Employee of the Month

Transcription

1 Utah State University, Logan, Utah March 2010, Volume 278 Employee of the Month Cody Williams Carpenter Facilities is proud to announce Cody Williams as the March Employee of the Month. He has worked for Facilities for 2 years as a carpenter in the Structures shop. Cody excels in concrete work, framing and sheetrock. He also works on the snow removal crew during the winter. Prior to coming to Facilities, Cody worked in construction for a couple of years, but was a chef for several restaurants for over 10 years. He worked at Café Habanera (where Café Sabor is now), Blue Sage, and Culinary Concepts all in Logan and was a chef for 1 ½ years in Salt Lake City. He had the opportunity to live in New Zealand for 2 years while he pursued his chef occupation and was also involved in a surfboard making business. Cody was born in North Carolina, but moved to Vernal, Utah when he was 12 years old. He attended Uintah High School. Cody came to Logan to attend USU studying oceanography and guitar for about 2 ½ years, but then got into cooking and his life went a different direction. Cody met his wife while attending USU. They have a 2 year old daughter (Grace). His parents now live in Arizona where his father works for the Indian Health Service on the reservations. He has a sister that lives in Oregon, but all other family members reside in North Carolina. Surfing is a big part of Cody s life and this has taken him all over the world. He has surfed at the East Coast, the Northwest, California, Baja, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Hawaii. He also enjoys the outdoors, especially fishing and duck hunting. He has a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Sage that he enoys working with. Cody and his wife just bought a home in Logan where he spends his free time remodeling it. Cody said that he especially enjoys working with his peers in the shop. They have taught him and helped him so much. Congratulations Cody, we are happy to have you with us. March is Irish-American Heritage Month During the years of the 1845 to 1849 potato famine in Ireland, many Irish people made their way to America. As with immigrants from other countries, their start in the United States was not an easy one. Over time, however, they rose from poor to middle class and many to wealth. Along the way, they accomplished some amazing things. Ten were elected president of the United States: Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, William McKinley, James Polk, Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Many rose to the highest levels of the business world and the military. Dozens more became famous entertainers, including George Clooney, Walt Disney, Judy Garland, Mel Gibson, Alfred Hitchcock, Ron Howard, Bill Murray, Conan O'Brien, Martin

2 Sheen, Ed Sullivan and John Wayne. As Irish-Americans think about their heritage this March, they have much to be proud of. Safety Corner Facilities has worked 293 days* without a lost-time accident. The best previous record was 395 days. Do your part and help make a new record. *As of February 22, Lost-Time Hours in 2010 Goal: 240 hrs in people slipped on the ice and fell last month. Be careful out there. He's 'everybody's' Saint Patrick Every year when March 17 rolls around, the "wearing of the green" is the order of the day. Both Irish and non-irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Most revelers know the often-told stories of St. Pat. The Patron Saint of Ireland, he explained the Blessed Trinity using a shamrock, and he drove the snakes out of Ireland (of course the debate goes on about whether there were snakes in Ireland). But do you know some of the more obscure facts and stories about Saint Patrick that you can share during your own celebration? * He is also the Patron Saint of Nigeria. Nigeria was evangelized primarily by Irish clergy and the people took St. Patrick to their hearts. * He left behind some writings. His own words may be read, either in the original Latin or in English translation, in his spiritual autobiographical "Confession." This piece is a unique peek at the man behind the legend. His famous prayer "St. Patrick's Breast Plate" may date to a later period. Though Scotland has often been set as the birthplace of Patrick, England, Wales, and a portion of France also lay claim. Many places also claim to be the burial spot of the famous saint. One such tradition says that he is buried in the same grave as St. Bridget and St. Columba at Downpatrick, County Down in Ireland. * If you would like your toast to be different on St. Patrick's Day, you can drink to Maewyn Succat (believed to be his real name) or to Patricius or Patrizio as he was also known. So on March 17 be sure to wish everyone a "Happy Saint Patrick's Day" either in English or the Gaelic "La Fheile Padraig Sona Duit." Gardening Tidbits How to get an early start for your garden While snow still may be swirling in many locations, it's time to be thinking about the blooms of spring, the veggies of summer, and the harvest of fall. March is the perfect time for starting seedlings in window planters, small greenhouses, or even under plant lights in the basement or garage. By now, seed packets are on the shelves of your local discount stores, lumberyards, and hardware stores. Or they can be ordered from companies that sell by catalog or on the Internet. It usually takes about six weeks to two months for seeds to become strong enough plants to be set outside in pots or a garden. Novice gardeners should consult a plantgrowing guide from a local library

