The Spectrum Connection CONNECT with a CLICK! Useful Links Just click to access WELCOME to the 14th issue of the SPECTRUM CONNECTION! PHOTO OF THE MONTH The Spectrum Website http://spectrumconcessions.com/ The Spectrum Store http://spectrumstore.epromo.com/ The Spectrum Calendar http://google.com/accounts/ServiceLogi n?service=cl&passive=true&nui Spectrum Health Care Provider Cigna http://www.mycigna.com 1.800.244.6224 CaterSource Magazine http://catersource.com/ Dave Ramsey http://daveramsey.com/ SEND NEWSLETTER INFO mailto:[email protected] Spectrum on Facebook Check us out! www.facebook.com Happy Birthday, Missie Special Birthday Wishes to my dearest friend, Missie – there is not a birthday gone by that we haven’t shared in all of our 36-years. I am so grateful for our friendship and the next 36-years to come. Love ya! Melanie Deadline for the next newsletter is Friday – March 26 SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO: Lynn Alexander mailto:[email protected] Thank You to everyone for all your news & photos. ENJOY… The Spectrum Connection. From Dave’s Desk Greetings All, Have you heard someone say, or perhaps said yourself, “I gave it my best…gave it all I had,” or perhaps “I gave it one hundred and ten percent!” Well, besides the fact that it is impossible to do anything at more than 100%, do these often uttered comments evoke any other thoughts or emotions with you? It is Olympic time now and I hear many athletes saying that they “gave it their all” and other similar comments. Are you hearing the same thing? Maybe you are hearing that in your own house from your spouse or child…”Mom! Dad! I did the best that I could do!” Perhaps that is true, but I find that more times than not, when the individual is saying this (whether an adult or child), they are focusing their opinion on the event. They mean that they are doing the best they can on a test, in a sporting event, a work project, or a relationship or whatever. I believe that they most often believe what they say is true and that they did the best they could in the moment of truth. But I think that many times we don‟t consider the whole scope of what it means to do our very best. Did we do our very best in preparing ourselves for our test, our event or moment in the sun? By and large the difference in the most successful, and those modestly successful, is how much effort they put into the PREPERATION to succeed. To coin a phrase, it is not that practice makes perfect; it is only true that PERFECT practice makes perfect. We must look at how we prepare to be successful. Have we prepared to the very best of our ability? Have we done our research, studied and put in the extra effort more than anyone else is willing to give? Have we prioritized our agenda, asked ourselves the tough questions and not accepted anything less than the definitive? Have we been sure that we have not settled for guessing, wishing or simply duplicating something that is similar and hoping it will work? Have we trained with purpose and conviction, eaten properly, rested properly, pushed ourselves and been truthful with ourselves about our effort? These are just some of the questions that I think about when someone says (or I say), “I have done the very best that I can.” In the moment the effort is supreme, but in reflecting, the preparation could have been improved and positively affected the end result. Being GREAT takes great effort, spread over time, not simply turned on and off. We are lucky to have experienced greatness in our company on a fairly regularly occurring basis. And every time someone achieved that level, it is undoubtedly attributable to the effort they put into the preparation. Moral of the story is to prepare to be successful and you will be. continued on next page From Dave’s Desk…cont. Our 2010 is off to a good start and it is due to the focus and hard work of many. Please know that the same things that have combined to get us to this level will sustain us and keep us moving forward.  