Spectrum Connection: July

From the Desk of Dave Smalley: COMPETE!

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I enjoy most all forms of competition, but none more than those that are decided by a finite method, time, score, distance, or another method. Now when I say score, I am not including subjective scoring like when judges give a score. I am a fan of those competitions as well, but just not as much, as they rely on others opinions. Which is a fact I find interesting because I 100% believe that business is a competition, and the winners in business are defined by the opinions of their customers. Some might argue that that the winners in business are the ones with the most money, to which I would strongly disagree. Money, profit, is oft times the result of providing the BEST product. This is not universal for sure. One can provide a great product, or experience, and not price it correctly, but that is a component of the competition. We must prepare, do our homework, leave no stone unturned in planning to compete, then we must commit ourselves to our process and our focused goal.

I believe that people in business can make the fatal mistake many less than successful sports competitors do; they compare themselves to the competition. Looking in the race to beat a competitor. Now, it is a fine strategy in planning to use a competitors achievement to form one’s determination and commitment to be best them. But in the race, looking at a competitor takes one’s focus off of themselves and away from the stated goal. Compounding this, when in competition, one looks to beat another. Often times, while focusing on beating one competitor, the other competitors blow right by, unseen. But, if one focuses on being the very best they can be, focus during the competition on their core foundation elements, and executing them to perfection, it is that competitor that gets the most of their efforts.

I believe that most everything is a competition. To compete in school for grades is of paramount importance to set the tone for the rest of one’s life. Not to mention, to put themselves fully on display to potential employers who is the candidate that will deliver the most. I believe that we must compete with our personal self, daily, to be the best person we can be, the best son, daughter, mother, father, friend that we can. Every day take that personal inventory to see if we are moving forward, improving, and shaping our lives as we want. Not every day is our best day, just like it is unlikely to win every race, but when we fall short, the real competition begins. How strong are we when the chips are down or things are hard? That is where the true competitor shines. It is easy to keep rolling when everything is sunshine and blue skies, but champions are steeled when the fire is the hottest. Compete every day. Bring a champions mentality to whatever you do. Accept de-feats graciously, they happen, but steel yourself and your mind to come back bigger, badder, stronger, with even greater resilience than ever before. Nobody likes to lose. You need to hate to lose more than anybody else.

Be a Champion! Compete! With Great respect,

Dave

From the Desk of Melanie Smalley

I was just telling Dave how fortunate we are to be a company made up of AHHMAZING multi-taskers! Can you imagine if we were solely one-dimensional and only able to focus on one project, one event, one tournament, one venue, one person at a time! I’m pretty sure we would be working at a snail’s pace, not accomplishing much or at least it would simply be slow going. Instead, our AHHMAZING multi-tasking skills are at work for us all day, every day. Being able to juggle and jump from one thing to another as quickly and efficiently as we do is a true feat…a feat to be proud of. The level of productivity that we exude individually is one thing, but the level of productivity we exude as a team is entirely another. It’s so impressive, I often think we should be on a reality TV show, because no one could ever truly understand what we are achieving together, as a team. The scope of work that is produced within our Spectrum family is something to sincerely be proud of. Here are a few tips on mastering workplace multi-tasking!

1. Make a Plan
The first step to effective multitasking is having a plan or setting goals. You can’t “just wing it” and hope that your goals will be reached and your tasks will be completed to the best of your abilities and with optimal focus. Multitasking isn’t effortless, and it takes succinct and well-thought-out planning to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. A great place to start is with a to-do list. Give yourself a period of time to perform these tasks, and don’t overload yourself with too many at a time. Two or three tasks in a two to three-hour time slot can ensure that you’re giving yourself enough time to work on each task and give it the attention it deserves. It’s vital that you know how you are going to tackle each project and have that laid out so you don’t have to do too much on-the-spot thinking or brainstorming. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a project and realizing you have to do it all over again, and if your brain is fried trying to do too many tasks at once, that is exactly what could happen.

