Written By: Stefanie Keltch Sashco's President Les Burch stands next to the "Cheetah Express", the esteemed prize that one employee wins every year. photo courtesy of Justin Keltch Photography Imagine a bright yellow Chrysler Prowler nicknamed the "Cheetah Express" sitting in your driveway. Now pretend that you did not have to pay a dime for it, and you are able to drive it around at your leisure for a whole year. Well here at Sashco, this dream comes true for one lucky and deserving employee. Sashco's President Les Burch believes that his employees should be rewarded for a job well done, and the Prowler is one of the awards that he has invested in. However, the employee that wins this prestigious award does need to meet a list of criteria. Must uphold Sashco's values of truth, trust, care, and forgiveness. Will practice these values by refraining from gossip, practicing self control, and confronting issues with care. Willingness to acknowledge they've made a mistake. Will have a positive attitude and will be a proactive learner, always furthering their education. Must have been with Sashco for at least five years. Contributes to the success of their team and Sashco. The winner of this award is determined by Les and Sashco's Vice President, Wayne Summons, and former Prowler award winners. They make this decision by evaluating each candidate to see if they have met all of the aforementioned criteria. Then the winner is selected and is awarded the prize at the yearly Big Cat Bash, or performance bonus party, in front of all of Sashco's employees. Now you're probably wondering what is it like to drive the Prowler at one's will for a whole year? This year's winner and last year's winner will tell us just that. Bryan Hillsley, the first winner of the "Cheetah Express", stands proudly next to his "new" car. photo courtesy of Christina Dooley Photography Bryan Hillsley was the first winner of the Prowler in 2001. Bryan has been with Sashco since November of 1987. He started out as a Controller and then advanced to become the Vice President of Manufacturing. "It [the Prowler] was parked outside of the restaurant where the Big Cat Bash was being held. I remember thinking, 'what a cool car!' I had no idea that I would be driving it off the lot later that night," Bryan stated. One night in October of 2001, Les announced that the Prowler outside was for one worthy winner, and that the winner was Bryan Hillsley. "I was very shocked. This was the first time I had won anything." When asked about his favorite moment with the Prowler, Bryan recalls, "I took my mother-in-law [who suffers from Alzheimer's] for a drive through Ft. Collins. We ended up at the Colorado State University Stadium where the marching band was practicing. We had the top down, and it was just the marching band and my mom and I. The next day my mom said that she had a dream that she took a ride to the mountains in a beautiful car and a band was playing for her. We told her that it wasn't a dream and that it all really happened." Mike Markes was the second winner of the Prowler in 2002. Mike started with Sashco in November of 1990. He started in the Production Department and then moved to the Display Department. The second winner of the "Cheetah Express," Mike Markes, smiles at his winnings. photo courtesy of Sashco He then became a Lexel and stains formulator, and soon after, was promoted to his current position of Production Supervisor. Mike feels that, "if you work hard, the car is the payoff." Since Mike was the second winner of the Prowler, he wasn't as shocked as Bryan when he found out he had won. He knew that the Prowler parked outside would be someone's by the end of the night. "I was still surprised. I knew that Sashco appreciated all of my hard work throughout the years. It was worth working hard for," Mike stated. Mike's favorite memory so far with the Prowler is, "I was behind a school bus full of kids, and all of them ran to the back of the bus and started waving at me. When you're driving this car, everyone stares at you. People are always trying to race you, or they follow you so they can get a better look at the car. It makes you uneasy at first, but then you get used to it." 2003's Prowler winner was Gil Lopez. Gil started at Sashco in 1989 as a temp in the Display department. After working as a temp for six months, Gil was hired full-time in Display and Production. In 1998, Gil was promoted to Display Crew Leader, and promoted again in 2002 to Production Floor Manager. The third winner of the "Cheetah Express," Gil Lopez. photo courtesy of Sashco Gil currently serves as Sashco's Production Manager where she manages Display and Literature, as well as the production floor. When asked how she felt upon hearing her name called as the 2003 Prowler winner, Gil simply summed it up with one word -- "shocked!" Gil had countless memorable experiences while driving the Prowler. Some of her experiences included being followed home by strangers hoping for a closer look at the car, people wanting to take pictures with the car, and appeasing drooling high school kids just aching for a moment to sit in the car as they daydreamed. Gil's fondest memory however, was having her parents sit in the car with big smiles on their faces, knowing that they had never sat in anything like that before. "In that moment," commented Gil, "I knew how proud they were of all my hard work. This was for them as much as it was for me. That is priceless." This year, Debbie Bassett took the Prowler home to enjoy for a year. Debbie started as the Receptionist at Sashco in 1986. After almost two decades of faithful service, Debbie has received five promotions that took her from receptionist to customer service, to customer service manager, to log division sales manager, to log division marketing manager, and finally to her current position as the Director of Marketing. The fourth winner of the "Cheetah Express," Debbie Bassett. photo courtesy of Sashco When asked if she was surprised to hear her name called as this years winner, Debbie explained that "I don't think I heard my name the first time Les said it. It was so totally unexpected, that I really think that I wasn't listening. Rick [Debbie's husband] prodded me and said, 'Deb, that's you'. I was in total shock but after the shock wore off, I just wanted to hide. I felt totally honored, but also humbled because there are so many worthy people here at Sashco, plus, none of us succeed alone. We succeed because our employees have awesome attitudes, because we are encouraged to be more, and we have friends at Sashco who encourage us. So, it's humbling to be called out when you know in your heart that all those things work together."