Courtney Foster, Employee of the Month

At Houston’s we pride ourselves on being “People, not just products”, and that is exactly how Courtn

ey Foster feels about being a part of the Houston’s team. He has worked many places but he admits this job is a lot of fun. He enjoys the flexible hours and that his bosses treat him good. “The environment is great, even though it is a large company, it still has the Mom and Pop feel,” says Courtney.

Courtney works as a Material Handler on the Wilsonville warehouse weekend crew, where “he is very dedicated to his job. He is the top puller for the weekend crew, and he is relied upon to pull transfer as well as Sysco. He loads the trucks on the weekend, too,” says Angie Buffeta, Cash and Carry/Weekend Supervisor. “When asked, Courtney will come in to help when we are busy due to double transfer weeks, even when he is overloaded with schoolwork from his classes. Courtney is always eager to give new ideas to help us run more efficient. He even spent time up in the IT department helping them out while working on the weekend crew. He is a great asset to the company.”

Courtney keeps himself quite busy between work and finishing his degree in Computer Science. Though Computer Science isn’t the only subject that has sparked his interest, he has accumulated over 200 college credits ranging from Psychology, Anthropology, Physics, Creative Writing, Technical Writing, and of course Computer Sciences. He even almost has enough credits to get a Physics Degree!

Courtney has also been serving in the Navy Reserves for the past 18 years and worked as an IT1 before being deployed to Afghanistan for 1 year. After his deployment in Afghanistan he was given 6 days of decompression that he spent in Germany. He enjoyed touring Catholic Church Castles, with remnants leftover from the Spanish Inquisition, while he was there and says they were gorgeous inside and out.

If you ever want to hear a good story, or just need a laugh be sure to ask Courtney about any of his adventures. He can tell you about his wife’s horses that he sometimes gets “conned” into riding, his 3 cats, or the latest book he has read by his favorite author Brandon Sanderson.

Thank you Courtney for all your hard work and your contagious happiness. Congratulations on earning Employee of the Month for December 2017!

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Merchandising

Saturday, December 16th, Wilsonville-based employees gathered at the local Holiday Inn for our annual Houston’s Christmas Party. Upon arrival, employees were handed their usual gambling “funny money” and goodie bag, but this year the baggies contained an extra gift for attendees – a Houston’s branded Fifty-Fifty drink bottle. The bottles proved to be a big hit with both Wilsonville and Kansas City employees (who were also given bottles at their Christmas party), as we’ve seen many of the bright blue bottles traveling around the office and warehouses.

The familiar atmosphere and many of the activities of past Christmas parties returned for 2017, including the bar, casino games, bingo, and earning tickets to put towards a variety of raffle prizes. Jose Coral was the big winner of the night, and took home the annual cash prize.

Inside Sales

This year also saw a host of new entertainment activities in the form of air hockey, shuffleboard, basketball, and the very popular photo booth. Provided by David Efaw Productions, along with the casino and other games, the photo booth was accompanied by an assortment of funny hats, glasses, other props for employees to pose with. The booth provided fun for all employees, including the Board of Directors and those who chose to sit or stand nearby and take in the action throughout the night.

Many employees also dressed for the occasion, donning extra festive attire. As the man who inspired this tradition with his festive suit last year, Greg Estes was sure to wear his holiday best again this year – a bright blue suit with Santa and gift box print.

As always, the food provided by Holiday Inn was delicious. The hors d’oeuvres selection was comprised of a variety of cheeses, fruits & vegetables, and meats (including two different kinds of shrimp)! Salmon, roast beef, prime rib, chicken, and turkey were served as the main entrées, accompanied by three different salads, mashed potatoes, rolls and more. The decadent desserts were all by wiped out by the end of the night, which was to be expected when there was carrot cake, flour-free chocolate cake, pecan pie and an assortment of small bite-sized treats.

Employees enjoy casino games at the Wilsonville 2017 Holiday Party

Throughout the night as attendees enjoyed their meals, a rousing game of bingo, or just sat and chatted with their coworkers a slideshow of the past year’s events and accomplishments played on large screens highlighting that we have a lot of to be proud of as 2017 comes to a close.

The afternoon of the Christmas party, some Houston’s employees engaged in a friendly bowling competition between Outside Sales and corporate employees at Wilsonville Lanes. Despite the extreme difference in bowling experience, both teams were good sports and there were many laughs.

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Alex Villareal, Employee of the Month

Alex Villareal started with Houston’s in August of 2000 helping to fill various warehouse operations roles. Her dedication to helping multiple departments function at their highest possible level has earned Alex Employee of the Month honors for August 2017.

“Alex is a tireless worker,” describes UPC Room Supervisor, Mike McCoy, “With her experience in the UPC department, she can complete any task assigned with speed and accuracy.” In addition to working in the UPC Room, Alex is also very knowledgeable in the receiving and product put away processes, and recently began training other employees in receiving all the while continuing to help out in UPC. Alex’s on-the-job versatility and commitment to excellence make her an invaluable asset to the functionality of our Wilsonville facility. Receiving Supervisor, Brenda Hart, adds, “It is not uncommon for Alex to go from receiving to UPC at a moment’s notice, and she always has a positive attitude.”Maintaining a positive attitude when functioning at such a high level isn’t always easy. Regardless, “Alex comes to work every day with a great attitude, and greets people with a smile every morning,” says Mike.

Outside of Houston’s, Alex enjoys taking walks, reading, and cooking among other things. She also loves to visit her favorite city, San Diego, where she can enjoy the warm weather and beaches. Alex is very proud to be a new grandmother to a “lovely, smart 7-month old little boy,” whom she spends as much time with as she can while visiting family in San Diego.

Congratulations! And thank you, Alex, for your hard work and commitment to Houston’s!

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