ATR Employee Spotlight

Michael Garner, ATR employee Spotlight recipient for March 2023

Michael was one of the very first employees hired for our new Corporate Office in Pensacola Florida!  He has been with ATR for 6 months, and is currently the Line Tech Lead.  He is responsible for leading the team of line techs which involves prioritizing the workload, ensuring deadlines are met, problem solving and keeping them all on task.

When asked what he likes the most about working for ATR he shared “ I enjoy the atmosphere and the variety of work, I’m never stuck doing one thing”.  He also shared that he is most proud of how they’ve been able to create such a winning team in such a short time.  Notice that Michael stated “they’ve created”, which goes to show that he is truly a team player and he acknowledges the contributions of each team member.

His Site Manager, Keric Allen, describes him by saying; “Michael is a quiet professional who will take on any challenge head on with a “can do” attitude and deliver results!”  He goes on to share;

“Since Michael arrived at ATR Pensacola, he has distinguished himself through his professionalism, work ethic and positive attitude. Fittingly, he was selected and promoted to Lead Line Tech after only two weeks of working at ATR Pensacola. When asked to do something or adapt quickly to an order change, cancellation or unique request, Michael will quickly respond “I’ll get right on that” or “that’s not a problem”.  Much has been asked of Michael over the last three and a half months and he has consistently risen to the occasion. ATR expects great things from Michael and we are fortunate to have him on our team!”

We asked Michael to share some of the challenges he has faced here at ATR and how he overcame them.  He shared “When the first few line techs at the Pensacola site were onboarded, it was pretty chaotic. Fairly quickly, the team and I put our heads together to come up with a system that works for us and that we still use 6 months later!  I’m always up to take on a challenge and adopt unconventional strategies to get the job done.”

And “get the job done” he did!  Keric shared;

“Over the last 3 months Michael has had to quickly learn all things ATR G4 wholesale from the ground up while leading his team in the receiving, de-manufacturing, programming, testing, cleaning, and packaging of over 12,000 laptops & 1,000’s of ancillary components. This was no small task given these 12,000 laptops required the removal of over 25,000 stickers, 96,000 screws, and gallons of goo gone, alcohol, and Windex! Faced with these challenges, Michael’s team was never short on laughter or hard work and under his leadership, the “Conference Room Laptop Crew” has grown into a well-oiled laptop team machine”.

Outside of his busy work schedule Michael enjoys spending his time reading or working on art, and working out on the weekends.  He also has a big goal to save up enough to purchase some land!

When asked to share one of his favorite quotes Michael replied with;

“Never skimp on a good mattress and a good pair of boots. If you’re not in one, you’re in the other.”

His quiet, logical sense of humor is one of his many attributes.

Let’s thank Michael for all of his hard work and congratulate him on his well-deserved nomination and selection for this months “Employee Spotlight”!

Richard recently celebrated his 5-year milestone with ATR.  He was nominated by his Site Manager, Caleb Robinson, for his hard work and dedication.  Caleb had this to say about Richard, “Richard is a huge part of the ATR San Antonio team, and does not hesitate to share the knowledge he has learned over his 5 years of service, with his teammates and his leadership team.  As the new Site Manager, I will be looking to Richard to help train new employees that join the team in the future, specifically in our DE manufacturing process.  Richard cares about the safety of everyone at our building by acting as our onsite EHS representative.”

Caleb went on to say “I recently had the opportunity to work closely with Richard as he trained his new Site Manager on the de-manufacturing process within the SA facility with a hands-on training session.  Watching how productive Richard can be with any task you give him is very impressive.”

Richard enjoys his job in the demand area and takes pride in the teamwork that he and his co-workers show.  He’s proud of what they continue to accomplish, even though they do face challenges often.  Richards says “what’s inside the computers surprises him more and more”, and that’s part of the challenge.  He likes learning and wants to learn more about the mother boars and other part of the equipment he comes in contact with on a daily basis.

Outside of work Richard enjoys spending time with his family and is a softball fan!

Thank you, Richard for your hard work, loyalty and dedication to your team, the SA site and ATR!

Congratulations Richard!!!

Scott Cochran has seen many changes since joining ATR way back on May 9, 2011 at our Pontiac IL location as a warehouse associate.  There are very few jobs Scott hasn’t done over years but he’s been most successful interacting with customers as one of our most decorated Class C drivers.  Although Scott held various positions before joining ATR he’s gained many years of knowledge in customer service, vehicle maintenance and most recently forward and reverse logistics.

I have had the pleasure of congratulating Scott quite a few times over the years when he received a glowing review from one of the many customers Scott regularly interacts with.   It’s no surprise when we asked Scott what accomplishment he was most proud of, he stated making his customers feel like they are important, and providing the very best customer service possible.  He’s also very proud of perfectly executing a growing number of challenging pick-ups that were resource intensive, and showcased his ability to adapt very quickly to virtually any situation that arose.

