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A newsletter by and for our employees ONE TEAM, ONE COMPANY 2014: The Year of Exceeding Expectations Now that the Fiscal Year of 2014 has ended, our company exceeded expectations in terms of occupancy, number of events and attendance. The occupancy in 2014 for the exhibit halls was 50%, up from 44% from 2013. This is a 13% increase. The occupancy for the ballrooms and meeting rooms were up, too, showing an overall 11% increase in occupancy at CGC. There were 614 events in 2014, up from 610 in 2013. Attendance also increased from 357,895 in 2013 to 363,425 in 2014. Fun Facts: Consumption and Fun Quantities to Note in 2014 In 2014…we purchased/consumed… 1,000 pounds of lettuce 5200 pounds of coffee 6700 sodas 23,000 pounds of chicken
823 contracts (126 CEPAC; 697 at CGC) Clients (staff) used… 6,800 rolls of tissue 10,100 rolls of paper towels
3,300 exhibit orders 4,000 total work orders 1,000 light bulbs 800 HVAC filters For CEPAC including both ballroom and theater, there were a total of 250 events in 2014, up from 234 in 2013. Attendance also increased from 257,000 in 2013 to 274,000 in 2014. ArtsBridge: a Finalist for 2014 Groundbreaker Award
We are excited to share that ArtsBridge Foundation and ArtsBridge, the arts education outreach programs of Cobb Energy Centre, were recently named one of 11 Finalists by Atlanta Magazine for their 2014 Groundbreaker Awards. Artsbridge was chosen for its innovative programs and for introducing the arts to over 240,000 students and teachers since 2007! Way to go ! 
Great Day At CEPAC; ArtsBridge Field Trip a Huge Success! ArtsBridge held its first field trip of the 2014-15 ArtsBridge Season! Students from 14 Georgia counties attended John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, a blacklight puppet show, on October 30th at the Cobb Energy Centre. As students entered the building, their eyes lit up with excitement as many of them had never been to the Centre before. The attached photo is of Clarkdale Elementary in Cobb county, who brought 230 students to ImaginOcean. They have not been able to attend a field trip in many years due to budget cuts, but they were able to attend today because we offered a $5 ticket price and subsidized bus transportation. Breakdown of the total attendance for ImaginOcean is as follows: # of Schools: 20 # of students/teachers from schools: 2,163 # of Homeschool Families: 38 # of Homeschool students/parents: 163 Total attendance: 2,329 School Districts / Counties Represented: 14 total (Atlanta Public Schools, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Pickens, Walton, Whitefield)
Clarkdale Elementary School Students and Staff enjoy a show because of the ArtsBridge Foundation Company Compliments Southeastern Shoe Travelers Fall 2014 event ‘FLAWLESS’“I cannot thank all of you enough for a job not only well done but done GREATLY! It is obvious to me that everyone at the Cobb Galleria did their best and then some to make this last show so successful. From the pre con 70's party to the lunches to the set up to the party at the Cobb Energy Centre, everyone did 200-plus percent. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” “Once again, a big thank you goes to each and every department and each and every person of the Cobb Galleria Centre.” Sincerely, Laura Conwell-O’Brien Southeastern Shoe Travelers 
Georgia Poultry Event: An Exemplary Team Effort “This year's event was the best ever and only possible because of you.” -Lynn Flanders 
Compliment about the Georgia Poultry Event: Thanks to every… ticket taker, cash taker, bartender, crowd manager, event resume creator, BEO creator, event coordinator, menu creator, salad preparer, table/chair setter, table/chair remover, table place setters, table clearer, dishwasher, silverware roller, power installer, main entree preparer, dessert creator, ice tea/water/coffee pourers, hot box/queen movers, temperature monitor, electrical installer, bathroom cleaner, trash puller, floor sweeper/vacuumer, traffic controller, over-served adult monitor, air wall puller, loss protecter, direction giver, wheel chair mover, elevator re-setter, schedule preparer, temp help checker, greeter, incident report preparer… Lynn Andrews Flanders, CPA Assistant General Manager Cobb-Marietta Coliseum Exhibit Hall Authority “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” ― Helen Keller Photo from the day before to the Georgia Poultry Event, Fall 2014; The Georgia Poultry gala is the largest food and beverage event held at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Comments from the client, Mike Giles, were very positive, saying, “‘CGC raised the bar” on this event. “(I appreciate) the excellent customer service I received from Natasha Shallow in accommodating our last minute request for meeting space and her flexibility in accommodating the changes made prior and during the meetings. She and the staff were a joy to work with throughout the entire process. I do not remember the gentleman's name who assisted with all our audiovisual needs but he was fabulous.”
Compliment from Gentiva Health Services 3 Facts on Customer Retention:
O “I enjoy working with Eleanor very much; Caitlin is very good. She keeps me calm. The staff is super: very friendly and attentive. I especially like seeing many of the same people working at Cobb Galleria year after year.”
“Great staff. Brittney Coley and Larry Green were exceptional.”
“Eleanor and Caitlin are GREAT!”
“Scott Porter is a great representative for the Galleria and we really enjoy our continued relationship! Brittany Coley did a great job as EC in her 2nd year handling the Homeschool Expo. We highly recommend her responsiveness, professionalism, and courtesy. Good job by the engineering staff and Joe Green this year. Everyone was responsive and flexible. It was another great year for us at the Homeschool Expo as we experienced our largest attendance ever. We really enjoyed the partnership with the Galleria, and working with Larry,Brittany, Joe, Terrance, Ms. Evans, Alex, and others that are helpful and attentive.”
