GO TWINS!

We’re showing our Minnesota Pride loud and proud at SJF this week! Be sure to watch the Twins take on the Yankees Friday night at 6 pm!

Congrats to the HLWW Track Teams!

Congratulations to the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Boys Track team for their outstanding 1st place win at the True Team Section 4A on Tuesday, May 7. Also snagging a 2nd place trophy was Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted’s Girls Track team at this same event.

We have two very proud parents in our SJF family that are especially enjoying the excitement of the win – Rhonda Remer and Jason Deiter, both in the Sales department.

Rhonda’s son, Remington (11th grade), and Jason’s son, Chase (8th grade), are members of the HLWW Track team and competed in this meet.

Congratulations Lakers!!

Employee Spotlight – Matt Johnson

Employee Spotlight - Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson, SJF EngineerAfter 14+ years, we finally decided to feature Matt Johnson, our resident SJF Engineer, in the SJF Spotlight. Matt is our Lead Engineer at SJF. He is involved in various stages of the sales cycle and is often called in to assist customers during and after product implementation. He also works with all departments and can definitely be called the “Go to Guy” for SJF.

Family is a priority for him. In the summer, he does camping and family trips. In the winter you can find him back in his hockey skates while coaching his son. He’s also a football fan, although his loyalties don’t lie with the Minnesota Vikings but with the (gulp) Green Bay Packers. We’re working on forgiving him for that, however therapy may be required… ๐Ÿ˜‰


Name: Matt Johnson

Title: Engineer

When did you start working at SJF? 2004

What do you like most about working at SJF? Every day is different. There are always new challenges.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Spending time with family camping, fishing and skating or playing hockey.

What’s your favorite day? Friday. I look forward to the weekend.

Biggest pet peeve? When people don’t listen well enough to retain information. Or people who complain about something but are not part of the solution.

Name something about you that people would be surprised to know: I had hair down the middle of my back in Jr. High School.

What question would you like to answer that you didn’t get asked: Do you like being in the Spotlight? No. I don’t.

2018 “Fit as a Fiddle Contest” Ends – Winner: Ed Salonek

Ed Salonek takes home the grand prize of a Yoga Lenovo laptop

Final tally is in on the SJF Phase III “Fit as a Fiddle” Contest…

Please join us in congratulating Ed Salonek in our Accounting Department for losing the most weight, with an astounding 4.622% body weight lost! A close second place went to Tom Moore in the Sales Department, with 4.491% body weight loss, and third place went to Denise Rosenau in the Web & Marketing Department, with a 1.202% body weight loss.

Ed walks away with not only better health, but also the grand prize – an Yoga Lenovo laptop, sponsored by MedVelocity.

In total, 29.6 lbs. was shed by the group, with 11 employees participating.

A special thanks goes out to MedVelocity for sponsoring this contest and providing not only the prizes, but also positive motivation throughout the contest duration.

SJF Named One of Minnesota’s “100 Best Companies”

100 Best Companies to Work For in 2018

SJF Material Handling is honored to be named to Minnesota Business Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2018. This is the 4th time SJF has been named to this prestigious list.

Qualifications for the “100 Best” Award From Minnesota Business Magazine

Minnesota is known for being a great place to live and work, with top-notch companies in many industries headquartered here. Each year, these companies submit nominations for the 100 Best Companies to Work For Awards by Minnesota Business magazine. This award recognizes Minnesota’s top companies and, time after time, helps the winners attract key employees who make all the difference.

The “100 Best” were determined by the resulting scores of an anonymous online questionnaire filled out by the employees of each participating company รขโ‚ฌโ€ to determine which companies in Minnesota excel in the areas of work environment, employee benefits, and overall employee happiness, making them the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

SJF will be honored in a celebration awards program and dinner on Thursday, June 28th at JW Marriott in Minneapolis.

Employee Spotlight – Ed Salonek

Ed Salonek, Controller & HR Manager

Ed Salonek, SJFToday in our Employee Spotlight is Ed Salonek, Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources Manager. Ed is a busy guy but always seems to have a smile on his face and something to joke about.

It’s not unusual to see him here in the office on a weekend or an evening and even then, he’s smiling. Having one full time position is enough for most people but Ed takes care of two departments, and important ones at that. I’m sure he wonders occasionally what he’s gotten himself into as “Ed the HR Manager,” but what keeps us on the straight and narrow is that we know he’s also “Ed the Controller,” who makes sure all of us
employees get paid. ๐Ÿ™‚


Name: Ed Salonek

Title: Controller Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources Manager

When did you start working at SJF?: 2006

What do you like most about working at SJF? I enjoy the mixture of accounting and programming\customization with Epicor.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Camping, watching Wild hockey, hunting with Mocha

What’s your favorite day? Saturday

Biggest pet peeve? Lazy people.

Name something about you, that people would be surprised to know: I like to work, got it from my parents.

Employee Spotlight – Jason Deiter

Jason Deiter, Senior Sales Specialist

Jason Deiter, Senior Sales SpecialistToday in our Employee Spotlight is Jason Deiter, Senior Sales Specialist. Jason is our longest running Sales Specialist here at SJF, so it’s safe to say he knows the material handling business very well.

Jason is also a local celebrity (although he would strongly disagree with that statement and will probably ask for it to be removed). As a member of the local band Rize and as a solo musician, he’s in front of crowds singing his heart out and playing guitar on a regular basis. You would think that he would put on an impromptu show every now and then for the rest of the SJF employees but we’re still waiting for that day.


Jason Deiter, Senior Sales SpecialistName: Jason Deiter

Title: Senior Sales Specialist

When did you start working at SJF? In 1991, then took a 5 year break and came back to SJF in 1996.

What do you like most about working at SJF? Flexibility, opportunity and coworkers.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? Singing, playing guitar, camping, motorcycling, school activities with kids.

What’s your favorite day? May 9th. It’s my birthday and I took it off for the first time this year. I like it so much that I have decided to make it a habit. Everybody should take their birthday off.

Biggest pet peeve? Dirty dishes in or around the sink.

Name something about you that people would be surprised to know: Though I fly, I am afraid to fly.

What question would you like to answer that you didn’t get asked? What is my favorite color? I have had 4 blue vehicles, 4 blue motorcycles and 3 blue guitars.