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.

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I wanted to take the time and step back from technology this month and give you an update on some of the things we have been up to in the community and business world.

Halloween party at the Emmanuel Dining Room West

Each year the First State Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators hosts a Halloween party at the Emmanuel Dining Room West for the kids in the surrounding neighborhood. As a business partner of the First State ALA we were invited to assist with this event and gladly accepted. We donated hot dogs and my daughter Kate and I volunteered to help out. The kids enjoyed crafts, played games, danced and each got a small trick or treat bag of candy. The Halloween themed tattoo station, manned by Kate (pictured) and another girl, was a big hit with the kids. The kids, and their parents too, were treated to hot dogs, snacks and beverages so a good time was had by all.

Food donations for those in need

The First State ALA also conducts an Annual Food Drive in collaboration with the Emmanuel Dining Room West. The Emmanuel Dining Room takes the donated food and makes up Thanksgiving baskets that are given out to families in need. Our TechSolutions team donated several pounds of food, a small portion of which is pictured.

The county chamber and exhibiting at the expo

TechSolutions joined the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce (NCCCC) earlier this year and we immediately started participating in several areas. I’ve attended several networking mixers and joined the ChamberPro business networking group. Incidentally if you want to make connections with fellow business people and owners, the mixers and networking groups are great ways to do so. If you have interest in checking out the ChamberPro networking group just let me know and I’ll arrange it so you can attend as my guest.

The premiere event for the NCCCC is the annual Entrepreneurial & Business Women’s Expo. This year was the 25th anniversary and for the first time, the expo was held at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. In the morning there were educational workshops. At noon there was an awards luncheon followed in the afternoon by an exhibitor’s showcase. The expo concluded with a late afternoon networking event.

I attended the awards luncheon and our company participated in the Exhibitor’s Showcase (pictured-sorry I had my backed turned) with Rich Kenney and I manning our exhibition table. Rich and I had the privilege of meeting several business people and entrepreneurs, building on existing relationships and exploring business partnerships. The expo was a wonderful way to meet people, make connections and receive inspiration from several successful business women. Needless to say it was a no brainer to decide on participating in next year’s event.

We also conducted a drawing at the expo for a Fitbit. Attendees were invited to sign up for our monthly newsletter, and all who did were entered into the drawing. The winner of the Fitbit was Evelyn Joiner of Sparano, Vincelette & Villano – Certified Public Accountants.

In closing and in light of the holiday, I want to extend our sincere appreciation for your business from all of us here at TechSolutions. We are truly thankful for the relationship we have with each and every one of you.

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Good for Mary, good for you, good for us

I am delighted to let you know that our Office Administrator, Mary Morris has been promoted to the recently created position of Service Manager and will be transitioning into the role over the next several weeks. The position is quite fitting for her due to her tech savviness and relentless pursuit of top notch client service. I think those who have had the pleasure to interact with Mary would agree she is a great fit for this position. In her soon-to-be former position here at TSI she is already heavily involved with coordinating work flow and ensuring our clients are served in a timely manner.

This move is one of many in our endless pursuit of improved client service. Mary is very proactive and has a keen eye for identifying areas in need of improvement. She will be enacting several initiatives and ideas she has that our clients and staff will benefit from in the coming months.

We here at TSI congratulate Mary on this accomplishment and will provide her with our support and well wishes.

H₂O on the go

Well again we have pulled our TSI team together to assist with the American Lung Association in Delaware’s Annual Caesar Rodney ½ Marathon and 5K. For the fourth year in a row our staff will man the water stop at Delaware Avenue and Bancroft Parkway, which is at the 9 mile mark of the race course that winds its way through Wilmington. This is the marquee fundraising event for the American Lung Association in Delaware, so we are glad to throw our support behind this important cause and help fund a mission that will in one way or another most likely touch many of us. You know writing that sentence just made me think that I have had 4 close family members impacted by lung problems, 3 of which lost the battle.

The race is on Sunday, March 22 and we arrive at the water stop at 8:45 a.m. to get set up. Runners are predicted to start reaching our stop around 10:00 a.m. So if you want to stop by to say hi, watch us in action and cheer on the runners, we’d love to see you. If you’d like to help us out let me know and if you want to support this great cause you can get details at 2015 Caesar Rodney Half Marathon and 5K.

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