Cornerstone C A MP U S
SE RV IC E S
N E WS L E T T E R
The November edition of Cornerstone is written and dedicated to you. We are proud to share your wonderful messages of gratitude and appreciation for others in Campus Services and our campus partners. We hope that you’re surrounded with friends and family during this festive season.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Cornerstone
NOVEMBER 2021
| C A M PUS S E RV I C E S N EWS L ET T E R
Scott Smith Who: Brian Cobb Thankful to Brian for being a key member of dock ops, he helps out and covers many areas whenever there is a need. Pulling unit orders, working with vending and assisting on game days for concessions to name a few. When we have a project he is on it to get it done. Working until the job is done and staying over whenever we need him. Scott Smith Who: Sharon Blalock Taking on more work and hours during trying times but always with a smile on her face. Sharon has worked overtime assisting on game days in concessions and running routes for vending just to name a few. Willing to work hard no matter the job put in front of her. What an amazing person!
Paula Green Who: John Buchholz & Cook Place staff The entire Cook Place team is willing and able to help run down answers for the most random of questions and helps us daily accomplish our jobs. They are extremely supportive and work diligently to avoid saying No!
Scott Smith Who: Vending Team I want to thank the vending team for pulling together and covering there duties & an additonal route that envolves the regional campuses. They took it upon themselves to orghastrate a plan and carry it out. This team truly cares about there jobs and customers it shows everyday in there work. This was a huge undertaking by each of them. While our student help wasnt there until recently they had to also come back to our warehouse and reload there trucks and work through ordering product & dealing with shortages but continued to keep our customers happy. As a team they have absolutly been solid and my thanks to each of them for carrying the vending operation through these tough times.
Scott Smith Who: DCSC Dock Crew Each CSC driver has stepped up this semester covering each other's routes to ensure products make it to the halls on time and ensuring our supply chain keeps moving. They have struggled through truck breakdowns among other obstacles still powering through. They have stayed late when needed to ensure halls get what they need on many occasions. These guys are always moving and making things happen and are a great team! Diana Byrd Who: Dietetics Staff and Culinary Support Center The Dietitians work with us as we provide food for our special diet students. The Culinary Support Center is there to help us provide exemplary care. WE can always count on them! Carey Higgins Who: WDC Cooks Thank you to the cooks of WDC! You are a talented, dedicated, and fun group of people. You have done a fantastic job keeping food in the hot boxes as the students filled numerous to go boxes. Hopefully with our return to plates, your shifts will be a little bit easier! Thank you for your flexibility and long hours this semester. You are very much appreciated!
Scott Smith Who: Tyler Wynkoop, CS Markets I am thankful for Tyler Wynkoop for stepping up in a huge way & in a last minute situation & time of need to ensure concessions could provide services for athletic events this year. I couldn't have pulled it off without his assistance. He was key in ensuring event venues were cleaned up, orders in and stands were stocked and ready come event day. Tyler also worked on training a new employee in all concession procedures and being very thorough with his training and making sure the employee was ready for our first event. Tyler did all of this while also doing his everyday duties in the markets. Thank you Tyler for all you do. You are a great asset to the Campus Services department and we are lucky to have you. Paula Green Who: Summer Conf. Services Team The team of four individuals assigned to Summer Conferences in 2021 we’re rock stars, helping us navigate a turbulent restart to services coming up out of the pandemic. Nothing was easy, nothing routine. They stayed flexible and focused on serving our customers safely and consistently. They were the key to a successful summer!
Caitlin Gagnon Who: CS Marketing Team This department has welcomed me with open arms!
Chris Bryant Who: All Food and Beverage Teams I appreciate all the Food & Beverage areas for the teamwork shown over the last year and a half as we navigated some challenging times. Our team members sometimes helped out in unfamiliar areas, and their flexibility has been essential to our continued success. So I offer a big THANK YOU to everyone for your hard work!
Caitlin Gagnon Who: CS Marketing Team This department has welcomed me with open arms!
Be O We M Th
John Smith Who: To All Staff at CSC I am thankful to all of my co-workers from the office administrators, down to the managers and all who make this department work. It takes a great team to ensure all food and culinary goods are delivered in an expedited manner with accuracy and precision. This ensures our students can enjoy a wonderful dining experience all year long.
