1999 Business of the Year Award
By Michael Wichert, President

On June 10, 1999 the City of South Gate Chamber of Commerce presented to L. A. Xpress Assembly & Distribution, Inc. their "1999 Business of the Year Award". On hand to receive the award was Michael Wichert, President. He accepted the award on behalf of the employees of L.A. Xpress and expressed his gratitude for the efforts and dedication of the people who made this possible. The award was presented by Bill Baum, President of the South Gate Chamber of Commerce, and Ivette Flores, Miss South Gate 1999. Special recognition should be given to Robert N. Bray, CFO of L.A. Xpress for his involvement with programs such as D.A.R.E., through the South Gate Police Department, and other community projects including Rotary International. Bob was unable to attend this years Installation and Awards Banquet because he was on his way to the Rotary International Annual Convention in Singapore. Bob is the President-elect of the Rotary Club of South Gate. Our special and sincere thanks for Bob's inexhaustible commitment to our community and L. A. Xpress.

L. A. Xpress moved to South Gate in January of 1994 from Vernon, California. Since that time we have grown by leaps and bounds. We added a new terminal location in Fresno, California in December 1997, which brought our total terminals in California to four. Our other terminals are located in Oakland and San Diego. Our executive offices are located at our South Gate terminal.

In March of this year we set a new company record for the number of shipments handled in a single month with 12,225 shipments and an on time delivery of 97%. Our goal is to continue to improve this percentage through our ISO 9002 process. Les Nettles, our Vice President of Operations, is also our ISO facilitator and has forecast that we will be a certified ISO 9002 carrier by September 1999. We'll keep you posted.

Professional Truck Driving Championships - 1999
By Gene Stephens

It was overcast on Saturday May 15, 1999 when the five men entered the arena to compete in the 1999 Professional Truck Driving Championships. They were there, along with 313 other drivers and nearly a thousand guests, vying for the State's top awards. Larry Velasco, Jose Morin, Walter Perez, Bob Schoonover and Juan Hernandez made up the L.A. Xpress team. By the time the sky had cleared up, it was plain to see that the drivers from L.A. Xpress had come to win. Two of the drivers finished in the top three of their class. Bob Schoonover came in third in the 4-axle class, Juan Hernandez finished second in the straight truck division of the Southern California Regionals. The other three drivers finished very high in their divisions, just missing the following days finals.

On Sunday the two L.A. Xpress finalists competed against the Northern California finalists. The contest consisted of a written test, an oral test, a truck inspection (given by the CHP) and the obstacle course. We must not forget that the main reason the CTA (California Trucking Association) sponsors this yearly event is to promote "SAFETY". All drivers who competed were accident free for at least a year.

The competition went on from 8 A.M. to noon. As the drivers waited for the scores, it looked like a waiting room in a maternity ward, what with all the pacing back and forth and sweaty palms.

When the scores were tabulated both drivers had finished fourth in their divisions. They were only six points from being in third place. Juan and Bob vowed they would be back next year, and win their divisions.

A great time was had by all. Please plan to attend next year, and cheer the L.A. Xpress drivers on to victory.

** Editor's Note: Gene Stephens, who wrote this story, is a past winner of the CTA Professional Truck Driving Championships. Gene won the State Competition in the Straight Truck Division in 1989. Gene also has numerous second and third place awards.

Goodbye Peg !!!

Ms. Peg Vesprini, Director of Human Resources for L.A. Xpress will be leaving us. Her last day is July 7th, 1999. Peg is moving out of state to be closer to her family. I just wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You" for all of Peg's hard work and dedication. Good Luck Peg! We will miss you.

Y2K - It's Not Too Late To Start

As the new year steadily approaches we hear more and more about the "Y2K Bug". This should serve as a call to review your hardware and software programs and systems now, if you haven't done so already. Depending on the sophistication of your computers, programs and networks, Y2K fixes can range from simple downloads to hiring consultants who will "Y2K-proof" your system. The important thing to remember is that it's not too late to start protecting you equipment and your business.

The problem revolves around how computers store dates. A few decades ago when computer memory was scarce, engineers and programmers designed computers to store only the last two digits of the year, with a fixed "19" preceding them. The problem is that this technique does not allow for years after 1999. While this would not be a problem if dates appeared only on paperwork, the truth is that dates are used in sophisticated calculations that we never see, and can affect data in ways that are not immediately obvious. The result can be inaccurate data, the impacts of which on your business can be damaging at the very least.

Business relationships compound the problem. While your system may be Y2K compliant, your vendors may not. This could create shortages of product on one end and delayed payments on the other. Either could be disastrous to a company dependant on reliable suppliers and steady cash flows to maintain operations. For companies with international suppliers or customers, the problem becomes even worse, as many countries are far behind the U.S. in Y2K readiness.

If you have not taken steps to ensure Y2K compliance, chances are good that some of your hardware or software may experience problems, especially if they are over two years old. The following basic checklist will help you begin safeguarding your company.

Inventory your entire computer network, PC's, servers, etc. Note makes, model numbers, serial numbers and date of purchase. Contact your vendors and verify that the equipment in question can handle four digit dates, and determine your repair options in case it cannot. Keep accurate records of this information for future reference. Decide your best repair and implementation strategy considering cost, time frame and the impact it will have on your business. Implement and test your strategies as thoroughly as possible. Contact your key business partners to verify that their Y2K situation will not negatively impact your business.

To comply with our vender and suppliers Y2K compliance requests we issued the following statement:

To: Our Valued Customers

RE: Year 2000 Compliance

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

We appreciate your company's foresight in looking into what's commonly called the "Y2K Issue". Let us assure you that we are equally concerned that our software and hardware are Y2K compliant.

Bringing L.A. Xpress A&D, Inc. into compliance has been more of an issue of project management than technical complexity. Our computer system operates on a "Pick R83" platform in a C.ITOH Mini-Mainframe. We have assessed our software and hardware capabilities and feel that we are Y2K compliant at this time.

We appreciate your concerns and look forward to working with you in the future. If you have any questions, please contact Rick Meyer, V.P./MIS, at (562) 806-7333.