HGR Industrial Surplus to give $500 scholarship to winning AWT RoboBots team on Apr. 29

Come on out to Lakeland Community College and join us to cheer on the high-school and middle-school teams as they compete to be the last battle bot standing. The battles begin at 8:30 a.m. The winning high school will be presented with a $500 scholarship check from HGR Industrial Surplus at the end of the event.

AWT RoboBots 2017 flyer

Are you going to the Ceramics Expo in Cleveland?

Ceramics Expo Logo

 

If you are, we’ll be there, too. Stop by Booth 905 from April 25-27, 2017, to see three pieces of equipment that we’ll have on display and pick up some cool swag, including coasters, lanyards, dispensers and BIG @$$ HGR pens. You can chat with one of our buyers, Mike Paoletto, our Chief Marketing Officer Matt Williams and some of our salespeople. We’re there because we buy ceramics and glass equipment from companies that are selling their lines for an upgrade and looking to recover assets.

What type of employer is HGR? Buyer spotlight with Bob Buerger

HGR buyer Bob BuergerWhen did you start with HGR and why?

2004, but I moved into the buyer role in 2014. My friends and I were at a Hell’s Angels dry poker run for Ronald McDonald House. One stop was a local bar called Stingers near HGR. Since it was the last stop, we thought we’d have a beer and ended up meeting Mike Lima, HGR’s shipping manager at the time, who said they were looking for someone in the incoming department. I applied, and they hired me. I also used to shop at McKean and HGR for years, especially on Wednesdays when we could have a free lunch and shop. I thought it was the neatest place. There’s no other place I’ve come across like HGR with its enormous size, its magnitude and what it does — even in all my travels now.

What were you doing before HGR?

I managed a metal finishing and plating company and was familiar with most of Mike Paoletto’s customers that he’s bought from. I like machinery and woodworking and have always been around it.

What is your territory, and what do you do on a daily basis?

Southern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Kentucky, 75 percent of Tennessee, northwestern Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. I live about 30 minutes from Memphis.

Monday is office day to get caught up. On average, I am away from the house overnight 1.5 days per week. I travel from company to company looking at equipment and purchase what we can, which is about 15 percent of what we look at, on average. I see about three businesses per day but have seen up to six.

What do you like most about your job?

Meeting new people and new companies. At HGR, I saw all this equipment coming in but never saw it in operation, but now I go to huge manufacturing companies and get to see extrusion lines and robots in action and realize, “Oh, that’s how it’s made.” Every day is new in learning, and the job is fascinating.

What’s your greatest challenge?

The technology. I am not a computer person. When I first took this job, the only experience that I had was as an inventory clerk at HGR putting in information. And, I had a flip phone. The owners of HGR took a huge leap of faith giving me this position. Brian said, “Let’s give this guy a chance. He’s a good worker and always on time.” I was never late once and lived 30 minutes away. Even Rick had to teach me how to copy and paste.

When did you start with HGR and why?

2004, but I moved into the buyer role in 2014. My friends and I were at a Hell’s Angels dry poker run for Ronald McDonald House. One stop was a local bar called Stingers near HGR. Since it was the last stop, we thought we’d have a beer and ended up meeting Mike Lima, HGR’s shipping manager at the time, who said they were looking for someone in the incoming department. I applied, and they hired me. I also used to shop at McKean and HGR for years, especially on Wednesdays when we could have a free lunch and shop. I thought it was the neatest place. There’s no other place I’ve come across like HGR with its enormous size, its magnitude and what it does — even in all my travels now.

What were you doing before HGR?

I managed a metal finishing and plating company and was familiar with most of Mike Paoletto’s customers that he’s bought from. I like machinery and woodworking and have always been around it.

What is your territory, and what do you do on a daily basis?

Southern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Kentucky, 75 percent of Tennessee, northwestern Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. I live about 30 minutes from Memphis.

