SSC_Newsletter_FEB_MARCH_2019_2

SSC SERVICE SOLUTIONS Newsletter FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2019

Beating the Flu Grounds Tips for Your Home Tree Campus USA Hot Dog! The Rewards of Inclusion Zone 6 Meeting Student Reflections Pictures from Across SSC A Jacket and a Smile

In This Issue

Flu Season? Lake Travis ISD did and they are sharing how they did it. Standing in front of a news camera can be daunting, but when you have confidence in your staff and their skills and training you too can come across as smoothly at Chris Weller did when asked what SSC was doing to keep the students of Lake Travis ISD safe when neighboring districts have had to close due to rampant illness. At SSC, we want to work behind the scenes to allow schools to focus on education. Not only do we want students healthy and attending classes in a productive environment, we want teachers and staff healthy and guiding the students’ education.

See the full video and article here.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

University of Arkansas Fort Smith for earning 2018 Tree Campus USA ® recognition. And congratulations to Matt Rich and the SSC Grounds Team for championing this initiative.

Grounds Tips for your Home: In the sun belt spring is kicking in; finalize that pruning on deciduous shrubs that bloom in the summer, leave spring blooming alone. Get out some Horticultural oil (read the label) on plants that had insects last year and get down some organic fertilizer on flowering plants and other shrubs if less than 4 years old. North of the transition zone, many of you are still covered with snow – be patient and jealous of us in the sun belt .

Happy Gardening! George Bernardon Regional VP of Grounds

Tree Campus USA, an Arbor Day Foundation program, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. To obtain this distinction, University of Arkansas Fort Smith has met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance

and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects. Your entire campus community should be proud of this sustained commitment to environmental stewardship. If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time. Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, and energy use. University of Arkansas Fort Smith is stepping up to do its part. As a result of SSC’s commitment to effective urban forest management, we are helping to provide a solution to these global challenges.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Creating Ways to Give Back Welcome to the 1st Hot Dog Charity event held at the Kaufman Jr High  benefiting the N.O.W. (Nutrition on Weekends) Backpack program.  This program gives kids, that are identified by teachers, a backpack of food on Fridays so that they will be able to have food over the weekend.

Be honest, does anything good every come out of a comment like “I bet I can eat more hot dogs than you?” Well, this time, we are happy to report, it did.

district and Mrs. Molly (a math teacher at the Jr high and the program director of Nutrition On Weekends) got wind of the bet. She asked if we could do the event at the Jr High and do it as a Charity event to support the N.O.W. program which was in dire need of funds. While SSC did not take home the trophy this year, plans are already being made for a comeback in 2019. Jose Villapando, Unit Manager expressed his pride, “The SSC Team was well represented by Andrew Richardson, William Sutton and Myself but the real winners were the kids that will benefit from this.”

It all started from a vocal bet between Maintenance and the Transportation Departments during lunch on who could eat more hotdogs and soon our Custodial Department was invited to participate to increase the competition.  Challenge Accepted! Word spread like wild fire through out the

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Meet Luis Garza and his job coach Paul Perez with non-profit Community Options. Together they form an unbeatable team in the new adaptive work program. Luis, a long time fan of Islanders Athletics, is the perfect fit for the care of Dugan Wellness Center, the campus headquarters for all of Athletics. Kevin Brown, at the time was SSC Director of Facilities and has since been promoted to Regional Director of teammember who cares about and recognizes the impact he has on his team on a daily basis. Thank you for everything you do Luis, and thank you for adding SSC to your family. Diversity and Inclusion Week is being celebrated by SSC April 8-12, but at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi, they celebrate year round. Operations, along with Cris Calabria, SSC custodial manager, initially facilitated the partnership between SSC and Community Options and plan to grow the program by hiring additional Community Options clients. Its wonderful to have such a passionate

Read More Here.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

SSC Stands Out at the Zone 6 CCC in Dallas Every year Compass holds a meeting in each of its 6 zones. SSC is the Zone 6 Sponsor and this year the meeting was held at Dallas Motor Speedway. Out of 330 attendees across 22 sectors 50 were there representing SSC. If you’ve never been to your area’s Zone Meeting you might wonder what’s it all about? Community Service

