From the Desk of Dave Smalley:

SUNDAYS.

It happened again. Sunday morning, looking out at the early morning sunlight twinkling on the pond, it came upon me like a wave…that warm rush of emotion. It’s not something that just happens at home, it can happen anywhere. From a personal perspective, for as long as I have been a real grown up adult (some of you might deservingly laugh at that), Sundays have been an emotionally reflective day for me. Over the course of the past few years, on Sundays, more than any other day, I have experienced this rush of emotion. More elation, not sad, but very humbling. A feeling of gratefulness and of perspective. A feeling that everything is bigger than I am, but it is ok. It is hard to express, but it is like that sort of moist-eyed emotion one gets when you are watching a movie and the seemingly lost family dog is found, safe and sound. Or the movie hero emerges from all odds victoriously and reunites with the family. You know that feeling? The one where Rudy gets accepted to Notre Dame?

Well, I get these feelings, primarily on Sundays, without watching any movie and without provocation. It just happens, mostly when I am just by myself. It is not an unwanted occurrence, but it is strong, not lasting too long, but long enough for it to be real and for me to ask myself, “why do I feel this way?”

I have come to the conclusion that it is my personal reaction of overwhelming gratefulness for all of those in my life and the circumstances of such. It has become clear that this humbling feeling is borne out of my overwhelming joy of life. Sounds sort of crazy when I say it, but it is true.

In those moments, I get a warm feeling and a collage of thoughts and pictures race through my mind’s eye. It makes me want to reach out to people to tell them how much they mean to me, and how much I love them. However, when that wave rolls on, I retreat to a place where I am more stoic and reserved. Shamefully, I might add. I have never been one to display a lot of outward emotion, but boy is it in there. I think that is why it rises up with me sometimes.

Please know that this is a very personal admission. As to why this happens predominantly on Sundays, well, I have my own theories. Why am I sharing this with you? That answer is two-fold, the first being the most important. I want to convey to each of you how important you are to me, and how important you ARE. I am grateful that you touch my life and my spirit and how honored I am to have your friendship and love. I know that me just saying this in the text is just a drop in the bucket. I am making the committed choice to better convey that directly to you. I must honor that emotion in me that would not be possible without the love and contributions of others. The second is that without each other, where would we be? Certainly, we would not be able to experience that wave of humbling emotion. It is from that full and joyous heart that we can all stand up against the obstacles in life. That feeling means that we are never alone, even when we are all by ourselves. We all have so much in front of us to enjoy and experience, and I am grateful that we get to do that together. Sharing the joys of life. What a blessing!

To each of you, and to your families, know love, and believe. I do.

Most Sincerely and Personally,

~Dave

From the Desk of Melanie Parker:

“Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.” – Margaret Thatcher.

Life’s ups and downs provide an opportunity to determine our values and goals. If every pitch thrown was a strike, that might get boring. The curveballs not only keep things interesting, but they force us to make a choice. The more confident choices we make individually or as a community, surely the more successful we will be in our efforts.

Being a responsible person is a part of that effort. Without responsibility, there can be no accountability. It might sound less interesting, maybe more comfortable to shirk responsibility, but there is always a price to pay when you give away what is really your personal power. When that happens we play the blame game.

When we accept responsibility we gain the self-esteem and personal satisfaction we all desire. We feel better about ourselves, about our lives; we remain in control. When we are in control of ourselves we tend to do the right thing more consistently, and in turn feel better about ourselves.

Maybe when we exude self-confidence, those around us will be inspired to find their own. I am easily inspired by those around me that are confident and self-assured; it’s nice to be around such positive energy and pay it forward.

In my best “mom” tone…Make Good Choices Friends!

“Make good choices today, so you don’t have regrets

tomorrow.”

Cheers,

~Mel

Wicked Whisk Corner

Our Wicked Whisk & Sugarland culinary teams recently went on a team-building field trip to the Buckhead Meat & Seafood Company in Houston. They learned so much about how the food we order is received, processed, and shipped before it is delivered to our kitchen for production. They were also able to watch how they process fish and dry age their meat. Finally, the tastiest part, the Buckhead Chef even cooked the team four different cuts of beef, including a 40-day aged ribeye! We can’t wait to take what we learned and bring it to our valued customers!

#teamworkmakesthedreamwork #wickedwhiskcateringhtx

#everydaywestrivetobebetter #neverstoplearning

~Tracy V.