Monday is office day to get caught up. On average, I am away from the house overnight 1.5 days per week. I travel from company to company looking at equipment and purchase what we can, which is about 15 percent of what we look at, on average. I see about three businesses per day but have seen up to six.

What do you like most about your job?

Meeting new people and new companies. At HGR, I saw all this equipment coming in but never saw it in operation, but now I go to huge manufacturing companies and get to see extrusion lines and robots in action and realize, “Oh, that’s how it’s made.” Every day is new in learning, and the job is fascinating.

What’s your greatest challenge?

The technology. I am not a computer person. When I first took this job, the only experience that I had was as an inventory clerk at HGR putting in information. And, I had a flip phone. The owners of HGR took a huge leap of faith giving me this position. Brian said, “Let’s give this guy a chance. He’s a good worker and always on time.” I was never late once and lived 30 minutes away. Even Rick had to teach me how to copy and paste.

What’s your favorite place to eat when you are on the road?

My favorite place to eat with the best burgers is Abe’s Grill in Mississippi. It’s 100 years old with 10-15 seats.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

My wife and I bought a house that was owned by a single mom who thought duct tape fixed everything; so, I spend a lot of my free time working on the house and outside in the yard. My wife said that she would really like a pool; so, we put an in-ground pool in last year.

Who is your hero or greatest influence/inspiration, and why?

My mom and dad. Mom because she gave me a great sense of humor. She taught me to laugh at myself. Dad because he gave me a great work ethic. He was a foreman at Ford Brookpark Foundry for more than 25 years. He’d leave for work at 5:30 a.m. in a white shirt and come home with a grey shirt. He had a stretch of about 150 days where he worked every day with no time off. He also is a combat Marine Corp. veteran who served in Korea. He taught me that if you work hard in life you get benefits.

Anything I missed that you want the rest of the team to know?

At HGR, if you give 100 percent and work hard, ownership will recognize you when a position becomes available. They’re always open to give someone a chance.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

My wife and I bought a house that was owned by a single mom who thought duct tape fixed everything; so, I spend a lot of my free time working on the house and outside in the yard. My wife said that she would really like a pool; so, we put an in-ground pool in last year.

Who is your hero or greatest influence/inspiration, and why?

My mom and dad. Mom because she gave me a great sense of humor. She taught me to laugh at myself. Dad because he gave me a great work ethic. He was a foreman at Ford Brookpark Foundry for more than 25 years. He’d leave for work at 5:30 a.m. in a white shirt and come home with a grey shirt. He had a stretch of about 150 days where he worked every day with no time off. He also is a combat Marine Corp. veteran who served in Korea. He taught me that if you work hard in life you get benefits.

Anything else that you want everyone to know?

At HGR, if you give 100 percent and work hard, ownership will recognize you when a position becomes available. They’re always open to give someone a chance.

What type of employer is HGR? Buyer spotlight with Jason Arnett

HGR Buyer Jason Arnett

When did you start with HGR and why?

June 2014. I was intrigued by the opportunity to have a multi-state territory and had a background in sales but this was different being on the buyer side rather than the sales side.

What were you doing before HGR?

Medical, equipment and specialty lumber sales

What is your territory, and what do you do on a daily basis?

The Midatlantic (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina)

Monday is spent in the office following up on offers and getting the schedule together, getting your appointments set for the week. The rest of the week is out on appointments and looking at equipment, taking pictures, and setting expectations with customers. The deals are sent through Dataflo and the offer goes out to the customer. Then, we follow up on offers, sometimes on Mondays and sometimes in the car driving between appointments. I spend one to two overnights per week out on the road.

What do you like most about your job?

I like being in front of the customers and interacting with them in person, basically, the whole process of the inspection.

What’s your greatest challenge?

Convincing some of the customers that they would do better selling to HGR as opposed to scrapping the equipment. It goes back to setting expectations and helping them to understand that we don’t offer retail pricing because we are an industrial reseller of used equipment.

What’s your most interesting moment at HGR?

