Community, Camaraderie, & Caring

Nothing beats working with a team that loves to celebrate the successes of its peers and give back to the community whenever possible, except maybe when those celebrations include custom-made pizzas, breakfast burritos, and building boats out of boxes. At JA Frate, we work and play hard, ensuring everyone on the team knows just how important their piece of the puzzle is. Based on the summer events, we encourage our readers to check back and see how we get down during Driver Appreciation Week.

One community event JA Frate attended and supported as a platinum sponsor was the Crystal Lake Cardboard Regatta. The Regatta is an annual event that brings together the families, businesses, and public servants of McHenry County, IL. Teams get together and build cardboard ships that they can ride in on the lake during a race. There are levels for different ships, ranging from sailing to human-powered, and even a simplified course in the shallows for children that focuses on teamwork instead of competition.

The rules are simple. The water is cold - ice was once harvested from Crystal Lake. The pressure was on, and the JA Frate team paddled against some of Crystal Lakes' finest, managing to make it to the finish line without sinking. Many of our JA Frate team and their families joined in to help cheer us on, give us a strong push off the launch site, and celebrate our 3rd place finish in our heat. 

When it came time to celebrate the outstanding on time delivery numbers in July, JA Frate knew that the simple pleasures in life can make the day go by faster. That’s why the human resources team organized a food truck visit from Your Sister’s Tomato to make custom pizzas for our team. After setting up picnic tables, we could mingle and talk on a perfect summer day. These casual moments allow everyone to get to know each other despite occasionally working on separate projects or areas. Management is accessible and eager to hear ideas, stories, and thoughts from the people who give their all to JA Frate every day. 

At our Elk Grove Village location, we welcomed the morning with breakfast burritos. Handmade and fresh, our team could choose from a variety of breakfast options, all made to order. If the key to a great day is a good breakfast, JA Frate happily set our staff up for success that day. We understand that happy employees make a happy company, but they also make a happy community. Giving to our people is part and parcel of giving back to our community.