2. Combine Similar Tasks to Work on at the Same Time
Multitasking in and of itself is a complicated process. Many believe it can’t even be done! But in order to master effective multitasking, it’s vital that the tasks you’re working on have some similar thread. If your mind is going to be jumping around from task to task, it’s necessary that the tasks have something in common, as your short-term memory can only handle so much. Whether they are all a part of the same project, or they all involve the same process, keeping the tasks you’re working on similar will make it much easier to complete them effectively and efficiently. If you’re working on multiple projects for clients, try to keep the content of each client similar. If they are all in the automotive industry, clump them together. If you have social media plans to create for multiple clients, clump those together as well. This will waste less time switching from one train of thought to another, and might even add an extra boost of creativity.

3. Eliminate Distractions
Distractions are your enemy. Distractions can be detrimental even when you’re working on the simplest of tasks, so when trying to juggle multiple projects at once, they could spell disaster. This might mean keeping the door to your office closed while work is going on in the office around you. If you don’t have an office, it might mean booking a conference room for a few hours to keep you away from distractions like gossiping coworkers, colleague phone calls, and the smell of someone’s pizza being reheated in the kitchen. Turn off your cell phone. Move into a quiet area. Maybe you want to listen to music to increase focus. Whatever your technique, dedicate yourself to these tasks and these tasks alone. Especially after a few hours of work, your mind will want to wander. That’s why it’s key to make sure there is nothing that’s going to make it easier for you to drift. Multitasking demands all of your attention, and then some. It takes perseverance and dedication and commitment. You’ve come this far, you can’t slip now. And you don’t want your attempt to multitask affect the outcome of whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.

4. Consistently Check in with Your Tasks and Goals
This harkens back to the first point about planning out your tasks. If you know what you have to work on, and you set times for each step to be completed, then you know you’re on the right path. Look back on your to-do list for this. Make sure you are checking and rechecking your work throughout the process. If you have goals that you wanted to reach working on the one project alone, and you haven’t yet reached them, then you know President your multitasking is likely getting in the way. Set small steps for each project so that you know you’re moving forward as opposed to plateauing. There are some great tools out there that can help you with it. Tools like Trello and Asana can help keep you accountable as you’re working through these tasks. Having something that keeps you accountable and is easily accessible will make the process of multitasking even more effective, and it might even give you a greater sense of accomplishment to know you can fit so much into a shorter amount of time.

5. Take Time to Review Your Work
When all is said and done, and the projects you’ve set out to work on have been completed, it’s imperative that you take the time to pay attention to specific details and review all that you’ve done. This might seem counterproductive, or even a waste of time. But the review process is vital when working on any project or task. This is the step that might end up taking the most time, as you must make sure that the work you did on one task didn’t bleed over into the other. Check what your original assignment was, and make sure the final product ticks off all the boxes. Dot your I’s and cross your T’s and before long, you’ll have completed a successful multitasking session.

Congrats to all of you multi-taskers out there! It takes a village – an army – and I’m sure proud to be a small part of the troop.

-Mel

Wicked Whisk

Just another Tuesday night at the Event Center! “Light up the Night” is an electric inspired Schlumberger event that Wicked Whisk was honored to provide the food and beverages for their 400+ guests. A great time was had by all at this industry wrap up the party after a long few days in a conference at the Marriott. ~Tracy V.

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Check out the WW food that was featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Texas Meetings & Events! Their BLT Bites, Strawberry Shortcake Shooters, and Corn Dogs made the cut! Check out pages 38—43, here!!!

 

 

 

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For William “Mr. Will” Johnson, routine is one of life’s biggest joys. The San Antonio native and Vietnam War veteran has been working from the same corner of the second floor Majestic Theatre bar since 1982 and relishes visits from regular customers, some of whom stand in line for over 20 minutes just to order from Mr. Will. “I’m so thankful,” says Johnson, pausing to talk while straightening out his bar for service during a recent weeknight show. “Everyone here is so wonderful to me.” When he reached his silver anniversary with the theater, Johnson began taking off Sundays so he could shop for groceries at the same time each week and enjoy a leisurely meal at Luby’s, the vegetarian’s favorite place for a plate of veggies. If a Broadway tour is in town or someone calls in sick, though, Mr. Will is happy to come in. The Majestic Theatre is his second home, he says, and he doesn’t want to let its staff or patrons down.

