FAME 2011 Recap and Looking Ahead to 2012

FAME 2011 Recap and Looking Ahead to 2012
Balancing your lifestyle (while juggling),
touring the Hoover Dam and seeing Elvis in
all his glory were some of the highlights of
the 2011 Fugate Annual Meeting
Extravaganza. Fugate employees from all
over the United States packed their bags and
headed to Caesar’s Palace in fabulous Las
Vegas this past February.
Don Tibbits, Pizza Hut’s District Manager of
the Year, believes FAME is a great motivator
for his team.
“I look at FAME as the ultimate
recognition for an outstanding
performance by an RGM and their team.
Only those that are able to deliver
consistent sales and profit growth
period after period are able to earn a trip to
FAME,“ Tibbits said.
The 2011 FAME attendees met a PFO goal
of 26% or higher. In 2012, the bar is set
even higher at 27% PFO. However, sales are
already growing and momentum has never
been stronger. Brian Sapp, Pizza Hut Senior
Director of Operations, believes this is the
time to shine for all Fugate employees.
“To accomplish this new PFO goal, we need
great sales and good controls. Is this a
challenge? Yes, but I believe we can get
there with hard work and determination.”
Dan Thurmon, a motivational speaker and
FAME’s keynote speaker, echoed this in his
impactful speech he shared with the crowd
on the first morning of FAME.
“You have a job, why not do it to the best of
your ability? Challenges come up and
mistakes happen. Mistakes are our
opportunities to learn and grow as leaders,”
Thurmon said.
The subject of determination and strong will
carried over to the following day’s trip to the
Hoover Dam.
Continued on Page 10
Page 2
New Products
New Products
Page 3
Great Ideas
New Store in Salem
Page 4-6
Compliments
Page 7
Giving Back
Taco Bell Feeds the Kids
Page 8
Fatherly Love
Fugate Plays with Emotion
Page 9
Scorecard Results Qtr. 1
Page 10
Hoover Dam Snapshots
Page 11
New People and Positions
Page 12-13
2011 FAME Winners
Page 14
Tim Tebow Visits
WKU: A Cinderella Story
Page 15
10 Year Watches
Newborns
Pizza Hut’s $10 Dinner Box
Record sales weeks, busy stores and
happy customers sum up the $10
Dinner Box promotion for Pizza Hut
that continues to drive sales. The $10
Dinner box has one medium
rectangular pizza along with five
breadsticks and ten cinnamon sticks
for dessert. Talk about a great deal!
Paul Samora, Regional Manager of
California and Colorado, believes the
$10 Dinner Box has been such a
success because it drives our
customers with the “value” advantage.
“The special has reintroduced many
of our customers to our inexpensive
pricing but still a great product,”
Samora said.
With the economic hard times, people
are eating on a budget and the $10
Dinner Box fits right in. Not only are
the customers happy but the crews are
even happier.
“Nothing energizes a crew more
than increased sales volume and
customer traffic. The $10 Dinner Box
has been a big part of sustaining that
energy in our restaurants,” Samora
said.
Way to go team on maintaining great
sales and positive attitudes!
Pizza Hut’s new $10 Dinner Box - a great
variety of food for an excellent price.
Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco
The local Taco Bells are joining in
the Doritos Locos Tacos launch mania.
At 12:01 AM on March 8, 2012,
customers purchased the new
Doritos Locos Tacos at all area Taco
Bell locations for the first time.
The Doritos Locos Tacos, a
proprietary product of Taco Bell,
consists of a taco shell made from
Nacho Cheese Doritos.
“I have never seen anything like it,”
said Sergio Roman, Marketing
Manager for TB of America.
“It’s a fantastic product and we are
the only place that can offer it. We
expect the innovation behind this
product to take the QSR industry by
storm.”
TB of America announced that their
locations would participate in the
national launch because of anticipated
popularity of the new item.
“I think it is time to share both the
management and employees’
excitement with our valued customers,”
concluded Roman.
- submitted by Sergio Roman
The Dorito Locos Taco has become
a national success selling over 33 million
in the first three weeks nation-wide.