3 or visit thegardenhelper.com. It is also important to know what plants will grow in your vegetable garden soil. Some plants require alkaline soil while others require acidic soil. The seeds may be started in prepared starter pots made of compressed peat and filled with a proper soil mixture, or they can be planted in small plastic pots left over from last year's commerciallypurchased bedding plants. Those planted outside in miniature plastic greenhouses should not be started until most daily lows are above the freezing point. When planting indoors under plant lights, follow the directions on the packaging of the plant lights or in growing guides. The Internet provides an abundance of advice on vegetables and flowers. Two good places to start on line are www. pallensmith.com or com/seedstart.htm. All in all, you can enjoy the fruits of your labors when you start the process from scratch, not to mention the significant amount of money you save by not buying commercially grown bedding plants. Health in the News No more than 5 to 9 teaspoons a day The American Heart Association recommends cutting back on sugar The heavier you are, the more work your heart has to do. That's one reason why the American Heart Association is looking for the causes of weight gain and obesity. At this time, they are focusing on sugar. It is one of the main culprits in the rising obesity rates in the United States. The association wants everyone to cut way back on added sugar in their diets. For the first time since 2006, it is presenting new guidelines that recommend sugars added in processing, cooking or at the table total no more than 100 calories a day for women and 150 calories a day for men. That's five to nine teaspoons. It's a drastic reduction from the 22 teaspoons per day in the present American diet, which is a total of 355 calories. The amount of sugar in the American diet has increased by 19% since One can of non-diet soda can put a woman over the limit. Sweetened drinks are Page the main cause of increased sugar consumption since Healthy lifestyle cuts risk of serious diseases A big study of people ages 35 to 65 shows that having just four healthy habits reduces your risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer by almost 80%. The research by the Centers for Disease Control and colleagues shows the association with four lifestyle factors: Not smoking; eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in meat consumption; getting a half-hour daily of moderate exercise; and avoiding obesity. Diabetes risk was most sharply reduced by a healthy lifestyle, while cancer was affected the least. Avoiding obesity was most effective in reducing risks, followed by not smoking. The potential for voiding society's biggest killers through healthy living is "enormous," say the researchers. Personal Well Being For better mental health: Do housework, gardening or play a sport Digging in the dirt has long been known as a way to relax and "let the world go away." The great thing about fooling around with plants: If it's your yard or garden, you can do whatever you want whenever you want and as fast or as slow as you want. Now, researchers at the University College in London say organizing your space (not dishwashing or other routines) for about 20 minutes can have the same stress-busting effect. They found that engaging in a domestic project for just 20 minutes at a time on one to three days a week reduced the odds of psychological distress by 24%. Sports activities showed the greatest psychological benefits and the clearest relationship between increased activity time and greater mental well-being. Whether a physical activity is on the tennis court, in the garden, or in the house, it reduces mental distress.

4 Staying Well Get moving to reduce Alzheimer's risk Research by University of Kansas School of Medicine shows that regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 60%. Exercise has a multitude of benefits for people of every age. For those over age 55, it's even more important. One in 10 men age 55 and older in the United States will develop Alzheimer's. The percentage for women is higher, in part, because they live longer. Half an hour a day of moderate exercise will do it. Other preventive steps include eating fruits and vegetables. They reduce damage to brain cells. Healthy, tasty mushrooms Researchers believe that the maitake mushroom (a fanlike tree fungus) boosts immunity and protects against infections. Some say that mushrooms are medicinal magic. Dr. Harry Preus, of Georgetown University School of Medicine says the maitake mushroom may be the most potent natural immunity booster ever discovered. Preus is the author of Maitake Magic (Freedom Press). Maitake capsules, pills, powders and teas are also found in health food stores. Visit maitake.com for pills. Always store supermarket mushrooms in paper bags. Dry them first and they should last five days in the fridge. Chocolate lovers rejoice A U.S. and Swedish study shows that heart-attack patients who had eaten chocolate at least twice a week during the year prior to hospitalization were 66% less likely to die. The higher the cocoa content in chocolate, the greater the protection. In the United States, milk chocolate has 10% cocoa content; dark chocolate has 15%. In Sweden, it's 25% for milk chocolate, 35% for dark. Recipes Tortilla Soup by Wade Nield 2 cups water 1 can chicken broth 1 can beef broth 1 can diced tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped green pepper 1 can corn 1 can kidney beans 2 chicken breasts 1 packet taco seasoning 1 Avocado Sour Cream Grated Cheese Tortilla chips Garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste Combine water, broths, tomatoes, onions, green peppers in a pot and boil. Cut chicken into pieces, add to pot, reduce heat and simmer covered 10+ min. Add corn, rinsed beans, and taco seasoning. Simmer covered 10+ min. Crush tortilla chips in bowl, pour soup over, add grated cheese, avocado, sour cream, etc. Pizza by Zac Cook 2 pkg. dry yeast 2 Tbsp sugar 2/3 cup warm water 1 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 2 cups cold water 3 Tbsp oil 1/4 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp oregano 7 cups flour Combine yeast, warm water and sugar; let set about 5 minutes. In roomy bowl combine cold water, oil, sugar, salt, and garlic salt (or powder) and oregano until blended. Stir in one cup of flour, yeast mixture, and remaining flour, a little at a time. Mix into soft dough. Knead until no longer sticky. Let rise till doubled (about 45 minutes); punch down. Spread on 2 (15 inch) pizza pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Apply sauce and toppings. Let rise 20 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees, one pizza at a time for minutes. Prepared crusts can be put on pans and frozen for later use. Bake without thawing for minutes. Toppings are up to you. I put a layer to the edges of ranch dressing. Then I put about 1 cup of cooked, cubed chicken on top and then cover with cheese. Right after baking, I sprinkle with parsley flakes.

