October 2015 - Spectrum Concessions

October Edition | Issue 79
Spectrum Connection
From the Desk of
Boss or Leader?
Dave Smalley
From time to time I hear, and perhaps you do as well, people refer to me as Boss. “Yes sir, boss, How are you
today boss?”; simple innocuous comments most likely borne out of endearment. However, truth be told,
whenever I hear that it kind of stings.
Founder | CEO
I guess I have a notion of what a “boss” is and when I close my eyes and imagine what a boss looks like, in my
mind it is not a very positive image. In the image I have I think a boss says “GO!”, while I think in the same
scenario a leader says “Let’s Go!” I feel it is a huge difference. A boss says “climb that mountain”; a leader climbs the mountain
with their associates, all the way to the top.
Speaking of mountains, I think a boss perceives him or herself perched all alone on the top of the mountain while a leader walks
every step with his team of associates, encouraging them to the top. A boss shouts down to those climbing below, but a leader will
double back so he can talk to someone and help them get to the top.
It doesn’t take much reflective thought to see that, by leading people to successes at the top of the mountain, the surrounded
leader creates a far more dynamic group than that of the alternative. So I guess if you are the leader of your group or organization
and you find yourself thinking “it is lonely at the top” it may be time to do some reflective thinking of your own.
Leaders are not alone; they allow themselves to be surrounded with their followers. Think how fulfilling it is to take someone
where they could not go on their own. Everyone loves that feeling and leaders get to feel that way regularly.
I would further say that a good leader does not stay at the top or stay stationary. Great leaders travel up and down the mountain
to find strong climbers that can assume leadership positions of their own. This further strengthens the organization, allowing the
conquering of multiple peaks.
A really smart man, Jules Ormont said “A great leader never sets himself above their followers, except in carrying responsibilities.” While boss and leader may be used interchangeably by some, in my mind there are distinct differences, just as there some
subtle and not so subtle differences in many of the things and traits we build upon as the foundation of our corporate culture, such
as choices and committed choices, to motivate or to inspire, among others.
I wish you and yours only the very best of every day. We are so lucky that we work together. And together we are making a difference.
Most sincerely,
Dave
Page 1
From the Desk of
Melanie parker
President
I was reading an article titled No Wrong Time to Say the Right Thing. After
reading the title, I had to ask myself if I really wanted to read that article.
You may or may not know this about me but often times I find it difficult to
be a straight shooter with my words; not that I don’t shoot straight but I
find myself sugar coating my words. Reading the article prompted me to
ask if I am being fair to the other person by adding the extra sugar; after all,
isn’t it about them and not me?
When the message one needs to share is accurate, fair, and honest, it’s hard to mince words.
From constructive criticism, termination, to simple every day conversation, saying the right
thing in a reasonable and honest way seems to be living by the Golden Rule, now that I think
about it. I have been on the receiving end of very difficult confrontation and words can sting,
but if those words or that direction are coming from an honest heart it sure is hard to let the
sting last for very long.
I can live for two
months on a good
compliment.
- Mark Twain
The added bonus of saying the right thing to others is that we give others and ourselves something to reflect upon and an opportunity of personal and / or professional growth. There can be a lot of meaning in
words when they are used for the greater good; not so much if they
are used to be hurtful, demeaning or sarcastic.
Isn’t it also nice to give a shout out to someone, just an everyday compliment? Compliments
can turn a person’s day around so quickly and compliments cost nothing to say or receive.
Let’s have a great rest of the year together!!
Cheers,
Mel
Page 2
Client Profile:
Steve Feener
Company: Superfly
How you know Spectrum and since when: Since 2004, working together at the
Bonnaroo Music Festival and now I have worked many wonderful events with
Spectrum.
Tell us about your family: I have been happily married to my wonderful wife
Christy for 26 years. Christy is also in the business and runs security for many
festivals that Spectrum works. I have two fantastic children, a son who plays
professional soccer and a daughter who is a sophomore at the Theatre School
at DePaul University studying acting. Our family motto is live your dreams!
Your interests when time permits away from our crazy world: Spending time
with my family, whether it is going to see my kids perform or just all getting together for pizza…it’s always special!
Favorite foods, books, vacation spots: I love the beach and warm weather, and I
enjoy reading while on the beach, any type of book. I am particular to a nice
juicy steak and a glass of cabernet.