Ray Magee, ATR’s Director of Client Services added, “Scott is dedicated and takes pride in his work and equipment.  Because of Scott’s tenure, professionalism and dedication, I am confident that ATR’s clients are always taken care of at the highest level.  He has received many compliments from clients through his years of service.”

Dan Hendershott ATR’s Regional Operations Manager and Scott’s immediate supervisor wrote, “I would describe Scott as outgoing and willing to help anywhere.  He provides great customer service and always puts our customers first.  Scott is willing to travel on short notice and willing to help out at other ATR facilities when needed.

Scott has certainly earned the respect of his peers so what does Scott have planned for the future?  Spoiler alert, Scott loves to travel…South that is!  He’s hoping to eventually move to a warmer climate and be done with the cold Illinois winters and relentless snow, we’re with you there Scott!

Congratulations Scott!

Brad Strobel joined ATR in November 2021 as warehouse associate with a wide range of technical experience which has helped him advance to a Site Supervisory role.  Before joining ATR Brad was pursuing a career in the medical field but later realized the health care industry wasn’t a good fit and he began transitioning into technical jobs.  He found success at a well known tractor dealership where he lead the effort to clean up their RIMM’s system which paved the way to becoming their Service Manager.

Brad prides himself on staying informed and enjoys reading books from his vast collection of nearly 400 publications that make up his personal library.  His goals are not limited to just literary work either.  When asked what he has planned for the future he responded with, “I want to better myself and help those around me to do the same and I want to show my gratitude when ever and where ever it’s needed.”

We couldn’t agree more, thank you Brad for joining our team and helping your site land the upcoming Erie County contract, great job!

When not at work Brad enjoys playing Lacrosse, in fact Brad helped manage his Middle and High school Lacrosse teams and modified learning gym classes.  Clearly Brad Strobel is someone who isn’t afraid to step up and help where it is needed most.

Congratulations Brad!

Paulina Espinosa de los Monteros joined ATR July 16, 2018 and has recently been promoted from Sales Manager to our Western General Manager! She is currently located at the San Antonio Texas location.

Pauline earned her Undergraduate in Biology and completed her MBA this Spring in Business Administration.

She is very determined, dedicated, and passionate about her job and what ATR does, stands for and believes in.  Her drive to learn operations, her leadership skills, and her work ethic made her the perfect candidate for this new position.

She is a very strong asset to our Management Team!

Outside of her busy work schedule Paulina loves reading, traveling, many outdoor activities and spending time with her husband Gerardo and their dog Arya. They will soon have a beautiful new addition to their family with their first child due in April of 2023!

Congratulations Paulina!

Hanna Cuplin joined our Las Vegas team in April of 2022 as our local Compliance and Administrative associate after working on the Las Vegas strip in the e-Sports field.

Hanna is an expert when it comes to paying attention to the details. She thoroughly checks the ID’s of all of our visitors. She verifies all customer load paperwork is accurate, providing a smooth experience for our drivers for pickup. Most importantly, she guides the Las Vegas team in all matters of compliance, ensuring we maintain all regulatory and administrative requirements, ensuring our customer’s needs are fully met while fulfilling our goal to responsibly reduce, reuse and recycle responsibly.

When not at work Hanna enjoys reading, video games and hiking, enjoying the great desert landscapes the Las Vegas Valley offers, and she looks forward to completing her associate degree after next semester, graduating in May.

When we asked her supervisor George Gray to provide some feedback on Hanna’s demeanor, he responded with;

” Our Company and the world need more Hannas. Her professional performance and outstanding demeanor directly contribute to the success of the Las Vegas site”.

Congratulations Hanna!

Dustin Pike joined the ATR in April of 2021 during the height of the global COVID lockdowns.  Dustin brought with him years of warehouse and commercial driving experience as well as a strong desire to enrich his career.   Dustin recently shared with us he had undergone weight loss surgery just 6 months before starting his new job at ATR.  Since that time Dustin has lost an additional 80 pounds!  Way to go Dustin!

Dustin is a “lead by example” kind of guy, in fact, Dustin arrives to work each day 30-45 minutes early to open the main gate for the rest of the crew, and during the winter months he even shovels the walkways and salts them, so nobody slips and falls.    Thank you Dustin, we all appreciate your willingness to look out for your team.

Dustin Pike’s willingness to help doesn’t stop with the morning routine either.  The main warehouse furnace recently malfunctioned over the weekend and Dustin stepped up and offered to check the building twice a day until the repairs could be completed on Monday.

