Many of you have seen the Brandywine flag flying at half-mast from time to time. We belong to an automated e-mail messaging that notifies us when either the State of Maryland or Office of the President of the United States dictates when the flags go down. Our most recent half-mast was for Army Sgt. Anthony A. Paci of Rockville, Maryland, who died on March 4, 2010 in Afghanistan while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Our sincere thanks go out to all the men and women serving the county to keep our freedom alive.

Welcome aboard to the following new employees:

Brandon Kelley - Eden Auto Parts
Tri Huu Thai - Foreign Car Parts
James Thomas - Savemore Auto Parts

Congratulationsto the following employees on their years of service!

Kevin Squires and Buzzy Griffin are our crushers going way back. If anyone hasn’t seen the crusher in action, you’re missing out. The photos below were of a Chevy Van weighing in excess of 5000 pounds and after Kevin was done it was a little higher than a desktop computer. Before a vehicle is crushed all of the fluids must be drained, radiator removed, wheels, batteries, etc. After crushing, it’s then picked up by a scrap dealer for further processing. At the very end of it’s life, this van might be a guardrail in it’s next lifetime.

Although grading is scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks, our employees are working hard to move what needs to be moved and it is one HUGE undertaking….

This is the spot where we had up to ten box trucks filled with parts.

Hard to believe this was taken about six weeks ago after our SECOND record snowfall. Our employees had a rough go of it, trying to get parts off of vehicles for our customers. The snowfall was so bad that no inside parts were able to be pulled, couldn’t get vehicle doors open! In a week or two the snow had melted enough that everyone was in “hustle” mode trying to fulfill customer orders and everyone without exception stepped up to the plate. Thanks go out to everybody for a job well done!!!

Storm season is right on our heels. Whether it’s a major thunder storm or hurricane, here are some safety tips to get you through the season.

Pre-season Preparation
• Enter the season prepared.
• Know all evacuation routes if you live close to the coast.
• Make sure your home meets building codes for withstanding hurricanes, and they have storm shutters.
• Have proper tools, supplies, and a first aid kit.
• Have plenty of batteries and flashlights
• Always have plenty of non-perishable foods on hand.

When a Watch or Warning is Issued
• Leave low lying areas.
• Protect windows with plywood boards, or storm shutters.
• Secure outside objects.
• Make sure you have plenty of fuel and water.
• Have several days supply of food and water for each family member.
• If called to evacuate, do so immediately.

Before the Storm
• Be ready to put your plan and preparation into action.
• Pay attention to local weather reports on radio, television, or the internet.
• Have house boarded up, or have storm shutters in place.
• Have plenty of food and water.
• Make sure all your tools, supplies, and first aid kit available for use.
• Have a secure room available.

During the Storm
• Stay in Secure Room.
• Stay away from windows.
• Do not use the phone, or candles.
• Monitor Weather and Civil Service Bulletins on either regular or NOAA radio.
• Have supplies on hand.
• Remain indoors when the eye moves over your area because the storm will resume shortly.

After the Storm
• Make sure that all is definitely clear outside, and the storm has completely passed before going out.
• Report downed power lines, and stay away from them.
• Use stored water and food.
• Be patient. Things will take a while before they get back to normal.

Congratulations to Central Small Car’s Alvin Guerra and Joselito DeJesus, Dad and Grampa to new baby girl Alyza Joy, born February 5, 2010. Mom and baby are both doing well.

Welcome aboard to our new and returning employees, we’re glad you joined us:

Howard Oliver, Ransom Motors
Junior Williams, Brandywine Truck Parts
Ray Keib, Brandywine Truck Parts
Jeff Newman, Brandywine Delivery
Stewart Fallin, Brandywine Auto Parts
Daniel McDonald, Brandywine Installations
Robert Whitley, Central Small Car
Jason Etter, Central Small Car
Wayne Bryan, Brandywine Installations
Walter Moats, Brandywine Installations

Get well fast to Ashley Morris, our newest switchboard operator who is recovering from surgery, and also a big get well to Ron Hall, also recovering from surgery. Get better soon, we miss you!

Remember to sign up for a one-on-one session with our Suntrust Education Specialist to review your profit sharing and 401-k plan assets. He will be at Brandywine on Monday March 22nd but just in case you miss him or are unable to get to Brandywine, you can call him and review the information over the phone. Call Carol in Payroll to get the contact number.

Talk about a GREAT vacation, here’s news and photos from Dana Cole, Sales Manager at Bowie Truck & Van in Bowie:

My wife, Denise, and I took our usual February cruise this year from February 18-February 28. Our ports of call were St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Thomas. The second day of the cruise they had a 50-60’s dance party and Denise held on to her hula hoop championship for the fourth straight year. On the third day of the cruise, I got the dreaded cruise Norovirus and was out of commission for about a day. On the fifth day of the cruise, Denise caught the evil virus and was down for a day. However, we both recovered in time to do a little line dancing on Country Western night. However, the best day of the cruise was the swim with the Sea Lions in St. Thomas. We were expecting smaller animals not the 400 lb. critters we encountered but it was a lot of fun interacting and swimming with the big guys.

It’s Springtime, the crocuses are starting to bloom, the birds are singing again, Daylight Saving Time allows us at least one more hour of light in the evening, and everyone is excited about getting outside after the horrendous winter we experienced with more snow than we’ve all seen. But one of the most important things we don’t remember to do when we go outside is to PUT ON SUNSCREEN when your skin is exposed to the rays of the sun. This goes for everybody, all skin types, all races, men and women: skin cancer doesn’t discriminate against anybody, everybody can be affected. Our yard people are outside quite a bit starting in Spring and this goes out to them especially: Get a good SPF 15 at the very least and put on all exposed areas, your face, head, ears and hands. Did you know that even with a thick head of hair the UV rays of the sun can penetrate the hair, burn the scalp and present the potential for skin cancer. Enjoy your time outside but enjoy it safely!