At most Zone meetings, a service project is made available for those who want to volunteer. This year we worked with the Community Storehouse, a not-for- profit children’s charity in northeast Tarrant County whose focus is to close the gap between opportunity and achievement for children in the area. Community Storehouse’s programs are strategically designed to address unmet, identified needs for children within the community. The volunteers assisted in the donation center with the unloading, sorting, and arranging the gently used items that have been donated and worked in the food pantry assisting with the packing of holiday boxes, food, and stocking shelves. OUT OF 330 ATTENDEES ACROSS 22 SECTORS 50 WERE THERE REPRESENTING SSC.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

State of the Business

Updates are given on the state of the overall Compass business, financials, and introductions to sister sectors (hello cross-selling opportunities).

Breakout groups showcase innovations around the sectors with focuses in both facilities and food. James Amos gave a presentation on the drone capabilities SSC utilizes Moving Forward

So next time you hear about a zone meeting in your region... Attend and see for yourself what all the talk and action is about.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

SSC partnered with Weathermatic to upgrade the irrigation systems at the campuses we serve to help better manage water usage. This simple goal grew into aiding in a mission to provide clean water to at risk communities across the globe. Most recently SSC sponsored 6 students to travel to Guatemala to help dig a well in a small village called El Amatillo. Featured are reflections from the students’ experiences. Community

had breakfast and dinner at the hotel for the days that we stayed there. We woke up early every morning to make the one-hour drive over to the village. Some mornings we had extra stops to make so it took a little longer but overall, the ride was never bad. For a good amount of the ride, we drove on cobblestone. That was the first time I’d ever known what it felt like for a car to drive over cobblestone. It gave me a historic feel. Upon arriving at the village for the first time, the community’s children welcomed us with a sign they’d made, and we also met the adults of the community and engaged in prayer. We spent long hours at the community each day to ensure we were completing our tasks within our short time frame of just a couple of days. A group of women from the community made our lunch each day and it was always very flavorful and filling. It was normally some type of meat, like chicken or beef, along with rice, vegetables and freshly prepared corn tortillas. The mayor, Don Epi, joined us when we ate. Don Epi was very hard working and involved in the entire process of us building the well. He definitely made us feel very welcomed and he had good influence over everyone in the community. As we neared completion of our project, it was very bitter sweet. The children were so entertaining, sweet and energetic. The women were so welcoming and hard working. The men were so determined and helpful. Everyone in the community just really made us feel like family so it was hard to know that we would be leaving them and maybe never seeing them again. Overall, I would definitely do it again if I could. The in-country staff Manuel and Nestor were so knowledgeable, organized and helpful. They really made our trip a smooth one. Everything I ate was seasoned well and filling. The hotels we stayed in were very scenic. Our team was very energetic and hard working. Every aspect of this trip was humbling, and I hope I get another chance to do something like this. Thank you for the opportunity.

Marilyn Dunn Junior, Prairie View A&M University

I’m very grateful to have been able to participate in an opportunity like this. I do community service often, so I’m always interested in helping out those in need. My initial feelings about going on the trip were a mixture between anxious, uneasy, and excited. I was very thankful to have been about to embark on such an incredible trip, but it was going to be a completely new experience for me which explains the feeling of uneasiness. Nonetheless, my excitement took over once we landed in Guatemala City. I took many pictures and videos on the way to our hotel; the scenery was very beautiful and lush. I really liked the first hotel we stayed at, it had a courtyard like

appearance with very colorful flowers. We had dinner at a nice steakhouse and I ate an authentic Guatemalan dish by the name of chicken pepian. The next morning, we took about a three- and-a-half-hour drive to our housing arrangements near the village. We stopped for lunch and a snack on the way to the hotel. Once we got there we settled into our rooms before having dinner at the hotel. I really thought the way the hotel was set up was neat and creative due to the eating area being under a large gazebo-like structure. Although we were eating outside in the elements, every time we had a meal out there it was refreshing and satisfying. We

