2015 Weldon Gazette

1. Open Houses 2015 Inside this issue:
Indy 500 1
Open Houses 1-3
All Eyes on Weldon 4-7
Chrome Insight 8
Brakeshop highlight 9
Store News 10-12
Miscellaneous 13-28
Volume 15, Issue 15
The Indianapolis 500 is an automobile race held annually at the Indi-
anapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is held
over Memorial Day weekend, which is typically the last weekend in
May. A few of our employees got the chance to attend, and it looks
like they had fun! Pictured we have Dave Settles, David Rider, John
Crist, and Derek Matzek.
July, August, September 2015
The Weldon Gazette
This year’s open houses were a hit once again! We have tons
of photos highlighting them, and also had some feedback from
a couple of our managers on how things went.
“The Grand Island 2015 open house went very well. We
served over 150 customers. That was the best we have ever
done. The vendors did a great job with the show specials. We
had some sales during and after the open house was over. The
weather even helped us. Bryan started cooking around 6:30
am & the weather forecast said it would rain around 7:00 am.
Well they missed it started to rain about 7:05 and dropped by
9:00 then it cleared and the rest of day was great. The Grand
Island crew along with Bryan, Dave, Chuck, & Budd, all
made the show happen. A special thank you to Sandy &
Tracey for doing the registration.
Dave & the Firestone
mascot, Firehawk!
John & the Firestone
mascot, Firehawk!

2. “Norfolk had their open house on June 17 .What a beau-
tiful day. It was so nice we could have had a picnic out-
side. I think I had Dave sweating a little bit the first half
hour. He wasn’t the only one. I Had 2 people come
through the first half hour. But after that we had a nice
steady flow from 11:30 till a little after 1:00. We had 70
plus 10 carry outs. The food was great.
Customers had a lot of interest throughout the vendor
tables . We sold a few item off tables. We also had calls
afterwards about the parts that we offered. I was pleased
with the turnout. Thanks to Bryan, Budd, Chuck, Steve &
Amy from North Bend for all the help. Also for Budd's
little helper that helped in the serving line. Never got his
name. Always good to see Dave & getting to chat with
him.
I want to give a great thanks to my employees Don Z.,
Mike M., and Will D. for helping me get ready for the
open house. It was a lot of cleaning, and it was a great
day.”—Mark Hunke
2

3. &
New Counter in Omaha
3

4. All Eyes
on Weldon
Brake class in Greenville, Texas
OKC Air System Training Class
Brake clinic in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Brake clinic in Coffeyville, Kansas
Clinic in Drumright, Oklahoma
4
Kit Masters Fan Truck in OKC

5. Oklahoma Area of Pupil Transportation
—the bus mechanics and directors for
schools
“Here are some pictures I took at this year’s
sales meeting in OKC. [By Cliff McAdoo,
Weldon Parts in Little Rock, Arkansas.]
A picture of Ann Cowles of Tulsa store [now
a mechanic] with the help of Tim Dawes of
the Woodward store over hauling a fan
clutch. Also a picture of Stacy Pulley of Tulsa
( she wanted to be a [mechanic]).
Also a picture of Dean Clinton giving Ann
Cowles $50.00 [I don't think they were pay-
ing her being a mechanic!?]
More like she won the money.”—Cliff
McAdoo
Continued
5

6. Precision Rebuilders and brake clinic in McAlester, OK
A/C 609 class
A 609 A/C certification class was held in West
Point, Nebraska on June 25. This was a joint
class between the North Bend and Norfolk
stores. A lunch and refreshments were provided.
As usual chuck had a great class and everyone
really enjoyed his presentation. 51 attended and
got their brake certification certificates. Great
job Chuck!
Above are pictures from the June 9, 2015 meeting put on in OKC
by HDA/TP and Weldon for our TSE members. The class was
held by Bob Greenwood and was titled "Profitability Secrets
That Dramatically Build your Bottom-line"
More Pictures Ahead
6