Focus on working hard to retain current clients and harvest new business   Work as cost effectively as possible Deliver the highest quality goods and services in the market place Work and focus on these three things each and every day and if you do, on event day you will be 100% (it was tempting to say 110%) ready to reap your rewards of a perfect job well done. It is an honor to work with each and every one of you. Give it all you have. Give it your best, at work, at home and in your relationships and do it each and every day. The skater cannot come to the competition to race a mile unless they have raced that mile in practice at nearly the same level as they hope to in competition. On another note, I am starting a reading list. If you are looking for books to offer you thoughtful insight into life and into business, please see the list below. Lynn will make the reading list a regular feature of The Spectrum Connection, so I encourage you to add to this list if you know of a book that will build your character or knowledge. If you want to talk about any of the following titles or discuss the book while you are reading it, call on me. If you need one of these books, I have them in my office. I wish you all only the best and from our family to yours, Spectrum is changing people‟s lives every day. Love, Peace and Grace, Dave READING LIST – from Dave The Lone Survivor - Marcus Luttrell A Sense of Urgency - John Kotter The Spark - Lyn Heward and John Bacon Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell Monday Morning Mentoring - David Cottrell Good to Great - Jim Collins From Sales & Marketing Melanie Parker - VP Sales & Marketing I am finding it super hard to believe that March is upon us and it is time to jump in with both feet! The Shell Houston Open will kick-off our golf season and to a great degree the SHO kicks off our entire event season; golf, music, festivals, catering…it all starts here. It will be an exciting time for all of us!! Spectrum received an RFP (request for proposal) for the 2011 US Senior Open, as well as an informal RFP from the Reno Tahoe Open for 2011. I will be working hard to prepare a formal response to both of these tournaments and I am very hopeful that we will be able to add these tournaments to our list of satisfied clients. The US Senior Open is a USGA tournament (not a PGA TOUR event) and this would be a significant event for Spectrum and establishing ourselves as a preferred vendor for USGA. I will keep you posted on our progress. Many of you know Sarah Schaefer and Tina Ochoa. Sarah is a Sales Executive here in our main office and Tina oversees all backstage catering locally. I am excited to share that both of these ladies will be a big part of the Houston Children‟s Festival with our Festival division. They will work closely with Tony and his team to ensure the success of the HCF – good luck Festival Team!! Many of you know Jacob Loyd; he is our computer tech here and is a big part of our Spectrum family. Jacob’s wife Barbara, has been very ill and in the hospital with a very serious virus. Many of you are already praying for Jacob and Barbara and their children during this difficult time. Please continue those prayers and offers of support, as Barbara’s health continues to improve every day. Working on budgets always brings to light many ways that we can save money! Tighten the purse strings and control the costs that you can effect directly each and every day. Accountability is critical to ensuring the success of your areas of responsibility. Holding others in your department accountable is also a key to your success. From SALES & CATERING The Woodlands, Texas Get Motivated Conference Toyota Center – Houston This motivational seminar was held February 8th and featured such well-known personalities as Colin Powell, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, Zig Ziglar and Tamara Lowe. Spectrum was on-hand to provide catering backstage and for the event volunteers. Contributed by Lisa Stroyne Cirque du Soleil OVO Contributed by – Ricky Esquivel Managing Tour Chef/Cirque du Soleil Projects Seared Ahi Tuna, with Mandarin Oranges and Caviar The OVO Beef Tenderloin Carving Station – manned here by Kenny Song, from Japan. He worked with Spectrum during OVO. Cheesecake Lollipops…m-m-m-m Chef Roland - In Bistro OVO pressing Panini's for the show Thanks to Chef Vince for preparing these beautiful Lamb Lollipops, with Red Bell Pepper Marmalade A Note from Ricky Esquivel Managing Tour Chef/Cirque du Soleil Projects To all my Spectrum Family, Life is not easy when you‟re living out of a suitcase in every city. I miss the camaraderie of my Spectrum family. Please take note of your surroundings and be thankful that you are able to go to the comfort of your family and