The HGR volleyball tournament in January with another buyer and Founder Paul Betori singing karaoke. It was memorable.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

Cooking on the BBQ and smoking meat with a charcoal or wood fire.

Who is your hero or greatest influence/inspiration, and why?

My dad. He inspires by always giving 110% effort in everything he’s done. He runs marathons. He went back to law school in his early 40s and now works as a lobbyist. Recently, he wasn’t able to meet me for lunch because he was meeting with a congressman!

What type of employer is HGR? Q&A with HGR’s Inbound Logistics Department

HGR's receiving department
Bryan and Eric

(Courtesy of Guest Blogger Bryan Korecz, HGR’s inbound logistics manager)

What does your department do?

The Inbound Logistics Department is in constant contact with HGR’s vendors. We do not have much contact with customers who purchase items from HGR. After a buyer has made a purchase from a vendor we are in contact with the vendors until all items have been picked up. We ensure that the buying and shipping process goes smoothly for them and that they have a good experience and sell to HGR in the future. A day in the life would be 75-100 phone calls and email with vendors, trucking companies, dispatchers, buyers and then making it all come together so that the offloading of the equipment goes smooth here at HGR

How many people work in your department, and what are their roles?

My department is myself and Eric Karaba. He handles seven of the buyers, while I handle six and any purchases made by two of our owners, Rick Affrica and Brian Krueger.

What qualifications do you need to be successful in your department?

Patience. In this line of work, things will go wrong, and problems will come up. It happens all the time, and you just have to roll with it and adjust. Multitasking as well as being able to solve problems quickly.

What do you like most about your department?

I like that we play an integral role in the HGR “supply chain” process. I like that every day can be different, as well.

What challenges has your department faced and how have you overcome them?

We face challenges every day. You just have to learn from previous experiences and apply that knowledge to anything that will come up in the future.

What changes in the way your department does business have occurred in the past few years?

Two years ago, this department didn’t exist. We had an outside company do it for us, and we wanted to take control of it to better service our vendors and make the process smoother.

What continuous improvement processes do you hope to implement in the future?

We are in the process of implementing a process to ensure that equipment gets to HGR faster (so we can sell if faster) and more efficiently.

What is HGR’s overall environment like?

I think it is a pretty relaxed environment. We are able to get our work done.

What is your perspective on manufacturing, surplus, investment recovery/product life cycle/equipment recycling?

Before I came here I didn’t know much about the manufacturing industry. My experience was solely in shipping. During the course of the last two years, I have learned what certain machines are, what they are used for and what items HGR has success with.

Learn about the history of slo-pitch softball, which started in Cleveland, at the hall of fame and museum

History of start of softball at Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and Museum

In 1985, The Greater Cleveland Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame began inducting members into the hall at its annual banquet. This continues to be the case today. But, in 1997, Founder Buddy Langdon and his partner had an idea for a hall of fame and museum in order to share the history of softball with the public. Originally, they planned to make it a mobile exhibit that could travel around the country by bus. Later, they approached the Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum, then located in what is now the Shore Cultural Centre in Euclid, Ohio, to pitch the idea that both museums be housed in the historic, former Euclid City Hall building that the city had planned to condemn and demolish.

In 1998, both museums set up shop at 605 E. 222nd St., Euclid, Ohio. The softball hall of fame decided that Euclid was a central location between the furthermost east and west sides, and the city had teams that played in the biggest and best leagues. The museum is a nonprofit that is funded through ticket sales from its induction banquet, donations from visitors and an annual raffle fundraiser.

When I visited, I learned so much about the sport and the history of the area. The first slo-pitch team was formed in Cleveland in 1939 by the Jewish Recreation Commission. As Curator Rich Yonakor explains, “Since they celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday, it was something for them to do socially on Sundays. They decided to make the ball bigger and slower since everyone was not able to hit a baseball. Gambling occurred, as the community placed bets on the outcome of games. They decided to open the games up to the public.” One of the first softballs was made at a YMCA by taping up a ball of socks.

