of his driver fleet. If another driver needs assistance or information, they turn to Al for guidance as he is always there for his fellow associates, too. Al’s leaving left a huge void that cannot be replaced! All of us will greatly miss you! We wish you only the Best in this new chapter of your life! Congratulations Al!! You have left your indelible mark, we will miss your professional expertise and your friendship and wish you only success and happiness in your future endeavors - may they be all that you hope for! My first day at Custom, 24 plus years ago, Al was the one I spent my entire day with. I went on a driver ride with him. He asked me if I needed or wanted to stop for lunch that day in advance before going on his route with him and I left it up to him. Well….needless to say, he did NOT want to stop at all that day and wanted to get done with his route. He advised me he usually never stops for lunch. Boy oh boy, I should have said yes that day. We started at 7am and didn’t get back into the building until after 5pm. I was starving the whole day and he told me to toughen it out…….thank God I will never have to go through that again or suffer from starvation! He is a great guy and was very popular with his customers on his route. He truly was a company man and a great guy as well. He will be truly miss by his peers, his fellow coworkers, and the customers he developed relationships with. His friendship to me will be cherished for a lifetime. Good luck to you Al and I will miss you! Enjoy retirement and may God Bless you forever! ~ Tony Beltrano“I’m going to miss Al’s gentle grumblings every morning! Thank you Al for being an integral part of Custom’s success and for ALWAYS getting the job done!” ~ Rocky Caylor On February 4th, 1989, I began my career as the Controller of The Custom Companies. My very first

THE CUSTOM COMPANIES, INC. • 317 WEST LAKE STREET, NORTHLAKE, ILLINOIS 60164 • www.CUSTOMCO.com

VOL. VIII No. 4 • October / November 2013Dedicated to our Internal & External Customers, the future of our company.

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Al Wojdak RetirementSafety AwardTwo Soldiers & a MarineTraining for a RaceCustom UniversityCustom Cares CharityDaylight Savings TimeSalmon CharterSportsRecipesHalloween ArticleCredits

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Hello Readers, Its ghouls and goblins time so make sure you are ready for some Halloween fun! Don’t forget to find Perry’s moustache. If you find it in this issue, email your guess to Tom Mroz at [email protected] no later than Fri-day, Oct. 18th. Participate in the newsletter by sending suggestions, restaurant re-views or sell your stuff, with-out having to officially join our team. We look forward to hearing from you!Thank you,NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE


VOL. VIII No. 4 • October / November 2013

Did You Know

?• Almost two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water. If the earth were flat, water would cover everything in a layer two miles deep!• The lead in pencils, really graphite, is made of the exact same thing as diamonds. Both are pure carbon which just formed under different pressures and tempera-tures. Intense heat and pressure form the car-bon atoms into crystals making diamond, while lesser heat and pressure form the carbon into sheets making graphite.• Geologists have dis-covered there seems to be more water miles deep between the rocks of Earth’s mantle than in all the oceans of the world. The intense pres-sure of the tons of rocks above keeps the hot water from turning to steam and escaping.If you were to place the planet Saturn in a big enough bowl of water, it would float!• About 20 percent of the earth’s land is made up of desert, and the world’s largest desert is the Sahara of North Africa.• On a clear night, the human eye can see be-tween 2,000 and 3,000 stars in the sky.Water is the only sub-stance on earth that is

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Safety Professionalof the Year!By Rocky Caylor Mr. Perry Mandera, owner of The Cus-tom Companies, Inc. and executive board member of the ITA, Illinois Trucking As-sociation, presented our Safety Manager, Mark Dannhauser with the ITA’s award “Safety Professional Of The Year”. During the sales meeting. Mr. Mandera stated that in his 20 years as a board member of the ITA this award has never been given out. Mark manages the safety team for Custom Transport, Inc., and is known state-wide for his vast knowledge of the Hazardous Materials regulations. Custom Transport won the ITA Great West Casualty award for the safest fleet of it size in 2009 and again for 2012, which was presented at this year’s 2013 Illinois State Truck Driving Champi-onship banquet. Mark has over the past few years, been a part of the ITAs, TDC, Truck Driving Championship committee, so our drivers have a forum to show their safe driving skills compet-ing against others state-wide. Mark on behalf of the Custom Company family, we congratulate you and thank you for making our roads safer.

assignment was to ride along on one of our trucks and learn about our business. As I approached Truck#L027720 I saw a big, burly man with a full head of darkish blond hair next to the truck with a huge smile on his face. I introduced myself and found out I would be riding with Al Wojdak all day. After being told “not to touch anything” I climbed aboard and off we went. After first stopping for do-nuts and coffee (Al said we would need some nourishment to get us thru the morning) we arrived at our first delivery. I remember Al expertly backing this long trailer down a narrow alley to get to their dock, just slightly clipping a couple of trash cans along the way. We dropped off a couple of boxes but as I started going back to the truck, Al said “hold on.” We then chit chatted with the dock manager and had another cup of coffee with him. We then headed for our next delivery but on the way stopped for… OK, I could keep this little story going for the whole day but it would just be a story; funny but not true. As a matter of fact I learned how hard a job it is being a truck driver that day. We stopped at 14 customers that morning delivering a full trailer full of freight, then took a quick 15 minute lunch. He didn’t want to stop but I insisted and told him I would buy him lunch. In the afternoon we stopped at another 10 or 12 custom-ers and picked up more freight which eventually filled the trailer. We headed back to 950 Supreme Dr. around 5:30 and I was pooped to say the least. But Al was still his bubbly self, keeping up with nonstop chatter. I’ll always remember that ride. I hope only the best for Al during his retirement. Have a long and happy one. Congratulations, Al! ~ Tom Mroz Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money.

