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TGIF, indeed! I found this video several months ago and today just felt like the right day to use it. If you need a good belly laugh...this is for you! The back story is this stay-at-home dad was tearing up a rejection notice for a job application. Enjoy!!
When I saw this it not only made me laugh out loud, but I actually got tears in my eyes. There is something so awesome about the pure innocence of a baby laughing. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. :)
Okay, guys, it's Pizza Time! I have had the hardest time with this. I've notified winner after winner and no one calls me back! If you really, really want FREE pizza delivered to your office and you to be dubbed the hero for the day, then all you have to do is click this button and enter! Good luck!
Question of the Day: If your life was a book, what would be t
he title? (Okay, I know it's kind of a dorky question, but I really can't think of a better one...if you have a good question post and maybe we will use it next week!) Use the comment section to log in your answer and on Monday I will pick one lucky person to win a gift card for $25! So, be sure to include your email address!! :)
Happy middle-of-the-month to you! In case you are like me and were wondering, there are 129 days until Christmas. **Holy smokes!** If that wasn't jolting enough, that's only 18 weeks and if you are paid bi-weekly, that means only 9 more paychecks. Time to get your shopping groove on…
Those who know me know I have a sarcastic, snarky sense of humor. It is a byproduct of growing up with three older brothers; I couldn't out manuver them so I learned early on to out-wit them. This weekend, I don't know how I stumbled on these signs, but I'm glad I did because they are hilarioius. OMG...the minds that came up with these!! Talk about snarky (but the good kind of snarky, you know?) I hope they make you chuckle like they did me.
Smart-alec responses to well-meaning signs:
Happy rest-of-the-week everyone. I hope it goes well for you! Please continue scrolling because the article this week was penned by yours truly and published in the Rockwell Journal in 2008. Considering the economy I thought it would be good to remind everyone how important it is to invest in safety products. Enjoy and as always...
Keep reading,
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Use Safety to Boost Profits
Taking notice of risk that might be present in your plant is important to keeping your workers and equipment safe and preventing costly losses. That’s why safety is a top priority for any responsible manufacturer. When accidents do happen, lives and revenue are affected. Companies therefore must be aware of adverse risk and implement safety procedures, devices and an automation system designed with safety in mind to negate the consequences that risk brings to employees. Implementing these as part of the company’s overall safety strategy is key. Enter the safety director.
The safety director’s goal is to end each day without incident. He implements safety procedures in accordance with state and federal laws to help
steer the company toward success.
Yet, the efforts of the safety director can be met with some challenges and even resistance, which impede the positive results he attempts to reach. Why?
First, safety regulations are, in most cases, unfunded mandates. Those who hold the purse strings can view these regulations as a burden rather than a necessity because of the money needed to implement them. However, with innovation, these unfunded mandates are quickly proving they are profit-makers instead of profit-takers.
Consider, for example, a case study from the Department of Labor (DOL). When the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) visited a Minnesota company, Ritrama, in 1995, OSHA cited more than 20 violations, 14 of them major, within two hours. OSHA recommended that Ritrama take a serious look at its safety procedures and develop a management program consistent with Ritrama’s own philosophy — that “nothing is more important than employee health and safety and that a productive employee who is not safety conscious is a ticking time bomb”?
Ritrama heeded the warnings. The company contracted with a safety consultant firm that encouraged Ritrama to hire a safety director. The consultant identified weaknesses, addressed issues, and by 1999 Ritrama had implemented a new safety program.
The benefits of this program were evident within the first 24 months. The company saved $44,000 in workers’ compensation premiums from 2000-2003.
In addition, the study notes that the overall benefits to Ritrama “include increased productivity and quality of the products, [the] and the percent of 
credits and returns [from] sales went from a high of 2.22% in 2001 to 1.24% in 2006, which when translated into sales figures from a production standpoint, average sales rose 7.5%. The number of manufacturing defects and amount of waste went from $2.7 million in 2001 to $435,000 in 2005.” That’s a savings of almost $2.3 million in fewer than five years.
The study reports that the entire investment of hiring a safety consultant and implementing the new procedures had been totally recovered by the savings previously mentioned.