7. Photos from HDA Truck Pride
7

8. Photos showing a new Valley Chrome bumper installed
and a new set of Dynaflex 7" Monster Stacks.
8

9. The summer temperatures are always difficult for our brake
shop team members, and for me the summer months always
brings an appreciation and gratitude for the guys that work
everyday in the heat. These guys work hard each and every-
day with little or no rewards or recognition but the work they
do is vital to the success of our business. They are expected
to endure the heat and get the job done and they do. It's a
hot and dirty job.
Next time that pallet of shoes comes in give just a moment
of thanks to the guys in our three reline centers.—Daryle
Settles, VP
I like to add to the brake shop thank you's and add a great
big one to Scott in the ZNBN brake shop. He works by himself
and does everything from start to finish other than posting
which Steve does.
He builds a nice product, gets the special rush orders out, and
watches his quality.
Thanks from Nebraska to Scott!!!!
9

10. has used on a few tours in the past. However,
as the concert went on the stage set was re-
duced more and more each song. Alex and
Geddy’s amplifier stand ins were replaced
with amplifiers which were reduced in quanti-
ty with each song by the stage hands. The look
was to recreate their tours over the years when
they had very little equipment. Eventually the
set was reduced to look like a high school
gym, which is the circuit the band began play-
ing on in the very early 1970’s before they hit
it big.
Dusty and I went to Tulsa, OK on 5/8/2015 to
see the opening night of the 40th Anniversary
Tour of Rush. For those of you who don’t
know, Dusty made me a fan of the band, he
had been a huge fan of Rush since one of his
uncles gave him The Hemispheres Album
when he was 5, and as a musician Dusty has
been very inspired by each member of Rush.
This concert was my 10th and Dusty’s 11th
time seeing this band. Our first concert as a
couple was to see their Vapor Trails tour and
we danced to the Rush song “Different
Strings” as our first dance at our wedding. So
needless to say… we are really big fans!
Well the great news was that I ended up win-
ning tickets on the radio to the concert as well
as a meet and greet with the band. So we got
to the BOK Center early so we could do the
meet and greet. We had been warned that the
band wouldn’t have time for autograph’s just
photos only. We ended up in a group of about
30 people and had quick photos taken with
Alex Lifeson, the guitarist, and Geddy Lee,
the bassist. The drummer, Neil Peart, unfortu-
nately stays away from public meetings. The
guys were very nice, although we wished we
could have had more time to talk to them.
The nice thing about seeing Rush is that it is
just an evening with Rush, you don’t have to
sit through an opening act. They usually play
for close to an hour and a half then take a
twenty minute intermission then play for about
another hour and a half and they typically do
about three songs for an encore and this night
was no different.
This being their 40th Anniversary (and most
likely the last tour of this scale) they really
went all out. They opened the show with
Clockwork Angles the title track from their
album of the same name released in 2012.
They then worked backwards in their large
catalog of songs playing the newer songs first
and playing older songs as the concert went
on. They played songs such as “Far Cry”,
“One Little Victory”, “Roll the Bones”, “Red
Barchetta”, “Jacob’s Ladder”, “and Cygnus X-
1” but they also included more well-known
songs like “Tom Sawyer” and “Closer to the
Heart”. They ended the night with their song
“Working Man” which I thought was a great
way to close out a show that celebrated 40
years of constant touring and albums.
In addition to the way they worked the set list
the stage set didn’t disappoint. Alex Lifeson
and Geddy Lee each got rid of their amplifiers
on stage years ago and each tour since they
have had interesting props to replace their old
amps. This tour Alex had three steam punk
styled artworks that held large white discs on
top that images could be projected on and
Geddy had his trusty clothes dryers, which he
While they play Rush often plays videos in the
background. Some of the videos are members
of the band dressed up in costumes and some
of the videos feature celebrities. This has be-
come quite the staple of their performance and
Dusty and I really look forward to these vide-
os. This time they had Paul Rudd, Jason Segal,
Tom Morello, Les Claypool, The Trailer Park
Boys, Jay Baruchel, Jerry Stiller, and Peter
Dinklage in the videos showing how many
generations of fans Rush has created.
If you get a chance I highly recommend you
attend a show on this tour.
10