Jason Esser, Al Wojdak, Bob Zdych, Rocky Caylor

“C O O K I N G UP A DREAM” Two Soldiers and a MarineSubmitted by John Santoro

While enjoying the benefits of their tastefully created barbecue one evening, the three combat veterans decided to pursue a culinary career together and share their barbecue tal-ents and scrumptious creations with the rest of the world. After an exchange of ideas between the three Vet’s they agreed to open a mobile catering company. This novel idea brought them to the door step of none other, than Dave Ray-mond, the prestigious owner of Sweet Baby Ray’s restaurants and catering. Dave was immediately impressed with their idea and business plan, and agreed to assist and mentor Dan Elsner and his cohorts in pursuit of their collective dream. After consulting with Dave the three approached the Illinois State Crime Commission, an organization that prides itself in assisting returning veterans in the finding and identifying of employment opportuni-ties. The Illinois State Crime Commission immediately directed them to an ex-Marine who has received multiple awards for his assistance in many different areas of philanthropy, but particularly, with veterans and needy children. Perry Mandera, a fellow Marine, and sole owner of the Custom Companies,once again provided the needed assistance to bring the dream of these returning disabled Vet’s to a reality. Currently they are operating successfully, as “Two Soldiers and a Marine,” in their mobile

food business. These Vets have created their own legacy, by not only oper-ating a successful business but by setting an example for other decorated combat veterans to follow in their footsteps. When you see their distinctive mobile food truck, easily dis-cernible by the distinguished dress blue colors of the US Marine Corps uniform, please

welcome them and engage in some of their many outstanding barbecue food creations.TWO SOLDIERS AND A MARINEFOOD TRUCK

An American Veteran Owned CompanyPhone Number: (847) 239-7146

Address: 1363 Shermer Rd. Suite 310; Northbrook, IL 60062



lighter as a solid than a liquid.• Our sun is over 2.5 million miles around at its equator.• 96% of Egypt is made up of the desert sands of the Sahara.Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, standing 29,028 feet high.• The Amazon rain for-est supplies one-fifth of the world’s oxygen!• Where do comets come from? There is a huge cloud of objects made of ice and rock encircling our solar system, called the Oort Cloud. It lies beyond Pluto and extends half way out to the next star. These objects oc-casionally bump into each other, sending one in towards the sun to become a comet like the recent Hale-Bopp comet.• Every day, eight tril-lion gallons of water pour out of the mouth of the Amazon River into the Atlantic Ocean.The ice that covers 98% of Antarctica holds 90% of the world’s fresh wa-ter.• Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest lake in the world, and holds as much water as all the five Great Lakes of the U.S. combined!• Lake Superior, one of the five Great Lakes be-tween the U.S. and the border of Canada, is a freshwater lake with the largest surface area, and it’s so big it has waves!• Olympus Mons is a mountain on Mars,

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OCTOBERBIRTHDAYS

Roland FoulkesJavier GutierrezRocky Caylor George SmithJorge VargasClarence CrossDanny Garcia Diego DelgadoJacob ElperinLouie OcanaJohn PecnickCarlos GonzalezJose MoralesJose RodriguezPerry ManderaKen Whidden Ramone Dino Tim HoganJose EspinosaAdam GonzalesWilson RodriguezHerb Aquino Rafael Ibarra Megan LuscombeEarl HahnJoan MalvitzOrlando Manimtim

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10-1110-1310-1310-1310-1510-1610-1610-1710-1910-2010-2010-2110-2310-2510-2610-2610-2610-2810-2810-29

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TCC AccountingJacob Orvis

Illinois Professional Truck Driving Championship 2013By Mark DannhauserPheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL was the setting for 2013 Illinois Professional Truck Driving Championship. This event showcased the driving skills of Illinois top CMV drivers in nine different equipment classes. The Custom Companies, Inc. had five contestants participating in four different class categories. IPTDC Veterans John Skiba, Neil Specter, Robert Reynolds and Dan Craig returned to the competition as well as newcomer rookie Manny Roman. All contestants did a phe-nomenal job in all obstacles which included a written test, pre-trip, and course. In the end, John Skiba placed and was award-ed the 2nd Place trophy for his efforts in the Flat Bed Division! Great Job John! In addition to the second place finish in the competition, Custom Transport, Inc. was tied for First Place for operating the safest fleet in Illinois. This award was presented to Custom Transport, Inc. due to having an accident frequency of 0.00 for 2012-2013.Prior to the event, two tractor / trailers and one straight truck were detailed in stunning fashion to a showroom finish by Jeff Howard and the Maintenance Team. The two tractors were so impressive, that the TDC organizers wanted to showcase the equipment inside the facility and had one tractor staged on both sides of the stage during the banquet and awards ceremony! We would also like to give extra special Thank You’ s to Milly Rodriguez, Angy Guarino, and Isabel Garcia, who were judg-es on the course. Frank Pesek, who will be heading up the preparations for the 2014 TDC, along with Kathie Chadderdon, did a tremendous job with game day prep as well as coaches during the many weeks leading up to the event.

