Atlanta Compressor - October 2019

OCTOBER 2019

AND WHY WE TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY THE VALUES WE LIVE BY

Every company, like every person, has their own unique set of values. These values inform your goals, the way you do business, and your differentiating characteristics. If you don’t take the time to define and develop your core values as a company, you’ll end up with aimless initiatives, listless team members, and an overall lack of direction. That’s why we take our core values so seriously. The creation of our core values wasn’t a “one and done” process. We thought about them and produced multiple iterations before arriving at a list that we feel represents our mission as a

can also expect to be treated with care, consideration, and honesty. The standard of customer care in our industry is far too low. Our culture is all about raising that standard. WE ARE RESOURCEFUL AND FIND A WAY Every job we take is different. That means problem-solving and creative thinking are essential to what we do. When we encounter a unique hurdle, we find a novel solution. “Cookie-cutter” is not in our vocabulary. WE HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE When accountability only comes from a top-down perspective, team members feel micromanaged and uncared for. But when you create a culture of lateral accountability, where everyone is invested in the overall mission, team members have the autonomy to do their job with confidence. WE LAUGH AND HAVE FUN This one may seem nonessential, but I assure you it’s just as important as the rest. Creating an environment where people enjoy going to work can’t be overlooked. Happier employees stay longer and work harder. We want to be the type of company you spend your entire career with. It’s hard to achieve that if we don’t make our team members smile. WE DO WHAT WE SAY WE’LL DO Pretty self-explanatory, right? However obvious, this value has been lost in the modern marketplace. We, as a society, don’t take it as a given anymore, but it’s integral to who we are. We like to think of this value as a nod to our old-school approach. I hope these values give you some insight into how we operate. They aren’t just sayings to put on a wall and forget about; they are the traits that make up our collective character. We seek to embody these values every day on every job. In short, they are the essence of our business.

company. It is easy to create a value like “we strive to be the best,” but that is so vague it has no personal meaning whatsoever. Far from being hastily constructed, our core values are custom designed for who we are as a company. Come to think of it, that’s the exact same approach we take when it comes to creating solutions for our clients. While I don’t have space to thoroughly analyze each of our core values here, I did want to take the time to share what a few of them mean to us. I hope that in discussing them I can give you a glimpse into the ethics and ideals we constantly keep in mind. CULTURE IS THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS This value comes first for a reason. Technical prowess is essential in our industry, but culture is what sets us apart from our competitors. You can expect more than just an expertly designed system from our team; you

–Morty Hodge

Amazon Listens to You — What Does That Really Mean? THE PRIVACY COMPROMISE

Great Performance and Easy Installation AIRCOM PIPING SOLUTIONS

Having a top-of-the-line air compression system requires piping of the highest possible standard. Trying to run a system without it is like driving a supercar down dirt roads. Piping is the infrastructure that moves your compressed air from origin to destination. Choosing the best piping for your needs will ensure you get the highest performance from your compressed air applications. That’s why we’re proud to offer piping solutions from Aircom. Aircom offers the best in piping and fitting for compressed-air systems. The company uses aluminum piping that can perform at high levels of temperature and pressure. Conveniently, the company offers its systems in three different colors: blue for compressed air, green for inert gasses and nitrogen, and gray for vacuum systems. With this color-coding, it’s easy to see which air is moving where within your distribution system. All of Aircom’s pipes use high-quality materials designed to operate in a variety of environments. When it comes to fittings, Aircom offers both aluminum and polymer options. No matter which material you choose, you’ll find the fittings perfectly tailored to their respective piping units. You’ll be able to rely on perfect connections and no loss of valuable air between pipes. One of the qualities that sets Aircom apart from other piping manufacturers is the company’s focus on ease of installation and repair. You’ll save money on installation and labor costs and decrease downtime in the event of piping or fitting maintenance. And, of course, we will work with you to make sure you design a piping system that perfectly fits your needs. Aircom provides the best products, and we have the know-how to put them to use. If your piping system could use a facelift, call us today to learn about Aircom piping products.

Millions of homes across the globe have some version of Amazon’s Echo digital assistant. There’s the standard Echo, the Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, and Echo Spot. Echo has even been integrated into refrigerators, microwaves, and other appliances. It seems like the lineup gets larger every year. But are we putting too much trust in these digital assistants? We all know these devices are listening. Echo recognizes its name, whether you call it Alexa, Amazon, Echo, or Computer, as a “wake word.” Once it’s “awake,” it will answer any question you ask it. But what does it hear beyond what you ask it directly? This is a question that has security and privacy experts concerned. Major companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook thrive on the data they collect. Facebook is worth as much as it is because of its monetized user data, and a huge portion of Facebook’s business model involves selling its users’ data to other companies. It comes down to this: If an online service is free, you are the product. With the Echo, once you speak the “wake word” (usually “Alexa”), everything you say is shared with Amazon. The company uses this data for several things. For one, it compiles user data to make Alexa’s responses better. But it also uses your data to target you as a customer for products you’re more likely to buy, preferably through Amazon. The effect is similar to using your browser to shop on Amazon or using an Amazon-branded credit card. Everything you do on their website and everything you buy with an Amazon card is tracked: The company builds a profile for you and your likes. The same can be said for Google and Facebook. The bottom line is that if you are concerned about your privacy and want complete control, you will want to keep digital assistants like Echo out of your home. Every time you fire up Amazon, Facebook, or Google — or use their service or app — you are being tracked. This might mean location tracking, your shopping preferences, the posts you read, etc. That’s part of the deal: It’s free, and you give up your privacy in exchange. You consent to have your personal data mined. When it comes to the Echo, Amazon explicitly states they do not sell your data to third parties. The company says they only use this data internally. They say it’s secure, and so far, that’s technically true. But there have been reports of “malfunctions.” If you do have a digital home assistant like the Echo or you use these kinds of services on your smartphone, you can set your privacy and security options to pretty much whatever you want. In the end, you do have some control over your privacy with a digital assistant, but as long as one of them is in your home, that control — and your privacy — will never be at 100 percent.

