To celebrate SAM’s annual Christmas party tradition, we’re talking a walk down memory lane. See how the cast of SAM, along with the celebration, has evolved over the decades.
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Category: Newsletter Stories
Accounting Saves the Forest
We’ve all heard sayings like, “Don’t rock the boat” and “Go with the flow.”
But innovation doesn’t come from sticking with the status quo.
Yenae Bollinger and Deidra West, both Staff Accountants at SAM, saw the opportunity to make a big impact on their department. And they didn’t hold back on bringing their ideas to life.
Old Habits Die Hard
When Yenae joined SAM in 2018, she noticed how much time the Accounting department was spending making copies and sorting paper. She also became concerned about the environmental impact of so much printing.
There has got to be a better way, Yenae thought.
Knowing that change doesn’t always come easily, Yenae began by suggesting changes to the deposit and invoicing process.
“When we billed clients, we used to email attachments of invoices while also overnighting a paper copy,” Yenae said. “And with deposits, we would make up to five copies of each check and throw away the stubs.”
Now, Accounting has switched to digital copies of checks and invoices, made easy thanks to the Intact software the department already uses.
When Deidra arrived on the scene, she too was perplexed by the amount of printing going on.
“I worked part-time for an auditor for a few years, and they had made 500-page audit documentation paperless, so I knew we could do the same here,” Deidra said.
Deidra pushed to move media reconciliations to a paperless system. After printing several copies of each report, there were sometimes reconciliations that were over an inch thick. SAM has made the switch, and Yenae and Deidra are now working to get more stations on board with sending paperless documents, too.
Hint: Media reconciliations are what Accounting uses to verify that the media schedule matches a client’s budget, ensuring no spots are missed.
More Changes to Come
People and processes are naturally resistant to change. Yenae and Deidra were wise to champion these changes to Accounting little by little. This way, it ensures details don’t get missed, and everyone on the team has time to adjust to the new ways of working.
The paper-saving duo’s next target is the purchase requisition (PR) and purchase order (PO) process. They are working out the last few kinks before introducing a two-phase roll-out to move this process entirely online.
Both Yenae and Deidra had ambitions at one time to open their own professional organizing companies. Now, they are bringing their skills to SAM to tidy up processes and copy rooms with increased efficiency.
“January is one of my favorite months because stores are filled with organizing tools,” Deidra said. “I love the feeling of cleaning up and reducing waste.”
These innovators proved that good ideas are worth talking about. Thanks to their efforts, Accounting’s desks are a little cleaner, and the planet a little greener.
P.S. Make sure to give Yenae a big congratulations the next time you see her. She has been working tirelessly to earn the Certified Management Accountant designation. She passed the test on her first try this week. Great job, Yenae!
Losing Kilos Going Keto
The word “diet” doesn’t conjure fond memories for most people.
But one diet promises to permit much of the food that is forbidden by other weight loss plans.
The ketogenic diet, known simply as keto, places restrictions on only one food group: carbohydrates. Carbs are limited to anywhere from 15 to 50 grams per day. Other than that, dieters are free to eat all of the bacon, steak, and peanut butter their heart desires.
With an ultra-low-carb intake, the body enters ketosis, meaning it burns glucose from fat rather than carbs for fuel. The ketogenic state bolsters fat loss and can increase energy and overall health.
At SAM, four team members have seen incredible success by sticking with the keto diet. Here’s what they experienced along the way.
David McMath
How did you get started with the keto diet?
“I noticed Whitson avoiding some of the free lunches, and we got to talking about his results with the diet. What sold me was the number of recipes available for the diet. It made it easy to find meals that fit the requirements. I purchased the book Simply Keto that I recommend to anyone who needs information and recipes about the diet.”
What has been the hardest part?
“Giving up bread, pasta, and sweets has been hard. But having co-workers who are on the diet too has made it easier to stick to. There are also keto substitutes for banned foods called fat bombs. They’re usually small, homemade snacks that are heavy in fat. They help quell cravings that may have you otherwise reaching for carbs.”