CMS: A new way of bookingBy Allison Cascio In August of this year, The Custom Companies Inc. launched the revolutionary Choice Man-agement System (CMS) through Choice Direct Logistics. The objective of the venture is to ex-pand our ability to service the national LTL needs of our customers and future customers for point to point service throughout the country. How does CMS work? Our customers are given a login to access the CMS site (which can be found through the “login” link here: www.choicedl.com/cms.html). Once logged in, our custom-ers can see in real time what partner carriers are available to move their freight, at what rates and for what transit times. They can control what accessorial services are added and, when ready, they can dispatch the pickup request, generate the Bill of Lading and trace the shipment all in the same system. How does this affect our current LTL department? In general, it shouldn’t change what most of us do. Local pickups should still go through the Gold Teams, but if you have an inbound LTL shipment or state-to-state inquiry, shoot an email to [email protected] in addition to the in-bound department to see if there’s a good fit. Congratulations to The Custom Companies for launching this exciting new service offering!!


VOL. VIII No. 4 • October / November 2013Page 5

OCTOBERANNIVERSARIES

Tom KolzowBruce LenauTom MrozRamir SisonJon DuJardinBob HeinzJerry OdziemicMary HolowickiJose Cedeno Marie HuffBob DeneenJose FabianGeorge MacielAlex DeLeon Ron PearceMatt FoleyHerb Aquino Jason EsserAnthony StramPeter MudiyappanJulio LoaizaJohn SantoroGerman MelendezRobert BarbosaFrancisco HernandezJose RodriguezMike PlzakAlfredo FierroSean PierceEdgar CruzLinda DieboldtDesiree Reyes

241716161414131312111111111010

88876653332111111

JACOB ORVIS: Training For The Race I started running recreationally in college to keep the freshman fifteen off. I competed in a 4 mile run for fun and placed 4th. I lost to a 13yr old kid in the last quarter mile, but that was the moment I wanted to start training for 5ks. The following year I placed 2nd and then 1st the year after. It wasn’t until my senior year of college when I had the cable channel with the Tour De France that I really got into biking. I did smaller ones and was placed 1st and 2nd in my age group and in the top quarter of the entire field, so I’ve been doing them ever since. The short course race I did was a 5km run- 20km bike – 2.5km run. The race itself was in Ottawa on August 10th, and the transition and race start/finish was located by the Canadian War Museum. There is also the Olympic distance race, 10km run - 40km bike – 5km run, but I’m not sure I’m in shape enough for that race… yet. For the race, I used a road bike that I bought in college and recently converted to a more aero position. I think if I had a more aerodynamic triathlon bike, I could’ve done slightly better, but I’m pretty happy to have done as well as I did. During the first run, I stayed in the second group of runners and finished with one of the better 5k times I’ve had in a duathlon! For the bike portion, I was nervous because the race officials were mak-ing a big deal out of getting penalties for drafting, and this was new to me, but we were pretty spread out. Actually, I did better than I had ever done. Usually I get passed by four or five people on the bike, but this time I passed five or six. The second run was tough, but I ran with another American who kept encouraging me to run harder and pass the next guy. I ran my hardest and by the end I was on the verge of puking, so I know I gave it my all. In the age group 25-29, I finished 10th out of 13, and overall for the sprint course I finished 107th out of 298. About two weeks later, I went back to MN where there was the Minneapolis duathlon that I did for fun. I placed 18th out of 589 and 3rd of 41 in my age group. I trained harder than I usually do for other duathlons. During my intense training, my week con-sisted of: Mondays: Easy 3-4 mile run.Tuesdays: Easy 3-4 mile run in the morning, and either easy 12-15 mile bike ride, or core workout in the evening.Wednesdays: Either 5 tempo run (run at race pace) with 2 mile cool down, or four 1-mile sprints w/ 4 half mile jogs, and two mile cool down run.Thursdays: Easy 2-3 mile run or easy 12-15 mile bike ride.Fridays: Core workout either in the morning or in the evening.Saturdays: 12-13 mile long run.Sundays: 30-40 mile bike ride. As for what I ate, I was trying to cut some weight down, so I was watching my calorie intake and eating yogurt with granola for breakfast. For lunch I had a lean pocket (Clete nicknamed me “Body by Hot Pocket”), with an apple and banana during breaks. My dinner stayed normal, but I also gave up beer, pop, and candy, which sucked. I’ve currently eased off the training, but two possible races that I’d like to do this fall is a duathlon in IL and the Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k which I’ve done for the past two years. I plan on keeping in shape until I start training again around next February. Next year’s age group world championships will be in Spain, which would be pretty cool to visit. My favorite moment of the races happened when I was watching the Olympic distance racers finish. There was an 80 something year old Japanese man that finished and he collapsed. He couldn’t get up, but he was smiling ear to ear and throwing his arms up. The person next to me said he was smiling during the entire race. It would be nice to be able to compete when I’m at that age.

You can find my results at sportstats.ca ~ click find race results ~ search my last name (http://www.sportstats.ca/displayResults.xhtml?racecode=105797&bib=768). TCC Accounting

Jacob Orvis



NOVEMBERBIRTHDAYS

Karl MozinaBrad WoodburyMark DannhauserJulio LoaizaDavid RozkuszkaJuan LopezBob DeneenRamiro VillarruelTom BoyleKamal SalahMiguel CervantesManuel VegaGerman DelgadoDean PilafasAnthony StramSaul DeLunaJosh HinesSheila PajarilloSteve PaxtonDonna RobinsonBruce SchallerFrank PesekJohn AngelopoulosJuan GarciaDorland HendersonGail Abdallah Francisco HernandezJay BlumenthalAnthony RoldanRich GooneMilly Rodriguez

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11-1011-1111-1311-1311-1311-1511-1611-1711-1711-2011-2011-2011-2011-2111-2111-2311-2411-2411-2411-2511-2511-2711-2711-3011-30