5 Facilities Division Awards Recipients February 23, 2010 Page Perfect Attendance Dallin Koecher Brett McAllister Shoko Downs Francis Wallace Neil Owen Winning Spirit Nick Anderson Denise Berntson Levi Duffin Brian Taylor Reid Olsen Dallin Law Cindy Yeates Mark Sheets Jalene Hunt Cody Williams Chris Schade Aaron Garbett Carl Wildeick Ian Silva Kevin Maughan Mike McBride Dart Friedli Steve Pierson Chris Olsen Joe Wilson Matt Rogers Nephi Rogers Lucille Byington Stephanie Forster Shoko Downs Luis Ontiveros Tyler Rampton 1 year 1 year 4 years 5 years 10 years Safety Awareness & Appreciation Award Staci Eason Mark Peplinski Veloy Hansen Rebekah nelson Jason Clarke Innovation Award Phil Bankhead Ben Harris Rick Morriss Mike McBride Bryan Bingham Phil Bankhead Nephi Rogers Dave Petersen Matthew Hunting Adam Hunting Brett Brinkerhoff Elliott Rupp Teamwork Award Jessica Hansen, Registrar s office Clay Davis, Information Technology Joe Beck, USU Facilities Bert Sweeten, USU Facilities Director s Award Zac Cook Mike McBride Scholarship Donor Award Vern Buehler Employee of the Year Eric Hale 2009 Employees of the Month: January Ted A. Johnson. Plumbers February Kenneth G. Weeks, HVAC March Sarah O. Spillman, Customer Service April Paul L. Pierson, HVAC May Sheila S. Lukenbill, FM June Colby K. Goodliffe, Projects & Engineering July Dan S. Richins, Central Energy Plant August Tom Findlay, MIS September Matt Rogers, Electrical October Thomas R. Stoddard, FM Swing Shift November Troy L. Johnson, Plumbers December Eric Hale, LOAM

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8 Happy Birthday! to these Facilities Employees! Mont Jessop Mar 01 Tony Miller Mar 01 Chet Smith Mar 03 Sheila Lukenbill Mar 04 Linda Hudson Mar 09 Brett McAllister Mar 09 Stanley Kane Mar 10 Jonathon Thompson Mar 12 John Gilden Mar 16 Brad Burr Mar 17 Nora Cordova Mar 17 Joe Wilson Mar 20 Gerald Green Mar 22 Shane Thain Mar 25 Steve Jardine Mar 27 Cass Christensen Mar 28 Dave Miller Mar 28 Val Olsen Mar 29 Angel Garcia Mar 30 Scott Nydegger Mar 30 Calvin Moser Mar 31 The Image Newsletter is printed on post-consumer recycled paper. Image Newsletter Staff Karen Hoffman - Staff Writer Megan Hemmert - Graphic Design Thank you! for your service at USU! Dale Elwood Craig Johnson Jimmie Grutzmacher Darrell Hart Ted Johnson Todd Reid Rod Bee Curtis Christensen Ray Pitcher Raelene Jepsen Lloyd Johnson Angel Garcia Mark Hunting Jose Martinez Julie Stockdale Adam Hunting Matthew Hunting Pat on the Back Thank & You's 31 years 25 years 22 years 14 years 12 years 12 years 11 years 10 years 10 years 09 years 06 years 05 years 05 years 05 years 05 years 02 years 02 years Steve Pierson sent this card: USU Facilities, thanks so much for the flowers and your support and concern at the passing of my mother. The thoughts and actions are deeply appreciated.