Kathy Crowley Who: CSC Maintenance Staff The maintenance crew at CSC is the best! CS Marketing is so thankful for the maintenance crew at CSC for keeping our offices clean and sanitized every day. No germs here! No trash in our parking lot! Thanks for doing such a thorough job.
NOVEMBER 2021
MIAMIOH.EDU/CAMPUS-SERVICES
Kathy Crowley Who: John Buchholz and the Shared Services team CS Marketing would not get through a week without John Buchholz and the Shared Services team. If it needs to get done they always come through. Sometimes with very little notice. Thanks for helping to keep us moving forward.
Brian Woodruff Who: Catering Staff Thanks to the Catering staff for all their help with quarantine and isolation housing meal delivery! It's not an easy task, but it is very important. Thanks for helping make sure these students always have food.
Brian Woodruff Who: Diana's Team Thanks to the team at MacCracken Market for doing such a great job of keeping the shelves stocked and giving students a convenient place to buy so many items using their meal plan dollars. It is so helpful to have this great resource available to encourage students and parents to visit!
Brian Woodruff Who: Campus Servies Center Staff Thanks to the Campus Services Center team for doing such a great job of answering student and parent questions, concerns, and complaints! It takes a lot of patience and knowledge to be able to handle those, and this team does a great job at it!
ecause Of You, Made It hrough! Brian Cobb Who: Staff at DCSC, supervisors & employees I know we have had a tough year plus. This crew at the DCSC has shown exceptional character and toughness through a difficult time. We have pulled together to get it done time and time again. From supply, vending, concessions, office, kitchen and BGA staff pulling together to get it done. You folks have shown absolutely the most incredible dedication to the University that I have ever witnessed. Thank you!!! Brian Cobb Who: Sharon, Rick H., JD, Jerry, Chris, Scott, Rick C., Darris, Dan. You folks picked it up while I was ill, and never missed a beat. You guys are exceptional fellow employees that I would not trade for anyone else.... ever. You have made the last 2 years very enjoyable and I look forward to our continued relationship for many more to come.
Maddie Paul Who: Mary Johnson I appreciate Mary's creativity and wonderful pumpkin carvings for this year's Halloween dinner. Keith Cantrell Who: Keith Moore He has gone the extra mile every time and is always lending a helping hand.
Brent Mason Thank you to our team of dishwashers that have ensured a smooth transition back to china after managing all of the disposables for over a year now Thank you to the team of Dietitians for working to integrate Sesame allergen integration Refuel Redhawk Program DAS students Helping out in operations Shout out to the chefs who have continued to bring creativity and diversity to our menus within constant supply chain challenges A big thank you to those of you spending 8-9 straight hours constantly making more pizzas, flipping burgers and searing chicken. Lots of chicken! Thank you to all of the dining managers that have kept our operations running smoothly given the immense challenges this semester has brought including staffing struggles, supply chain shortages and much more. Thank you to the entire Food & Beverage team. Your dedication and hard work has not gone unnoticed, and I greatly appreciate how each and every one of you has gone above and beyond this semester. You all have risen to each challenge and exceeded my expectations. Thank you to the catering team for all of the support provided to food and beverage. Thank you to all of those in Campus Services that have pitched in at one time or another to help out at one of the food and beverage locations. Thank you to the General Managers for working 6 days per week to ensure that their operations were covered. Thank you to the procurement team for keeping us supplied with food even with the daily challenges of finding substitutions for all of the items that were out of stock. Thank you to the dock and all of the drivers that make sure our orders are delivered to us day in and day out. Thank you to CSC production for keeping the desserts, pastas, soups, sandwiches and all of the tub items ready and available that are so needed to keep us running smoothly.