11. Oklahoma City transfer driver, Zach Smith, recently competed in the
World Series of Comedy in Tulsa Oklahoma winning 2nd
place. The top
40 comics from all across the country went head to head in 5 rounds of
standup comedy at The Tulsa Loony Bin. “It was a great experience! I
got to meet comics from all over the country, tell
jokes to strangers and bring home my first trophy
since I was in karate in 4th
grade. The best part
was when a tornado interrupted my 25 minute set
on the final show. It allowed me to make up 5
minutes of tornado jokes on the spot”. Zach will be
heading to Las Vegas in September to compete in
the Main Event. The winner will get some cash, but
more importantly a chance to perform in comedy
clubs all across the country. “I'm thankful for the support that Weldon
has given me over the past few years and I feel lucky to work for a
company like this. Hopefully I can get Dave to sponsor me, so I can
wear Weldon shirts on stage and make the big bucks”. Zach currently has
a comedy album on Itunes called “Scootch” and has a website,
www.zachsmithcomedy.com
Funny Business
11

12. Congrats
Grad!
Mckayla Johnsonof Weldonparts in OKCrecently graduated andobtained
an Associate of Applied Sciencein Health InformationTechnology.She
wants to continue her education,and will be pursuing a Bachelorof Science
with emphasis of Management InformationSystems at the University of
Central Oklahoma this fall.
12
Just Married!
Congratulations to Zach Wolfe of Tulsa & his wife
Sharon!

13. Putting Names with Faces
first photo from left to right
Claire Crosby--Miguel Espinal--Sean Schuchart--Ron Tapley
second photo left to right
Jarod Hill--Billy Cole--Jack Hill (brake shop)
third photo left to right
JR Cooke--William Brooks
Jacksonville crew
13

14. New Employees
Wolfe, Zachery 8/5/2014 Tulsa
Medina, Mario 4/27/2015 OKC
West, Richard 5/19/2015 JOP
Driver, Will 5/26/2015 NFK
William, Brooks 6/9/2015 JAX
14

15. July
Steve Settles NBN 07/04
Daniel Rodriguez ELK 07/07
Bobby Creech OKC 07/10
Jay Robb GRI 07/15
Michael Smith PENN 07/16
Lynndole Mitchell WWD 07/17
Pete Geyer WWD 07/25
Sonny Necessary ELK 07/26
Curt Wieland ORL 07/26
Tim Dawes WWD 07/27
Keith Archer OK CORP 07/31
Ron Sykes ELK 07/31
August
Chase Walker CLT 08/02
Nathan Settles OKC 08/03
Paul Almon DAL 08/05
Albert Martinez PENN 08/05
Kari Beaver MUS 08/10
Rick Simpson DAL 08/11
Mark Parker PENN 08/14
Harald Wallace LRK 08/14
Ron Mache HOU 08/16
Chuck Harwell OK CORP 08/19
Jim Penwell GRI 08/21
John Cotton MAC 08/22
Shawn Wilson PENN 08/22
Aaron Haney WWD 08/25
Chris Claassen GRI 08/27
Devin Helton WWD 08/27
Daniel Gaston WWD 08/29
September
Bryan Matzek OKC CORP 09/01
Troy Vance WWD 09/01
JR Cooke JAX 09/10
Ron Rice OKC CORP 09/11
David Settles OKC CORP 09/13
McKayla Johnson OKC HQ 09/14
Tim Fox OKC 09/15
Bob Perlinger LRK 09/17
David Rider PENN CORP 09/19
Jesus Becerril PYT 09/21
Mark Hensen JOP 09/23
Mike Green PENN CORP 09/27
15

16. YummyRecipes
CUBAN GRILLED CORN
16

17. SUMMER CORN AND TOMATO PASTA
Salt
1 pound bow-tie pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the
pasta until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medi-
um heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring oc-
casionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5
minutes. Stir in the corn, raise the heat slightly and cook
until the corn is heated through and golden, about 5
minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Add the vegetables, butter and basil to the pasta and toss.
-From Rachael Ray
YummyRecipes
17