Live Más
Taco Bell is kicking their “Think Outside the
Bun” slogan to the curb and adding “Live Más”,
meaning “Live More” to their portfolio. Geoff
Graves, Senior Director of Operations for Taco
Bell, says the new slogan better reflects what
the brand’s consumers aspire to.
“Live Más was created as part of the brand’s
50th anniversary this year, and complements
new additions to the menu, including the Doritos
Locos Tacos, First Meal (breakfast) and Chef
Lorena Garcia’s Cantina Bell offerings. Taco Bell
is looking to the future and the new tagline is a
way to signify and underscore the brand’s
commitment to what made it great to begin with:
value, quality, relevance and an exceptional
experience,” Graves said.
Topeka #3 crew ready for the midnight launch of the Doritos Locos Taco.
2
Heart of the Hut
Mt. Vernon sold 35 Large heart-shaped
pizzas and 1350 mini pizzas on V-Day.
Over 10 gallons of chocolatecovered strawberries were sold.
Talk about heart. Pam Burdette,
manager of the Mount Vernon Pizza Hut
has it.
“I hate monotony and I like to make
things fun and interesting especially
everyday tasks,” Burdette said.
And that’s exactly what she did. This
past Valentine’s Day, Pam and her crew
sold mini and large heart-shaped pizzas
with hand-cut heart-shaped pepperonis
on every pizza along with chocolatedipped strawberries to customers
looking to surprise their loved ones.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be such
a big hit, but everyone was so excited to
send their Valetine lunch,” she said.
Mount Vernon had record sales that
day, selling over 1300 mini pizzas and
35 Larges along with 10 gallons of
chocolate strawberries.
“My team was great, they stepped
right up and helped me make this
happen for our customers,” Burdette
expressed.
The Mount Vernon team analyzed
every detail to make sure this was a
successful project including going to the
high school in advance to take orders
from students for the following Tuesday.
“We took forms to the students so they
could fill out personalized messages
to their sweetheart that would be sent
with a mini pizza and three hand-dipped
chocolate strawberries the next week on
Valentine’s Day,” Burdette said.
Their dedicated attitude and hard work
paid off and they even had a little fun.
“I like to be different and not do the
same thing the same way every time.
We had so much fun just doing
something out of the ordinary and what
was even better is our customers
enjoyed it even more.”
Pizza Hut WingStreet™ Comes to Salem!
18 VS 18
Garland Gaddy, RGM for
Andover KS Pizza Hut, likes
to make things interesting
for his team. One way is
inventing incentive contests
that are fun for everyone on
the team thus 18 vs 18 was
founded. It means 18
minutes in store time and
$18 guest check average is
the goal for the team.
“By simply dividing into 2
teams (production & drivers
vs servers & CSRs) the entire
restaurant has become
involved. Not seeing the hard
number results we would like,
but a benefit is great
teamwork and personal
competitions among the
staff,” Gaddy said.
On Thursday, March 22nd, Salem
residents finally got to experience the
amazing WingStreet™ wings exclusively
available at the Pizza Hut located at
3302 Commercial Street. The brand
new store was a complete scrape and
rebuild of the old Salem store that had
been there for over thirty years!
The new store offers guests a
variety of new menu options including
our WingStreet™ chicken wings available
in eight intense flavors, pastas, salads
and sandwiches, washed down with
ice cold beer! The new restaurant also
includes four flat screen televisions
featuring expanded cable – a great
place to sit back, relax and enjoy a nice
cold beer and a hot, fresh Pizza Hut
pizza while watching the big game.
Manager, Jonathan Lane, who has
been with Pizza Hut since 2007, is
thrilled with the new changes to his
restaurant.
“Customers absolutely love it. In
addition to them loving it, the crew is
even more excited to come to work every
day to such a beautiful restaurant and
serve their customers.”
- submitted by Kym Money
Inside view of the newly remodeled store.
New store for Salem #1.
3
These young women ended this family’s trip with
excellent service and great attitudes. Left to
Right: Tara Diescher and Monika Romanska
“I would like to take the opportunity
to thank Pizza Hut for your continued
support of the Boone County Sheriff’s
Department on February 23, 2012. The
Boone County Sheriff’s department
conducted training for our deputies on
the detection and roadside testing of
intoxicated drivers.