What results have you seen?
“I’ve lost 35 pounds since I started on Memorial Day weekend. I still have a few more to go before I reach my BMI goal, but I’m not far off.”
Liz Elder
Why did you start the keto diet?
“I’ve always struggled with my weight. In November of 2017, I was at my heaviest. I had lost some weight in 2018 with Weight Watchers, but when my daughter got engaged, I knew I wanted to be in shape for her September 2019 wedding. This January I started keto.”
What results have you seen?
“I had pretty bad arthritis before this. Some days, I could barely pick up a cup with one hand. Within two weeks of cutting out sugar, I could feel the inflammation leaving my arthritis. I’ve stopped taking several pain and blood pressure medications. In the two years I have been dieting, I’ve lost over 100 pounds.”
What has been the most difficult part?
“Cutting out the addictions was tough in the beginning. I used food as a comfort mechanism. I’ve since replaced that with a healthier addiction – exercise. There was also the “keto flu.” It happens between weeks 2 and 3. For an entire weekend, I couldn’t get out of bed. It happens when your body detoxes from all of the sugar and junk you’ve put into it. But after that, my cravings totally disappeared. I accidentally ate full-sugar ice cream once, and I actually felt hungover the next day. It was terrible!”
Sheena Griffin
What has been your biggest struggle with the diet?
“I used to eat lots of fruit, so having to cut high-sugar fruits like apples and bananas has been hard. Giving up fried food (because of the breading) has also been difficult.”
What results have you seen?
“I’ve lost over 20 pounds in the one year that I have been on the diet. I feel better and have more energy throughout the day.”
Have you slipped up?
“Nope, I haven’t had any cheat days. Sometimes, I’ll go over on my carb limit for the day, but I haven’t eaten any of the banned foods.”
What advice do you have to those interested in the diet?
“Do your research. Learn how to scan ingredients. Some foods may say ‘no sugar added,’ but this doesn’t mean they are free of sugar or are keto-friendly. Learn which sugar substitutes you can use so you can stay in ketosis.”
David Whitson
What results have you seen with the diet?
“Since starting keto, I’ve lost over 40 pounds and have energy like I can’t remember. The last time I went for my biannual check-up, my doctor said my blood levels had returned to normal thanks to the diet. My mind is much clearer, and I typically only eat dinner and a snack for lunch.”
What is the hardest part?
“I kickstarted the diet with a month of no drinking. Once I came off, I forgot that beer isn’t keto-friendly. Luckily, hard seltzer is super low-carb and is a great alternative. I’ve never been big on sweets, so that part wasn’t hard.”
What advice do you have for future keto-ers?
“See if it’s right for you. If you can’t part with sweets, then it’s not going to work. The ‘keto sweets’ are good substitutes, but other than that it’s an easy diet… especially if you prefer savory flavors.”
Holly’s Engagement
Plenty of us have a love affair with tacos and margaritas. But have you ever heard of them leading to a soulmate?
Junior Media Buyer Holly Brazeal met her now-fiancé, Jonathan Logan, through a pair of mutual friends. It wasn’t long before the two found themselves intertwined in the same Tuesday Taco Mama group. Happy hour led to happy times, and Holly and Jonathan began dating a few months later in October of 2018.
“We knew very quickly that we had something special that we could see lasting,” Holly said. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say ‘love at first sight,’ but you can sense when a connection has real potential.”
Though the couple had never met until the summer of 2018, they were practically destined to. Both came from Birmingham families, and both went to Briarwood High School, graduating only two years apart. Even with Briarwood being a smaller school, the two didn’t cross paths until last year.
As time wore on, Holly and Jonathan spent a lot of time together and with each other’s families. By the following spring, they had begun talks of marriage.
“We both wanted to get married, but I had no clue when it would actually happen,” Holly said. “Jonathan is such a procrastinator, I was betting on later rather than sooner!”