 

Venue Divisions

The Indy team took on the 162nd annual Indi-ana State Fair. Their hard work and dedication made for a successful year. With their constant teamwork during a 17-day event, here are some of their accomplishments…

 21 days of concessions in the Coliseum

 20 days of catering

 17 days of the Lamb Stand

 18 Porch Parties

 Served 970 individuals on dirt

 5 Health Inspections

 152 caterings

 12,404 people served at catering

 1,472 gallons of lemonade and tea

 Popped 3,250 pounds of popcorn

 7476 Lamb tacos

 946 Lamb Sausage Sandwiches

 430 Lamb Racks

 203 Lamb Porter House

 1,200 pounds of Pulled Pork

 

The Sinclair recently participated in 5th annual Salsa in the Square, a Harvard Square Business Association event. The event consists of local businesses handing out free salsa and chips, and a local dance group offers free salsa dancing lessons in the square. It was a fun night had by all, and a nice neighborhood promotion for The Sinclair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Venue Division is experiencing a fast and furious growth spurt, and we are look-ing to gain new and talented team members. Do you strive to always provide your best customer service to patrons, clients, and their guests? Do you go above and be-yond to make sure what needs to get done, does get done, and done well? Do you love to lead a team and see the results of your hard work? If so, and you have a pas-sion for the arts, rock and roll, or the theater this might be a great opportunity for you. We are looking for team members in the South East, Texas, the Mid-West, and the East Coast. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Jason Reed, jreed@spectrumfcs.com.

 Self Motivated

 Great People Skills

 Multitasker

 Knowledge of Bar Operations

 Strong Computer Skills

 

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s Partners held their 2018 Pre-Concert Fundraiser Party on August 10th, pre-Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. There was a silent auction, raffle, food, drinks, games, and tickets to the show for the 125 guests in attendance. Money raised from the fundraiser helps support their mission of engaging audiences with the arts.

Employee Spotlight: Missie Martinez

How did you get introduced to Spectrum? At the time, I was working in Technical Support at GTE Mobilnet (currently Verizon) and traveling a bit of distance for the position. They were looking to open a call center an additional 30 minutes away. I was not wanting to spend any more time on the road, and really not having the money to, I answered an ad for a receptionist in the local paper.

When did you start, and what is your role at Spectrum? Has it changed over the years? I began working for Spectrum on March 25, 1997, as a receptionist and assistant to Dave. Today, I would say I am still Dave’s assistant, and currently oversee the Golf Division, amongst other responsibilities within the company. When I joined back in 1997, Spectrum still used typewriters for many tasks and had dial-up internet service. The copy machine was a “lift the lid and copy” unit, and we would literally order in phone books from cities we had events in so we could gather vendor and non-profit information.

What do you love most about your job? That while it is the same, it is different. Each event can bring its own challenge, and I love a good challenge. In the same breath, I love the people I work with and look forward to the day to day interaction with everyone.

Tell us about your family! Well, I am sure by now most of you know that Joe and I are married! We just celebrated 13 years of marriage in August, and look forward to many more. Many of you also know Kole, who is our only “child”, and have seen him grow from a toddler to a young man that will turn 23 next month. In addition, my other “babies” are Rudi and Whiskee, both rescue dogs, as well as Oskar, Jill, and Chile’, all rescue cats. We also have two horses, Kash and Tango…and you guessed it, rescued from a kill pen.

What are your interests when time permits away from our crazy world? There is time away from our crazy world? Please let me know where I can find that. 🙂 I do enjoy being outside, working in the yard or just lounging by the pool, as well as reading. I like to be “busy,” so it is very hard for me to just sit idle!

Why Spectrum? Why not? “We” (Spectrum and I) have certainly had our bumps in the road, but I can tell you that what I have learned and who I have become is the result of working for this great company. There are lessons and determination all around that makes you want to be a better person, personally and professionally, and to help others. Plus, they are my family.

Do you have a favorite event, if so, which one and why? The John Deere Classic! It is a gorgeous course, love the people, and I have many, many great memories from there…most of them seeing chipmunks on the back road or playing on all the tractor equipment.

Coming Up

Made in America Music Festival	9/1—9/2
BMW Championship	9/3—9/9
Moon River Music Festival	9/8—9/9
Kaaboo Music Festival	9/14—9/16
Grandoozy Music Festival	9/14—9/16
Life is Beautiful Music Festival	9/21—9/23
Sea Hear Now Music Festival	9/29—9/30
Bayou City Arts Festival	10/13—10/14
Alliance Air Show	10/13—10/14
Lighting of the Doves Festival	11/17
Day for Night Music Festival	TBD
Lights all Night Music Festival	TBD

Birthdays

Brittany Rountree	09/02
John Snyder	09/02
Sorangel Ayala	09/04
Julio Perez	09/04
Patrick Irwin	09/05
Jeanna Smith	09/09
Roland Silvas	09/13
Tony Terwilliger	09/16
Jared Thigpen	09/16
Derek Mills	09/17
Ray Goodin	09/22
Eric Marchetti	09/25
Mark Wright	09/25
Keith Haskins	09/26

Milestones

Amy Vaughn	09/05/2017
Olivia Adams	09/10/2009
John Ward	09/10/2012
Adam Lassetter	09/16/2008
Wendy Barba	09/19/2016
Martha Martinez	09/19/2016
John Snyder	09/21/2015
Nelson Flores	09/22/2014
Robert Willis	09/23/2017