The District Manager, Scott Huhn,
made arrangements for the Pizza Hut
on Clark Lane to donate 5 Large pizzas
for the training participants. We would
like to thank the Pizza Hut restaurant,
Pizza Hut employee, Tom Burrell, truly made a
difference with a very kind deed.
4
“Last evening my son and I were
travelling back to Binghamton, NY
after a long day visiting NYC. We
stopped at the Pizza Hut in Liberty,
NY for dinner. The waitress that
greeted us made us feel very
comfortable and our service was
excellent.
I enjoyed talking with her about
the products that Pizza Hut has.
Knowing that we still had an hour
ride home ahead of us, she made
sure we had some soda in a to-go
cup. I told her and a very friendly
cashier how satisfied I was with their
service and that Pizza Hut. I wish I
knew their names, but those
employees deserve a compliment.
They are rare and those are the type
that creates faithful customers.
I have never been to a Pizza Hut
where I have had service as good as
that. I do hope that the
management acknowledges them.”
- Anthony Schultheis, Liberty NY
the District Manager and Pizza Hut for
recognizing the need for this
training and supporting the training with
your donation. This ongoing training is
important for our deputies to sharpen
their skills in identifying impaired
drivers and removing them from the
roadways for the safety of our motoring
civilians.”
- Brian Leer
Missouri District Manager, Scott Huhn and his
Clark Lane Pizza Hut team are helping their
local community.
“My family and I have eaten at Pizza
Huts all over New York and several other
states. The product and service have
always been very good. I’m writing to
tell you of an experience that was
overwhelmingly good. We were
shopping in Norwich, NY and decided to
stop at Pizza Hut.
This restaurant was exceptionally
clean, the buffet was clean and kept
well stocked and the service was
beyond great. There was a man
employed there, I believe his name
was Tom and he was our waiter that
evening. Not only was he fast, he was
possibly the nicest server we have ever
had anywhere. There were three adults
and a five year old in our party and all of
us were amazed at the way he greeted
each and every customer and knew
nearly everyone by name. He made us
feel like we had been dining there for
years.
We have now made the Norwich
location our Pizza Hut. It’s a little
farther than Hamilton or Dewitt for us
but we really enjoyed our Norwich visit.
You are fortunate to have someone like
Tom on your team.” - Stephen Yackel Sr.
“My buddy and I went to your
Pizza Hut located in Phelan, CA. We
decided we would go there for your
Wing Wednesday instead of driving
to Buffalo Wild Wings in Apple Valley.
We decided to have a few beers and
wings only. We couldn’t decide so
the store manager, Justin, brought
us some samples of the sauces. We
decided on Lemon Pepper, Mild and
The Norwich crew knows their customers by
name.
“The Keizer Oregon Pizza Hut’s
shift manager, John, went above
and beyond when my order was
lost and came in to pick up my
non-existent pizza. He
personally delivered the pizza
with an upgraded size and no
delivery charge and apologized
Pizza Hut employee, Ricki Merchant,
loves to make kids’ smile.
BBQ. The wings were great! We had
24 pieces and they were covered in
sauce and nice and hot. The beers
were cold too. The place was tidy
and the employees were all friendly
and the manager kept checking on
us. Great job! We will be in more
often for Wing Wednesday.
Buffalo Wild Wings got nothing on
you. Thanks!”
- Ian Davis
RGM of Phelan, CA PIzza Hut, Justin
Celis, helped customers see just how
delicious our wings are.
“We went to your Norwich, NY
Pizza Hut on Thursday with my
mom (who’s a regular) and my
husband. They greeted my Mom
by her first name and knew
exactly what drink she wanted
and what she would be
ordering. You could just see
my Mom beam and the service
and food were both wonderful. I
can certainly see why my Mom
loves going there. This is the
first time I’ve been there since
your tasteful remodel. I can’t
wait to go back! The price, food
and service were all A+!!! I can’t
remember our waitress’ name
but she was wonderful. Again,
kudos to your staff there! I hope
that this wee note will prompt
you to acknowledge their great
customer service!”
- Kelley Carnachan
for their mistake. He is an
exceptional manager, skilled in
customer service and he
deserves a promotion or a raise.
I have never provided feedback
of this nature at any restaurant.”