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•

THE

CUSTOM COMPAN

IES •

CUSTOM UNIVERSITY

CUSTOM UNIVERSITY GRADUATES

August 14, 2013Listed from left to rightJohn Santoro, Lev Krasnopol-skiy, Bob Zdych, Tony Crespo, Tom Biskup, Jason Miner, Megan Luscombe

August 21, 2013Listed from left to right

John Santoro, Tom Taylor, Josh Hines, Jesus Bucio,

Samantha Santiago, Megan Luscombe

July 31, 2013Listed from left to right

John Santoro, Daniel Garcia, Joe Giaquinta, Tom Boyle,

Desiree Reyes, Allison Cascio

TCC DriverJuan Reyna



NOVEMBERANNIVERSARIES

James CampbellGiovanni ValenteJohn DembowskiRafael IbarraJuan ReynaLisa SmithGeorge BarneyAlonso BlancoJeff HowardRon BoylesSaul De LunaSeferino AriasTina MinerJose GarciaPat WalshBilly Hudson Jim WelshOscar BolanosJames GrisbyChris SharpCarlos MelendezSteve YonkmanAndy WagnerJuan LopezJesus BucioJudy Knuth

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September 25, 2013Listed from left to rightJohn Santoro, Drew Mackenzie, Tom Boyle, James Griese, David Feinstein, Ramone Dino, Clete Janik, Bianca Gutierrez

TCC ITJustin Major

Custom Cares Charities Activity by Tom MrozWalter and Connie Payton Foundation: On September 1st Perry Mandera graciously gave the okay for the WCPF to move into our A-Wing and set up for their Back to School Drive and their annual Toy Drive. Connie Payton and her team of volunteers will begin working on the toy drive packages starting in November. If anyone would be interested in volunteering after their work shift please let me know at [email protected] will be setting up boxes for the Toy Drive throughout our building the week before Thanks-giving. Please help the underprivileged children in the Chicago metropolitan area have a good Christmas by picking up a toy or two for this year’s Drive. There will be more information com-ing out in November.Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s Sister Paulanne: Donated $1,000 to a homeless family that was liv-ing in their car in order for them to pay a security deposit on a small rental home in Northbrook. The National Brain Tumor Society: Donated $500 to fight Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer that has a devastating mortality rate.Campus Crusade for Christ: Donated $2,500 to help support their ministries and staff.For Autistic Kids Foundation: Donated $7,500 to help broaden the public’s awareness and un-derstanding of autism, educate autistic kids, and fund research for the early detection, preven-tion, treatment and possible cure for children with this lifelong neurological disorder.Misericordia Women’s Board Angel Campaign: Donated $250 to help support the programs that enrich the lives of more than 600 children who call Misericordia “Home.”


VOL. VIII No. 4 • October / November 2013 Page 8

which is about fifteen miles high, three times higher than Mount Everest on earth, and at the top it is 45 miles across!• The deepest natu-ral caves known to man are the Pierre St. Martin Caves in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France, which reach 4,370 feet deep, almost three times as deep as the Empire State Building is high!• Scientist believe that diamond rains occur on Neptune and Ura-nus. The heart of these planets may be a layer of diamonds hundreds of miles thick.• Jupiter’s giant red spot is like a tornado and it is 3 times bigger than the earth.

• The largest crater on the moon measures 183 miles across.• Astronomers know Mars is a backwards planet. Once a year, for several days, it appears to move backwards in its orbit. This is actu-ally an optical illusion when the faster orbit of Earth races past Mars.• The farthest you can see with the naked eye is 2.4 million light years away! • Australia is the only continent on earth without an active vol-cano.• The earth is over 330,000 times smaller than the sun.• The Earth is 4.5 bil-lion years old.

D A Y L I G H T S A V I N G ST I M E By Jay Cohen

Be sure to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday 11/12 as Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 3. The good news is that you’ll get an extra hour of sleep, but unfortu-nately the days will be shorter. DST begins in March and ends in November. Although Daylight Saving Time is considered to be correct, daylight savings time (with an “s”) is commonly used. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist, George Vernon Hudson in 1895. The idea was to provide more evening daylight for leisure time during the summer hours. During World War I, DST was conceived as a way to save energy. Starting on 30 April 1916, Germany and it’s World War I allies, Austria & Hungary, were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year, while the United States adopted it in 1918 to conserve resources. DST was abandoned in the years after the war (with some notable exceptions including Canada, the UK, France, and Ireland for example). It was reinstated again during World War II until Sept. 1945. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 cre-ated a standardized system to observe daylight saving time. It became widely adopted, particu-larly in North America and Europe starting in the 1970s during the energy crisis. While an overwhelming majority of the U.S. does observe Daylight Saving Time, not all do. With the exception of the Navajo Nation in the northeastern part of the state, Arizona has not been moving their clocks forward like the rest of the country each spring. According to an Arizona Republic editorial in 1969, the reasoning behind not springing forward was due to the heat. Aside from Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Marianas and the Virgin Islands do not move their clocks forward. Retailers, sporting goods makers, and other businesses benefit from extra afternoon sunlight, as it induces customers to shop and to participate in outdoor afternoon sports. In 1984, Fortune magazine estimated that a seven-week extension of DST would yield an additional $30 million for 7-11 stores. At the same time, the National Golf Foundation estimated the extension would increase golf industry revenues $200 million to $300 million. Fire officials encourage citizens to use the two annual clock shifts as reminders to replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, particularly in autumn, just before the heat-ing season causes an increase in home fires. Similar twice-yearly tasks include reviewing and practicing fire escape and family disaster plans, inspecting vehicle lights, checking storage areas for hazardous materials, reprogramming thermostats and seasonal vaccinations. While Autumn and Winter provide many holidays and activities such as skiing and skating, I’m sure most of us will be looking forward to the Spring when Daylight Saving Time starts again.

