Choice Mindsets

17 Feb Poetic License

Garmann/Miller & Associates:
“Roses are red, violets are blue. We made this sign GREEN, just for you!”

Our good friends at Garmann/Miller & Associates (GMA) invited Jeff Puthoff to a meeting at their office this Valentine’s Day. They pillaged a past Mindset and displayed a surprise, personalized Valentine’s Day welcome graphic when he arrived. Naturally, Jeff couldn’t help but take a photo of a photo of himself sporting his killer 1993 mullet.

Time to get a little sappy: it’s friendly clients that help make Choice One an enjoyable workplace. And while these Choice Mindsets show the slightly ridiculous side of the fun we have at Choice One, we have the opportunity to work hard with great partners that make our days fulfilling-ly fun, too.

So first, thanks to all of our clients and friends for making our work fun and fulfilling, and providing opportunities to feel warm and fuzzy (you know, as warm and fuzzy as engineers ever feel…). And second, thank you GMA for giving us yet another delightful opportunity to give Jeff a hard time. If you need inspiration for his next visit, we have some ammunition… er… “suggestions” below.

03 Feb Hall of Honor

Megan Bornhorst:
“Goub, you could measure the driveway in cartwheels.”
Brian Goubeaux:
“Nah, I think Caray does that better.”

When Brian “Goub” Goubeaux almost forgot his tape measure, Megan suggested a resourceful measurement technique. Because, if you weren’t aware, the main hallway at Choice One’s Sidney office is 11 cartwheels long, according to our Controller Caray Schmiesing. Now, 11 cartwheels in a row is quite a feat for any person (Kaye can’t even do a somersault). But to add a little perspective, Caray played basketball before there was a three-point line for girls. Therefore, her 11 cartwheels in a row is feat of impressive talent and grace.

The long, runway-like hallway at Choice One is an exceptional place. It’s where Megan holds her three o’clock dance parties (more on that in Mindsets and social media posts to come). We’ve held three-legged races and indoor bowling competitions down it during company parties. And Choice One visitors under the age of six can’t help but run up and down it at top speed (as well as top “stomp” and top “scream”).

Now that the hallway has been “officially” measured, plotting distances in cartwheels might be a new standard at Choice One. Perhaps the next time we design your water main or sewer line, it will be labeled in C.W. (cartwheels) rather than L.F. (linear feet). Hopefully Caray can perform more than 11 cartwheels in a row, because we’re guessing when Goub needs to measure and design several thousand feet of pipe, he may need just a few more cartwheels.

20 Jan Time Flies

Matt Hoying:
“Starting the next succession plan.”

Last week, Tony had scheduled both a Choice One meeting and Very Important Grandpa Duties at the same time. So Matt staged the meeting with both Tony and his grandson Luke. Indeed, Luke might as well get in on the Choice One action now–heck, at three months old, he’s already in a custom-made Choice One onesie.

Comparably, our youngest full-time employee Lexy was born in 1996, two years after Choice One was founded. So, if you can imagine, she could have been an infant sitting in on a meeting with Tony, Jeff Puthoff, and the other old guys back in the “Batcave”. Kaye would have been in Junior High, getting her braces checked by her orthodontist one floor down in the same building as Choice One’s first Sidney office (and boy did she need braces). And Matt was likely nerding it up at nine-years-old, writing complicated formulas (about Nintendo games or something) on paper since he didn’t have MS Excel yet.

Luke may not choose to work at Choice One someday, but regardless of his future career, he has been born into Choice One family and is stuck with the curse of “Gang Green.” Poor kid—at least the rest of us can say we chose it!

06 Jan Second Fiddle

Nick Sanders:
“Allen, be sure that Jake understands right away that he’s the ‘Other Bertke.’”

Surely you’re all shocked to hear that we have a new employee with an old name. Allen Bertke (left), meet Jake Bertke (right). On his first day at Choice One, Jake boldly declared that he might be the most distinguished Bertke in the company. And then Nick swiftly crushed Jake’s dream by prompting Allen to defend his status as the First Bertke of Choice One.

Aside from his last name, our new engineer Jake already has a few things in common with us at Choice One. For instance, he originally hails from Maria Stein like Tyler, Mitch, and Casey. He has a twin brother like Allan Heitbrink. He enjoys horseback riding like Kaye, Lexy, and Jeff Kunk. And most importantly, he looks good in green (although really, who doesn’t around here?).

So welcome Jake, it seems like you’ll fit right in. Hope you don’t mind being relegated to the Second Bertke. At least you have a unique first name… For now.

P.S. We are trying to reach 1,000 “Likes” on Facebook. Click here to see how “Liking” Choice One can score you cool stuff.

23 Dec Merry…New Year’s?

Nick “NNS” Selhorst:
“…do a system’s view on subdivisions before New Year’s. I just realized I spelled ‘New Year’s’ wrong.”

We like to rise to the challenge of tight timelines, but when addressing the company at a recent off-site assembly, Nick realized he had overshot his amount of availability and “misspelled” his self-imposed deadline. Kind of surprising, really, because Nick is an above-average speller…

Sometimes spelling doesn’t come easy–just ask Tony. Indeed, there are a few other everyday experiences we at Choice One have a hard time with:

• Wes Goubeaux isn’t good at hugs.
• Tyler Thobe has a hard time being near breakfast cereal. (In truth, he can practically be chased with a box of Fruit Loops.)
• Jeff Kunk has a hard time buying doughnuts.
• Mike Goettemoeller refuses to try Pop-Tarts other than Cinnamon Brown Sugar. (At least you’re eating “healthy,” Mike.)
• Jeff Puthoff won’t wear a red shirt. Ever.

Yet thankfully, one thing does come easy for all of us at Choice One: we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to sharing our unique brand of Choice One cheer in 2017.

09 Dec Hidden Talent

Inquiring Mindsets want to know:
“If you were in a pageant, what would your talent be?”

	Matt Hoying, Project Manager “Rock, paper, scissors.” This is only a talent because your opinions aren’t involved, Matt.
	Mitch Thobe, Project Manager “Eating food extremely fast.” Like, faster than electricity, Mitch?
	Brian Barhorst, Designer “Playing the tuba.” Must come naturally–we don’t see any practice in your daily schedule, Brian.
	Megan Bornhorst, Administrative Assistant “Singing.” Really? We thought for sure it would be hugging.