- Kristin Giessinger
“My daughter had to come in
to redeem her BOOK IT! award
at the West Central Pizza Hut in
Wichita, KS and a nice woman
named Ricki was very kind to
her. She encouraged her to keep
up the good work by offering her
Keizer Pizza Hut’s Shift Manager, John
Harper, makes things right with all his
customers.
a free drink on her the next time
she brought in a BOOK IT! award.
That is the type of service that
makes you want to keep coming
back.”
- anonymous
5
Stephenvil e: 23 0W.Washington
“We got to Graham around 5:30 pm
yesterday and we were hungry so my
family of four and I stopped at Pizza
Hut WingStreet™ there and ordered
up a lot of food including salad.
Everything went well. Anyhow after
we scarfed down I noticed that my tax
return card wasn’t in my wallet. Man,
I didn’t know what to do and my wife
and I were kind of scared there for a
second because we didn’t know who
to call or what to do so I told the
assistant manager my situation and
he was very reasonable. He spoke
These ladies at Duncan helped brighten an elderly
man’s day. Left to Right: Stefanie, Cindy and
Denise.
“I ordered at the Stetson Pizza Hut
in Hemet, CA. Erica and Kyle were
very accomodating. I asked for sliced
tomato on my pizza and they explained
to me that the tomato usually comes
diced only, but Kyle would be happy to
slice it. I will be going to the Stetson
Ave. location since they really try hard
to please the customer. You have a
nice staff and I was very pleased with
Kyle and Erica.”
- anonymous
6
Erica and Kyle in Hemet, CA, aim to please their
customers.
to me as though this has happened
more than once and the thing that
blew my mind was this fine
gentleman, Lance, reached into his
own pocket and paid our tab. That
put faith in me and my wife to do
what’s right next time we see him. It’s
because of employees like that fella
that keeps me and my family proud
customers of your Pizza Hut.”
- anonymous
Lance Rice was generous enough to
dig into his own pocket and pay for a
customer’s meal.
This is the greatest place – Denise,
Stefanie and Cindy to be specific. They
go above and beyond in service, quality
and most of all making my 83 year old
Dad feel he is their VIP guest. He is
wheel-chair bound and we try to visit
every Friday evening. He wants to go
even when he is not feeling great, but
they make him feel so special. He
always feels better before he leaves.
These ladies deserve special
recognition with your organization.
Thank you for the new store! - anonymous
“I would like to compliment Sean
Rourke and his crew for the
outstanding service they have
provided. They impressed me by
being so welcoming and friendly. I
stopped by for lunch and the
atmosphere of the store was so
positive that it had an effect on the
customers who were in the lobby.
Normally no one talks to each
other and minds their own
business, but instead other
customers were having conversations
amongst themselves. Even though it
was busy Sean still took
the time to talk to each
customer in the lobby and
truly seemed to take an
interest in how we were doing.
The flower arrangement the girls
received as a thank you from the customer.
Truly a wonderful visit. I would like
to train my own employees in such
wonderful service.”
- Pamel Shrader
Derby #1’s Taco Bell RGM, Sean Rourke and his crew,
have a great work environment that rubs off on the
customers.
Fugate Employees Bowl for Kid’s Sake
When compared to their peers,
Little Brothers and Sisters are:
Fugate employees love to give back! On
..
..
March 13th, teams from Pizza Hut, Taco
Bell and the home office tied up their laces
and headed to the alley to Bowl for Kid’s
Sake. The money raised by every team
went to help Big Brothers Big Sisters, a
46% less likely to use drugs
27% less likely to use alcohol
52% less likely to skip school
33% less likely to use violence
Pizza Hut Team from Left: Bryce Powell, John Santy,
Kyle Nitcher, Don Tibbits, Jeremy Gassmann and Kent
Walton.
mentoring organization that provides
matches and relationships between
volunteers (Bigs) and kids (Littles) that
create a lasting effect on the kids. Fugate
Enterprises raised a total of $4,339.32!
Our leading pledge earner was Shukra
Shrestha from Taco Bell with $320 and
Kelly Kendall from the home office came in
a close second with $250! Thank you all
for participating and making a difference!
Taco Bell Team from Left: Brad Jones, Lori Hader,
Shukra Shrestha, Brandon LeBlanc and Geoff Graves.