When it came time for Holly’s annual family beach trip, she was sure no proposals were in the works. The family was celebrating a baby shower, Father’s Day, and several birthdays all in one trip. It seemed there wasn’t room for anything else.
On their last day at the beach, the entire group descended to the shore to take the annual family photo. Holly and two of her closest cousins always went out a little early to take photos with one another. This time, Jonathan accompanied them, camera bag in hand.
Following the cousin photos, Holly and Jonathan took a few with just themselves. After the last shutter click, Holly’s cousins began to walk off, and the photographer started to back away.
Holly wondered what on earth was going on.
Jonathan turned to face Holly, hand still gripping the oversized camera bag. He reached in and pulled a small, black square out of its inner pocket. Setting down the bag, he knelt, opening the box to reveal a radiant diamond ring.
As Jonathan proposed, and Holly jubilantly accepted, her family rushed to the shore to congratulate the couple on their new engagement.
“All twenty of my family members on the trip had known,” Holly recounted. “Somehow, they managed to keep the secret for an entire week. Looking back, there were some weird things that happened, but nothing that made me expect Jonathan was planning to propose.”
One of these strange occurrences was her mother’s trip to the store for “extra cheese” on the penultimate day of the trip. In truth, she was going to blow up the balloons for Holly’s surprise engagement reception.
The family celebrated the happy news with balloons, champagne, and themed décor. It was an enchanting end to what was already Holly’s favorite family tradition.
Holly and Jonathan will wed April 4, 2020, at Briarwood Church followed by a reception at Vestavia Country Club. They will then depart for their honeymoon at a private resort in Cancun, the same resort where SAM team members Grace Hatcher and Hayley Grisham honeymooned.
Vacationing Artfully
We’ve heard that vacations are a good thing.
Just last month, Robin reminded us of the bevy of benefits workers enjoy from taking even one day of vacation.
Thanks to the recent PTO reform, SAM employees have more opportunities than ever to get out of the office for a little sun and fun.
One department that’s taking advantage of vacation season is Graphics. From European excursions to roller coasters from another realm, there has been no shortage of adventure with our local artists.
Tour d’Europe – Terry
In May, Senior Graphic Designer Terry Wirt took his first voyage to Europe.
Terry and his wife, Allison, decided to celebrate their anniversary and Terry’s birthday with a two-week tour of Scandinavia. The first stop was in Gothenburg, one of the country’s oldest cities. It’s known for its Viking trade routes.
“This trip was the first time that I realized how young America is,” Terry said. “Everything in Europe seems so much older, even the streets and buildings.”
The rest of the trip consisted of museums, tours, and sightseeing on foot. One of Terry’s favorite memories was of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm.
Terry explained how the museum was home to a fully reconstructed warship from the 1600s. The king who commissioned the ship insisted that it be richly decorated as a symbol of Swedish wealth and power. But to his dismay, it proved a little too ornate. The ship sank on its maiden voyage, just 1,300 yards from where it launched.
Given that this was Terry’s first European excursion, he shared his biggest misconceptions about American’s eastern neighbors.
“One thing I noticed was that everyone there rode public transportation,” Terry said. “It’s pretty unusual here. It also seemed like people kept to themselves more. You didn’t just walk up to a stranger and start talking like you would in America, especially in the South.”
Terry and Allison ended their trip in Denmark, seeing sights like the Nyhavn Canal and a Viking settlement that dates back to 1030 A.D.
Roller Coaster Rocker – Mark
Senior Graphic Designer Mark Marquis made a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida this summer.
This wasn’t Mark’s first visit, but it had been several years since he had been to the park. He was excited to return and see the developments in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
During his last visit, the park had just built Islands of Adventure. It wasn’t even open yet. But Mark’s curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to peek inside just for fun. To his surprise, he stumbled upon the soft opening and got to experience the park before most anyone else.