“I have worked at the Majestic Theatre for 37 years. That is longer than any other employee living or dead. I’m just thankful to God because I could have been killed in Vietnam—I served in South Vietnam with the Army for a year and the Viet Cong were shooting at me on my first day there—so it’s by the grace of God that I’m here.

I grew up on the East Side and came to the Majestic only one time as a kid. Back when the theater was segregated, the third floor balcony was where African Americans had to sit. They gave tours of it in the 1980s before they closed it and it was like stepping back in time. There was dust all over the green seats and stuff like that. One of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen while working here was when Peter Pan was here and the lady playing Peter took her bow and flew up all the way to that balcony on wires. She went right up like an airplane and people just went crazy. You would have thought it was Madonna out there on stage.

Up until I hit 25 years with the Majestic, I only missed one show and that was because I had to have a tooth taken out. Now, I don’t work on Sundays or Mondays unless there’s a Broadway show.

If it’s a Broadway show, it’s usually slow after the show starts so I’ll have about an hour to read the paper and have a Coke or a Dove chocolate bar or something like that. During the rock shows, we’re busy all the way through.

I’ve been at this same bar upstairs all 37 years. There are some people who come in enough that I know what they want as soon as they walk up, and they usually tip me well for that. The kids mostly like Shirley Temples. For some of the Broadway shows, like Hamilton, they’ll make up a special drink for us to serve that night. When we first opened, we had six liquors, three beers, and three wines, but they’ve added a lot more variety now and we have machines with frozen margaritas and frosé.

All of the managers and employees and customers have treated me so very wonderfully.

People will stand in line 20 or 30 minutes just to get a drink from me—some people like to see the same person when they come. They’ll introduce me to their mothers or their kids. At Christmas, they’ll bring me something or leave me a big tip.

I’m just so thankful at the way people have treated me. I couldn’t ask for a better job and if today is my last day I can say, ‘Thank you God.’ If I get two-and-a-half more years, though, when I hit 40 years here I intend to retire and go to Walmart to work as a greeter. I won’t be working for money. I’ll just be working to have something to do.

As stated in San Antonio Magazine: See more, here!

 

Welcome Chloe DiLuccia

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Hello! My name is Chloe DiLuccia, and I am a new Sales Executive with Wicked Whisk Catering! I am so excited for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to meet everyone. I am a Southern California native, but please don’t judge me on that part. My family and I are very excited to move to Texas and put some roots down. My husband, David, and I have been married for 25 years. We have two kids, well adults, Madison is 20 and a senior at Ari-zona State University. Our son, Jordan, is 18 and just graduated from high school and will be attending Baylor University in the Fall. We also have a fur-baby named Brody who is 13 years old min-pin. In my free time, I enjoy working out, taking walk/runs, especially Full Psycle spin classes, and Taekwon-do. I am a 1st-degree black belt! I also enjoy anything artistic, drawing, painting, photography – you name it! I look forward to getting to know the Spectrum and Wicked Whisk team

 

Welcome John Mahon

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Hello team! My name is John Mahon, and I am joining Spectrum as the Director of Technology. I’ve spent the majority of my career in the Food & Beverage industry. I started out in restaurant operations and moving on to IT where I’ve been designing and deploying point-of-sale solutions for some of the industry’s most well-known restaurants. Prior to my career, I was born in New York, and I was raised in Atlanta, GA, where I met my amazing wife, Sam. Together, we are proud parents to our beautiful daughter, Rylie, who is currently 18 months old – and growing way too fast! In my free time, I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my family, enjoying good music, exploring the outdoors, and soaking in all the joys of being a father. I am beyond excited to have joined the Spectrum team. It is truly a dream come true, and look forward to working with you all for years to come!

 

 

 

 

Employee Spotlight: Mike Davidson

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How did you get introduced to Spectrum? A friend of mine introduced me to the general contractor that was building it at the time. So, I was hired to do clean up, organizing, and maintenance during the build of the new office.

When did you start and what is your role at Spectrum? My role at Spectrum is general maintenance. The responsibility has definitely changed over the years; for the better.