Cornerstone
NOVEMBER 2021
| C A M PUS S E RV I C E S N EWS L ET T E R
Rick Crane Who: CSC They have helped make it through the tough times of being short handed. Everyone in the building from the bakery to the dock including management has worked really hard to keep operations running smoothly. Hats off to all my co-workers and all their hard work! Scott Smith Who: Rick Crane and Maintenance team During open up weeks of the new school year, Rick was asked to come back to his old job of assisting in dock operations. Without any hesitation he jumped right on board, switching his hours and going back to temporarily assist in dock operations. Wasn't easy I'm sure for him to do this but he did it anyway. His co-workers also stepped up during this time Darius King and Dan Durbin to cover Rick's area in addition to their own keeping things clean and presentable throughout the facility. Great work team & I’m so proud of each of you.
Carey Higgins Who: BGA Staff Thank you to WDC BGA's for being so flexible this semester. Many of you have come in early, stayed late, ran registers, helped on the buffet lines and done whatever necessary to get the job done. You have made the transition back to plates an easy one. You have all worked as a team to make us successful. We appreciate you all so much!
Kimberly Patt Who: Christie, Debra, Steve, catering FT managers These 3 mgrs. are the best to to work with. They are easy going, adaptable, and they really know what they're doing to make the job as enjoyable as possible. Thanks! Carey Higgins Who: Brent Mason Our team at Western would like to thank Brent for helping us on the 2nd shift when we were short staffed during the beginning of the semester. There were many nights that he would help run a station until nearly closing time because we didn't have anyone else. He got pretty good at the International Station!
Carey Higgins Who: WDC FSAs The WDC FSAs have really worked as a team this semester to pull off some extraordinary shifts. Whether it was staying late to cover a station, coming in early to clean up after a crazy night, or just working your heart out to keep the pans full as the students were filling up their boxes, everyone has gone above and beyond to help each other out and keep our students fed. All your hard work is very appreciated! THANK YOU!
Amy Wentzell Who: PFD events under James Baker We typically work with Jim Baker and the events crews here in Shriver/Marcum and for Special Events throughout the year. However, after nearly a year and a half with no or very few events, we have been so pleased with the sense of teamwork, support and dedication of Jim Baker and his team. Day-in and day-out, we work with Jim, Dennis Brown, Roger Jones, Erin Riesenberg, and Mike Dobias regarding events/set-ups and helping facilitate communication between the set-up crew and our clients at the Shriver Center and the Marcum Hotel. And with the many staffing challenges across our departments, we’ve worked very hard to communicate and work together as a team to ensure both areas are not over-extended. For Miami Athletic and larger campus events, we work with Jim, Brad Clark and the special events team. With the return of conference, outdoor events and full athletics seasons this year, we are grateful for the hard work that they do to ensure a successful event. had several large conference groups with events outdoors and/or at Millett Hall last summer (Sigma Chi, Phi Sigma Epsilon and Beta Theta Pi). Additionally, for the home football games at Yager, the football team meals at the Gross Center, and the Myaamia Day of Reflection Luncheon Event a few weeks ago outside of Hall Auditorium. During one of the recent home football games, there was a call for a few additional chairs in one of the suites. I reached out to Brad Clark on the phone, and while he wasn’t able to come in-person, he directed me to the storage area and we had our catering students set up a few extra chairs that were requested. Again, at the Homecoming game, we had a ceiling fan with a broken blade in the President’s Suite. But again, one phone call to Brad and his team had the fan off and the problem resolved in less than 30 minutes. I appreciate and am grateful for the camaraderie, teamwork and support from all of the event crews in supporting our Catering events. Everyone on Jim’s team is helpful, responsive and serves the university and our clients with outstanding customer service.
Sharon Blalock Who: Rick and Jerry After class courtesy 101 Rick and Jerry has been so helpful and time saving in the mornings with getting produce where needed. Being on the ready and keeping aisle ways clear makes a BIG difference. GREAT JOB!!
Be O We M Th
Frank Page Who: Miami Bakery The entire team at the Bakery is flexible and willing to help us when our needs shift. Without their dedicated service, we couldn't deliver to our customers and we are appreciative of their continued support. Amy Poppel Who: Summer Conference Sr. Staff and Marcum Staff They jumped in and learned the hotel side of things to get us back in business. We couldn't do it without you! Adam Boyer Who: Maplestreet Dining Commons, Vicki Harrison Vicki always has a great attitude and is willing to help with any task! She cares about her job, coworkers and students. She also has a great taste in music! Thank you, Vicki!!