First Annual Salmon CharterBy: Frank Pesek We had outstanding weather for our inaugural salm-on charter trip with Capt. Tim Wojnicz of Finquest Sport Fishing, located out of the port of Kenosha in Kenosha, WI. The weather was 76 degrees and slight-ly overcast with a gentle breeze and two to three foot waves. Conditions were in favor for a good day of fishing. We all met at The Custom Companies parking lot at 8:30am on Saturday morning August 10th. Frank Pesek, Juan Morales, George Barney, and Andy Kolodziejczyk. We drove together up to Kenosha where we had a warrior’s breakfast at a

restaurant overlooking the harbor before meeting with the Captain. We then boarded the Finquest around 11:00a.m. After boarding, we took a nice boat ride leaving the harbor and out into open water. About 8 miles out, Cap-tain Tim set up a trolling pattern and laid out a 12-line spread to begin trolling. It was not long before Andy pulled in the first fish of the day; a nice female at 16 lbs. Shortly thereafter, Juan was up and reeled in a nice male

at 17 lbs. Then George was next to pull in the big one. We were all anticipating another nice salmon. To all of our surprise, George pulled in a perch to win the small fish of the day award! Sorry George, but a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work. Later in the day, Frank was up and he came in with a beautiful 19 lb. male.

We all caught fish on our outing and we all had a great time on the water. The camaraderie, the open water, the liba-tions, the fish, and all the nice salmon fillets we all brought home made this inaugural trip a great one. A date has not been set for our next salmon charter, but Capt. Tim is available for perch charters in the spring. We are putting a perch trip together for some time in May, 2014. If interested in a perch or salmon trip, contact Frank Pesek. Seating is limited and filling up fast.

To contact Frank – [email protected] contact Capt. Tim – finquestsportfishing.com



• 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.• Jupiter is a planet made entirely of gases.• There are over six bil-lion people living on Earth!• The Earth is 93 mil-lion miles away from the sun.• 97% of the earth’s wa-ter is undrinkable!• If you could live on the planet Mercury, a year would only last 88 days.• It is said that when England is in danger a drum owned by Francis Drake rolls by itself.• The language of a society changes slowly but steadily with the result that an educated person will not be able to read or understand words in his language written 500 years ago.• Sound travels over 14 times faster through steel than through air. If you need to sig-nal someone quickly standing on a metal bridge, bang on a steel pipe!• The Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, built about 2600 BC, was constructed with enough stone to make a brick wall that could go around the world 20 inches high.• In comparison, the largest modern build-ing, the Pentagon, in Washington DC would only make a brick wall that went around the world two inches high.• If everyone in the world took a daily bath, our entire supply of fresh water would be



SPORTS WITH DANIEL LEACHNFL West Coast Football BreakdownFor the 2013-2014 NFL Season, a quick glance of the West Coast coast teams might lead one to believe that the distance between Pretender and Con-tender are vast. Coming back from The Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers are looking polished and poised to return to the big dance, and maybe win it this time. How-ever, division rivals Seattle Seahawks look to be their most potent competition. And don’t take the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals as weak sauce either. QB Carson Palmer looks to have a more talented wide receiving core in Arizona than he ever had during his days as QB for the Cincinnati Bengals. Even without the talented RB Steven Jackson, who moved to the Atlanta Falcons, the St. Louis Rams managed to get a victory over that improved Arizona Cardinals team. It is the opinion of this writer that despite the hype of the NFC East, it is the NFC West that will likely be the most exciting division to watch this season!Are the Oakland Raiders really THAT bad?Upon seeing a valiant performance against the Indianapolis Colts (despite the loss), plus the awful turnout of the Jacksonville Jaguars home opener, the Oakland Raiders didn’t appear to be as terrible as analysts had originally predicted. Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor proved to be almost on par with Indianapolis Colts QB, and 2012 1st overall draft pick, Andrew Luck. Don’t get me wrong, this is a team and organization that is in serious trouble. However, their 1st game perfor-mance has shed some optimism for their season.Who’s leading the Charge?In previous seasons, the San Diego Chargers were known for carving up tons of yardage but with little points to show for it. After their game against the Houston Texans, it would appear that they now have the opposite problem. Although an encouraging 4 touchdown performance, Chargers QB Phillip Rivers didn’t crack the 200 yard mark and ended up throwing a costly interception that was returned for a touchdown. Even worse than that, was a Chargers defense that allowed 450 total yards and could only muster up little in terms of the turnover battle against their opponents, despite the Houston Texans throwing the ball 45 times.ConclusionWith Week 1 of the NFL Season in the books, there doesn’t appear to be this large of a talent gap amongst the West Coast teams as originally predicted. However, it’s a long season and being an experienced fan has told me that it’s always best to look at this wonderful game as a marathon, and not a sprint. We’ll follow up with more analysis in the next issue of The Custom Commu-nicator.