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Sasha Guzman Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Meeting and helping the wonderful people in the village of El Amatillo has been a most rewarding experience, more than I had hoped for. Not only did I connect with the adults and children alike, but also with the similar cultural roots of my ancestors, as I am Native American. The process of drilling the well was amazing, because the gift of clean water lasts for decades to come and will serve multiple generations. When we first entered the village, we were greeted by the children with banners welcoming us with open arms. I loved the gesture, but what was to come I loved much more. The children were so full of life and excitement upon getting to know them better. Interacting with them through gymnastics, singing, music, fútbol, making balloons, and lectures, was the most fun of the entire trip for me. When the team was getting ready to leave, on our last day in the village, one of the little girls, Ashley, gave me a letter. I did not realize until the moment that she handed me the letter, how much the children had touched my heart. It brought a few tears to my eyes. I will carry the memories that we shared with me forever. The women and men of the village were very hospitable. We ate good meals, which the women made fresh from scratch and the men shoveled mud and dug irrigation paths, I was impressed. What stuck out to me is the interest and effort that the community put into the project. It made me happy to see what the well meant to them. Their spirits lifted my spirit. The mayor was actively involved for the duration of our stay. It gave me faith that the well would be taken care of after our departure. I hold all of the people who helped make this project happen in high regard. I felt in touch with my cultural roots while in Guatemala. I am Native American, of the Esto’k Gna tribe of southern Texas and northern Mexico. However, my Grandmother Marisela, who is passed

and who I could not find any ancestral records on, held many of the same practices as the people there. It surprised me that I kept coming across so many similarities. It brought back pleasant childhood memories. For example, the Pepián soup tasted the same as what she would cook for me as a child, she would give us worry dolls to play with, her pet, a Yellow-headed Parrot named Paco, was the same as the birds that I saw there, and her religious table was the same as the people have in their homes in Guatemala. The Mayan culture warmed my heart. In conclusion, I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to work with the Living Water team and its associates. We are lucky to have such concerned and apathetic people who want to make a

difference. I am also very grateful that I have clean water, and that I am so privileged in my lifestyle here in America. The lack of clean water in other countries is a basic necessity, and I am sad that many people in the world do not have this basic need. I would like to continue community service projects such as this one, when time and money permit, to help in what way my humble person can. In my daily life I ammore conscience of the amount of water that I am using. I conserved water before but am even more aware now of opportunities to preserve this precious resource. I notice that when I turn on the faucet, that I think of the children of El Amatillo and so many others like them and remember that I must be responsible.

All of the students’ reflections from the 2018 Save Water | Give Life rip have been shared but more will be on the way as we plan 2019. July 21-27th SSC will team up with Weathermatic for a 4th year to sponsor students to serve a community El Salvador. This year, two students from Lake Sumter State College and one student and one parent from Bastrop ISD will be joining students from Texas A&M and Teas A&M International University in this amazing opportunity. We can’t wait to hear the stories they will have to share with us.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Over 5000 books for pre– K through 2nd grade and 10 scholarships for rising seniors at Richland School District Two A heartfelt thank you from the Kilgore Softball Team

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Welcome Queens University to the SSC Family! No job is too BIG or too SMALL for our team

Giving back to the students at Samford University

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Thank you to everyone who came to visit us at TASA

Its never too late to learn something new and you are never so good that you can’t improve. SSC Leadership attended a Ty Boyd Public Speaking Seminar and learned some new tricks they will be sharing in the field.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Have you ever seen the devastation left behind when fire sprinklers go off?

Unfortunately, Southside Middle School can now attest after a sprinkler water line burst. SSC Maintenance and Custodial staffs immediately jumped into action to showcase their professional skill, organization, and quick thinking. Amazingly the school was able to be in session the following day.

Thank you to our partner, Muncie Community Schools for appreciating our staff as much as we do!

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Kind words go a long way in a letter from a parent

