August - Design Alaska

NEWSLETTER
August 2014/Volume 7/Issue 8
Featured employee speakers Lona Uzueta,
Skye Sturm, Ashley Hall, Alicia Mayo, and Tony
Mustered shared what wellness means to them
and what they personally do to improve their
wellness during the July 23rd Health and
Wellness Lunchbyte.
Pictured Counterclockwise: Skye presenting
pictures of new activities she’s recently
participated in (on screen breakdancing). Lona
showing how her affiliation with the Single
Action Shooting Society fits into her wellness
routine. Ashley with the Ladies of Leisure
posing for a group photo with their skis. Skye
hanging from the ceiling on aerial silks. Alicia
Mayo on her race car. Ashley pauses on her
bike for a quick picture. Tony paddling hard in a
kayak. Lona concentrating and taking aim.
A Walk In the Woods
“In every walk with
nature, one receives
far more than he
seeks” - John Muir
Employees Misty Karella, Bob Gras, James Bartlett, Mary Sue
Dates, and Kym Pihlaja (not pictured) enjoyed a packed lunch
and a walk through Creamer’s Field on July 3rd. The walk was
originally postponed due to rain, but the weather cleared enough
for a brief walk in the woods.
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Change:
All of us are in a constant state of change. Here at Design Alaska things are constantly changing as well.
Things do change. Whether it is a reaction to outside forces, or our internal drive to do things better, we are
constantly evolving our work practices and products to serve our clients. Examples include:
Revit
Design-Build/CM@Risk/Fast Track
Electronic Construction Admin
6 Digit Specs
New PE Licenses
Electronic Signatures
Green/LEED
Construction Services for Client
Seismic Restraint for Contractors
iPads for Field Drawings
Digital Archiving
Changes in Govt Regulations
When we start our first day in the construction industry, everything is perfect. We are taught what do to from
supervisors, senior people, mentors, books, training classes, etc. As time goes on, we learn more on our own
and see things that could be changed for the better. A person may not like to do manual entry into a
spreadsheet, and find a way to automate it, without losing control. In order to be the most effective, you pass
it to your peers and it becomes the new normal. This is good change.
So as time goes by, many things may
change. This can cause strain, as
change takes effort. If you have been
doing things the same way for a period
of time, you become accustomed to it.
Even if it is awkward, difficult, and takes
a lot of time, a person may not want to
explore the ‘new way’ just because of
comfort with the old way. It is ‘ok’ to be
cautious when working ‘new way’. It
takes extra oversight and thought
looking for errors or unintended
consequences by changing things. It does not mean the ‘new way’ is bad because it takes oversight during
the change period.
Sometimes we can put up resistance to change. In general change is happening because there is a reason,
internal or external. If the reason for a particular change is not addressed, then the push for change will come
back in the future. In other words, if a change is happening and you ‘don’t like it,’ I suggest you should
engage the reason behind the change and come up with a ‘different way’ to address the reason. Denying the
reason will just kick the can down the road. The reason will come back and the change will likely be even
harder to implement and more painful because there will be more pressure to accomplish it.
In summary: change happens. Participate in change. Help it along. Craft it with your experiences to make it
the best possible outcome. Encourage others to create change for the better. Support them in their efforts.
Things cannot stay the same. Life will always push us to new things. Keep working towards continuous
improvement. Reflect on changes that are happening to your work right now, what are you doing to help
improve the ‘new way’.
Giving Back to Our Community
Design Alaska is committed to strengthening our community. Donations that were given in July and August
included the following: Alaska Business Week Student Business Competition, Rotary Golf Tournament for
Fairbanks Youth Advocates, Fairbanks Rescue Mission, Mud Factor Mud Run (Design Alaska Team), AIA
Scholarship, and Equinox Marathon Team in Training for Leukemia (Shyla Keays).
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Paden Henze-Nelson joins Design Alaska as a member of
the Mechanical Department. Paden was born and raised in
Alaska. “I haven’t lived anywhere else and I never intend
to. Alaska has everything I want out of somewhere to live.
I’d rather be cold than hot any day and I just love the
wilderness.”
When asked what made him apply to Design Alaska, he
says, “It sounds weird but I just knew this is where I
wanted to work. In my life I get an idea of what I’d like to
do and take small steady steps until I get to where I want
to be.”
Paden’s hobbies include Origami, playing video games
and watching movies, and he is very good with visual
special skills. His favorite song of all time would probably
be ‘Feeling Good,’ sung by Michael Buble or Nina Simone. “That’s just the top pick, but I love all types of
music.” Some other interesting things about Paden are that he’s been hit by a truck on his bike, has a dent in
his head (not related to being hit by a truck), he’s visited France, Spain, Greece and Turkey and used to play
soccer competitively.
Some items on his life’s to-do list include graduating this Spring, jump out of a plane, get in really good shape
and stay in shape, and have fun.