Finally, when OSHA auditors returned to the plant to perform a five-day inspection, no citations were issued. The director commented that they no longer have to go into “panic mode” when they hear that inspectors might be in the neighborhood. Ritrama’s production methods are already in place. They just come in and do the job like they would any other day.
You Can Increase Profitability, Too
Ritrama’s financial benefit is not an isolated occurrence. According to a Rockwell Automation white paper called “Proving the Value of Safety: Justification and ROI of Safety Programs and Machine Safety Investments,” financial benefits are something manufacturers can realize on a long-term basis.
According to Dan Hornbeck, manager of safety business development at Rockwell Automation, “Safety measures help protect people as well as a company’s bottom line because reducing accidents and safety incidents boosts morale and less machine downtime means greater production. Every way your look at it, proactive safety measures make good business sense.”
Safety Director Needs Authority
Another reason a safety director’s efforts can be impeded is because of an unwillingness to change or accept the authority of the safety director. Many times a safety director is viewed as having different goals from management, with perceptions that the safety director slows things down, makes things too complicated, introduces more steps, etc. In reality, the safety director’s goals are in line with corporate goals: safety and productivity for all employees.
Because a new safety program is a huge undertaking and its failure could be catastrophic to people and machines, it’s necessary to vest the safety director with the authority required to make the program successful. This is best established from the top down. Having top management issue a statement detailing the company’s proactive view on safety and injury prevention helps set the tone for the rest of the company. If the CEO doesn’t value safety and preventing injuries, neither will his supervisors.
And if the supervisors don’t value safety, the employees will be more likely to undervalue the program and to feel undervalued. After all, they’re the ones more likely to be injured on the job.
“Employees have to feel that the management is indeed committed to [the safety program], and that it’s not just the flavor of the month,” says Richard Fairfax, director for enforcement programs for OSHA. To the employees punching a time clock every shift, their safety on the job is personal. It’s personal to their families, too. Therefore, devoting effort to establishing the authority and trust in the safety director is essential to taking a safety program from a profit-taker to a profit-maker.
To accomplish this, the safety director and top corporate management must take safety beyond being a “top priority” to becoming a mindset that every employee – executive to
line worker – needs to have. Each person should ask themselves, “What is the safety way to perform this task?”
It’s Costly to Ignore
Focusing on safety is no longer a choice. It’s a moral and legal mandate that companies can’t afford to ignore. Through innovation and a commitment to follow-through, companies can increase profits by making safety a priority. And those increased profits will probably be hard to ignore, too.
************************************************************************************************ Okay, guys, this week how about we do some awesome gift cards? We can help you get a jump on some holiday shopping! So, I've got EIGHT gift cards for $25 each to Best Buy, Target, Walmart, or Lowes...it's winner's choice! You can't win if you don't...well, you know what to do...
***Deep Sigh*** Whew! It's Friday. Thank God! I made it. Have you ever had those weeks where you felt like you were just holding your breath, desperately waiting for the weekend? That was one of those weeks for me. It just seemed like there was one thing after another to be done. This had to be fixed
, that had to be dropped off and then picked up again, blah, blah, blah. Then, on Wednesday, I went to use my debit card and it came up declined. What?! That's a sick/scary feeling. It turns out some yahoo stole my identity and was in New York was having him/herself quite the spending spree. Oy vey...are you kidding me? Let me tell you my German heritage came out and I was madder than a wet cat...
So, this week I'm not excited for the weekend because it's the weekend, but because it means this week is over. Praise God and hallelujah...it's Friday! How about you?
Okay, guys, here's a funny video for you this week because laughter really is the best medicine. This dog cracks me up...what determination! Hope you enjoy it!
So, here is the question for the day: When you have a stressful day or week, how do you cope? Or better yet, have any of you been a victim of identity theft? Any suggestions for me? I'm tempted to ask for creative ways in which we as a society should deal with these scoundrels, but I'll resist the urge... Comment section is open, folks, feel free to share your wisdom! :)
We are going to make this pizza party giveaway thing a regular thing on Fridays!! Woo-hoo!! FREE Pizza...oh baby...what is better than that? So, if you want to win a pizza party for your office, you know what to do!! Sign up! :)
Well, guys, I hope you have an awesome, amazing weekend. The weather here in Iowa is soooooooo perfect right now; cool temps and low humidity. I feel a stay-cation coming my way this weekend. Next week, we should have some super-cool new things to show you on HumpDay (primarily we have enabled Disqus for our comment section...but more on that next week!). Until then, stay safe and enjoy!