Chicago Blackhawks Notable DeparturesWith the NHL preseason in full swing, the Chicago Blackhawks look to make a dynasty in their pursuit for a 3rd Stanley Cup in 5 years. They start by getting Goalkeeper (G) Corey Crawford to sign a 6-year extension. Left Wing (LW) Bryan Bickell and Defenseman (D) Niklas Hjalmarsson sign extensions as well, helping the Hawks shore up a staunch defensive effort and quick counterattack. But, despite finding suitiable replacements to the following losses in free agency, there is skepticism as to whether the Chicago Blackhawks are trying to go younger to complement

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get dirty in a single day.• The number of bac-teria in a quart of soil from your backyard garden is 30 times greater than the popu-lation of the world.• When high speed trains pass each other they must slow down or they will break their windows. The passing trains produce a low-pressure area between them that can actually pull the glass out of the frames.• A hydroplane can go much faster than a normal boat because it lifts the hull out of the water. It uses supports that act like underwa-ter wings to give it lift. It is really just flying through water.• You can surf on only one or two inches of water. Jump on a wooden disc and you can ride 20 feet or more in the shallow water along the beach.• Manhole covers, the lids that cover sew-ers, are always round. Why? The round cover rests on a lip that is smaller than the cover so it can’t drop through the opening. A square or rectangular cov-er, no matter how it was made, could fall through.• The fear of spiders is called arachnophobia. • Some other phobias are hydrophobia (fear of water), triskaid-ekaphobia (fear of the number 13), ecclesia-phobia (fear of church-es), pogonophobia (fear of beards), ergo-phobia (fear of work).



their star players:Ray Emery ~ Although Corey Crawford established himself as top dog; G Ray Emery, at 30 years old, was a suitable backup at a very reasonable price. It’s unfortunate for the Hawks that Emery went to another team, especially since the backup Goalkeeper is Nikolai Khabibulin, a man in his 40s who clearly doesn’t have his best years in front of him.David Bolland ~ This was, perhaps, the most notable loss for the Chicago Blackhawks. Although an impact player during the regular season, the amount of ice time caught up to Bolland and he was unable to keep up his customary pace during the playoffs. Fans were quick to judge his tentative approach to hockey. Given the margin for error in this very quick game, I can’t neces-sarily fault the guy for doing everything possible to limit mistakes. Though not right away, his absence will be felt...Daniel Carcillo ~ Aggressive on the boards and quick with his shots, opposing Goalkeepers felt the sting of Daniel Carcillo’s slapshot. However, despite his moxie and toughness in the trenches, Daniel did have difficulty trying to muster points in space. Being the quick team that the Hawks are, if one can’t get points in space…they may be better suited for another team. And that’s exactly what happened: Carillo was traded to the L.A. Kings.Viktor Stalberg ~ Nobody was surprised when Viktor was shown the door. Despite being a talented LW, Stalberg didn’t immerse well with Coach Quenneville’s strict game plan, and demeanor for that matter. Stalberg’s departure from the team was assured the moment LW Bryan Bickell made a name for himself in key games during the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup run. Luol Deng’s Wrist Chicago Bulls Forward Luol Deng has put off getting surgery on his hurt wrist since 2011. While it’s customary for professional ath-letes to play through pain, the wrist has been affecting his shooting percentage. For the last 2 years, Luol Deng has clocked more playing time than any other member of the Chicago Bulls. While he’s able to put up points via layups and slam dunks, his shooting percentage from inside the paint is 41-42%, drastically lower than before his wrist injury. So, why hasn’t Luol Deng elected to get the doctor recommended wrist surgery? After the end of the NBA season, while other athletes took time off to heal, Luol Deng pushed himself to represent Great Britain in their bid to qualify the 2012 Olympic Basketball Qualifiers. And, when the NBA Lockout ended, Luol Deng figured that getting wrist surgery only to play a short-ened season wasn’t justified. In fact, medical professionals not linked to the Bulls medical staff even suggested that the lessened stress of a shortened season would allow Deng’s wrist to heal naturally. Who’s right? Who knows. Only time will tell if Deng’s wrist can handle the punish-ment this upcoming season has in store for him.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD!Congratulations to David and Bridget Rozkuszka on the birth of their baby girl, Brynn Elliott. Baby Brynn came into this world on August 13th, weighing 6 lbs., 9 oz. at 19 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well and big sister Paige is especially excited to have a new playmate!!.

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• There was only one code during World War II that was never broken by the enemy and was used by the US Army. Navajo sol-diers, called Codetalk-ers, developed a radio code based on their native language. It was the only way US sol-diers on the battlefield could be sure that mes-sages were from their own side and not from Japanese imitators.• Vincent Van Gogh only sold 1 painting his whole life and that was to his brother!• A Japanese explorer named Maomi Ue-mura was the first man to reach the North Pole alone, on April 29, 1978, after his eight-week journey.• In transistors, elec-trons perform an amazing magic act called quantum tun-neling. They can move from one side of a thin metal plate to the other without going through the plate.• Steamboat Geyser, located in Yellowstone National Park, is the most powerful geyser in the world, and can shoot super-hot water 300 feet in the air.• There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar!• Water expands 9% when it is frozen!

Halloween Marsh-MonstersPrep Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 25 minutesServings: 8 snacksIngredients8 thick pretzel rods8 large marshmallowsCandy corn, miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits, string licorice, Bugles® corn snacks, gummy peach rings, fruit snacks, candy sprinkles, as desired1 container (1 lb) vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frostingAssorted food colorsDirections1. Gently push 1 pretzel into 1 flat side of each marshmallow; set aside. Plan and assemble deco-

rations for each marshmallow.2. In 1-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave 1/2 cup frosting uncovered on High 10 to

20 seconds or until smooth and melted when stirred. Add 1 to 2 drops food color as desired--green for witches or Frankenstein, red for devils, yellow for pumpkins or cats.

3. Dip and decorate 1 marshmallow at a time. Hold pretzel, and dip marshmallow into frosting to coat all sides. Immediately add decorations to create features--candy corn for noses, bak-ing bits for eyes, string licorice for whiskers. To make witch’s hat, push corn snack through center of peach ring. For devil’s or witch’s cape, use fruit snack cut in half crosswise at an angle; attach at base of marshmallow while frosting is soft. Set pretzels in drinking glass to dry before storing. Store in airtight container.