18. Culinary Hacks
to Make You a
Kitchen Master
18

19. Down the Road of Life
“Well today I turn 70 years old [1-7-2015]
Born 1-7-1945
I look back on my life to remember
the good and bad days in my life-
time. I can say there have been more
good than bad but sometimes you
forget the good but you can always
remember the bad, but then some-
time the bad turns good... That’s
just how it works in life, when you
work to overcome the bad you can
go ahead in life.
I've got a lot to be thankful for.
Then I take a look down the road of
life and ask
Myself that question “how long is
my life”
Each day I thank the good lord for
that day of life and to see the sun
come up the next day of life.”
Words by Clifton R. McAdoo
January 7th 2015
19

20. by Dave Earnest
Once discovered, fire was the life-blood of early man.
It kept warmth flowing in a cave,
especially in harsh winter keeping predators away.
Most importantly, the fire was a place to gather and discuss
new ideas.
Eventually, the fire would create invention from necessity.
The open dialogue then found, exchanged mixed thoughts
that were often combined for genius solutions.
And a wheel was created.
Life became easier.
No one person has ever been credited with fire,
and it may have been a simple gift from God while lightning
struck the dry parched earth.
It's sudden importance significant and occurrence
changed the path of mankind.
As babies were conceived by the fire, future generations emerged,
and as the lessons were taught... thought became more refined.
and we evolved into what are now.
The fire still burns brightly, and it is still a place to stay warm
and invent new thoughts and ideas..
Over centuries the fire still burns for those willing to gather
and there is a place for you
to express your thoughts and keep your predators away
All you have to do is close your eyes and imagine,
sitting there with nothing to hide.
Around the fire.
20

21. —That there is said to be a stairway to heaven and a highway
to hell definitely says something about the anticipated traffic
flow.
—I really hate it when the voices in my head argue among
themselves or talk about me as though I'm not even in the
room.
—Have you ever listened to someone for a while, and then
wondered, "Who ties your shoelaces for you?"
—My death will probably be caused by being sarcastic at the
wrong time.
—English is a bizarre language. It can be understood through
tough thorough thought, though.
—Scott Hillen,
North bend, NE Brake facility
Ogre’s Pearls of Wisdom
21

22. “Our dogs get to come in during bad weather.
However they have learned to open the gate.
They greeted me early one morning after
they had opened the gate and got their free-
dom!
Here is picture of how we solved the escape
artist's latest escapade.”
Norma Quapaw
Tulsa Store
Pets of Weldon
Getting ready for the North Bend Open House
on Sunday relaxing at Steve & Amy's acreage
along with Rascal the family dog and the family
Llama Lazy Luke from left to right are... Chuck
Harwell, Steve Settles, Bryan Matzek, hiding
behind Lazy Luke is Mathew Ross, and next to
him is Budd Hembree. Front row Jordan Settles,
Amy Settles, and Stephanie Settles.
22

23. "If you think you are too small to be effective, you
have never been in the dark with a mosquito. "
23

24. Reel News
Jurassic WorldLocated off the coast of Costa Rica, the Jurassic World luxury resort provides a
habitat for an array of genetically engineered dinosaurs, including the vicious
and intelligent Indominus rex. When the massive creature escapes, it sets off a
chain reaction that causes the other dinos to run amok. Now, it's up to a former
military man and animal expert (Chris Pratt) to use his special skills to save two
young brothers and the rest of the tourists from an all-out, prehistoric assault.
When obscenely rich hedge-fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is
convicted of fraud and sentenced to a stretch in San Quentin, the
judge gives him one month to get his affairs in order. Knowing that
he won't survive more than a few minutes in prison on his own, James
desperately turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) -- a black businessman
who's never even had a parking ticket -- for help. As Darnell puts
James through the wringer, both learn that they were wrong about
many things, including each other.
Get Hard
with Reel Reviews
24