<<<The End :) Happy Friday!>>>
Happy HumpDay to you!! It's that time of the week again, and I'm so super excited to share with you this fun little video we did last week. Not too long ago, a HumpDay reader told me it would be great if we could do a video showing how to shoot a bungee rocket. Well, there's how to shoot a bungee rocket and there's how to shoot a bungee rocket. In the interest of bringing a smile to your face, we opted for the latter. Here is a video Troy and I did (with Phil's help). I hope you enjoy it. (Note: I am posting it in the YouTube version because I want this to go viral!! **grin** So, for those who can't view YouTube, give this link a try!)
Please share this on your FB wall and Twitter! Help us get a MILLION viewers and I can promise you some pretty awesome giveaways on HumpDay! We had a lot of fun shooting this video and we hope you liked it, so don't forget to share your thoughts at the bottom of the blog post via our comment section! Troy is at an RAOTM in Columbus, OH today and says he has his Sharpie all ready for anyone who wants an autograph. You will have to bring your own 8x10 glossy, however. I suggest this one. **devilish grin**
Have a good rest of the week, guys!! Until Friday...
Keep reading,
PS: This is how you really shoot a bungee rocket. Hope this image helps!
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For a couple of weeks now, Stephanie has been asking me to share with you guys the difference between two GracePort connector codes. I kept forgetting until now. So, here we go!
When ordering a GracePort with an Ethernet we have a few options. One of our most common choices is the R2 connector code, which is just a regular CAT 5 RJ45 (as seen here in 
this Nema 1 GracePort known by part number P-R2-K1RF0). The connector code R2 does not come with a cable and is a pass-through connection only. We do have an option that comes with a cable and that is our R13 (known as part number P-R13-K1RF0). It is still a CAT 5 RJ45 Ethernet connection, but a 10' cable is included. Ten foot cables are our standard cable lengths for all GracePorts with cables, but we do have other lengths available to fit the needs of our customers. Taking the example we have already, P-R13-K1RF0, if you wanted a 5 foot cable instead the part number would read P-R13-K1RF0-C5. Likewise, if you wanted a 20 foot cable, then the part number would read P-R13-K1RF0-C20.
For more information on how to build GracePort Part Numbers, I suggest you view our video, which is found here. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Inside Sales at 800.280.9517, or by using our online chat here.
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A while ago we started sending care packages to troops once a month instead of sending a giveaway to customers as a way to say thank you to th
em 
for their service to our country. We stepped away from that for a few months and I think it is high time we re-instated it! So, this week, we are sending out some care packages a couple of men serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We love our country (Canada, too!!) and are grateful to the men and women who step up to defend her. Our prayers are with the troops and their families. Be safe and God speed. We support and honor you.
Welcome the the third installment of our Friday Funny and Special Giveaway, I am your host, Brandi Borgstadt! Today, we will be enjoying a little bit of a Friday Flashback (an idea I stole from a local news site that posts on Facebook a cool music video from decades past each Friday). The song they posted today was a little...well, bad. It was Rick Springfield's Don't Walk Away from 1984. Ugh what a boring song for a Fun Friday!!
For about two weeks now I've had this song stuck in my head, so I thought I'd try my hand at getting it stuck in yours, too! **devilish grin** Now, whenever you hear this one-hit-wonder song from Tommy Tutone, you'll think of nothing but Grace Engineered Products, electrical safety, and thru-door voltage detection, right? :)
This Friday Pizza Party Giveaway seems to be kind of a neat thing, so I thought we'd do it again. The winner last week was Lisa S. from Werner Electric! Call me, Lisa, so we can discuss the details of your party!!
If you want a chance at a Grace-sponsered Pizza Party at your business, just click the button and fill out the form!! One winner each week!! :)
Happy Friday, everyone...have a great (and safe) weekend. Hey, feel free to share your weekend plans using the comment section!!