Emily Winfield joins Design Alaska as a member of the
Mechanical Department. Emily grew up in Nova Scotia but
spent some time traveling through Alaska and the Yukon
last Summer. She has a dog who she says, “is the center
of my universe. I adopted her when she was nine and now
she is my sidekick. I want to adopt more dogs in the (near)
future.”
Emily applied to Design Alaska because our community
focus and values were most appealing to her. She says
that she is “pretty happy where I am,” when asked if she
could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Some of her hobbies include knitting, growing her essential
oil collection, and browsing yarn shops, stating, “I recently
purchased a loom. Any weavers who can give me a lesson, please stop by anytime!” Emily adds that she
played volleyball at her university. She describes herself as a homebody and is happiest staying in and doing
crafts.
A few of her goals in life are to see a Narwhal, build her own cabin, learn to quilt and improve her gardening
skills.
Quote from Around the Office
Visitor: Can I deposit or withdraw money here? Lona: Excuse me? Visitor: Can I deposit or withdraw
money here? Lona: Um, this is a design firm, not a bank. (Submitted by Kari Pile)
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Whatishardforyoutogetridof–orsomethingthatyouhoard,andwhy?
Eric Gabrielson
I’m an avid collector of live music, I have thousands of hours. Someday I will be
stranded on the proverbial deserted island, and I will need plenty of entertainment.
Chris Miller
I find it hard to get rid of food. I have a really hard time not having a clean plate, empty
glass, finish the leftovers, etc. I will have the brown banana for breakfast. Mix odd things
to use them up, etc. My cabinets and fridge at home are pretty bare because I really
hate having food go to waste and I like fresh food. My mother hoarded food (five- yearold meat in the freezer), and I promised myself I would never do that……
Marilyn Fye
I save the Dove candy wrappers from which I receive life changing guidance like: “If you
live in the present, every moment is a new beginning,” I like this one because it gives
me an excuse for my forgetfulness. ſ
Dana Parker
I have all of my daughter’s awards and report cards since the time she started school
(seven years ago) and some of her schoolwork, too. I can’t seem to figure out what I
should throw away or what I should keep, so I have just kept it all. I have two boxes full
of this stuff. One of these days I’ll get the nerve to toss some of it and put the rest in
scrapbooks and give them to her when she’s grown.
Tony Mustered
Books. I hate to see books get thrown away or recycled (unless they are really bad or
there are many copies). They go out of print rather quickly in the scheme of things and
become difficult to find. Their monetary value does not usually increase much, and they
do deteriorate over time, but I would still put them in my library rather than throw
away. There is some obscure sense of satisfaction to reading a long-out-of-print and
hard-to-find book, and I would like to pass that opportunity to my kids.
Misty Karella
At first, I thought this was a pretty negative question…because who wants to admit that
they hoard anything – but after thinking about it, I realized I do have a hard time getting
rid of clothes. I have so many clothes that I “think I am going to fit back into” or that “I
think are really cute and that I WILL wear again,” but then they just sit in the closet for
years. It’s an issue, that even my husband will be shocked that I admitted to, so…let’s
just forget I mentioned anything.
Tashina Duttle
Old pictures, yearbooks, etc. We’ve been lugging around these boxes for years! We
actually just moved and almost forgot that we had four huge boxes of old pictures in our
crawlspace. I really think we should get them all digitized so we don’t have to move and
store them anymore!
Lona Uzueta
I can’t make myself throw away issues of New Mexico Magazine. I haven’t subscribed in
years, but I still have all my back issues. Luis and I were both born and raised in New
Mexico. The pictures and articles bring back such a flood of good memories. Things my
husband will tell you I hoard (and he’s right) are boxes, plastic containers, tins, etc. But,
of course, if he needs four or five gallon-sized ice cream tubs – I have them!
Multiple Rows Within Excel
By Jason Colquhoun
Did you know that in Excel, if you press ALT+ENTER you can enter multiple lines of text within
a single cell? This can be very useful for creating lists within a single row, such as for review comments;
or for forcing a word wrap without editing the column width.
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The fourth month of the 2014 Don’t Be Fuelish competition is complete. Just two months left! We had
10 participants in July, saving a total of 926 miles over 98 combined days. Our year-to-date total is 3681
miles over 414 combined days, with 12 participants.
Thanks to everyone who participated!
Elizabeth Johnston was our biggest saver in July, with 308 miles, as well as our most active
participant, with 22 days. Brian Marmor and Elizabeth are our most active participants overall, with 74
days each. Elizabeth is our biggest saver overall, with 913 miles.
The chart below shows a breakdown by department of miles, days, participants, and miles per person.
Electrical has the most miles per person, and Electrical and Structural are tied for the most days per
person. LPAD has the highest rate of participation, with 37.5% of employees participating. Way to go
Electrical, Structural, and LPAD!
