Company Info

Information about the everyday goings on at SJF Material Handling.

SJF Among 100 Best Companies to Work for in MN

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MN Business 100 Best Businesses to Work For in 2013

SJF is honored to be named on the 100 Best Companies to Work for in MN for 2013.  This list is compiled by Minnesota Business Magazine based out of Minneapolis, MN.

About the Nomination (From MN Business Magazine)

[this award salutes] Minnesota organizations setting the standard for employee well-being. The 100 Best are chosen using data gathered from an anonymous employee satisfaction survey administered by an independent research group. Only the top Minnesotan companies, as judged in areas such as work environment, employee benefits, employee happiness, and leadership, are selected for inclusion in the list.

There will be an award ceremony to honor all of the companies on the list on Thursday, June 6th.

Thanks, MN Business Magazine and thank you SJF employees for making this possible!

You can view the full list of nominees here.

Material Handling Myths, Monsters & Secrets

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Rhonda Remer

Hello, my name is Rhonda Remer, and being the newest addition to the SJF project sales team, I’d like to offer some inside perspective from the trenches. I have worked in online sales & support for 6 years and just recently started working in client project sales about four months ago. In my short time in direct sales, I have uncovered 2 simple truths. The first one, I had to learn. The second is a truth that I’d like my customers to learn.

First and foremost though, project sales is harder than it looks. And by hard, I mean time consuming. Don’t get me wrong, the lead opportunities are great at SJF. There’s no shortage of customer interest & quote requests. Whether it’s by phone or email, when I do speak with customers they don’t always know how to put into words what they envision in their minds. The back and forth translation of needs & wants takes a lot of time. There are days where I feel like a child on an Easter egg hunt with an eye patch and a broken hip. It’s not that we don’t have the equipment, (we have loads of equipment!) it’s just that with used equipment, having the exact material at the exact time a customer needs it can be a challenge.

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The Great SJF Chili Cook-Off (November 2012)

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Chili

The SJF chili competition was a big success!  We had three entrants this time around.  Lori Foster brought a red chili made with mostly home-grown ingredients.  Vance Haugen entered a delicious red chili, and Craig Fasching brought another small pot of excellent red.  Kent Powell brought home-made corn bread to compliment all of the entries.  ‘Fixins were provided by SJF.

Vance
The Triumphant Winner

After all of the chili was tasted, the final vote count was as follows:

Vance Haugen: 9
Lori Foster: 4
Craig Fasching: 3

Making Vance the winner (…this time).

Congratulations Vance.

An Addendum: There were to be four entries in the contest this year, however one of the entries made it only as far as the front door of SJF.  A certain owner of the company (his first name rhymes with Tank) forgot about the tupperware bowl full of chili in his briefcase.  As he entered the building, briefcase in hand, he wondered aloud what smelled like chili before realizing that it was the entire contents of his bag.