Last Friday night many friends, customers and partners gathered at the Memphis Peabody Hotel's Rooftop to celebrate Impact Logistics' 25th anniversary. Impact's Executive Vice President and CFO, Wayne VanderSteeg, started the evening by reminding everyone what a momentous occasion it is for any business to thrive for 25 years. "Eighty percent of all businesses don't make it to their five year anniversary, and it is even more rare to survive 10 years or greater," he said. "That makes tonight a special evening in the life of our company." Mr. VanderSteeg went on to recognize the many people who work for and partner with Impact on a daily basis. It was a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season.

More than 200 people came to offer their congratulations to the Impact team members and its owners, David and Ruth Hamilton. Among those in attendance were several organizations who benefit from Impact's generosity. DeAndre Brown of Lifeline for Success, and Landon Clay of the Warriors Center, both publicly thanked the company for its generous support of their organization's work. They explained how countless lives have been touched through Impact's generosity, and they encouraged them to keep up the great work for another 25 years.

Though hearing from these men was inspirational, the highlight of the evening was seeing the President and CEO, David Hamilton, take the opportunity to give all credit to the men and women of the Impact team. "I am thankful to have reached this milestone in our company, but I am only as good as the people who make it happen everyday," Mr. Hamilton said. "We celebrate this anniversary together as a team." He further thanked the many customers who trust Impact everyday to perform on their behalf, and the many partners who assist in making the company such a successful place.

Impact has survived and thrived for 25 wonderful years, and hopes to spend its next 25 years delivering the same excellent service that its customers have grown to expect. Learn more about Impact's core values at www.loadingservice.com.

As the Christmas push comes to an end, the New Year ushers in the perfect opportunity to plan ahead. The months of January and February are the time to look at getting quotes for labor for the rest of the year. As you're preparing for this, remember Impact can give you a cost per unit pricing. This allows you to plan for the future with a fixed cost. Our CPU labor model promises better labor at a better cost. You pay only for work performed, while we handle the logistics of management.

If you would like to find out more or get a free quote, contact Keny Hatley to get started today. He can be reached at khatley@iels.com or (901) 301-5113.

We at Impact know how important safety is in our line of business. We typically like to include security tips you probably already know for the workplace as a good reminder to stay safe. However, since the holiday season is upon us, we wanted to offer some personal precautionary measures you can take to ensure safety in the home.

Around Christmas time, people like to decorate their homes. Decorations are usually stored from one year to another, and may deteriorate in a hot attic over the summer. Before putting decorations up, check to make sure Christmas lights are not cut or frayed. The same applies for extension cords: if they are cut or frayed, do not tape them up. Throw out the cord or lights. If you decorate outside, make sure there are no exposed wires. Do not plug anything into an electrical outlet before examining each strand closely. Standing on wet surfaces and touching a live, exposed wire could be tragic. Since you cannot see electricity, it is known as a silent killer. Respect it and use caution.

Also, when putting decorations on the outside of the house, use a ladder that is sturdy to reach those high places. Put down the braces on a free standing ladder and have someone hold the base. If you have an extendable ladder, make sure the base is firmly planted and tie it off at the top. Make sure you are on level ground and again, if possible, have someone hold the ladder for you. We have seen lots of movies where someone falls off the roof decorating, but it is only funny in the movies.

Have a safe holiday season.