By the 1960s and early 1970s, there were 280 local teams competing in a single elimination tournament to go on to the world championship. Later, the tournaments changed to double elimination, and instead of one champion, one team comes out of every governing body and league. In 1975, Cleveland’s Pyramid Café team won the first world championship for the city. In softball’s heyday, most teams were sponsored by bars, restaurants and the unions within companies. HGR Sales Associate Andrew Pringle’s grandfather, Douglas Pringle, played softball in the 1960s and was inducted into the hall with his team.

Many people don’t know the difference between fast pitch and slo-pitch. Women’s fast pitch is played at the high school and college level where the pitcher winds up and throws the ball hard and fast in a straight line. The pitcher also is six feet closer to home plate. In slo-pitch, the ball is lobbed in an arch of 10 feet to 16 feet, depending on the governing body. Most have a rule of 10 to 12 feet. There are a multitude of governing bodies, and each has different rules regarding the type of bat used and the pitching arc.

Rich Yonakor at Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and MuseumToday, the sport has experienced a decline in popularity that Yonakor attributes to the electronic age where people are not getting out to play sports as much. He says the materials have changed dramatically and that “often the equipment is doing all of the work for them, not like in the old days when it was about competition and exercise. No one got hurt, and they all went out afterwards.” Now, the ball is harder; therefore, players can hit it further and over the fence for more home runs. The leagues have actually had to limit the number of home runs in a game on this account.

If you are a sports enthusiast, which you must be if you got to this point in the blog, when you stop to visit the museum, you can talk softball, baseball, basketball AND football with Yonakor. Does that name sound familiar? Yep, he’s the son of football legend John Yonakor, a member of the 1946-1950 All-American Football Conference Cleveland Browns. His father took him to every Browns home game from when Yonakor was four until he was 17. John Yonakor was originally drafted into the NFL Philadelphia Eagles, but Paul Brown offered to pay him more, $9,500 per year as opposed to $7,500. He also played in Canada for a year, with the New York Yanks for a year and with the Washington Redskins for a couple of years. His son, Rich, was recruited six years ago to assist Langdon in running the museum. When Langdon passed away, Yonakor took over. Rich Yonakor played NBA basketball for the San Antonio Spurs and then professional basketball for overseas teams, including Italy, France and Belgium, for a few years. He also was the softball director for the City of Euclid.

 

the main room at Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and Museum part of the Hall of Fame wall at the Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and Museum penants and shirts at the Slo-Pitch Hall of Fame and Museum

 

What do a Chicago crime boss and EHS’ competitors at the AWT RoboBots competition have in common?

Euclid High School robotics team working on its battle bot

(Courtesy of Guest Blogger Bob Torrelli, Euclid High School’s Science Department chair and Robotics Team coach)

They are going down!

We had a very successful meeting in March at SC Industries. The robot is totally together and all that’s left to do is shed 0.15 pounds and practice driving and using the weapon.

The Euclid High School Robotics Team has been relentless in solving the gear ratio problem between the motor and the weapon shaft. We finally got it resolved while we did work on the robot during spring break. So, without any other unforeseen problems, we will be ready to test it out this week at Fredon in the cage. We need to solder some specific connections onto the new 12-volt batteries, hook the electronics together, and attach the armor. We have about four weeks to test it and make sure it is competition ready for the 2017 RoboBots Battle on Apr. 29 at Lakeland Community College.

Our team name still is The Untouchables, and our robot’s name is Elliott Ness.

HGR Industrial Surplus is one of the team’s sponsors.

Great Scott Tavern helps build community

Great Scott Tavern

I had a sit down with Bob Edwardsen, general manager of Great Scott Tavern, 21801 Lakeshore Blvd., Euclid, Ohio, to find out more about how the restaurant came into being and how it has evolved since its opening in June 2015.