NOVEMBER 2021
MIAMIOH.EDU/CAMPUS-SERVICES
Neila Hanges Who: Susan Coleman I appreciated her support during my recent medical leave, she never made me feel bad about having to be out so long even though it meant extra work for her. She is a valued co-worker and friend.
Tina Rotundo Who: CSC Production I would like to send a Shout Out of Appreciation to Mary Johnson and her team for working hard to fulfill ever-changing needs in both dining and catering operations. Mary and team will quickly shift production as needed to fulfill email requests as quickly as possible and always with a positive attitude as we all work together to take care of our students' needs.
Tiffany Beare Who: Martin Dining Team I appreciate the Martin Dining team and students for all of their hard work and dedication throughout this pandemic/ school year! They have been flexible with all of the new changes and regulations and without their support, we would not have made this past year and a half successful! I want to thank each and everyone within Martin for continuing to be positive and optimistic and being a great team that I am proud to work with!
Tina Rotundo Who: PFD Trucking Sending a Shout Out of Appreciation to PFD specifically our elevator technicians and trucking crew who assisted us on multiple occasions with carrying meals to our Quarantine and Isolation students up and down several flights of stairs while the elevator technicians worked diligently to repair the elevators.
ecause Of You, Made It hrough!
Deborah Benzing Who: The Team at Dividends Most of this semester, I've been helping in the Dividends dining location. While I was a bit nervous to be in a new area, the staff and managers there have been fantastic! They've been so friendly and welcoming and so appreciative of our support. I'm grateful to be part of such a supportive food and beverage team and able to return the favor - - all summer, the dining staff were here in Catering helping with our weddings and summer events!
Susan Coleman Who: Miami Catering The catering team has worked extremely hard without exception. Low staffing levels, long hours and added pressures to reassess (daily) how to manage services with the challenges of COVID, has been exceptional. The dedication and loyalty to our department, is inspiring. The amount of energy displayed by the kitchen production team to the increased demands and minimal staffing levels was certainly nothing short of miraculous. The spirit of the team, created unique and esthetically pleasing alternatives for individual servings was genuinely appreciated by students, faculty and staff.
Amy Allen Who: Maplestreet All the Campus Service Staff Members that have helped Maple Street throughout the semester!
Sharon Blalock Who: Brian Cobb Brian goes way beyond his duties to help others like installing new shelving, covering positions when needed or just lending a helpful hand. He's always up beat and a great sidekick. Ginger Newman Who: Tyler Wynkoop I would like to thank Tyler for taking so much time to support and teach me. He has been patient, kind and made the stress of learning a new job so much easier. I appreciate all of the hard work and dedication. I am so glad I have had the chance to work with you and get to know you. Thank you! Tyler Jahosky Who: Martin, Scoreboard Crew Thanks to Chris and Addy without either of you I would be having one heck of a miserable time at Scoreboard. I appreciate the assistance and hard work you both put in to make sure we can actually have a functional area in Martin.
Deborah Benzing Who: Diana Byrd I appreciate how much devotion, care, and attention she puts into her job. And the most important of all is the love she has always put into her work and expects only the best!! She is one of the "Original's" from the beloved Miami Dining Hall Staff. Thank you for your service. Steve Wano Who: Miami Catering Student Staff I am so thankful for our student staff that go above and beyond to ensure our guests are taken care of. The Catering Management team appreciates all that you do! We couldn’t do it without you! Tracy Agee Who: Maplestreet Commons I truly appreciate the hard work, dedication, flexibility of our staff and management. Thanks to those who show up and give it their all and willingness to pull together and help each other. Some days are not easy but we always manage to make it through! Clayton Brannam Who: Amy Allen, Maplestreet Commons She has done a fantastic job at accommodating different schedules of our full time employees as well as making the schedules of our temporary workers cohesive with what is needed for day to day tasks. Absolutely a phenomenal job Amy.
Neila Hanges Who: Shriver Building Service Team I am extremely thankful for Jim Baker, Dennis Brown, Roger Jones, Mike Dobias and Erin Riesenburg. They are always willing to do what is needed to support our events. I often come to them with last minute additions and they always do their best to help me meet the needs of our customers. Couldn't ask for a better group to work with.