Until next week,
PS...if you missed HumpDay this week, you can see it here!!
Happy August, everyone! We are officially on the downward slope of th
is freakishly hot summer, and I am soooooooo thrilled for that! Why, just the other day I was thinking how marvelous it would be to go light up the charcoal on the grill and not need a medic to give me aid afterward for heat-related illnesses. Soon, my pretties, soon we will be able to grill our food and not feel like we've walked on the surface of the sun. I am one who cannot wait.
So, a couple of weeks ago I shared some hilarious vidoes with you and some of you informed me that your companies block streaming video. Well, that's not very HumpDay-friendly. :/ So, I searched high and low to find a solution and I think I may have found one. This week, for your laughing enjoyment, I present a video I found on YouTube, but I was able to download it and 'host' it somewhere else. If your company typically blocks videos from YouTube, please use the comment section to let me know if you can see it or not! Thanks!!
I hope you can see it because that cat is pretty funny (and a little freaky, too!). I mean, this cat is super proficient in his stalking ability! I mean, he stalks you like a serial killer. Wowzers! And those big eyes...I like cats but that cat...whoa...he freaks me out a little bit! :)
Keep reading...
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Learnin', learnin', learnin'...
Since August (for most people with kidlets or grand-kidlets) is when school starts up again, I thought we'd take advantage Back to School marketing campaigns 
going on nationwide. This week, I thought I would share with you part of a Whitepaper Phil wrote entitled, "Voltage Indicator: How Does it Work?" A voltage indicator uses a high impedance voltage detection circuit per phase to sense and illuminate AC/DC voltage. The illumination of the LEDs occurs only when current passes through two of these voltage detection circuits. Envision four voltage detection circuits (L1, L2, L3, GND) “meeting” each other in the center of the VI. The amount of the current that flows through the voltage detection circuit depends upon the phase and ground voltages, which allows for multiple current paths passing through at least four LEDs. Each voltage detection circuit has two LEDs; one LED illuminates when the AC sine wave is positive and the other LE illuminates when the AC sine wave is negative (Fig. 2). For an LED to illuminate, current must pass through two of the voltage detection circuits, which causes four LEDs to illuminate. “Voltage when illuminated” means that if only one of the four LEDs illuminates, it still provides voltage indication to the worker. For DC systems only, one LED per voltage detection circuit will illuminate.
When balanced voltages exist on each phase, the current flowing through each phase circuit is also equal (Fig. 3). Because these currents are shared equally between the phases, in this case no current flows to ground and therefore the GND LEDs are not illuminated. This is the normal operating mode for most VI installations, and for large VI installations (50+ units), this means that the accumulation of ground currents will not adversely affect ground fault detection systems... (To read more, click here. To download the PDF of this Whitepaper, please click here.)
This video below is a new one we have featuring our sales manager, Dan. It's on the Combo Unit, which includes the Power Warning Alert. I hope you find it helpful and useful!! Happy viewing!
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Finally, it's giveaway time. This week, we are going to employ an old HumpDay staple: Bungee Rockets. If you've never shot a bungee rocket, then you're missing out. It is a blast (pun not intended). First things first, we have a winner to announce! Jon H. with Aeronca won the iPad2! Congrats, Jon! Enjoy your new iPad 2!
I plan on having cool giveaways like that each month, so be sure to keep reading HumpDay! To enter for a super cool Bungee Rocket just click the button and register! As always, thanks for reading HumpDay! Have a great week!! :)
Okay, guys...it's FRIDAY! I just love Fridays because they have this wonderful, special feeling...wouldn't you agree? The weekend is so close we can reach out and grab it, 
and today is especially wonderful for me because my dear, dear friends just welcomed their third baby early this morning!! A sweet baby girl that weighted only 6lbs, 4oz and was born breech in a home birth!! Mother and child are doing fine and I am so thrilled that now I have baby fever...
Earlier this week I found this website called zooborns.com. It is chalk full of adorable (and, yes, even so-ugly-they-are-cute) pictures of little animal babies in zoos across the globe. If you are sucker for a cute fury face with big eyes looking up at you, then this is the site for you! This elephant picture just about melted my heart this morning. So, on your coffee break, take a few minutes and peruse this site...(hint, the baby giraffe and the video of the tiger babies is so worth it!!).