Bob’s known the owner, Mrs. Scott, since he was a child. His parents were friends with her and her husband. They traveled and spent holidays together. Before becoming a restauranteur, Mrs. Scott worked in real estate management and lived in New York for a time. But, now, she’s a Euclid resident.

According to Edwardsen, “Her lifelong dream was to have a restaurant. She wanted to locate it in her city because she feels that Euclid needs another good restaurant. She’s in here every day. This is like her child. She eats here all the time.”

Originally, Mrs. Scott bought the gas station next to the Beach Club Bistro where she intended to open the restaurant, but there was a parking issue. So, when the current location, a former office building, came up for sale, she bought the building, spent more than two years renovating it, tore down the gas station and created a parking lot that the restaurant shares with its neighbors. The restaurant specializes in American comfort food, and the décor reflects its desire to be cozy and inviting.

The restaurant has more local connections in its management team: Edwardsen grew up in Euclid. His assistant general manager, Tom Laurienzo, who Edwardsen calls “his right and left arm,” and current head chef live in Euclid. About Laurienzo, he says, “Tom started here as a server and was promoted. He is phenomenal at what he does and is a great person, too, with children and a wife while being active in his church. I don’t know how he finds the time.” As Edwardsen says in his staff meetings, “It takes a team to win.”

He made his way to Great Scott because he and Mrs. Scott shared the same cleaning lady. The cleaning lady told him about the ongoing renovations. Then, Mrs. Scott started coming to Edwardsen’s bar and restaurant on E. 200th to ask him questions about restaurant management. In February 2016, he joined her staff. His favorite menu items are the cabbage rolls and meatloaf. During Lent, the restaurant serves a fish fry made with Bob’s recipe that he served at his former restaurant.

The name Great Scott Tavern is a pun on words. First, it’s Mrs. Scott’s last name, but she also used it because of its association with film heroes, superheroes and comic-book characters, such as Christopher Lloyd’s character in the movie “Back to the Future,” Superman and Dennis the Menace when they utter that famous exclamation of surprise, “Great Scott!”

Mrs. Scott is heavily involved in philanthropy and in the community. The restaurant is a member of The Euclid Chamber of Commerce and the Euclid Kiwanis Club. It has participated in local events sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Taste the Neighborhood in Collinwood. The restaurant hosts meetings and parties for local organizations, such as Euclid Beach Park Now. She is also one of the sponsors of the Cleveland International Film Festival, and she is involved with the Henn Mansion, Shore Cultural Centre and Euclid Pet Pals.

Edwardsen also has a love for his community. He belongs to The Nobel-Monitor Lodge of the Swedish Vasa and is active at Holden Arboretum, about which he says, “I went there for the first time and thought it was fabulous. It took my mind off of everything. Before that, I buried myself in my work.” He also loves local sports and went to the Cavs’ Championship Parade, but The Cleveland Indians are his favorite team. He encourages others to get involved and says, “You have to build the community.”

Great Scott is open Tuesday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

employees in kitchen at Great Scott Tavern

 

Enter to win HGR’s April 2017 “guess what it is” Facebook contest

spot welder sweat valve for HGR Facebook contest

Last month, we went too easy on you; so, we decided to make it a little harder this month to guess what piece of equipment or machinery is pictured. To participate, like our Facebook page, share the post, and add your guess in the comments section. Those who guess correctly and meet these criteria will be entered into a random drawing to receive a free HGR T-shirt.

Click here to enter your guess on our Facebook page by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2017. A winner will be drawn and announced the following week.

April is National Welding Month!

welder with shield and sparks

In support of the American Welding Society, we’re celebrating all the talented, hardworking welders who make many of the objects that we use and appreciate on a daily basis, especially those that get us where we need to go. Welding was discovered in the 1800s and has continued to make strides. Consider a career in welding and talk to your local community college or trade school, or let us know if you are a welder and what you weld. Thank you, welders!

If you’re looking for welding equipment, HGR Industrial Surplus has affordable new and used items to fit out your weld shop.