Home office from Left: Michelle Lloyd, Kim
Fisher, Renee Riffel and Dana Fugate.
The kids participating in a taco eating contest.
“Peace. We love the new Doritos tacos.”
Taco Bell Feeds the Kids
On Tuesday, March 20th, several Taco
Bell district managers went to the Boys
& Girls Club of South Central Kansas
to feed the kids our new Doritos Locos
Taco!
The kids gave the new taco
excellent reviews as they enjoyed the
biggest product to ever launch at Taco
Bell in the last 40 years! The kids
enjoyed interacting with KWCH-12 and
even challenged the on-air
personalities to a taco eating contest.
-
submitted by Geoff Graves
All smiles at the Boys and Girls Club when
Taco Bell comes to visit.
Taco Bell District Managers all pitched in to help feed the kids.
Left: Ryan Hunt. Middle: Brad Jones. Right: Daniel Albert.
Cheesing with the new cheesy taco shell.
Geoff Graves, Senior Director of Operations for Taco Bell,
was interviewed by the local TV station.
7
Fatherly Love
A young boy encounters a life-threatening illness.
“Today, he was able to get in the hall
with his walker and walk about 30 feet.
I know that doesn’t seem like a lot but to
me it was like watching my baby take his
first step.”
Don Tibbits, District Manager of the
west Wichita area, explained how it felt
to see his 7 year old son, Landon, walk a
couple of weeks after he was rushed to
the hospital one Sunday evening.
“He complained of pain in his leg that
afternoon, and later we realized it was
more than the average aches and pains
the growing 7 year old normally has,”
Tibbits said.
Tibbits fears were confirmed when the
doctors told him that Landon had staph
infection in his leg muscle and bone and
would need emergency surgery.
“What was hard for me to
believe was there was no cut on his
body, normally you get staph from an
open wound, but there was nothing, not
even a scratch,” Tibbits said.
Landon endured several surgeries to
clean the infection out of his leg. After
the 5th surgery in a week, things started
to turn around.
“The infection being mostly gone was
really making him act more like my little
buddy and less like a sick kid,” Tibbits
said.
Landon began asking his nurses if he
could walk. He’d struggle but he’d try
every day to build up his strength. And
he did.
Landon is now back at school, not
even a month after his ordeal. He
continues to build up his strength to
play the sports he loves, baseball and
football.
Tibbits brought his son in to the home
office after he’d been home a couple of
weeks to recuperate. Landon smiled
bashfully as he displayed his battle scar
to all the ladies that ooh’d and aww’d
over him. However, as anxious as you
think this young boy would be to
explore and get out after being cooped
up in a hospital for weeks, he never left
his father’s side.
Don Tibbits and his son Landon visit
the home office after his surgeries.
Landon showing off his scar.
Fugate Plays with Emotion
Larry Fugate’s grandson, Garrett, aims to win every time with his determined attitude and life experiences, nothing is impossible.
Garrett Fugate desperately wants
to help Blue Valley Northwest win the
Kansas 6A boys’ basketball
championship, which starts Thursday
and wraps up Saturday at Wichita State
University’s Koch Arena.
Since he was a little kid, he’s
dreamed of it. He used to imagine
himself as a high school hero with
multiple football and basketball state
crowns.
But time is running out for Fugate
and the rest of the Huskies’
seniors.
“(Winning state) would mean
everything,” Fugate said. “I wanted to
win a state championship ever since I
was a little kid. Going out on top in
8
basketball, as competitive as I am,
would mean everything to me.”
If BV Northwest, which has lost to
Wichita Heights in the 6A title game
the last two seasons, is going to
breakthrough to claim the first state
championship in program history,
there’s little doubt Fugate will be a big
factor.
He has to be, and he knows it.
“Probably in some way I will have to
come up big — a big steal, some big
passes or maybe a big shot,” Fugate
said. “We need everyone to play good,
though, because there are eight really
good teams at the state tournament
this year.”
Continued on Page 11
Larry Fugate with his grandson, Garrett, enjoying
a KU game together.