Cornerstone
NOVEMBER 2021
| C A M PUS S E RV I C E S N EWS L ET T E R
Ginger Newman Who: Concessions, Brian and Sharon (CSC) I am very thankful for Sharon and Brian from the warehouse for helping me and the concessions team. You both are amazing and made our event run so much more smoothly. I really appreciate you taking the time to come help us
Amanda Reynolds Who: Vicki Harrison There are not enough words of praise to give this woman that would do her justice. She is the very best of us here and always has an upbeat attitude. Her work performance alone I clone if I could. Thank you Vicki for being a role model to us all!
Chris Watkins Who: Supply Assistants Thank you for all the hard work this semester. You all have done a fantastic job in keeping the supplies moving in and out of the building. Your ability to keep the warehouses organized and our inventory correct with new products being brought in constantly is amazing. Thank you for your willingness to step up and get the job done. Chris Watkins Who: CSC Production Thank you for all your hard work this semester. You all have done a fantastic job this semester with providing food for the halls. It is impressive to see the amount of products you guys can produce each day to support the dining halls. Thank you!
Maddie Paul Who: Maddie Paul I want to thank the Campus Services Marketing team for everything over the past three years. I couldn't ask for a more creative and hard working team to grow with. Whether we were working remotely or all together, I've greatly appreciated being part of a team built on trust, mutual respect and admiration for the work we do. Cheers to you.
Chris Watkins Who: CSC Delivery team I am thankful for our delivery team. Thank you for all the hard work and extra hours you have put in this semester. Thank you for all the extra deliveries so we dining halls can get the products they need. It is really helpful to have a group that is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the operation running.
Chris Watkins Who: Vending Drivers Thank you for all the hard work this semester. This group has had a challenging time with keeping machines stock due to supply chain shortages. I appreciate your flexibility to keep our machines stocked with a variety of new options. The extra time and effort this semester has been greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Chris Watkins Who: BGAs Thank you for the extra cleaning details you have done this semester. I appreciate the extra time spent to help keep our facility clean and sanitized. Thank you for doing what it takes to help keep us all safe. Kathy Crowley Who: CS Marketing Team The staff of the CS Marketing team. They have an unwavering commitment to every area of Campus Services and our campus partners. Their creativity and teamwork never stops and they take on every project with the same level of enthusiasm and passion. They make my job so enjoyable!
Amy Wentzell Who: Our Catering Team I'm grateful for our dedicated team, especially this semester! Catering is an event-driven schedule, so the team is used to shifting gears on occasion to cover those times when we have staff on vacation or someone calls off work. It's always a bit unexpected when we have to ask managers to shift their schedules to cover another event; but the conversations are more challenging when we're asking them to stop and help cover in another operation entirely! I'm so grateful for our team: Deborah Benzing, Christie Miller, Steve Wano, Bennett Allen, Amanda House and Daniela Noyes as well as our outstanding student team! Although, I realize it's uncomfortable helping in operations and with tasks they're not always familiar with; they have absolutely stepped up and stepped out of their comfort zones this semester to ensure we have coverage in the dining halls and in taking care of the catering events we have as well. And a special shout to our divisional leader, Geno Svec. I've been on campus nearly 28 years, and have worked 22 of them in campus services. And under Geno's leadership, we've really become a TEAM in the food and beverage department - - the Dining Locations, Catering, Markets, and Concessions with one goal, to serve the Miami students and our clients with the absolute best customer service! Thank you.
Be O We M Th
Christie Miller Who: Charlie in Pulley Diner Charlie is always a breath of fresh air! He is positive and brings joy to those around him! I have student workers who recognize him from the diner and they have wonderful things to say about Charlie as well! Team Catering appreciates you Charlie! Scott Smith Who: Chris Watkins Picking up extra work load and hours keeping the dock & maintenance operations running efficiently and assisting in vending ops to keep things on track. Always there, works until the jobs done and can count on Chris to make sure operations run smooth. Amanda Reynolds Who: Elijah Bryant Elijah has shown great growth over the last year not only in his role as BGA but as a team player as well.