It was this lucky streak that he wanted to recreate on his 2019 trip. In fact, Mark decided to go solo since he already had the days off and couldn’t line up schedules with the original invitees.
“This was my first time going on a trip without anyone,” Mark said. “I loved it. I didn’t have to worry about keeping up with someone else’s pace or schedule, and I could go back to the hotel for a break whenever I wanted.”
Just days before Mark arrived at Universal, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure had opened. The new roller coaster was a massive hit, but with technical and logistical hurdles, it had an average wait time of 10 to 14 hours.
“I went not expecting to ride the motorbike coaster,” Mark said. “The day I walked by, the signs said it was closed for the rest of the afternoon, and people had already started scattering.”
But Mark wasn’t so easily deterred. Each time he would near the ride, he glanced inside.
Finally, he saw people returning to the line and discovered it had covertly reopened.
Mark waited about 3.5 hours to ride the roller coaster. A small price to pay, in his opinion.
Fun in Philly – Holly Bl.
Halfway through June, Graphic Designer Holly Blalock and her husband took a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This was Holly’s first trip to the City of Brotherly Love. She stayed in an Airbnb in the Northern Liberties area of the city. While there, she toured food and art offerings around town.
“I really enjoyed the art museum and the impressionist exhibit they had on display,” Holly said. “I saw some fantastic works by Monet and Van Gogh. Impressionism is one of my favorite movements.”
Holly shared her favorite part of the trip, which was when she visited Reading Terminal Market.
“It was like the Pizitz on steroids,” Holly said.
She also visited the Eastern State Penitentiary, the United States’ first prison. Outdating Alcatraz, the Pennsylvania prison is rife with ghostly vibes that Holly definitely could feel. In fact, the retired prison transforms into a haunted house each Halloween season.
Since this was Holly’s first time in Philly, she naturally had a few preconceived ideas on what the city would be like. Her biggest shock came from the pace of living.
“I expected Philadelphia to be much faster-paced,” Holly said. “It was crowded in places, but it wasn’t the same as somewhere like New York.”
SAM’s graphics team has taken advantage of all that summer vacations have to offer. If you’ve been on any exciting trips lately, make sure to share for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter!
Mike Raita Presents: The Show Goes On
Go anywhere in Birmingham with Mike Raita, and you’ll learn the meaning of local celebrity.
The former sportscaster was a staple in living rooms all across Central Alabama. Since leaving television, he’s sharpened a new set of skills. At STRONG he’s played the role of manager, liaison, and success coach. But there’s one hat that you might not know he wears: that of an author.
Raita’s debut book, “The Show Goes On” is a collection of personal anecdotes detailing the ups and downs of working in local television. What began as an exercise in catharsis grew into something Raita hopes will pull back the curtain on an industry riddled with big egos and big misconceptions.
“I left television in January of 2017,” Raita said. “A couple of months later, I began jotting down stories and would email them to my friend in Cincinnati. He encouraged me to turn these stories into a book. At the time, writing kept me sane while I wasn’t working. But about six chapters later, I realized I was out over my skis. I thought, ‘I guess I’m really going to do this.’ At that point, I had told too many people about the book, so I had no choice but to follow through and write it.”
Raita recalls that the most difficult parts of the process were finding the time to write and battling the curse of knowledge. That is to say, making sure the book and its chronology would make sense to anyone who picked it up, not just the television initiate.
“Organizing all of the stories I have was challenging,” Raita said. “I myself know how all of these events intertwine and the temporal relationships between them, but I had to lay them out so that the reader could easily understand what happened when, and how people and events connect.”
When readers finish “The Show Goes On,” there are two big ideas that Raita envisions as takeaways. The first is that television and hubris can go hand-in-hand.
“There is a lot of power in TV, and the people behind that can get sucked into it and get an overdeveloped sense of self-importance,” Raita said. “In reality, TV people are going in to do a job just like anyone else.”