Page 3
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State Bearkats Football
It’s that time of year for some FOOTBALL and the Sam Houston Bearkats kicked off their home opener at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville on Saturday, September 19th against Lamar. The Bearkats continue to play in the Southland Conference and will once again be aiming to make the playoffs, as they have done the past four years. As Southland
Conference Champions they have a lot on the line, as you can imagine!
The Bearkats have a new Jumbo Tron scoreboard in the stadium, as will both the baseball and softball fields for their
season openers in February 2016. This enhancement, along with the brand new season ticket holder seats that have
been installed, continues to step things up at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.
Spectrum is proud to be in its fifth year as the concessionaire for SHSU and it’s been wonderful to see each year improve over the past years performances. We have a very loyal fan and student base, and continue to also host the
local Huntsville Hornets High School, as Bowers Stadium is the Hornets home stadium as well.
Presently the Bearkats are scheduled to play six home games and the Hornets will host five games. Both of the seasons will wrap up in early November, but then the possibilities of both high school and college playoff games come
into play.
As mentioned earlier, the Bearkats have advanced into the playoffs the past four years, and have even played for the
Conference Championship the last two years. We’re excited to host a variety of high school games as well, which
can range anywhere from single A schools all the way to 6A schools. These games carry us well into November, and
if we’re lucky there will be games till mid-December!
Good luck Bearkats and Hornets as we get this year under way!!!
Page 4
Indiana Farmers Coliseum
On Saturday, September 26th the IU Gala was held at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. Cocktail hour started off the evening, including an open bar along with the Spectrum Team executing hors
d’oeuvre service featuring 1000 scrumptious pieces to the guests. From there the event transformed into
a 767 person, two-course plated dinner with table side wine service, capped off with confetti cannons. Guests were then met by the 150 person IU marching band, arriving into the ceremony from three
different access points and leading them to the coffee and dessert reception that featured 1000 delectable
dessert pieces.
As with any Spectrum event, this Gala was certainly no small task! Like all events it is important to make
sure the managers know their responsibilities as well as those of their staff, and use teamwork to ensure
we maintain the course of action for a successful event, remaining flexible and taking any last minute client
changes in stride.
This was undoubtedly one of the most detailed and largest events that we have performed here in Indianapolis to date. The scope and size of the event cannot properly be conveyed into words; it was truly a "had
to be there" moment. There was not one single person that lead to the success of this event, but rather
the TEAMWORK of a solid, talented culinary team and an outstanding front of the house management
crew. So a big Spectrum THANK YOU to Chef Jay Stone, Chef Alan Richards, Chef Alex Repko, Chef Andy
Dunaway, January Lesperance, Kelly McGovern, Jamilla Dorsey, Adam Stefanko, and Aaron Schmidt.
Page 5
The Lone Star Convention Center
Although September is not a busy month for us at Lone Star it holds one of our largest events of the year,
The Legend of the Lion. The dinner, dance and auction is an annual fundraising event that supports the
Conroe Noon Lions Club charity projects.
We set up four buffet lines and served over 500 people in 21 minutes. WOW! Dinner entertainment was
provided by Patsy Cline, aka Mary Allen Keating, with live music from New Waverly’s own Josh Fuller
Band.
The Conroe Noon Lions Club has an extensive Sight Conservation Program, providing school-aged children eye exams and eyeglasses, as well as assisting other clients in a partnership with the Montgomery
County Homeless Coalition by conducting area vision screenings and maintaining an Eyeglass Recycling
Center. Other community projects include scholarships, food baskets, camps for handicap and diabetic
children, fishing tournaments for special needs children, guide dogs, and more! This year the Lions Club’s
Live and Silent Auctions topped an all-time high of over $70,000 for their charity projects.
A huge THANK YOU to Kevin Bell and his team for the great food and help in executing this year’s event.
This year was the ninth year for the event, and the eighth held at the Lone Star, and we are proud to say
it was a success for all.
Page 6
Wicked Whisk
A repeat customer of ours, LGI Homes, has an interesting way of selling new
homes and lots. Potential buyers line up at a starting line and “race” for the
home or lot, and the first one to grab the medallion from the “For Sale” sign
wins the right to purchase that property.
At a recent LGI event our own Jose Palacios was asked to use more than just his
catering skills. A widowed mom was there to purchase her first home, and had
always dreamed of a corner lot. The problem was that the ONLY corner lot was
over 225 yards from the starting line, and there was no way she could compete
with the 30-40 people who lined up for the first race. Jose was asked to step
in, and in true Spectrum spirit, he was more than happy to oblige.