home. Adventure is great, but it‟s so easy to miss the ones you love. I am so fortunate to have ALL of you in my prayers and thoughts. Wherever I am, you are always welcome to come visit. I have a sofa bed awaiting!!! I do want to say that " I LOVE MY JOB" and my team. Roland, Vince, Tony, Chimmy and I are kicking some major butt! I wouldn't change a thing in my life and am so proud of who I have become. I love hearing my family and friends tell their friends where I am and what I am doing. We will make you proud Spectrum....... When I get lonely, this quote helps me out~~~ When I woke up this morning I asked myself, 'Why should I get out of bed?' I found the answer right there, in my very room. The Fan said… „Be Cool.’ ‘ The Roof said…„Aim High.’ The Window said…„See the World.’ The Clock said…„Every minute is precious.’ The Mirror said…„Reflect before you Act.‟ The Calendar said…„Be up to date.‟ The Door said...„Push Hard for your Goals.‟ My shoes said...„You do not walk alone.‟ God Bless and I love you all~~~ Ricky Cirque du Soleil OVO – Photos contributed by – Dianne Ramirez From Cirque du Soleil – The Alegria Team This leg is proving to be the best yet! It‟s as if a new breath of life was breathed into our group. Maybe it is the fact that we are in our own country again, or it could be the start of a new year and the air of excitement of what it will bring. New leadership, new ideas, new cities…all could have something to do with this wave of inspiration to recreate our image and up the level of our game. We realize that many of you may not know who we are, what we do, and whom we cater to, so this is a little introduction of our team. Something to put some names with faces and show how we do our job and live our lives ten weeks at a time, out here on the road. We look forward to sharing our pictures, recipes and tales from the road with you in the future. It is our hope that, even though we are not with you on a weekly basis, we still are part of your family at Spectrum. - Brian Strom Meet the Alegria Team! Derick “Shaggy” Soppe Brian Strom (left) & Chef Gile Haskins Katie Doyle Asia Marrion Shannon Fitchett & his daughter Sofia Special guest chef, Ed More from The Cirque Alegria TeamMagic from our Kitchen… THE PLAN - Each week Chef Gile, Derick and Brian sit down and write a new, creative and beautiful menu that must be approved by Cirque du Soleil nutritionists. In fact, from the inception of arena tour catering, we have written enough menus to not have to write another for a year. THE FOOD - We cater to approximately 120 performers, technicians, truck drivers and road managers. We serve a continental breakfast with fruit and cheese platters like you see here. Lunch offers two proteins, a starch, vegetable, vegetarian option and two soups made fresh each day. Dinner is the same the idea. Then, we serve a snack for after-show munching. This would be something like quesadillas, chicken wings, or French bread pizzas. Our clients also have access to a 22-piece salad bar, a deli bar with all the fixings, a smoothie station and a fully functional commercial espresso machine. Continental Breakfast Fruit & Cheese Platters Tomato and Cucumber Salad, with Spring Dill Vnaigrette and Heirloom Tomatoes Duck Confit w/ Potatoes Anna and Balsamic Orange Reduction HOW WE DO IT - All of our cooking equipment is built into custom road cases (more pictures to come) that are loaded onto Cirque du Soleil‟s eighteen-wheelers and moved from city to city (40 in a year). Then, Cirque unloads it for us and we set it up in the pre-designated place allotted to us. Katie, with a little help from Brian and Shannon, sets up the dining room while Shaggy and Gile setup the kitchen area and begin prep work for the days to come. Brian shops out any necessary items that Sysco could not supply while Shannon works with the venue manager and Cirque management to work out the details of the upcoming week. Roast Beef Tenderloin Even More from The Cirque Alegria Team- Happy 25th Birthday, Cirque! Birthday cake from celebration in Jacksonville, Florida Merry Christmas! The Alegria Team celebrates Christmas in North Augusta, Ontario, Canada at the home of a Cirque trucker & friend. Festival Update From Tony Terwilliger – Director, Festival Division HOUSTON CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN TO FAMILY FUN For the latest – houstonchildrensfestival.com