July
Year to date
Participants
Days
Electrical
LPAD
Structural
5.5
8.0
5.0
308.0
311.5
177.1
1
3
1
22
27
20
56.0
38.9
35.4
4.000
3.400
4.000
913.0
1113.2
566.2
1
3
1
74
97
64
166.0
139.2
113.2
13.50
12.10
12.80
Marketing/PM
4.0
55.0
1
5
13.8
1.250
535.0
1
45
133.8
11.25
9.5
12.0
9.0
2.0
26.0
28.2
20.0
00.0
1
2
1
0
13
10
1
0
2.7
2.4
2.2
0.0
1.400
0.833
0.100
0.000
146.0
347.4
60.0
0.0
1
2
1
0
73
58
3
0
15.4
29.0
6.7
0.0
7.70
4.80
0.30
0.00
4.0
00.0
0
0
0.0
0.000
0.0
0
0
0.0
0.00
Architecture
Mechanical
Admin.
Accounting
Survey
Participants
# of
Employees
Miles
Department
Miles
Days
Days
Per
Per
Person Person
Joyka and Zachary Chicoine
welcome the birth of their first child,
Rodrick Thaddeus Chicoine, who
was born at 12:06 a.m. on July 15,
2014. Rodrick weighed in at 8
pounds, 3.3 ounces and is 21¾
inches long.
Joyka is Cutter Degerlund’s sister
and worked as part of the
Administrative Staff for several
years.
Miles
Miles
Per
Person
Days
Per
Person
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August is recognized as National Immunization Awareness Month. Immunizations help prevent dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases. Along with the well-known regimen of childhood vaccinations
adults need to get their shots too—to stay protected against serious illnesses like the flu, measles, and
tuberculosis. National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time to promote vaccines and remind
family, friends, and coworkers to stay up to date on their shots.
How can National Immunization Awareness Month make a difference?
We can all use this month to raise awareness about vaccines and share strategies to increase immunization rates within our community.
Here are just a few ideas:
x
Talk to friends and family members about how vaccines aren’t just for kids.
People of all ages can get shots to protect them from serious diseases.
x Encourage people in your community to get the flu shot every year.
x Educate yourself on which vaccines are age appropriate. Adult vaccine charts can be found
on the cdc.gov website.
State Law & Immunizations
Child care providers and schools require immunizations prior to admitting children. State Law requires
that schools receive a current copy of every child’s immunization record PRIOR to the first day of
school. Alaska Immunization Compliance Standards from birth through school-age can be found at
http://www.epi.alaska.gov/immunize.
Children attending Alaska schools must be immunized against:
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTap/DT/Td/Tdap)
Polio
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Varicella (Chicken pox) through 6th grade
Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) – under age 5 years
only
Upcoming Fairbanks / North Pole Immunization
Clinics:
August 12th – Ester Clinic: 3PM – 6PM
Ester Volunteer Fire Department: 3570 Old Nenana Hwy.
August 13th – Fairbanks Clinic: 1PM – 4PM
Joy Elementary School: 24 Margaret Street Fairbanks
August 14th – Badger Road Clinic: 3PM-6PM
North Star Volunteer Fire Department: 2358 Bradway St. NP
August 21st – North Pole Clinic: 3PM-6PM
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Can you find the differences between the two
pictures below? There are eleven of them.
Good luck!
There are nine people in the picture above.
If you find six, you have ordinary powers of observation.
Find seven, you have above average powers of
observation.
Find eight, you are very observant! Congratulate yourself!
Find nine, you are extremely observant, very intuitive, and
creative! You can rival the observant powers of Sherlock
Holmes!
Hallucinations don't count!
In which direction is the school bus pictured below traveling?
When pre-school children were shown this picture and question, they all answered “left.” When asked why,
they answered, “Because you can’t see the door.”
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August 2014 ~ Upcoming Events
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
1
Sat
2
Tanana Valley State Fair
thru Aug. 9
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 Statehood
Fun Run
16
Tanana Valley State Fair
10
11
12
13
14
15
17
Mud Factor
5k Run
18
Birthday
Celebration
19
Primary
Election
20
Lunchbyte
21
22
23 Company
Design Alaska Adventure to
Holiday—
Valdez
Closed
24
25
26
27
28 Business
Managers’
Meeting
29
30
31
Kathryn Groseclose snapped this
image of a double rainbow over
Design Alaska early one morning
during a recent rain shower.
Jeff Putnam
James Bartlett
Bob Gras
Matt Prouty
Casey Smith
Misty Karella
August 1
August 8
August 14
August 17
August 31
6th Anniversary
August 18, 2008
—For Sale: New Yakima Boat Rack for Car—
$150.00. Contact Elizabeth Johnston for more info.
See photo Z:Personnel/ETJ/Photos/Garage Sale/
$150 Yakima boat rack.
*Mon., Sept. 1—Labor Day—DA closed
*Wed., Sept. 3—Lunchbyte
*Mon., Sept. 15—Birthday Celebration
*Tues., Sept. 23—First Day of Autumn
*Thurs., Sept. 25—Business Managers’ Meeting