Light Minds Think Alike : community

It's a holly jolly holiday at ETC

allisonsuchon — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:44:00 GMT

Santa's workshop isn't the only bustling factory this time of year. ETC offices across the globe are busy filling end-of-the year orders and gearing up for a new year with a lot of new surprises. Even with all that work going on, you'd have a tough time finding a Grinch or a scrooge at ETC.

We started getting into the holiday spirit right after Thanksgiving, when Town Square at the Middleton headquarters was transformed overnight by some hardworking elves. The 1930s New York streetscape was turned into a living snow globe, with candy canes, ornaments, wreaths and garland adorning every inch of the space. Our faux storefronts can compete with any department-store holiday window display. And because we're a company full of engineers and techies, we have an automated, life-sized Santa bobbing up and down in a chimney near the marketing department. Even King Kong, perched atop the Empire State Building, has donned a santa hat (seen here in a grainy photo shot by a local news helicopter).

Being the arts-minded company we are, we couldn't have the holidays without celebrating the arts - or the art of a good flash mob. Twice we've had impromptu groups come wassailing. A couple weeks ago, members of the Madison Ballet twirled around Town Square, dancing to holiday classics and songs from musicals like Kiss Me Kate. And then last week, the Middleton High School chamber singers filled Town Square with carols for ETC employees needing a bit of a break.

And each office has had their version of a holiday party. The first was the New York office's annual open house, where they showed off our latest and greatest products. Industry professionals, including award-winning Broadway lighting designers, packed the office to mingle with ETC staff and get product demos. True to the moniker "the city that never sleeps," the New York event was supposed to run from 3:00-8:00pm, but the party was still going on at the office until 9:30 and then continued until much later at a local bar.

Our London office teamed up with ABTT (the Association of British Theatre Technicians) to hold a Christmas party at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Close to 250 people dined at the Grand Saloon and recognized the newest fellows and honorary members of ABTT.

The picturesque Monona Terrace in Madison, WI, played host to the American offices' party. Although Jack Frost tried to ruin the festivities by dumping nine inches of blowing and drifting snow on the city, hundreds of ETC employees and our guests enjoyed a Tuscan-themed evening full of food, games and great company. The backdrop for the event was a handcrafted stage that resembled a Tuscan villa, built by ETC CEO Fred Foster and his wife Susan for the wedding of two ETC employees this summer. The whole event was lit by ETC Selador® and Source Four Revolution® fixtures. Thanks to the blizzard outside, we couldn't take the no-sleeping title from New York. The party was cut short, so guests could leave before the roads got too hazardous to navigate in the snow.

Almost everybody who works for ETC's Holzkirchen office attended the German holiday celebration, with a tasty lunch at the Gasthof Oberbräu restaurant. And ETC Asia combined their holiday merriment with customer service training. ETC VP of Professional Services Sarah Danke brought her companywide training course to Hong Kong, and employees there celebrated acing the class at their holiday luncheon.

From all of us here at ETC, we wish you happy holidays and all the best in 2011!

The best can always get better

allisonsuchon — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:05:00 GMT

ETC has earned a reputation in our industry for offering unmatched customer service. One reason for this is that we're always trying to adapt and improve our service model to make sure we're providing the best support for the people we work with every day.

Last year, ETC kicked off a new, companywide program to help ensure we're still providing the acclaimed support we're known for. The Customer Service Awareness Training Series is an eight-week training program - led by ETC's Vice President of Professional Services Sarah Danke - that focuses on reevaluating and improving how we interact with others. The classes are attended by a mix of employees from different departments, who work together and encourage each other throughout the training. Eventually, every ETC employee across the globe will attend one of the Training Series sessions.

"No matter what job an employee holds, he or she provides some form of customer service, whether to the outside world or to coworkers inside ETC," explains Sarah. "These classes help all of us realize what role we play in our customer-service chain and how to keep our customer-service standards high."

The very last assignment for the Customer Service Awareness Training Series is a team presentation that demonstrates the lessons learned from the course. While those of us who haven't yet taken the class don't fully understand why, it's become commonplace to see our coworkers playing games with jello in Town Square, dressing like game show hosts or reciting Shakespeare.

The first rule of the Customer Service Awareness Training Series? Don't talk about the Customer Service Awareness Training Series. The content of the classes is a closely guarded secret, so each employee can experience the training in his or her own way.

Suksa Thao, a team lead in ETC's Fixtures division of the Manufacturing department, participated in the training earlier this year and like all other employees, enjoyed the experience. "I learned that you have to treat everyone inside and outside of ETC as your customers," he said. "I have been using all the tricks from the training in my job. I know that this class will change a little or a lot in everyone who has been through the training, and will definitely have a big impact on customer service at ETC."

