Choice Mindsets

13 Oct Almost Famous

Kaye Borchers:
“I think this guy is asking for an autograph. Craig’s an ODOT legend.”

When he attends the Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference (OTEC), Choice One traffic engineer Craig Eley is quite the celebrity. With 25+ years’ traffic engineering experience with ODOT and now at Choice One, it’s no wonder he knows pretty much every person in the room, not to mention every piece of traffic control gadgetry in the exhibit hall. (Nerd alert!)

We have a few other “celebrities” at Choice One. Our survey crews are occasionally caught on Google Earth Street View. Megan Bornhorst once appeared on the gameshow Let’s Make a Deal. She won $450 and a home gym (which she admits she has used a total of five times in six years). And Mitch Thobe once appeared in ESPN stock footage as the typical disgruntled Cleveland Browns fan on the network’s Around the Horn talk show.

While being renowned celebrities sounds fun, it’s not all meet-and-greets and parting gifts. Megan has to dust that home gym. Mitch had to adopt a life as a Browns fan to become famous. And for Craig, trying to get anywhere at a traffic conference is impossible—he’s endlessly stopped to swap roundabout tips and snap selfies. Which means if you’re traveling with him at OTEC, you are probably going to miss out on the nacho bar in the exhibit hall.

P.S. In case you were curious, big brother Owen Kuck welcomed home twin sisters last week, Eleanor and Olivia. Oh, and engineer Matt Hoying welcomed baby boy Ethan, while engineer Dane Sommer welcomed baby girl MJ. See photos on our Facebook page!

29 Sep Now Hiring

Employment Application:
“Owen enjoys the outdoors, red tractors, and dressing like daddy. He is very productive, with the exception of nap time, and would like to get out of the house more with two new siblings* coming soon.”

15 Sep Seahorsing Around

Nick Selhorst:
“Jason Brown insists on calling me ‘Seahorse’ when he calls the office. He is determined to make that my official name when people talk to me.”

01 Sep Aye Matey

Inquiring Mindsets want to know…
“Ninjas or pirates?”

	Andy Shuman, Project Manager “Definitely ninjas. I can’t swim very well.”
	Craig Eley, Project Manager “Pirates. I don’t know of a ninja baseball team.” (Although ninja baseball might be less boring, right Jeff Puthoff?)
	Allen Bertke, Professional Surveyor “Ninjas. When I was a kid, everyone wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I wanted to be Leonardo: the blue one with the awesome swords.”
	Megan Bornhorst, Administrative Assistant “Pirates. September 19 is National Talk Like a Pirate Day, and at a previous job I spent a whole meeting talking like a pirate. No one acknowledged it.” (Flat Tony would have noticed, Megan…)

18 Aug Inside Joke

Craig Eley:
“We’re engineers. Our laughter is on the inside.”

If it’s not completely obvious, we caught a rare photo (above) of engineers laughing hysterically at a joke. Not convinced? Think about it: they’re actually looking at the camera and not their shoes.

Engineers are often stereotyped as introverts who hold everything in. Since it’s a bit of a mystery, then, what else might be inside of Choice One’s engineers? Let’s see, there’s certainly a continuous flow of coffee. Add to that a fair amount of dirt/dust (a complex blend of construction, farmer, and ball diamond). Unquestionably, any number of naps. And, of course, Arby’s, Burger King, doughnuts, Starburst, Pop-Tarts, and Mt. Dew. And that’s just Brian Schmidt after breakfast!

All joking aside (lest our engineers yuk it up even MORE than in the photo), we think civil engineering and surveying offer a lot of opportunities for enjoyment (find 153 such examples here). And in case you’re curious, the joke Kaye told our engineers to get them to “laugh” above? “I promise I’m not taking a photo for a Mindset!”

04 Aug Slush Fun

Kaye Borchers:
“Nothing says ‘important meeting’ like a blue slushy.”

We don’t blame you, Matt, for sipping on that cup of vibrant raspberry goodness regardless of your meeting’s significance. Indeed, when there’s an “Alligator Ice” machine running just outside your office door, it would be a crime to NOT have a slushy at all times.

Matt’s cheery, bright beverage reminds us that in our sometimes hectic Choice One days, there is always room for a little blue (or green?) sugar. Whether it’s a slushy, cartwheels down the hallway, or stilt-walking with clients, we at Choice One recommend taking time to have a little fun. And based on our sweet treats, acrobatics, and amazing feats of height and balance, we might further implicate that Jeff Puthoff is part circus clown.

So thanks, Matt, for showing us how a simple slushy amid busy times can (literally) brighten our days. One piece of advice, though: next time, make sure it’s a green slushy. Else you owe us lunch.