facebook.com THE HOUSTON CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL, presented by Baker Hughes, is set for April 10th & 11th in downtown Houston. Designated as “The Mayor’s Official Family Celebration”, the festival is in its 22nd year and benefits Child Advocates, Inc. In fact, the festival has now raised over $4 million dollars for Child Advocates and the abused and neglected children it serves in Harris County. The festival fun includes six stages, ten Family Adventure Zones and over 300 activities. Highlights of the event include the Saturday personal appearance of Nathan Kress, who stars in the role “Freddie” on Nickelodeon’s iCarly, which ranks number one in the Nielson cable television ratings. Chelsea Staub, who stars as Stella on Disney’s JONAS will appear on Sunday. Nick Jr's. Dora, the Explorer and Diego will be on hand for the younger set. I am excited to announce two welcome additions to the Festival Team. Sara Schaefer, on the Spectrum sales staff, will assist Beth Harp with corporate sponsorships. Tina Ochoa, who is a member of the Spectrum Artist & Tour Catering Division, will lend a hand to Beth Craig in the areas of Entertainment and Markets. Chelsea Staub Sunday only Nathan Kress Saturday only The Spectrum Festival Division plans and coordinates all phases of the Houston Children’s Festival including sponsorships, advertising and publicity, entertainment, food and beverage, volunteers, finance and all other aspects of event production. The festival was recently featured in Frommer’s 300 Unmissable Events & Festivals of the World travel guide. Spectrum is proud to be a partner with Child Advocates, Inc. in the production of this annual event that benefits the abused and neglected children of Harris County. iFest - Spotlighting the Caribbean http://ifest.org April 17th & 18th and 24th & 25th, downtown Houston turns into a Caribbean paradise & Spectrum will be there assisting with event production management, as well as providing a variety of rental items (tents, tables, chairs, staging, etc.) to support the event. The festival features eight entertainment zones & a world class line-up of music that will satisfy everyone’s tastes. Check out the fun at ifest.org News from the OPERATIONS TEAM VH1 Fan Jam on South Beach at Super Bowl XLIV Just want to give a quick thank you to all who worked in Miami. We all got along and we all worked hard. I am very proud to be a part of the Spectrum Team And to those who held the fort down while we were gone…thanks! From Ruben Garcia Let’s keep this energy & attitude going for a great 2010 season. No rain. No rainbows. Money Saving Idea – From Mike Garcia When you order online and get to the check out page, it often asks you for a promotion code. Good news! You can Google for a promotion code and you can save $$$$$$$$$ Here is one website to check out - www.currentcodes.com/ ABC news even did a story on them: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/PersonalBest/story?id=345060&page=1 Of course, there are endless ways on the internet to look up codes and save money. Happy $aving$!!! The Spectrum Team on the road… VH1 Pepsi Fan Jam – Super Bowl XLIV – Miami . Walter & Ruben making it happen. Felipe lights up the action. Flora moves the fryer into place. Jose hits the road for home… another success in the books. Victor A., Walter & Felipe get front row seats to the Super Bowl concert. THEATRE DIVISION from Jay Jung NEW ORLEANS -The Mahalia Jackson Theatre What a great month for the Mahalia Jackson! They just finished a sold out week of Mamma Mia and then rolled right into the Super Bowl festivities and the official Mardi Gras. They even had a show at the theater on Mardi Gras evening. The next few months are going to stay strong for them, as they kick-off a three week run of Wicked next month. They are already sold out for this performance as well. Spencer Hidalgo is doing a great job as the new General Manager and looking forward to an even stronger year as the Mahalia begins it‟s second year in operation. Good luck Spencer. Keep up the good work! SAN ANTONIO - The Majestic Velma quietly, but steadily, continues her solid pace in San Antonio just “doing her thing.” The Majestic will host Willie Nelson this weekend with both catering backstage, as well as load out food. Plenty to keep Velma and her team busy in San Antonio. The Majestic is also going to have