In case you missed this week's HumpDay, you can read it here. This week we profiled another arc flash incident, and there are some pretty intense pictures so be sure to check it out. Also, there is still time to sign up for the iPad if you haven't done that already. Click iPad button to register!
Okay, for today, I think we will do the Pizza Party again! There w
ere so many entries last week that I felt bad I couldn't pick more (oh, and the winner last week hasn't returned my email or calls. So, Mark J. from ConAgra in Marshall, MO...can ya give a girl a callback? Please!! *grin*). So...if you want your very own pizza party at your office, click the button below and sign up!! One lucky duck will win!
Have a great weekend everyone!!
<<<Happy Friday!! :) The End.>>>
Good Morning/Afternoon all you folks in Bloggingland. It's me, your friendly, neig
hborhood HumpDay blogger dropping in to say hey. I hope your week is going well! Before I forget, last week we mailed out Habenaro suckers to the first 150+ people who responded to our giveaway offer, and I wanted to remind you that the first 10 people to email me a picture of them eating it (along with their mailing address) is going to get a $5 gift card for free ice cream! Yum...
This week, I'm in pain. I took my big, beautiful 110+ pound German Shepherd for a ride in the car the other day, and as he was exiting the car he saw a squirrel. O - M - G. I was airborne. I mean, for a brief second, none of my body was touching the earth...and then gravity kicked in. I was planted face-first in my neighbor's front yard. It was both completely hilarious and horribly painful at the same time. The vibration of my body hitting the hard ground reverberated through my organs; I'm certain something dislodged from its original position. My spleen is up by my heart or something. And the worst part of it is I'm sure it was that evil squirrel that taunts my dog. Grrr...I should have let go of the leash and let B
uddy get 'em. But, I didn't. Like a dork I hung on and was turned into a human kite...oh, well, at least I'm not this umpire! Can you believe this call?! After a 19-inning, 6-hour 39-minute game this is how it ends? Wow. That catcher was robbed. There's no other way to say it. Robbed, robbed, robbed.
Just a reminder that we are still UNDER CONSTRUCTION with our blog, but soon we will have the jazziest Blog in the world of Electrical Safety! I'm so excited!! Our comment section is going to be smokin'! I'm pretty sure we are gong to implement the Disqus format, which will allow you all to reply directly to each other's comments. This will be so cool because I want to invite industry experts to write articles about all-things electrical safety!! It's going to be so cool!! Until then...
Keep reading,
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A Little Bit of Funny to Brighten Your Day...
The world has been transformed by advances in communication like cell phones, the internet, social networking, and texting. A new lingo has developed as a result; perhaps you've heard your kids and/or grandkids use it. It is filled with acronyms that mean specific things when texting. Here is a short list of things you probably already know:
BTW = by the way; BRB = be right back; LOL = laughing out loud / lots of love; TTYL = talk to you later; OMG = Oh my goodness; ROTFLOL = rolling on the floor laughing out loud
What you probably don't know is there is a whole other texting lingo designed for older people. I found the list and thought I would post it for you as a guide. Please know, some of the acronyms might mean different things in different parts of the world.
- FWIW = forgot where I was
- BTW = bring the wheelchair
- ROTFCGU = rolling on the floor - can't get up
- DWI = driving while incontinent
- LOL = living on Lipitor
- OMG = oy, my grandchildren
- IMHO = is my hearing-aid on?
- BYOT = bring your own teeth
- GTG = got to groan
- SUP = standing up is painful
- LWO = Lawrence Welk's on
- FYI = for your indigestion
- GOML = get off my lawn
- WIWYA = when I was your age
- TMWMPJ = taking Metamucil with my prune juice
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Why We Do What We Do #3 - True Story of an Arc Flash Incident
Here is an excerpt of a report I found on an arc flash incident. To read the report in full, please click here.
"On March 4, 2009, at the Jubail Project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, three workers were removing a 480-volt, molded-case circuit breaker from the bucket of an energized Motor Control Center (MCC) when an electrical arc flash occurred,
severely injuring them. All three sustained first- and second-degree burns and were hospitalized following the accident. The workers had been asked to obtain information about the breaker and tried to remove it to retrieve the information. They did not have an energized electrical work permit, were wearing no PPE other than their hardhats, and wore no arc-rated clothing.