Quarter 1, 2012
District Manager Winners
Pizza Hut: Steve Moody, Kentucky & Tennessee
Taco Bell Managers
1)
Taco Bell: Lori Hader, Kansas
2)
Michael Redding, Junction City #2 KS
3)
Heather St. Onge, Webb City MO
Shaun Dewey, Coffeyville KS
Pizza Hut Managers
1)
Points
Pamula Burdette, Mt Vernon KY
Points: 60
2)
Donna Edelen, Springfield KY
Points: 59
3)
Sherry Hooper, Carnegie OK
Points: 57
56
56
56
56
54
54
53
53
53
51
51
50
50
49
49
48
48
48
Manager/Location
Aaron Brown, Edmonton KY
Crystal Wilson, Fredonia KS
Rachel Malcom, Clearwater KS
Susie Mitchell, Greensburg KY
Joy Bowlin, Albany KY
Sharron Murray, Burkesville KY
Linda Emberton, Tompkinsville KY
Judy Rowe, Columbia KY
Ashley Vest, Russell Springs KY
Teresa Horning, Liberty KY
Jose Miranda, Cathedral City CA
Patricia Vaught, Somerset #2 KY
Matthew Smith-Rinehart, Lake Elsinore #2 CA
Kristi Lewis, Healdton OK
Pamela Harville, Carthage TN
Denice Barfield, Savannah TN
No Manager, Indio CA
Jonathan Johnson, Munfordville KY
9
FAME Continued from Page 1
There,
attendees visited underground and
snapped breathtaking photos while
learning of the massive effort to build
the dam in five years with thousands of
workers trying to withstand the Great
Depression. Over 100 workers died
while constructing the dam, but with
perseverance, the dam was finished
two years ahead of schedule.
After a day at the dam, attendees
were treated to an Elvis Presley Cirque
du Soleil show. The show was filled
with acrobatics, live music and
dancing - a tribute to “The King of Rock
and Roll.” And rightly so, he was a
handsome man, at least many thought
so from the slide show reel of actual
footage that dominated the back drop
of the stage. Shelle High,
Administrative Assistant at the home
office, was less interested with
Presley’s looks and more with the
percussions and the music as a whole.
“I loved the drummers, they were
so full of life and it worked great with
Elvis’s music. It was just fun to watch,”
High said.
As the FAME trip drew to a close,
everyone began to say goodbyes to
their new found friends. Seeing
everyone face to face that are normally
just voices over the phone, is a great
experience.
Willie Pitney, a Taco Bell Manager for
Manhattan, KS, enjoyed her first trip to
FAME and couldn’t have been more
appreciative. “I know there had to
have been a huge amount of time and
effort in preparing for this trip and I
appreciate everyone’s efforts. I was
especially pleased that I finally got to
meet Mr. Larry Fugate after five years
working for him.”
So let’s get motivated for 2012.
Challenge yourself and your team to be
better, navigate uncertainty with
confidence and enjoy your life while
doing it. And, if you still have time,
maybe learn to juggle.
Hoover Dam Snapshots
Left to Right: Wichita Pizza Hut RGMs - Keith Boyd,
Debbie Brown, Keith Underwood and Evan Lickly.
Left to Right: Home Office - Karon Perrill and
Shelle High.
10
Left to Right: Pizza Hut - Zach Fugate,
Taco Bell - Sergio Roman and Geoff Graves.
Left to Right: Home Office - Kym Money, MaryJane Kretzer,
Connie Stewart, Shelle High, Maggie Berning, Coachella Pizza
Hut RGM - Jeanine Rodriguez.
Jessica Huddleston
You’ll hear a new voice when
calling the home office. Please join us
in welcoming Jessica Huddleston as
our new receptionist.
Jessica graduated high school last
year and was eager to get into the
business world. She previously worked
part time for Allied Laboratories during
her high school years.
Jessica loves basketball and played
throughout her Junior High and High
School years. She also enjoys
photography and movies.
Lindsay Crutchfield
Jessica Huddleston, Fugate’s new receptionist.
Lindsay Crutchfield has transferred
from her role as receptionist to our
HR/Payroll Accounting Department.
Lindsay will be assisting with
payroll. Her primary role will be in
Human Resources. She will be
working on MVR’s, unemployment
claims, verifications, pay stubs, sick
and vacation and other projects as
needed.