ETC celebrates Halloween

allisonsuchon — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:10:00 GMT

ETC employees got a jump-start on Halloween by showing up to work on Friday, October 29^th, in costume. Here are some of our favorites:

You just might get Cleopatra (Administrative Assistant Krystal Moran) on the phone when you call ETC’s front desk.

“Have some more sloppy joes! I made them extra sloppy for youse!” Flo, Gertie, Ilene and ‘Deli’ Daphne (aka: Marjorie Olsen, Kao Her, Mary Kading and ‘Deli’ Dave Hesterly) donned their best hairnets and horn-rimmed glasses to give a great Lunch Lady impression to ETC’s Broadway Deli customers.

“That’s one, one SmartStand! Two, two SmartStands! Wha-ha-ha-ha!” Inventory Specialist Moua Lee channels his inner Count.

Assembler Tyler Freund answers one of life’s deepest mysteries: where’s Waldo? (Hint: check by the installation racks in the ETC factory.)

Administrative Assistant Tori Mizerak proves that working in Tech Services is just ‘Child’s Play.’

Acceptance Test Specialist Greg Thomas greets visitors to the Tech Services department with a tail wag.

Project Manager Rachel Frederick shows off her flower power.

This is what happened after the credits rolled in the movie Carrie. (Actually, it’s Regional Assistants Erin Flack and Heather Hatley goofing around in Systems.)

“Just a spoonful of Unison helps the lighting costs go down...” Architectural Basics Project Specialist Alison Daughters makes a great Mary Poppins.

If the Godfather sprouted wings, he’d be Systems Estimator and Project Manager Ned Keitt-Pride.

Administrative Assistant Elly Burian says: “I can has cheezburger?”

Electrical Engineer Kevin McCann celebrates Casual Friday in R&D.

And apparently the 80s are back in style at ETC. It seems a lot of us are missing the days of big hair, big jewelry and big shoulder pads...

Customer Service Representative Tina Lippiatt could step in for Meg Ryan in her next film.

Project Managers Doug Tuttrup and Katie O’Connell put their rubix cubes and Aquanet aside for a picture.

Systems Engineer Natalia Lupacheva could be an extra on the set of Dynasty.

Systems Engineer Shawn ‘Gumby’ Blystone is waiting for Devo to make a comeback.

The Promotions and Advertising Group in the Marketing department (Web Designer Lincoln Theiler, Communications Writer Allison Suchon, Administrative Assistant Shani Dorner, Senior Graphic Designer Shannon Forcier, Graphic Design Specialist Stephanie Billmeyer, and Promotions and Advertising Manager John Kuehl) pay homage to Working Girl and Miami Vice.

Get on board with the Pecha Kucha craze!

allisonsuchon — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:50:00 GMT

ETC Architectural Market Manager Joe Bokelman explains what a Pecha Kucha is:

A what? What is a Pecha Kucha, you ask? An easy answer might be to refer you to pecha-kucha.org, and leave it at that. But, if you haven’t already clicked away, allow me to make an analogy: if Karaoke is a way for drunken businesspeople to embarrass themselves after work, Pecha Kucha is a similar pastime while you might actually be working. It is like ‘open mic night’ for creative people.

The words mean ‘chit-chat’ in Japanese; more specifically, our dealer in Japan said it means ‘five women gossiping, at the same time.’ In 2004, two architects in Tokyo created an event style to help rejuvenate the gallery/bar/performance space they owned. They felt that creative types (architects, artists, etc.) had no outlet to explain and showcase their work to peers, but they also felt that ‘giving the mic’ to those same creative types was dangerous; they might never shut up! So, the pair devised a format to contain the presentation of a creative work (or idea) – one that also forced the presenter to really narrow their focus.

The Pecha Kucha format is very specific – 20 slides presented at a pace of 20 seconds per slide. In practice, the slides should automatically advance, making the entire presentation six minutes and 40 seconds long, exactly. This concept isn’t hard to understand, but just try it once for yourself; you will be forced to consider exactly what you are going to say, and you will have to work hard to avoid all of those little ‘filler words’ and verbal tangents we all have! In addition, you will have to find the right subject to present – you may find it very hard to express a broad concept at 20 seconds per slide.

Why do it? Because the format benefits the viewer. In a traditional format, the audience would have to sit the entire time listening to one person drone on about this project or that concept. If they don’t like the topic, or the presenter, that’s a good deal of time wasted. In a typical ‘Pecha Kucha Night’ or PKN, there may be 10-20 presenters, or about one to two hours of presentations. Some have said the best part about Pecha Kucha is that each topic (or presenter) is only up for 00:06:40. If you don’t like it, it will be over soon enough! Also, there is always some time in-between presenters, usually enough time to get a fresh drink from the bar (remember, the inventors owned a performance space/bar!) and the event usually gets more and more raucous as the night goes on!