25. 25
Paul Phelps, Tulsa manager
Jack Hill, Jacksonville Brakeshop

26. July 11: National Slurpee Day @ 7/11
This year the ubiquitous (at least along interstates) convenience store will
celebrate its 87th birthday. In observance of the eponymous date 7/11, the
store will dole out free Slurpees. Freeloaders mark your calendars now, and
be sure to set aside an extra 20 minutes of recovery time from the subse-
quent brain freeze.
August 26: National Dog Day
September 10th: TV Dinner Day
The TV Dinner was first introduced to consumers in the
United States by C.A. Swanson & Sons in the early 1950s.
This pre-packaged, frozen meal would not only provide
you a whole dinner with the slight flick of an oven -- it was
also designed for ease of consumption while parked in
front of a television screen. Take a stroll down your local
supermarket’s frozen food aisle to truly appreciate all the
TV Dinner has done for our food options.
Worthy of Celebration
5 Ways to celebrate National Dog Day!
1. Adopt a dog from your local shelter or pure breed rescue organization. Volunteer at your local
shelter and offer to walk a dog or play with a dog, clean cages or anything else they need help
with.
2. Have a safety check of your home to make sure it's safe for your dog and others.
3. Donate blankets, food and toys to animal welfare organizations.
4. Organize a peaceful demonstration in front of your community pet store that sells puppies.
5. Write your Congressman and ask that he/she support the ban of Puppy Mills and Gas Chambers
in your state.
26

27. Weldon Parts Oklahoma City
711 W. California Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 239-7300
(800) 522-4371
Fax (405) 235-2136
Weldon Parts Tulsa
4265 S. 74th E. Ave
Tulsa, OK 74145
(918) 628-1330
(800) 482-4585
Fax (918) 628-0046
Weldon Parts Little Rock
7123 I30 #50
Little Rock, AR 72209
(501) 568-3077
(800) 482-1156
Fax (501) 562-4359
Weldon Parts Orlando
2515 Shader Rd. #7
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 298-5910
(800) 432-8493
Fax (407) 298-8240
Weldon Parts Houston
4851 Homestead Rd.
Houston, TX 77028
(713) 671-9066
(800) 525-1579
Fax (713) 671-2015
Weldon Parts Dallas
3825 Halifax
Dallas, TX 75247
(214) 638-7960
(800) 442-7509
Fax (214) 630-6734
Weldon Parts Muskogee
4611 S. 32nd St. West
Muskogee, OK 74401
(918) 682-9900
(800) 682-9925
Fax (918) 683-5135
Weldon Parts Woodward
503 48th St.
Woodward, OK 73801
(580) 254-2000
(800) 254-2006
Fax (580) 254-2002
Weldon Parts Joplin
1050 S. Joplin Ave.
Joplin, MO 64801
(417) 623-3617
(800) 722-3617
Fax (417) 623-3620
Weldon Parts Jacksonville
1150 N. Lane Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32254
(904) 781-6120
(800) 883-7867
Fax (904) 695-4475
Weldon Parts Clinton
1749 S. Hwy 183
Clinton, OK 73601
(580) 323-0807
(877) 487-8447
Fax (580) 323-2434
Weldon Parts Elk City
1100 S. Main Street
Elk City, OK 73644
(580) 225-4230
(866) 284-1400
Fax (580) 225-4226
Weldon Parts McAlester
1100 Electric Ave.
McAlester, OK 74501
(918) 429-7550
(866) 907-2545
Fax (918) 429-7567
Weldon Parts North Bend
1020 W 6th St.
North Bend, NE 68649
(402) 652-3231
(800) 642-9944
Fax (402) 652-3235
Weldon Parts Omaha
8717 J St.
Omaha, NE 68127
(402) 592-2250
(800) 367-3127
Fax (402) 614-6810
Weldon Parts Grand Island
3125 E. HWY 30
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 382-6228
(800) 652-6509
Fax (308) 382-3948
Weldon Parts Norfolk
1901 S 11th
Norfolk, NE 68701
(402) 371-8337
(800) 338-8271
Fax (402) 371-9728
Weldon Parts Perryton
117 N. Industrial
Perryton, TX 79070
(806) 648-4645
(877) 827-4309
Fax (806) 648-4649
Store Locations
27

28. The Weldon Gazette
Volume 15, Issue 15
July, August, September 2015
-McKayla Johnson
28