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Reggie ‘Mr. October’ Jackson’s Legendary Game HOW’S THAT FOR ODDS? improve his play. Growing up, Jackson played baseball, basketball, and football and excelled at all three, though football was his strong suit. He was scouted and given opportunities to go pro straight out of high school, but, on the advice of his father, he went to college on a football scholarship. Thanks to a $5 bet, he tried out for the baseball team at Arizona State University and made it. Jackson was the first black person on the team, and, even though he experienced discrimination, he never let it stop him. From the minor leagues into the majors, Jackson’s ambition got him through many tough times, as did the constant support of his father and of Oakland A’s manager John McNamara. Jackson always dreamed of playing for New York, and, eventually, his dream came true when he signed with the New York Yankees in 1976. To this day, Jackson holds many prominent records, including being the first player to earn more than 100 home runs for three different teams (the A’s, Yankees, and Angels). He even has his own candy bar, the “Reggie! Bar,” which debuted during a Yankees game in 1978. Let’s see if any of this year’s playoff games stir up as much excitement as Reggie Jackson’s did in his heyday.

“I feel that the most important requirement in success is learning to overcome failure. You must learn to tolerate it, but never accept it.” –Reggie Jackson Some people shine brightest in the spotlight. When put to the test, they deliver every time. Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is one of those people. During the sixth game of the 1977 World Series, Jackson hit three home runs in a row, securing the Yankees’ victory over the Dodgers and winning them their 21st World Series title. The legendary playoff game also earned Jackson the nickname “Mr. October,” which has stuck to this day.

Like many stories of greatness, Jackson’s featured a lot of hard work behind the scenes. He dedicated himself to his sport and constantly worked to

April is the month of the Masters. While every golfer dreams of playing Augusta National, that’s not going to happen without some serious connections and plenty of luck. There are, however, a number of iconic courses that we regular duffers can play. That You Can Actually Play On

For an Ideal Piping System

Since we are featuring Aircom piping products in the newsletter this month, we figured it was only fitting (pun intended) to devote our Top 5 Tips column to the same topic. Here are the most important considerations when analyzing your piping.

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS Pebble Beach, CA

Pebble Beach is surely the world’s most dramatic golf course, with many of the holes appearing to be cut directly into the Pacific coast. You’ll probably lose plenty of balls during a round here, but the memories will be more than worth it.

1. Ensure the piping size is correct for maximum operational efficiency.

PINEHURST NO. 2 Pinehurst, NC

2. Assess your air receiver size, as well. It has a huge impact on your piping system.

A regular U.S. Open course, Pinehurst No. 2 is known for its insane difficulty. But it’s also leading the way when it comes to environmentally friendly courses. It was awarded a Green Star from Golf Digest for efforts undertaken to reduce water consumption.

3. Install a drip leg to help with condensate.

4. Consider a loop-type distribution system.

THE OCEAN COURSE Kiawah Island, SC

5. Use only OSHA-rated quick couplers.

Designed by Pete Dye and created for the 1991 Ryder Cup, The Ocean Course is beautiful and maddening in equal measure. Between sawgrass and sand dunes, you’ll find only tiny slivers of the fairway.

Following these guidelines will help you get the most from your piping system and decrease waste, improve performance, and save you money.

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

123 Merchants Park Drive Hoschton, GA 30548 (404) 551-5456 www.atlantaaircompressor.com

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Our Core Values and Their Meaning

Can You Trust Alexa? Why We Love Aircom Piping ‘Mr. October’: The Legendary Reggie Jackson Top 5 Piping System Tips

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An Awesome Phone Solution From RingCentral

R ing C entral

the tools they need to take the office in their pocket, you need Voice-over-IP (VoIP) software, which delivers everything you need from a phone system in one centralized place. For this, we turn to RingCentral Office. Without getting into too much tech jargon, RingCentral allows you to piggyback your business phone systems onto existing devices, most crucially the cell phones of your team members. By logging into the RingCentral app, your team can run their personal cell phone like it’s their work phone. All of the features of your business communication system translate to the cloud via RingCentral, including messaging, video conferencing, and fax services. At higher pricing tiers, you can even add features like auto

attendants and call recordings. The list of add-on features allows you to tailor RingCentral to the needs of your business. While the feature sets and customizability are great draws, the real allure of RingCentral is the flexibility it provides employees. Because the service is cloud-based, RingCentral can be accessed from anywhere and on any device. It makes communication seamless between in-office and off-site employees, as well as their customers. Even better, it allows team members to easily separate business and personal calls and messages — no more needing to carry two phones or ask your field staff to give out their personal numbers in a pinch. It’s like having two phone systems on one device.

In today’s business environment, distance is no excuse for a lack of communication or information sharing. A decade or two ago, customers were more willing to wait on a call back if their contact person was out in the field and didn’t have all the relevant information on hand. Today, saying “I’m on the road and will call you back,” just doesn’t cut it. To give your staff all of

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