When the bell sounded the pack of humanity started racing down the
street. From a bad starting position Jose finally broke free from the pack and
seemed to be on his way. Then we noticed some others catch him and the race
was on. From where we stood it looked like he had lost but when he returned
to the tent he was clutching the medallion which he gave to the overjoyed and
thankful future homeowner!”
Page 7
Wicked Whisk visits Caney Creek
Caney Creek High School invited Wicked Whisk to their campus to talk to their culinary and hospitality programs. We spent the day dropping knowledge on inspiring culinarians and business associates, and spoke
to them about their future plans and the different facets that can be explored in our industry. A lot of students were surprised at the different ventures that could be available to them in the hospitality industry.
The students also received a hands-on experience in the food truck, allowing them to see how it functions.
We served them deep fried cheesecake pops with a red wine berry coulis.
The main topic that John and I talked about was our own success and challenges that we have learned during our personal adventures; things like the do's and don'ts, the positives and the negatives. I am happy to
report there were a lot of smiles and laughs! We had a GREAT time, were honored to be invited, and can't
wait to do it again!
Page 8
Festival Fun
Page 9
Afropunk
October 3 - 4
The Spirit International Amateur Championship
October 9 - 15
Lighting of the Doves
November 21
From Day to Night
December 19 - 20
Okeechobee
March 4 - 6
Buku
March 11 - 12
Shell Houston Open
March 28 - April 3
Bayou City Arts Festival - Memorial Park
April 1 - 3
Tortuga
April 15 - 17
Earth Day - Houston
April 16
Valero Texas Open
April 18 - 24
McDonald’s Houston Children’s Festival
April 26 - 27
March Madness Music Festival
TBD
AT&T Byron Nelson Championship
May 16 - 22
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
May 23 - 29
Governor’s Ball
June 3 - 5
Free Press Summer Fest
June 5 - 6
FedEx St. Jude Classic
June 6 - 12
Bonnaroo
June 9 -12
Farmborough
TBD
CVS Health Charity Classic
TBD
Red, Hot & Blue
July 4
Freedom Over Texas
July 4
Forecastle
TBD
RBC Canadian Open
July 20-26
John Deere Classic
August 8 - 14
CP Women's Open
August 22 - 28
Shaw Charity Classic
August 29 - September 4
Alliance Air Show
TBD
Bayou City Arts Festival - Downtown
October TBD
Page 10
Lighting of the Doves/iWOW
TBD
IT ASSISTANCE:
Keystone Consulting Group, Inc.
281.494.9444
CHAT: via the Keystone icon installed on your desktop
Spectrum Connection is a publication of:
Spectrum Catering, Concessions & Special Events
P.O. Box 7130
The Woodlands, Texas, 77387
Office: 281.363.0900
GOLF CATERING AND CONCESSIONS | CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
Dave Smalley
Melanie Parker
713.897.8240
713.897.8239
[email protected]
[email protected]
713.897.8238
713.897.8237
[email protected]
[email protected]
713.897.8233
713.897.8266
713.897.8265
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
713.897.8235
[email protected]
713.897.8232
713.897.8234
[email protected]
[email protected]
713.897.8245
[email protected]
713.897.8262
[email protected]
617.692.0011
713.897.8258
[email protected]
[email protected]
WICKED WHISK CATERING
Paul Fanelli
Sandra Bell
MUSIC FESTIVALS
Maverick Smalley
Tyler Fredricksen
Kezia Callahan
SPECIAL EVENTS
Tony Terwilliger
GOLF VOLUNTEERS | STAFFING | VENDORS
Missie Martinez
Drea Blacklaws
ARTIST & TOUR CATERING
Shelley Gatchell
STADIUM DIVISION | ICE RINK MANAGEMENT
Jim Smalley
THEATER DIVISION
Jason Reed - Northern Division
Jay Jung - Southern Division
WAREHOUSE | RENTALS
Ruben Garcia - Operations | Management 713.897.8242
Robert Jones - Rentals | Fleet
713.897.8268
[email protected]
[email protected]
Frank Norgan - Warehouse Management
713.897.8268
[email protected]
713.897.8257
713.897.8253
713.897.8254
713.897.8255
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
ACCOUNTING
Derek Mills - Chief Financial Officer
Peggy Kozan - Accounts Receivable
Kim Smidlein - Accounts Payable
Dianne Holmes - Payroll | HR