"The face and neck areas of two workers were badly burned, and one of them sustained burns to his hand (Figure 1-2). The third worker suffered scattered burns to his face (likely from molten debris). Figures 1-3 and 1-
4 show the burn areas in the utility room where the MCC was located and the proximity of the MCC bucket to the wall. Figure 1-5 shows the inside of the MCC bucket after the event. An arc flash can release a tremendous amount of concentrated
radiant energy at the point of the arcing in a fraction of a second. The result is extremely high temperatures, a tremendous pressure blast, and shrapnel being hurled at velocities in excess of 700 miles per hour. Exposure to an arc flash frequently results in a variety of serious injuries and in some cases death. Workers have been injured even though they were 10 feet or more away from the arc center. Injuries
can include damaged hearing and eyesight, as well as severe burns that can require years of skin grafting and rehabilitation.
"The workers in Riyadh were fortunate that their injuries were not more serious. They were severely burned primarily because they failed to apply fundamental Integrated Safety Management (ISM) principles to the task. When they realized that the requested breaker information could not be obtained without removing the circuit breaker, they should have stopped and modified the work plan and associated hazard analysis. The designed controls for the identified hazard should have included, as a first option, the necessary actions to establish an
electrically safe work condition before allowing a worker inside the arc flash protection boundary. If removing the hazardous energy was not feasible, an energized electrical work permit that clearly described all barriers, including appropriate PPE, should have been developed and discussed with each of the workers."
We believe the use of a thru-door power warning alert would have given notice to the workers outside the panel that voltage was still present inside the panel. Given this visual indication, the workers could have taken the necessary precautions to protect themselves. Click here to learn more about the Power Warning Alert.
What do you think about this story? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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Okay, guys...here's the long awaited deal of the century! I have to say
that every one of my co-workers is drooling over this giveaway this week. They want it. They want it, bad. It is...an iPad 2! So, just because you're awesome, here's your chance to win a FREE iPad 2. Click the button to sign up. One lucky duck will be randomly chosen. Good luck!
Well, isn't this special...we're meeting on a Friday morning. I feel a little like the wizard stepping out from behind the curtain. It's odd doing this on a Friday...like
I'm breaking the rules or something. Well, that's me...the rebel rule-breaker! :)
As promised, I'm going to have a special Friday Giveaway today in honor of our new Blog format, which will be under construction for the next couple of weeks as we test a few applications. Be sure to let me know if you really like or really hate something we do, okay? This is not the time to be silent! Speak up, and use the comment section at the bottom to share your ideas and thoughts. Thanks in advance! Your comments will really help us shape this Blog.
Before I share the giveaway, I have TWO funnies to share. When I walked in this morning, I only had one, but then on my Facebook wall was the cutiest, funnniest video and I decided to share that with you, too. Let's start with the cute, which is title Kitten vs TWO Scary Things. Enjoy:
Now, we move into the stupid. The other night while half-way watching TV before going to bed, I was on YouTube and searched for vidoes on practicle jokes. This video was number one viewed. I laughed so hard I gave myself a headache. I mean laughing hard, like the kind when your stomach muscles are tight and there's no sound because you aren't breathing and you have tears streaming down your face. This guy in the video is so stupid - I mean how could he not know? - and he is so determined to figure out how they are doing it that he just commits to the learning process no matter how painful. Hands down, this is one of the funniest things I've seen. Let me know what you think of it:
So, how funny was that? OMG...I'm still laughing! Okay, now for the surprise Friday giveaway!! I told you I would make it worth your while...I hope you think this is it!! The giveaway is a Pizza Party for your office!!
Click the button above to enter and I'll draw one winner Monday morning! That person will get FREE Pizza delivered to the office for lunch!! How cool is that?? (***UPDATE: July 25, 2011 - Congrats to Mark J. with ConAgra in Marshall, Missouri!! You and your office won the pizza party! Check your email for your notification and call us to set the date!***)
<<<Happy Friday!! :) The End.>>>