The second takeaway is that working in sports reporting can be an awesome gig, but it’s not always a walk in the park.
“There is a beauty in getting paid to go to ballgames,” Raita said. “Many people would want that job, but it’s not as glamorous as people think. When you’re working at a local level, you’re doing a lot of traveling, sometimes with only a few hours between destinations, all while having to prepare stories and newscasts on tight deadlines. I used to wonder how athletes got burned out. I mean, they’re playing a game all day. But I got burned out just talking about sports, so it can definitely happen.”
There’s no denying that Raita has experienced two different worlds between TV and automotive advertising. More than anything, the one difference that stands out to him is the work ethic.
“In TV, you have about 20 percent of the people doing 80 percent of the work,” Raita said. “At STRONG, everybody is pulling 100 percent of their weight.”
Interested readers can purchase “The Show Goes On” from Raita directly for $20. He is working with local booksellers to make the book available in-store. He will also be doing several signings, the biggest of which will take place at a Barons game next month.
As for what’s next, Raita hasn’t made any commitments, but he’s interested in partnering with a mystery writer and penning out a newsroom thriller. Readers will have to stay tuned for the next Raita opus, and in the meantime, make sure to pick up a copy of “The Show Goes On.”
Guess That Digital Baby
The netizens of Digital have dug through their moms’ scrapbooks to find the very best photos of their infancy. See how well your mental aging algorithm works, and GUESS THAT DIGITAL BABY!
Baby 1
Baby 2
Baby 3
Baby 4
Baby 5
Baby 6
Baby 7
Baby 8
Baby 9
Baby 10
Click Here For Answers
Hurricane Refugees Open Restaurant in BHM
Eighteen months ago, we learned the story of Greg and Kathy Stein.
This couple, friends of Emily Johnson, had moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands to realize their dream of opening a restaurant. Before long, The Thirsty Donkey was up and running. But then, like so much of the island in 2017, the restaurant was destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
SAM employees showed their support for Emily’s friends who had lost everything, purchasing chocolate bars that benefited the couple and donating shout-outs to Emily on the Steins’ behalf. While the couple had suffered an incredible loss, it was clear they had a community back in Birmingham that was eager to help.
Fast forward a year and a half, and the Steins are back on their feet. With this new announcement, they’ve proven they’re not letting tragedy keep them from their passion.
This spring, The Thirsty Donkey is set to open in Birmingham’s Avondale district. The restaurant and bar will serve island-themed drinks alongside an eclectic menu that will cater to a wide array of diets, including vegan and vegetarian. The Steins plan to offer burgers and wings along with island seafood and small plates at affordable prices.
“Their building in St. John is still in reconstruction limbo, so they decided to re-open in Birmingham instead,” Emily said. “They’ll be in the old Rowe’s Service Station space with a tentative opening date of May 1. I’m super excited about it!”
Make sure to keep an eye out for Avondale’s newest eatery this spring. Sample island cuisine, and see for yourself what happens when you persevere even in the face of disaster.
Beauty in Birding: Andrea
Photos and writings by Andrea Kring
I have always been an observer of nature, curious about the things around me. One year ago, this month, my best friend passed away and I was completely heart broken. Shortly after that, I was searching for comfort in poetry and nature. I heard a poem by an Englishman named David Whyte who is a poet/essayist. His first job in his young life was as a nature guide in the Galapagos. The poem was called “Make a Nesting Now” about making a place for the birds to come. There were some lines that spoke to me.
“Make a nesting now, a place to which the birds can come…
and be the one, looking out from this place
who warms interior forms into light.
Above all, be alone with it all,
a hiving off, a corner of silence
amidst the noise, refuse to talk,
even to yourself, and stay in this place
until the current of the story
is strong enough to float you out.”
I was in a place where I didn’t want to talk about my loss. I realized that watching birds and being quiet in my small back yard brought me joy and it made me feel better in the midst of grief. Birds are a great example of how life goes on. They are delicate creatures that face the extremes of life and they continue to sing a beautiful song with every sunrise and sunset. It became a meditative and healing hobby for me. It brought me much needed joy during a very sad part of my life.