We are very excited to have
Lindsay in the Accounting
Department.
- submitted by Brett Jackson
- submitted by Karon Perrill
Lindsay Crutchfield now works in the Accounting Dept.
FUGATE Continued from Page 8 - It’ll be one
of the best tournaments it’s been in
a while, so we’ll have to get some big
contributions from Damion (Hunt) and
everyone else too.”
But Fugate, who has a gift for
keeping the team loose before games
and providing energy and intensity
during them, also knows that the world
won’t end if the Huskies come up
short.
Unfortunately, he learned that
lesson at the cost of a brother he never
knew and a former teammate. Fugate,
a guard who also earned first-team
All-East Kansas League honors as the
Huskies’ quarterback last fall, was
only 1 year old when his brother Austin
Riggs Fugate was struck and killed by a
car April 20, 1995.
Austin, who has a park named in
his honor in Overland Park, was four
months shy of his fourth birthday at the
time.
Throughout football season,
Garrett drew his brother’s initials on
his left shoe and wrote Kevin Lang’s
initials on the right one. Lang was a
beloved football and basketball player
at BV Northwest before he hanged
himself in May 2010.
“That’s probably part of the reason I
can play loose,” Fugate said. “I know
it’s a game and there’s more important
stuff than football or basketball. I try to
make the other players know that it’s
not the end of the world if you miss a
shot or lose a game.”
Fugate’s brother and friend are never
far from his mind, but rather than
allowing himself to be consumed by
grief, he hopes that his play honors
them and inspires others.
“It gets me emotional, but I love to go
out there and play for them,” Fugate
said. “That’s where a lot of my passion
comes from. I know they are looking
down on me and hoping I do a great
job for them. That’s what I try to do.”
BV Northwest’s best player
unquestionably is sophomore guard
Clay Custer, but Fugate is just as
important to the Huskies’ success as a
captain and leader.
“Garrett has a confidence about him,
and I think the kids feed off that,” BV
Northwest coach Ed Fritz said. “The
kids look up to him. If they see Garrett
is ready to go and confident, the rest of
the team will fall in place.”
Custer calls Fugate the team’s “glue
guy” and its emotional motor.
“If he’s playing well, it helps the
whole team play well,” Custer said.
“He’s a great passer. Obviously, he can
shoot threes, but he’s a good leader
and has a good basketball IQ.”
Fugate and the seniors are also down
to their final chance.
“It definitely feels different this time,
because last year when we lost we
felt like, ‘OK, we’ll get it next year,’ ”
senior post Jonny Giess said. “But now,
there is no next year. We won’t ever get
another chance to do it.”
The Huskies, who play as many as
four sophomores at times, will need
Fugate to be in rare form — not just in
terms of connecting on big shots or
rallying the defense, a role he recently
adopted, Fritz said.
“When we play with a lot of energy,
we’re a really good team, but we also
have to have fun or we get uptight,”
Fugate said. “My job is to make sure
we play with high intensity but still have
fun.”
- Written by Todd Palmer, The Kansas City Star
11
TACO BELL
Chris Hastings from Reflection Ridge,
Wichita KS was a winner but was not able
to attend the reception.
Donna Read, MO & SE KS
Shaun Dewey, Coffeyville KS
Heather St. Onge, Webb City MO
Michael Redding from
Junction City #2 KS was a winner but
was not able to attend.
Shelly Poole from Lincoln #1 NE was the
World Hunger winner but was not able to
attend.
Shukra Shrestha, S. Meridian - Wichita KS
Jerimie Melton, Glasgow KY
Willette Pitney, Manhattan #2 KS
Jose Rodarte, 37th & Woodlawn - Wichita KS
Kerry Quattlebaum, Joplin #3 MO
Tonya Carter, Campbellsville KY
PIZZA HUT
Don Tibbits, Wichita KS
Brian Ward, Twin Lakes - Wichita KS
12
Leah Jines, Lafayette TN
Ashley Vest, Russell Springs KY
Keith Underwood, 21st & Tyler - Wichita KS
Janet Thompson, Hobart OK
Evan Lickly, Haysville KS
Kristi Lewis, Healdton OK
Keith Boyd, S. Seneca - Wichita KS
Judy Rowe, Columbia KY
Tyler Sutherland, El Dorado #3 KS
Jeff Case, Valley Center KS
Kevin Cronk from Livingston, TN was a
winner but was not able to attend.