When he’s not training to become our back up driver, Dustin enjoys some down time taking in local car shows, races.  And of course, as a true Michigander he enjoys camping, fishing, cooking and travel.    Although Dustin enjoys all these activities, he and his wife Rachel will soon have something even more important in their lives…yes folks, you heard it here first, the Pikes are expecting their first child in the fall!   Congratulations to Dustin and Rachel!

It’s no wonder Dustin had a huge smile on his face when I took this picture.  In the past year he’s lost 80 pounds, bought his first house, advanced his career at ATR and now he’s an expectant father, clearly Dustin is a busy guy!

Angela Sullivan-Shoop joined the ATR Customer Service Team in the Summer of 2021.  She brings 20+ years of experience in the customer service field. She’s had positions with Edward Jones in both St. Louis, MO & Tempe, AZ.

She was also a Project Manager for a firm in NYC. After years of experience, she decided to move back to Illinois, her home State. She then worked with Country Financial and the Illinois Farm Bureau for several years. Here at ATR, she’s the Customer Service Manager, and leads a team of 4 outstanding team members.

Working with a diverse background of clients has enabled her to lead the team with a unique perspective. Empowering other women to do their best, is a personal and professional goal.

Angela lives in Lexington, IL with her husband Michael and has 3 spoiled pets. Time with family and friends is a priority, but she prefers time in her Art room creating original pieces for them. Her medium is graphite pencil, colored pencil, and recently acrylic painting.

Cristina’s first day was on February 4^th 2019, since then, she has demonstrated her work ethics and her ability to excel on every position that she has worked. She started in our de-manufacture department, then she was moved to the tech-recovery department, then to our wholesale department, and recently, she was promoted to Site Supervisor.

Her organization and structure motivates people who work around her to do better. She is a natural leader. “Cristina has a no-nonsense approach” – One of her coworkers said, Cristina is reserved, very responsible, and dependable”.

Cristina loves to spend time outdoors with her husband, especially when they go on a motorcycle road trip.

Arturo De La Rosa a proud native of Texas but currently residing in Las Vegas NV where he joined the ATR management team in 2021.

Arturo is a 6 year Marine veteran and just recently graduated from ATI where he completed 720 hours of training to become a licensed electrician.

Arturo previously worked at Republic Services in their MRF (material recycling center) which is the largest facility in the US. While working at the MRF Arturo oversaw the production line and worked in maintenance. Additionally Arturo has 27 years production and warehouse experience he plans to utilize in Las Vegas.

When not working hard to protect the environment, Arturo enjoys spending time with his family and is the proud father of a 21 year son. Arturo also enjoys playing softball and golf in his down time.

Arturo welcomes the opportunity to help the Las Vegas team expand their coverage areas and service offerings in the Western US region and he’s grateful to be working with a company like ATR where his skills and knowledge can have the greatest impact.

Romeo, known as Romey around the site, has been working at the Las Vegas facility since April 2019 when he joined our team as a temporary associate.

Romey is an expert at finding valuable items as he sorts through bins of unwanted electronics.  His sharp eye has helped us identify some awesome antique treasures which help generate revenue for the facility.

In addition to having an “Eagle Eye”, Romey is also one of the fastest associates we have for equipment disassembly and inventory control. In fact, he recently won a contest in the  warehouse for fastest processing times, and not just once but twice!!  Way to go Romey!!

Romey is well known as a “team player”,  everyone agrees he’s always willing to help out coworkers in need by offering tools, and assistance to make each job run as smooth as possible.

When asked what he would like to share about his experience at ATR he said;

“I’m always EAGER to learn more”.

Romey is also known for bringing in amazing goodies to our potluck events including his legendary CHEESECAKE, YUM! Outside of work he likes to go camping, and play chess.

Courtney has been with ATR for just over 1 year, and currently works as the regional Administrative Assistant in Salt Lake City UT.  Courtney is also part of our Corporate Compliance Team.  This very important group ensures that all our facilities remain in good standings, and our staff receive the most up-to-date training available.

In addition to her important duties in SLC, Courtney is also a newlywed! She’s an animal lover, and graduated at the top of her high school class, valedictorian.

Courtney always has a smile… even during annual audits! She loves singing with her family, and is a huge fan of the show, “Friends”.

Laura has been with ATR for a little over 5 years, starting back in June of 2015.  She started off in asset recovery, listing items in our pipeline.   Currently she serves as NY’s Compliance Coordinator for the last 4 years.  Here she has excelled in maintaining her Site’s compliance and operational procedures, which adhere to our Internal Management System.   Laura is very knowledgeable to ATR’s regulations and has always been a key asset in audits, researching OSHA guidelines, R2 Standards and assisting other to assure ATR NY’s success.

In Laura’s spare time she enjoys time in the outdoors, by going camping, numerous outdoor activities, and attending concerts, in which she does miss due to the World’s current situation.