My son, Colby, and I participated in the First Lego League competition on your campus Saturday. As his team packed up their equipment and belongings just before the awards ceremony, Colby realized he could not find his jacket. Naturally, said jacket was fairly new, very much loved because of the texture of the lining, and not inexpensive on my single-parent-public-school-employee budget. Colby and I searched everywhere he thought it might be, and checked the lost and found on the stage. At some point we encountered your janitorial staff, and spoke to an older lady who was very kind and helpful. She offered to take my number in case they found the jacket, and we told her it actually had a name tag with my phone number in it. She did take the description of the jacket and promised to keep an eye out for it as they finished out their cleaning.  When we left your building, my assumption was that the jacket was gone. Colby had been up since 4:30am and had a long, exciting/stressful day of competition, and was upset at losing his beloved jacket and upset at himself for losing track of it. I assured him I would get on Amazon and get another one ordered, and that it wasn’t the end of the world. I didn’t point out that the Amazon order would have to wait a week until payday…lol. To my great surprise, I got a phone call later in the evening from your sweet janitor letting me know she had found the jacket! Unfortunately, I was going to have to drive from Mansfield to get it, and they only expected to be at the campus another 45 minutes to an hour. I didn’t want to delay them, and even though she offered to meet me Sunday

I didn’t want to put her out on Sunday either! In the end, she found a sheltered place outside to leave the jacket and made sure it was safe from being blown away in the high winds, and I headed back to Kaufman. Just as I reached the campus, she called me again to be sure I had located it in the assigned place. I tried to ask her name at the end of the call, but she had already hung up. I retrieved the jacket and returned it home to a very grateful boy J.  I don’t know if you have an internal

program to acknowledge employees who go above and beyond in some way. If you do, I hope you’ll nominate this sweet lady. I don’t have her name, but I can share her cell number if you aren’t able to identify her based on Saturday’s schedule. If nothing else, please pass along my sincerest appreciation. She was doing what is likely a pretty thankless job most days, but put a great face on your campus and district and certainly went above and beyond to help us out!  — Christie

Mary Annette Denson was the employee that made such an impression and as an additional Thank You, SSC presented her with a GEM award for her community compassion and caring. Our Great Employees really do Make Magic.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

Spotlight Do you know someone looking to grow their career? Do you want to grow your spending money? The solution to both is to help SSC and Compass Group fill open positions!

REQ

POSITION LOCATION

241046 Tarleton State 239317 TAMU West Texas 248215 TAMU C&D Eng 249257 SSC Corporate Office

Assistant Director

Stephenville

TX TX

Construction PM Canyon

Construction PM II College Station TX

Executive Admin

Knoxville

TN

Assistant

250512 Texas A&M 242915 Livingston ISD 241044 Tarleton State 253435 New England

Facility Director Facility Director Facility Director

Prairie View TX

Livingston

TX TX

Stephenville

Grounds Manager Henniker

NH

College 234445 TAMU

Grounds Manager Laredo

TX

International University 247634 Charleston County SD Grounds Manager

Charleston

SC US

233718 STAT TEAM

Project Manager -

US

Grounds Refer and earn an extra $750+ Unit Director

238442 Washington College

Chestertown

MD

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018

50 YEARS OF HISTORY Many of you remember Don Williams, who retired as SSC’s CEO in 2014, but do you know how he first came to SSC?

ambitions were sidetracked, “I met Baxter, an incomparable business man and friend. I have seen the struggles of a new business but, even more strongly, the successes of hard work, determination and trust win out.”

It was 1976, and Don was a Grad Student at the University of Tennessee in a summer long course of Intensive Immersion Russian History and Language. Tensions from the Cold World still lingered and there were rumors on campus that the CIA was there discreetly recruiting for Signals Intelligence. Don, who in addition to Russian, could also speak and write French and German aimed his sights high and set off on a mission to get himself recruited. The student newspaper had a mysterious blind box ad that didn’t seem to fit with the others, no logo, no job details, so our bold student answered the opportunity. His resume made an impact, and he was invited for an interview. Very little information was given. He proceeded to the designated location, an unmarked door

in a tiny building behind a Krystals— perfect cover for the CIA. The interview went glowingly and he was given his next task: meet a former Naval Petty Officer at night in the empty cafeteria of Farragut High School. September 1st, Don arrived at the covert meeting, met Ed King, and was handed and mop and a bucket. “It wasn’t’ the CIA. I offered $1.65/ hr to clean FHS. I was ewly

married and and needed a job. I figured this was as good as any.” Life doesn’t always take

Would you like to contribute to next month’s newsletter? Please contact us

into account your plans but after 29 years with SSC, Don doesn’t mind that his CIA

with your idea! SSC Service Solutions PO Box 52370 Knoxville, TN 37950 865-546-8880 Contact@sscserv.com www.sscserv.com

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