Whipped Sweet Potato BakePrep Time: 10 minTotal Time: 30 minServings: 10 servings, 1/2 cup each

Ingredients3 cans (15 oz. each) sweet potatoes, drained1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted1 tsp. ground cinnamon1 tsp. ground ginger¼ tsp. ground nutmeg3 cups JET-PUFFED Miniature MarshmallowsDirectionsHEAT oven to 350°F.BEAT potatoes, butter and spices with mixer until blended. SPOON into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with marshmallows. BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until potato mixture is heated through and marshmallows are lightly browned. Mix all ingredients; spoon into microwaveable 1-1/2-qt. dish sprayed with cooking spray. Do not top with marshmallows. Microwave on HIGH 8 to 10 min. or until heated through, stirring after 5 min. Top with marshmallows; let stand 2 to 3 min. or until marshmallows begin to melt.

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TCC City DispatchDavid Lorge

TCC DriverJerry Odziemiec

TCC POD Kristine Belica

R o a s t e d P u m p k i n SeedsOriginal recipe makes 1 1/2 cups Ingredients 1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds 2 teaspoons butter, melted 1 pinch salt Directions1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).2. Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a

baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.



Halloween Bloody Baked RatsIngredients Original recipe makes 4 servings 2 pounds ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped 1 egg, beaten1 cup dry bread crumbs 1 (1.25 ounce) packet meatloaf seasoning mix 1 cup cubed Cheddar cheese 3 (10 ounce) cans tomato sauce 1 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 ounce uncooked spaghetti, broken into fourths 1/2 carrot, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices 1 tablespoon frozen green peas DirectionsPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, egg, bread crumbs, and meatloaf seasoning. Use your hands to mix until well blended. Measure out 1/3 cupfuls of the meat mixture and mold around a cube of cheese like a meatball. Shape into a point at one end and lengthen the body a bit by rolling between your hands. Place your ‘’rat’’ into a shallow baking dish, and continue with the remaining meat. Insert pieces of uncooked spaghetti into the rounded end of the rats to make tails.In a medium bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the rats in the dish and cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover the dish and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the sauce to glaze the rats.While the rats finish baking, heat the peas and carrots in a small bowl in the microwave for about 15 seconds.Carefully transfer the rats to a serving platter so that their delicate tails don’t fall off. Press peas into the pointy end to make eyes, and insert carrot slices to make ears. Spoon some of the tomato sauce around them and serve.

TCC TL BrokerageLev Krasnopolskiy

TCC ReceptionistYvonne Gaytan

Justin MajorCarol Guarino



By: G. Smith Dia de Muertos is a Spanish remembrance day, which is celebrated in Mexico and the majority of South and Central America. In Brazil, being Portuguese, the day is called Finados. The holiday focuses on gather-ings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration of familial deceased takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic Christian holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Spanish traditions that are involved are the construction of private family altars honoring the deceased utilizing skulls constructed out of sugar, mari-golds, and the very favorite foods and drinks of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave lifetime personal possessions of the deceased. Mexican historians trace the origins of this Spanish holiday to obser-vances dating hundreds of years into antiquity and specifically to a fes-tival of the Aztecs dedicated to the Aztec Goddess Mictecacihuatl. This holiday has since spread throughout the world. In Brazil, during Dia de Finados the people celebrate the holiday by visiting cemeteries and churches. In most regions of Central and South America, November 1 is to honor children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as Día de los Inocentes (“Day of the Innocents”) but also as Día de los Angelitos (“Day of the Little Angels”) and November 2 as Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos (“Day of the Dead (Adults)”).“DAY OF THE DEAD” … EUROPE Much to the dismay of the Holy See in Rome and the Roman Catholic Church, the Western tradition of celebrating Halloween is catching on across all of Catholic Europe, however, the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day, on Nov. 1, and All Souls’ Day, on Nov. 2, have been celebrated for centuries. Largely a European Roman Catholic observance, which includes Spain and most of Continental Cath-olic Europe, consider these two days a national holiday when shops, schools and businesses are closed. On All Saints’ Day, the faithful attends their local parish church to remember the departed Catholic saints and their own personal family’s dearly departed. People travel long distances to place flowers on the graves of loved ones and burn specially decorated candles to help the departed souls find their way to everlasting light. Oftentimes, the parish priest says prayers or blesses the graves. Years ago and continuing today in Eastern Catholic Europe, it was traditional for the family to have a sumptuous feast at the gravesite and leave food and drink for the departed. What might otherwise be considered to the uninformed as a macabre and maudlin tradition is often times beautiful with people and children dressing in their native country’s costume or historic dress in cemeteries across the countryside lit by thousands of candle lanterns at night. The candles burn at least until the next day, All Souls’ Day (also known as Day of the Dead in many countries) but often they glow in the dark for weeks afterward.HALLOWEEN – PERHAPS NO LONGER A UNIQUE AMERICAN CELEBRATION…

LATINO "DIA DE MUERTOS"EUROPEAN DAY

OF THE DEAD& AMERICAN HALLOWEEN

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TCC CMS DeptAllison Cascio & Laura Finfrock