Now six years later, the Pecha Kucha craze has grown worldwide: there are more than 335 cities with sanctioned Pecha Kucha nights, and more than 1000 presentations online on their main site. Thousands of people have experienced Pecha Kucha – and if you were at our Workshop this summer, you did too! The format has been used to present topics of all kinds (one of my favorites was given by a zoologist on a rare species of very large, flightless birds!).

Words don’t do the format justice. You have to check one out for yourself, either online, or better yet – go to a PKN near you!

ETC Live!

allisonsuchon — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:51:00 GMT

ETC lights venues all around the world – theaters, museums, tradeshows, amusement parks, concerts and more. One of the main reasons our equipment is so popular is because we understand what lighting professionals need for their varied applications, since we’ve been in their shoes. Employees have come to ETC from all kinds of backgrounds and have their own experience in those industries. And every year, we get the opportunity to showcase our skills at an annual company picnic, art exhibit and talent show – called ETC Live! – held at our factory.

This year’s event, with a ‘Fire and Ice’ theme, took place on Saturday, August 7^th. The deluge of rain that Wisconsin’s gotten this year took a day off, so we lucked out with beautiful – albeit humid – weather. Nearly 1,000 people – ETC employees, our families and guests – joined a swarm of Wisconsin state birds (read: mosquitoes) to enjoy the food and fun. ETC CEO Fred Foster provided some relief from the humidity, peddling around the event on his ice cream cart and handing out frozen treats. And kids got to experience a fantasy land, with a bounce house, massive inflatable slide, magic show, games and crafts.

ETC’s Town Square was turned into an art gallery for the event. Artists and photographers throughout the company displayed their beautiful paintings, photography, sculptures and woodworking in the pseudo shop-windows. And the parking lot was temporarily turned into a car show, as ETC gearheads showed off their classic and restored cars.

Then the ETC Live! show started. ETC’s outdoor amphitheater was bathed in deep blues and reds, thanks to the Selador® Series LED fixtures in the lighting rig. Manufacturing’s Dan Woodson kicked off the entertainment with a rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” He was followed up by ‘Madtown Ballroom,’ a local Latin-dance troupe made up of ETC R&D’s Matt Garrison and friends, dancing Salsa Rueda. Alternative-rock group ‘Crew Member Mike’ – all teenagers, including a son of R&D’s Dennis Varian – performed song covers and an original tune. Next up was musical-comedy group ‘Ironsides.’ John Ironside from ETC’s IT department, along with his wife and others, took on hits by the Carpenters, interspersed with witty observations on the neurotic nature of the famed lyrics. Rob Raff from the Sales department of ETC’s Southeast office – fresh off his smashing opening act at ETC’s Rep and Dealer Workshop – serenaded the crowd with smooth coffee-house covers of favorite rock and pop ballads. He was backed up by Scott Aumann from ETC Repairs, and Curt Schreiner and Rob Bloch from Shipping.

The main event of ETC Live! opened with teenage band ‘The Last Minute,’ which included sons of ETC’s John Masino (Manufacturing Engineering) and Lisa Patzka (Administration). The group handled clean covers of hits by Jane’s Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots and performed an original piece. ‘The John Masino Band’ took the stage to close out the show. Fronted by vocalist and guitar-wizard Masino – who was backed up by Aumann and Schreiner among others – the group wowed the crowd with incredible music, including classics by Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix, David Bowie, The Foo Fighters and AC/DC, as well as the band’s own original hits.

At the end of the night, everyone packed up their lawnchairs and picnic blankets to head home. On Monday, we came back to the office to display our other talents – making award-winning products and providing outstanding customer service.

Where'd you get help before?

john.kuehl — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:28:00 GMT

I think I'm the stats guy of the blog group here, so how about another one:

We have over 3,000 members of our online community, and we appreciate the contributions from each of them. When we talk about this group, which we do often, there's a rhetorical question that's often posed. The question is in regards to the popularity of our forums - over 280,000 pageviews on our forums and blogs in the last seven months, not including ETC staff - and it goes something like this:

"Before our forums came online, where did all these people go to get help?"

It's such a good question - and one that probably had a good answer - I just figured we should just go ahead and ask. So, tell us:

If you've asked or answered a question in our forums, where did you go to get or offer help before we had them? Other forum sites? Our 800 number? Nowhere?

If you want to expand on your basic answer, I'm curious if ETC's forums have totally replaced your previous resources, or if you continue to use a variety of avenues to find help for a variety of needs.

Thanks for sharing!