NOVEMBER 2021
MIAMIOH.EDU/CAMPUS-SERVICES
Continuing and ongoing communication with Butler County Health Department officials and adapting service styles, food options as well as managing social distancing in front of house and back of house of operations to comply with evolving State of Ohio, county and local Covid Guidelines. National Staffing Shortage Major supply chain issues for food, beverages and paper product production as well as delivery driver shortages Providing meals to students under Covid quarantine and/or isolation orders from Butler County Balancing services/operation with limited staffing, Menu and dining location concept adjustments as well as supplier adjustments to take the burden off of understaffed operations and still provide a variety of menu options to our students Juggling the additional challenge in already short-staffed locations due to required quarantines/isolation for team members who were either ill with Covid or had Covid exposure Christie Miller Who: Tyler Wynkoop I am thankful for Tyler! He consistently goes above and beyond to help out additional departments and his team! Thank you for all you do Tyler!
Ryan Taeuber Who: Maddie Paul Thank you for your ensuring our creative & production team have been set up for success. We will miss you greatly!
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Paula Green Who: Amy Poppel, Amy is an army of one and diligently works to answer requests and questions quickly to the benefit of our planning efforts with clients. She cares deeply for her operation and her customers' experiences.
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Arin Snape Who: Maplestreet Commons They go above and beyond with great service while feeding 3000 people a day. We have a great staff and I appreciate everything they do on a daily basis.
Paula Green "The Feathers Of Our Turkeys"
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ecause Of You, Made It hrough!
There is no playbook on how to operate a large university food and beverage department during a pandemic. Our first priority throughout has been the healthy and safety of our students and staff and keeping Covid from spreading and shutting down the university, and the many challenges include but are not limited to the following:
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Sean Miller Who: Caitlyn Brock I'm thankful for my boss Caitlyn because she help me to keep my job.
Tina Rotundo Who: F&B Team, Geno Svec I would like to send a Shout Out of Appreciation to all of the Food & Beverage team and a special recognition of Geno Svec for his outstanding leadership in guiding and directing our department in these unprecedented times. He has put in countless hours behind the scenes, working hard to ensure that units are operational and can meet the needs of our Miami students given our current staffing challenges.
PFD Trucking
Tina Rotundo Who: Laurie Sampson Laurie Sampson has been our purchasing superstar for several years. Laurie not only completes her duties for her position, but additionally taking on the work of her former vacant supervisor position. This takes a dedicated and talented individual to be able to handle this workload and do it well. Laurie does both and is always willing to help whenever anyone reaches out with an issue, she quickly helps them resolve it! Thank you Laurie-we appreciate you!
Cornerstone
NOVEMBER 2021
| C A M PUS S E RV I C E S N EWS L ET T E R
Ty Azbill - Food Service Assistant | 3 years
Caitlyn Brock - General Food Service Manager | 10 years
Heather Lenzer - Cook | 3 years
Besnik Bajrami - Food Service Assistant | 1 year
Kelcie Clavell - Food Service Operation Coord | 7 years
Deborah Merrill - Food Service Assistant | 30 years
Kerin Banfield - Dr. Shared Acct. Financial Serv | 4 years
Kathy Crowley - Director of Marketing | 15 years
Eavilee Rainey - Food Service Assistant | 1 year
Sharon Blalock - Supplies Assistant | 15 years
Ricardo Del Carmen - Assistant Cook | 6 years
Tammy Rains - Food Production Leader | 5 years
Timothy Bolda - Food Service Supervisor | 3 years
Craig Harkrider - Program Associate | 3 years
Jordan Thackrey - Food Service Assistant | 2 years
Karen Bontrager - Program Associate | 20 years
Sharon Hicks - Food Service Assistant | 1 year
Addison Zwich - Food Service Assistant | 1 year
Timothy Boomshire - Food Service Assist | 8 years
Christine Howard - Food Service Assistant | 1 year
Holiday Recipe Book
DECEMBER CO RNERSTONE
Don't forget to submit your favorite recipe & photo for our upcoming issue! Submission Deadline: November 17 Click the link below to submit your dish! https://miamioh.formstack.com/forms/cornerstone_recipe_collection