What do you love most about your job? The hours and the people I work with. Every day is something different, which keeps it more interesting.

Tell us about your family! I have one brother and two sisters. Most of them live in different states.

What Are your interests when time permits away from our crazy world? My interests include camping in Renville, fishing, traveling on holidays to Hill Country, and visiting other family members.

Why Spectrum? On the last day of the build of the new office, Dave and Melanie asked me if I wanted to stick around on the same days I was already working. I took the job and am glad I did!

Do you have a favorite event, if so, which one and why? My favorite event would be Freedom Over Texas because they put on a great firework show!

 

 

The Manchester Area Youth Council wants to send a huge thank you to all of you at Spectrum that allowed us to work, fundraise, and enjoy a great festival. This was our 17th year at Bonnaroo, and we always enjoy working alongside you guys. Wess And Brady were fantastic! We always have such great support from Spectrum to help make things go smoothly in the booth. We just wanted to let you know that many, many youth in the area benefit from your generosity and our partnership at Bonnaroo. Here are some photos of just a few kids that have benefitted from previous years. Funds raised have helped tons of kids play club soccer that couldn’t afford to play without these funds. It’s nice to tell a parent that wants their kid to play club, but really can’t afford it, that there are some funds available to help them out. Funds have gone to a school athletic club to help purchase items coaches request for many different sports such as football, soccer, mountain biking, basketball, track, and field, just to name a few. We have helped a local school reseed and maintain their soccer/football field. These funds also help send a local Boy Scout Troop to the Florida Sea Base. This is a high adventure location that takes scouts and teaches them sailing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, and also teaches them about protecting the coral reefs and our oceans while spending a week on a sailboat in the Keys. More funds were given to a local theatre and dance organization. We were able to help a local climbing club participate in an intercollegiate competition last winter in Chattanooga. As you can see, these funds go far! They’ve helped youth in Coffee, Bedford, and Franklin Counties. We are always grateful for this opportunity to help us help others.

 

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Lonestar Convention Center: 9th Annual Tastefest

Over 2000 people brought their taste buds to sample some culinary delights at the 9th Annual Taste fest on Thursday, June 6th at The Lone Star Convention & Expo Center. This year, we featured “Cheeseburger in Paradise” sliders, Grilled Cowboy Sau-sage, Homemade Kettle Chips, and Grilled watermelon! For our drink special, we did a HARD frozen lemonade, with a colorful sugar rim topping!

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Coming Up

Red, Hot, & Blue 7/4

Freedom Over Texas Music Festival 7/4

John Deere Classic 7/8-7/14

Forecastle Music Festival 7/12-7/14

Pinknic Music Festival 7/19-7/20

Mo Pop Musical Festival 7/27-7/28

Railbird Music Festival 8/10-8/11

BMW Championship 8/12-8/18

CP Women’s Open 8/19-8/25

 

Wishes

Sandra Bell 7/4

David Webster 7/06

Esliyered Martinez 7/07

Tanner Figueroa 7/10

Lauren Mazurek 7/10

John Osko 7/11

Salvador Zepeda Jr. 7/14

Megan Bybee 7/16

Kezia Callahan 7/21

Christopher Domino 7/28

Callie Bird 7/30

Morgan Greer 7/30

Kevin Kren 7/31

 

Congrats

Lauren Mazurek 7/01/2004

Joshua Murray 7/01/2004

Jason Reed 7/01/2004

Velma Tarin 7/02/2003

Angela Hornik 7/02/2018

Alfredo Garcia 7/08/2015

Catalina Gonzalez 7/08/2015

Dianne Ramirez 7/10/2007

Jared Thigpen 7/10/2014

Blake Hernandez 7/14/2017

Ryan Dobrota 7/14/2017

Matthew Berquist 7/16/2015

Jason Vitolo 7/16/2018

John Osko 7/17/2017

Jonathan Solis 7/19/2018

Nicholas Goodin 7/20/2010

Piper Traylor 7/24/2018

Eduardo Ventura 7/30/1999

Jose Ventura 7/30/1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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