Debra Brown, W. Maple - Wichita KS
Jeremy Simon, E. Pawnee - Wichita KS
Aaron Brown, Edmonton KY
Jennifer Rodriguez, Altus #1 OK
Jeremy Moore, Independence KS
Jeanine Rodriguez, Coachella CA
Don Edwards, Coffeyville KS
Michelle Close, Goddard KS
Ron Hargrave, Anadarko OK
Tricia Dodson, Lawton #4 OK
Robert Morrison, Wichita Falls #4 TX
David Doss, Lawrenceburg KY
Ben Reynolds, Tallgrass - Wichita KS
13
Tim Tebow Comes to Visit
Tebowing, it’s
the latest trend and
so is reading
according to the the
former Broncos
quarterback, Tim
Tebow.
Tebow read his
favorite childhood
story book to
over a
Kym Money, Director of Pizza
Hut Marketing, tebowing.
million
viewers on
February 15th via webinar. Tebow read
Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham for
Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! Program’s
America’s Biggest Storytime, and with
a record number of views, it’s safe to
say the kids loved it!
As a thank you for donating his time,
Pizza Hut and the BOOK IT! Program
contributed $50,000 to the Tim Tebow
Foundation. As a thank you to the
franchisees, the BOOK IT! crew paid
a visit to the local Wichita offices with
their friend Tim Tebow.
A cut-out that is. Nevertheless,
pictures were taken with the Tebow
cut-out and tebowing continued
throughout the office.
Some of the home office crew posing with
Tebow.
Larry Fugate
demonstrating his go
get’m attitude.
WKU: A Cinderella Story
Western Kentucky University was
having a rough season. Starting off
with a not-so-hot record was less than
motivating for the Hilltoppers. However,
with a mid-season coaching change,
things began to turnaround. An
absolute miracle, many said,
happened. They won the Sunbelt
Tournament. Charley Orr, Regional
Manager of Kentucky, Tennessee and
New York, was ecstatic.
“We won the first game in the NCAA
with our President and Prime Minister
of Great Britain watching one of the
best comebacks in NCAA history. We
were 16 points down with 4 minutes in
the game and the Tops won,” Orr said.
The next game proved to be tough
against National Championship winner,
Kentucky, but Orr believes the
opportunity was a great one.
“The Tops don’t get to play the
Wildcats often but just the chance to
play them was great and we continue
to put in the effort so one day we will
be Kings of the Hill.”
View of the packed house during the WKU
vs. Middle Tennesse State game.
FREE SEMESTER OF TUITION?
Yes, Please.
At WKU’s last home game of the
season, Taco Bell gave four students a
chance to win a free semester of tuition.
Students could register at any of the
Bowling Green locations for a chance
to win. The catch? Shoot and make a
half-court shot. Though, no students
succeeded, each received a gift card
from Taco Bell.
A sell-out crowd of over 7,000 fans attended the game as WKU stomped Middle
Tennesse State.
14
Angela McKenzie from Glasgow Taco Bell receives
her 10 year watch. Left: RGM, Jerimie Melton.
Right: District Manager, Allan Kingrey.
District Manager Denise Crawford presents Erich
Schoeck from Bowling Green #2 with his 10 year
watch.
Julia Annmarie Pallota
Born: January 8, 2012 at 2:35 PM
Weight: 7 lbs 15 oz
Length: 18 inches long
Congrats to proud parents Daniel Pallotta, Pizza Hut
Assistant Manager from Cobleskill and his fianceé Kristin
Foster, she’s beautiful!
District Manager, Jonathon Shrum presents
Constance Oakley from Savannah, TN with her
10 year watch.
Isiah White with E. Pawnee St. Wichita, KS
receives his 10 year watch. Left: District
Manager, Rob Vicin. Right: RGM, Jeremy Simon.
Shea Michael Simon
Born: November 28, 2011
Weight: 7 lbs 9 oz
Length: 21 inches long
Congrats to proud grandmother, Carla Simon, Pizza Hut
District Manager of Wichita, he’s a cutie!
15
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