By Dan Ayars, Business Development Manager, TechSolutions
I wanted to take the time to catch everyone up on some of the non-tech things we’ve been up to here at TechSolutions.
Improvising on the fly for a great cause
For the fifth year in a row several members of the TechSolutions staff, along with family and friends, manned a water stop at the American Lung Association in Delaware’s Caesar Rodney Half Marathon. This was the 53rd year for the country’s oldest half marathon and is the major fund raiser for Delaware’s ALA.
The night before I received an email from TechSolutions’ vice president Rich Kenney that 60 mph wind gusts were predicted for the race. My thoughts immediately went to how we would prevent the hundreds of paper cups of water we prepare for the runners from blowing off the tables. Do we bring a tent? Do we cover the cups with trays weighted down with bricks? Should I purchase some plywood sheets and rig them as wind breaks? Then I recalled we are stationed along a fence and, based on its location and the predicted direction of the wind, we may not have an issue. So I rolled the dice and decided to wait and see.
The morning of the race it was cold and very windy. When I arrived at our location I happily noticed the fence was doing its job blocking the worst of the wind. No cups blowing all over creation issue but there was another problem – no supplies. No tables, no water, no cups! They had always been there in years past but this year, nothing. Finding someone involved with the race I learned the supplies were 5 blocks up the street. Although it would have been easier, we decided not to move ourselves but instead move the supplies back to where they should be to take advantage of the protection the fence provided.
Once we got everything moved and set up, we proceeded to fill hundreds of cups of water. Not a one blew off the table, however the wind kicked up a lot of natural debris, so several of the cups ended up with a touch more than water. Not something we could prevent or do much about, so some of the runners received high fiber water.
However it was a different story for the empty cups the runners discarded. They started blowing all over the place. Walt and Chris (DeVito) sprang into action, grabbing trash bags and stationing themselves so the runners could discard the empty cups in the bag, or at least in the vicinity, when they ran by. Worked like a charm because they kept the cups off the ground and saved our crew from cleaning up cups that would have been strewn across several blocks as in years past.
In the end, we did our usual excellent job of keeping the runners hydrated. The wind caused us to make some last minute adjustments, but the end result was the smoothest running water stop we ever had.
It’s funny how adversity can force you to improvise and, in this case, turn a negative into a positive.
Making kids happy and some not so
Each year, the First State Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators hosts an Easter Party/Egg Hunt at St. Michaels School in Wilmington. The kids get to play with crafts, hunt for eggs and receive a visit from the Easter Bunny, a.k.a. me. Yes, I agreed to play the role of the Easter Bunny. This sentence has nothing to do with the article but if you email me at dayars@techsolutionsinc.com with “Wawa” in the subject line, I will enter you in a drawing for a $10 Wawa gift card and a TSI mug.
I really enjoyed playing the Easter Bunny and the reaction from the kids ranged from overwhelming excitement, to bewilderment, to scared and crying. Never have I put so many kids through so many different emotions in one day. I will say the most interesting thing of the day was the questions. Are you real? Can you talk? What do you eat? Do you eat meat? Where do you live? Thank goodness I was advised not to talk or I would have been grilled more than Donald Trump at a debate.
ABC/NCCCC
TechSolutions has also recently become a member of the Associated Builders and Contractors Delaware chapter. I’ve dived head first into the organization by participating in events and joining the Membership Committee. I’ve attended several events and have found fellow members to be very welcoming and friendly.
As mentioned in a previous TechPoints, last year we joined the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. I’m very active in the chamber and recently accepted the invitation to become an Ambassador. The chamber conducts quite a few events every month and has multiple networking, connecting and educational opportunities.
One of our goals in joining both organizations is to give back to and support our business community. If you or anyone at your company has interest in learning more about these organizations, joining me as my guest at one of the events or would like to visit the NCCCC ChamberPro networking group, give me a ring or shoot me an email. I would welcome the opportunity to help out and offer any assistance I can.