TCC Carrier RelationsRichard Goone

TCC DockmanEfrain Serrano



Halloween’s very earliest beginnings have been traced by historians to the very ancient Celtic festival of “Samhain”. These Celts, who are estimated to have lived over 2,000 years ago in the lands that are now known as Ireland, Great Britain, and Northern France, celebrated the arrival of their New Year on November 1. This day marked the end of their farming summer and the harvest, and the beginning of the dark, dank winter, a time of year that was often associated with the death of humans during the severe change of season, and the then lack of meaningful medical care for the aged. Celts originally believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became very blurred and seemed to almost merge. On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was then believed that the ghosts of all of the dead actually re-turned to earth for only one day to visit those they loved (or hated) most in life. This was not felt to be a good thing by some of the more superstitious and trepedatious Celts, who thought these ghosts were primarily responsible for causing nothing but trouble in the spirt’s respective family (“he or she loved ME the most…”) and damaging hard earned crops. Others thought that the presence of these spirits from the “other” world made it easier for local Druids, or Celtic priests, to make accurate predictions about the future. For the Celts, depending on the daily realities of their shaky agricultural existence and the volatile and very uncertain nature of their survival, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during a long and often dark winter and into what was hopefully a new and temperate Spring. To commemorate the event, traditionally, the Druids built large bonfires, felt to be sacred, where the Celts would gather to burn both crops and animals as sacrifices to their culture’s various natural deities, of the forest, sky, sun, moon and seasons. During the celebrations, the Celts usually wore costumes, usually of animal heads and skins, and at-tempted to predict each other’s coming fortunes. When the celebration ended, the Celts relit the fires of their hearths from the bonfires, which they had traditionally extinguished earlier that same evening, in the belief that good luck and fortune would occur from the sacred bonfire to help protect them in the upcoming year. By 43 AD, the Celts had the majority of their territory conquered by the Romans. In the course of over four hundred years that Rome governed these Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional celebration of Samhain. The first of these was known as Feralia, a day in very late October when the Romans traditionally remembered the passing of their dead into the afterlife (shade of Day of the Dead!), and the second Roman celebration was a special day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Pomona’s symbol was the apple and the merging of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the origin of “bobbing” for apples which con-tinues to exist in present day Halloween. By the ninth century (800), Christianity’s influence had extended into the lands of the Celts. In the seventh century (600), Pope Boniface IV had designated the date of November 1st as “All Saints’ Day”, a time to honor all of the saints and martyrs of the church throughout history. It is widely held today that the pope was attempting to replace the pagan festivals of the Celts and Romans for the dead with a related, but fully church supported and sponsored holiday. This celebration also came to be known as all-hallows or All-hallowmas (from the Middle English Al-holowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the actual night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve, and eventually over the centuries, Halloween. Later, by the eleventh century (1000), the church would make November 2 “All Souls Day”, a day to honor all of the dead. It was celebrated very similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and cos-tumes (but usually as saints, angels and devils). Taken together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints’, All Saints’ and All Souls’ were called Hal-low Mas……… What is known for certain, is that the non-religious American Halloween, has now spread to virtually every part of the globe, with its “Trick or Treat, Money or Eat”, and many in our primarily Christian Country fear it is becoming even more popular than Easter or Christmas…

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TCC W & IJack Savona

TCC DriverJuan Alonzo

TCC DockmanJose Corona

2014 American LaserQuest Championship (ALC)

Looking for employees to represent The Custom Companies, Inc. at the inaugural 2014 American LaserQuest Championship. The tournament will bring 6-man teams, from all over the United States and Canada, to compete for trophies and cash prizes!

Optional side tournaments and activities are also available. Subject to Laser Quest rules and regulations. E-mail Daniel Leach at [email protected] for details. Date: January 18th, 2013Time: 1000 PDT – ClosePlace: Laser Quest Las Vegas 7361 W Lake Mead Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89128 (702) 243-8881Fee: $45 Entry Fee per person

Saturday, October 5, 13



CUSTOMER SERVICE, SUPPORT AND CAREAt The Custom Companies, our main objective is to deliver your goods on time and in perfect condition. We understand the importance of a great customer / vendor relastionship. Our customer service center is just a phone call away to provide a rate quote, track a shipment, schedule a pickup or access accurate documentation. In today’s fast paced environment, we work to provide transportation solutions that fit every economic situation.

Our “Customer First” program ensures that your shipments will be delivered on time, and with the highest degree of care. In order to maintain these standards, we measure performance levels on every shipment. As a result, our internal operational systems are constantly improving to provide better, more accurate service, allowing our transportation specialists to meet your growing needs.

The Custom Companies, Inc.The Full Service Transportation Company

317 West Lake StreetNorthlake, Illinois 60164Phone: (708) 338-8888Fax: (708) 338-9550E-mail: [email protected]

www.customco.comwww.customgl.comwww.gocdn.comwww.choicedl.com

NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE MEMBER ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORSRocky Caylor

Mark DannhauserGeorge SmithTony BeltranoFrank Pesek

TINA MINERYour Independent Mary Kay Beauty Consultant

Shop Online 24/7 at:www.marykay.com/tminer

Ask to see my new Fall/Winter Catalog!

Michele MarekYour preferred Scentsy provder

www.scentstoremember.scentsy.us

Joe KlikasJohn Santoro

Carol GuarinoJay Cohen

Daniel LeachAllison Cascio

Tom MrozMichele Marek

Megan LuscombeEric Pocius

Yvonne Gaytan

paper crown gallery

847.815.61151518 E. Algonquin Rd.Arlington Heights, IL 60005

TWO SOLDIERS AND A MARINEFOOD TRUCK

An American Veteran Owned CompanyPhone Number: (847) 239-7146 Address: 1363 Shermer Rd. Suite 310; Northbrook, IL 60062

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Dedicated to our Internal & External Customers, the future ... · so make sure you are ready for some Halloween fun! Don’t forget to find Perry’s moustache. If you find it in