another very strong next few months with exciting, sold out performances on the books. THE WOODLANDS - The Woodforest Bank Club The club will officially open the last week in April with what will be an even stronger year than 2009…which was a record! We are looking to locate a manager for this position and get them started by the first of April. There has been numerous events hosted during the off season at the Club and we will still have quite a few events even before the Club officially opens here in the next six weeks. Chef Jay and his team are working on the Club menu and adding some special touches to the menu. They are limited with our cooking equipment and capacity, but from early tasting and looking at the enhancements, it should be a great change. Thanks Chef Jay and the team for the great work. Leigh-Anne is also working with me on tweaking the Club menu adding her special touches from the look and layout of the actual menu. Thanks Leigh-Anne, your work is great and very much appreciated. From THE THEATRE DIVISION BALTIMORE - The Hippodrome This has been the snowiest winter EVER in the history of Maryland. Our normal seasonal snowfall is 18 inches and we already have had 81 inches of snow. That is 450% of our average! Thankfully, the snow did not impact our costs or revenues,as we were dark during the two storms. After finally digging out and having traffic be able to move again in Baltimore, we kicked right into high gear. It was an action packed weekend with The Royal Comedy Jam, followed by three shows of Celtic Woman… all making for a successful weekend at The Hippodrome. Contributed by Sean Conlon CHECK OUT THESE PHOTOS! (Wanna c‟mon down to Texas?) Chef Paul’s house after 42 inches of snow! More pics from Sean TASTY TIDBITS… SPECTRUM ON FACEBOOK From Adam Lassetter The challenge is on! We want to increase the number of fans on Spectrum‟s Facebook page, and we need YOUR help. It’s easy. Here’s how: If you’re already a Spectrum Fan, skip down to #2. 1. Log onto your personal Facebook page 2. In the “Search” box at the top of your screen – type in “Spectrum Catering, Concessions and Special Events” and click “Become a Fan.” 3. On the Spectrum page, click on “Suggest to Friends” under the Spectrum logo in the top left corner. In the next box, click on “All.” Then click “Send invitations” in the bottom left of the box. . Let‟s keep everyone updated on what Spectrum is doing. And don‟t forget to send YOUR news & photos to: Sarah Schaefer ([email protected]) or to Melanie Parker ([email protected] From Lisa Stroyne FLASHBACK FUN Lisa has suggested a fun idea for an upcoming newsletter. We are asking that you send in a photo of your (YOUNG!) self for the next newsletter. I‟ll post them in The Spectrum Connection #15 & let everyone have some fun trying to guess who is who. Then I‟ll include the photos in The Spectrum Connection #16, along with the correct names & we‟ll see how well we all did. The photo can be anything from your early days…a baby photo or grade school or maybe even that high school drill team, prom or football photo. How brave are you? I‟m giving you a heads up on this, so you can dig up an old photo & scan it if you need to, so you can email it to me. If you don‟t have access to a scanner, just ask around. I‟m betting somebody has a scanner with their printer. I‟ll remind you when I send out the call for submissions for the next newsletter. This should be fun, so start digging around for those old photos. Is Dale in there? It‟s a Smash-up Derby & Lisa swears this is what Dale does for fun. Lisa’s recent trip to a Monster Truck Jam Is Lisa plotting her next career move? Celebrate! Melanie Parker Frank Harroun MARCH SPECTRUM on FACEBOOK! CHECK US OUT! Watch for updates & share with friends & customers. And we‟ll post YOUR news! If you have something exciting to share, please send it to: Sarah Schaefer ([email protected]) or to Melanie Parker ([email protected]) March 2 March 9 SPECTRUM ANNIVERSARY Victor Alcala Missie Martinez Ruben Garcia Jay Jung Jay Stone Sarah Schaefer Michael Garcia March 10, 1997 March 25, 1997 March 1999 March 1, 2003 March 3, 2008 March 5, 2007 March 24, 2008 FAVORITE QUOTES If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right. ~ Henry Ford Contributed by Melanie Parker When you go the extra smile & you go the extra mile – That is Spectrum Friendly Contributed by Lisa Stroyne