This is a great way to encourage your fellow team members  - the award is meant to help you recognize a particular instance when you see a team member providing Outrageous Dependability. Honoree will be names and recognized at our EGAD (Employee Gathering & Appreciation Day) celebration in October 2009. EGAD is a fun filled day where team members and management celebrate at a special off-site location.

Here is our fearless Chairman to encourage the vote.

Way to go ABC Des Moines, IA!!

Our Des Moines office team members were recently mentioned in the Des Moines Register.  Interstate All Battery Division rewarded their entire North Des Moines workforce to a “shopping day” at the Jordan Creek Town Center. Now that’s outrageous!  Read some of the article below as well as see some pics of our team members enjoying the spree.

“D.M. employees get big charge out of battery company’s bonus”

By DONNELLE ELLER
deller@dmreg.com

May 16, 2009

“Debbie Haws plans to shop Friday until she sees dots. Yellow dots, preferably at Younkers, indicating large discounts.
“I’m shopping smart,” said Haws, one of 140 Interstate Batteries employees in Des Moines who will hop on three buses Friday and head to Jordan Creek Town Center.
Haws and her co-workers will all have $500 in their pockets, thanks to Interstate Batteries, after pushing sales 10 percent higher from January to April.

While other companies are laying off workers, Interstate Batteries will give its employees a half-day off from work and extra money to spend.
“The sales goal was aggressive, so the incentive had to be big, too,” said Brian Weber, the company’s sales director.
The operation at 1700 Dixon St. houses sales, a warehouse and some manufacturing. Interstate Batteries’ family-owned parent is in Dallas.
Weber said the company provided a similar incentive last year but took only the sales staff. This year, Interstate decided to up the ante, taking the entire north Des Moines work force if each department met certain goals.

Haws, a sales team leader, said meeting the sales goal was difficult, especially during a recession.
“It’s been hard on everyone” - from Interstate Batteries’ mom-and-pop customers to big corporations, she said.
Working for the incentive helped boost morale, though, when the economic news was depressing, she said.
“Everyone has something negative in their lives,” Haws said. “It gave us something else to think about.”
Haws and Lynette Johnson, a sales trainer, said they have come to expect cool incentives and events from Interstate.

The company gives away trips, holds an employee appreciation day and puts on other events for workers and their families.”

A group of Des Moines Team Members take time the first Thursday of every month to serve at Hope Ministries, a local homeless shelter. Hope Ministries has served the homeless and hurting of Greater Des Moines for 126 years. It is a Christ-centered, faith-based ministry that provides programs and services for homeless, hungry and hurting people in Des Moines and central Iowa.

Each year over 100 individual churches participate in the ministry through financial support, volunteers, clothing and/or food drives, while nearly 1000 volunteers donate valuable time and expertise each year.

Go Team Des Moines!

To learn more about Hope Ministries visit http://www.hopeiowa.org/

“W”, the women’s show invited Gale to share his battery expertise in an upcoming episode. Stay tuned!

March 25, 2009 — Deerfield Beach, FL — While many women are responsible for the care and maintenance of their cars, they are often uninformed about a simple but critical element to a reliable car: the battery. Since we’re in the midst of the hot summer months, and heat is the most damaging factor to a battery, W, the women’s show invited Gale Kimbrough from Interstate Batteries to share his expertise in an upcoming episode.

The show will air on July 19^th, 2009 at 7:00 am on the WE network and on July 27^th, 2009 at 7:30 am on Oxygen.

We don’t want women to be in a vulnerable situation that could arise when a car battery is suddenly dead,” says Ron Secreto, W’s Executive Producer. “Mr. Kimbrough will tell viewers how they can find out the condition of their car batteries, as well as what to consider when it needs to be replaced.

W, the women’s show is a fast-paced half-hour show that transports women to the “non-fluff” zone, offering in-depth, relevant and inspiring one-on-one interviews and stories that highlight the triumphs and challenges that women face. Each episode offers viewers helpful ideas and timely information that make their lives easier and more enriched.”

Interstate Batteries! “Every battery for every need” isn’t just a statement but a fact!

*Remember to tune-in to hear some beneficial information. 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Our Interstate Team Members just recently returned from the annual Russia trip. This trip is of great importance to Interstate, our team members and all those individuals involved in reaching out to these Russian orphans.

Here’s a brief album of some smiling faces and other wonderful sites.

Team Member overall satisfaction

The 2008 Employer of Choice results are in and home office team members are reporting increased satisfaction of 15-20% across the board. Check out some of the impressive ratings we received:

• Interstate’s business practices are consistent with the values it claims to hold
• Interstate is a family-friendly company
• I feel Interstate’s work environment/culture is a significant reason why I remain employed here
• I’m proud to tell people I work for Interstate
• I would not hesitate to recommend a job at Interstate to a qualified person

Interstate Batteries sells over 16,000 different kinds of batteries—from AA alkalines to critical power solutions, and everything in between. Combine professional battery services, recycling programs and the largest battery distribution network in North America, and you’ll find Interstate has EV ERY BATTERY FOR EVERY NEED™.

Interstate’s 1400 team members received jump ropes in the mail, announcing the new IB Fit rewards program. Team members can rack up points through health challenges, quizzes, exercise and preventive visits and cash them in for awesome rewards.

Even Executive Management is “hitting the ropes”!

Arena racing took an unexpected turn when Joe Gibbs flipped Norm Miller’s (Interstate Batteries Chairman) car during lap 6 at the Hampton Coliseum. This is exciting footage - check out the link below.

See the action for yourself - click here!