Finding a hobby that truly makes you happy and heals you at the same time is a gift.
Andrea’s Bird Watching Tips:
- Sit, be still, breathe, wait for something wonderful right in front of you. I typically see something wonderful and get a wonderful shot when I quiet myself to see it.
- Pay attention to repetitive behaviors in birds, those repetitive moments provide good photo opportunities.
- Look up a bird you see on Google, note the region, the color, the size, etc. It won’t take long to find out something new about the species you see in your own yard.
- I believe it isn’t so much the type of camera you have that makes good photos, it is knowing the camera you have and to keep trying to get the best shot you can with that camera. My current camera is a Panasonic Lumix Superzoom pocket camera that I bought at Costco for about $280.
- Pay attention to light and get very still to capture the clearest photos.
- Any good nature photographer knows that you have to take many, many photographs to get that one that makes your heart leap a little. Take a lot of photos and don’t be afraid to delete the ones that are not good. I try to be very “Marie Kondo” with my photos and only keep ones that “spark joy”. This is not easy, but it is worth it. A really good photo elicits an emotional response. I take hundreds of photos searching for that one good moment that makes me smile over and over again. Try to get that one shot that brings you joy for a long time, THAT is the goal. It is good for the soul.
Read David’s Story Here
Beauty in Birding: David
In the foothills and forests of Spokane, Washington, there lives a deceitful little bird. The killdeer, with its amber-lined eyes and unassuming stripes, protects its nest not with force, but with weakness.
David McMath watched the killdeer’s “broken wing act” all throughout his childhood in the Evergreen State. Because the bird nests on the ground rather than in trees, its eggs are particularly vulnerable. When a predator approaches, it feigns injury, holding out one wing and wobbling in the opposite direction of its nest, luring the egg thief away.
David hadn’t seen the broken wing act in decades. He caught on as a child, running in the opposite direction of the bird to glimpse its granite-colored eggs. It wasn’t until several weeks ago that he was on a bird-watching trip at the Auburn Fish Hatchery and stumbled upon a killdeer nest built right into the gravel road.
“It was a nostalgic moment,” David said. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen a killdeer nest. I thought Spokane had a lot of wildlife, but I’ve been amazed at the biodiversity here in Alabama.”
The childhood love for observing backyard birds manifested into something greater when he came to Birmingham. David found the Birmingham Audubon Society‘s Introduction to Birding class, and the rest is history.
“The group meets for a monthly class, and there are plenty of expeditions all around the state,” David said. “The field trips give me the chance to see parts of rural Alabama I’d otherwise never visit.”
It was during one of these outings that David witnessed his most memorable bird moment to date.
“We were watching a field of about 50 wild turkeys by Guntersville Dam when, all of a sudden, I saw a bald eagle flying overhead,” David said. “The eagle, who was much larger, was being attacked by a red tail hawk. It looked just like a WWI dogfight and was amazing to watch.”
David explained that neither of the birds was hurt. It was a battle for turf, not death. In fact, he said he rarely sees birds engaged in a true fight.
Aside from field trips and sight-seeing, David enjoys the arcane knowledge that goes hand-in-hand with a niche hobby.
“I like stats and numbers, so birding gives me the chance to fill up that part of my mind,” David said. “A lot of people learn sports facts, but since I’m not much into sports, I soak up knowledge on birds and their habitats instead.”
For instance, David shared that there are 28 varieties of flowers in Alabama alone that are pollinated exclusively by hummingbirds.
“There is so much to learn,” David said. “It’s a neat feeling to walk down the street and be able to distinguish between a cardinal and a towhee calling.”
For anyone interested in learning more about Alabama’s fauna, the Birmingham Audubon Society offers monthly classes at affordable prices. Field trips are free of charge and open to the public.