“A huge ‘THANK YOU’ to all who helped with the Hall A room turn today for ICSC. It truly could not happen without your support, and I am so appreciative to have such a great team to work with. Additionally, I believe we beat our best time today in just over 30 minutes!” - Caitlin Ramsdell, Event Services Assistant Manager Thanks to all the staff that made the Anime Weekend Atlanta event another big success. Attendance for the event was 23,300. The Food Trucks were a big help, the mall restaurants made record sales, and it was truly a team effort. The crowd and excitement continued all day and into the night as the last guest left around 4:30am. Staff from all departments volunteered to help where needed and removed and set over 3,000 chairs within 5 hours. Left: one of the best parts of Anime Weekend Atlanta are the costumes. 
Internal Compliment on Anime Weekend Atlanta… Anime Weekend for the F&B team revolves mostly around concessions, vending and a few small banquet events. Thank you to Accounting for your support with the vending machines, Public Safety for vending and the placing the food trucks, and to Engineering for banners, outside lighting and electrical hookups – we couldn’t do it without all of you guys! Within F&B, I want to acknowledge the help of James Gideon, Salim Maarouf, Daniel Laryea, and Catherine Nyemeck for helping supervise and maintain the food truck areas. They worked long, late hours and kept everything clean – not an easy task at AWA! But most of all, I need to praise and thank Maher Abdelwahab for an outstanding job managing all aspects of the food court all weekend from setting up on Thursday, to training Gideon and Salim on paperwork, to communicating any issues that arose. Any of you who work with Maher know how passionate he is about his job and this weekend’s success is due to him. Kirsten Gleaves Director Food & Beverage Operations “Above the Typical Rubber Ducky” CHEF'S TABLE: Ruth Coan, The Shopping Center Group, LLC: I now know that Cobb Energy Center is NOT only a performing arts center. It is so much more! Most in the Atlanta community know the Cobb Energy Centre as a place to go to see ballet, or the Atlanta Opera, perhaps a concert or some other form of stage entertainment. But, this week I learned just how much more it is and will be for others who are fortunate enough to take advantage of the catering, ballroom and meeting services that are also available at the facility. As you recall, I bid and ultimately purchased a Chef’s Table for six at the Cobb Energy Centre. It seemed like a good way to support the organization which was using an open auction to raise funds. NEVER did I imagine how wonderful the Cobb Energy’s Chef’s Table event would be. “Sure, it seemed that it would be fun to spend a few hours chatting with the chef who works at the Cobb Energy Center and sure I thought rubber chicken with a new sauce might be ok for the dinner. In actuality, I was blown away by the superb skills of the Cobb Energy Executive Chef MG Farris and Lilliana Diaz. Our meal was beyond superlative.” We first met the Banquet Manager Abol Ghoreishi who greeted us at the Cobb Energy facility and whisked us into the catering kitchen so we could witness first-hand how talented folk can serve up glorious fare. And we then met Social Media Coordinator Ashlee Lindo, who chronicled the evening. Joseph Abouem made us right at home and poured scrumptious wines paired for the dinner. And then as our group of six diners sat in the kitchen we witnessed sheer magic!! So, why am I waxing poetic about my experience? Because I know that a visit to a meeting or event held at Cobb Energy Centre will be a dining delight. The scheduling folk, Michael Taormina, Managing Director and (Barbara Kiss) Executive Assistant will make sure that the event is handled professionally. Executive Chef MG Farris will take personal pride in seeing that the food that will be provided will be presented to a standard well above the typical rubber ducky which is traditional at so many catering facilities. This is a team of experts who want to shine and shine they do. I can comfortably say that, “If you have an opportunity to sample the food at Cobb Energy Centre, be sure to do so…….Executive Chef MG Farris and Lilliana Diaz and their associates all want attendees to have the perfect dining experience!! Many thanks to all (and particularly Barbara Kiss), for your diligent efforts to schedule our Chef’s table.
We now have a dedicated room for in-house training and meetings. The Learning Center is located in the old Galleria Mall offices-down the hallway near Anna’s place. The room is permamently set with chairs and tables for up to 20 attendees. The room can be reserved by contacting Katrese Dawsoon, HR Assistant. Katrese will maintain the calendar of room use and will coordinate with Event Services to block the room if any events reqire a BEO or AV resources. If you use the center, please be mindful of returning the room to its original neat and orderly state when your meetings are concluded. -
Q& A with Larry Green, Director of Safety And Security -Angie Haddad I recently had the opportunity to learn more about Larry Green and his role not only at CGC and CEPAC, but also his involvement with the Cobb community. In a recent article in the Marietta Daily Journal, I learned that our very own Public Safety Director volunteers on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission and has been serving on this commission for 2 years. Here are more of my findings: Q. What is the purpose of Cobb Neigborhood Safety Commission? Green: The NSC was established for the following purposes: • To assist in efforts to promote safer neighborhoods and business practices for both residential and business sectors • To increase local community involvement in neighborhood safety • To identify new neighborhood safety resources • To strengthen existing neighborhood safety programs Q. How many others serve on this commission and what are their roles? Green: There are 15 members of the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission. Members are residents of Cobb County and represent areas of business, industry, community and civic organizations. I was appointed by Tim Lee, Cobb County Commission Chairman. In addition to the 15 appointed members of the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission, the director of the Cobb County Public Safety Department, or his designee, is an ex-officio member. Q. In the MDJ article, you are quoted, ‘You must have a plan and it must be practiced.’ What is the CGC and CEPAC plan for an active shooter situation? Green: We created a plan for an Active Shooter situation. We conduct a drill each year or teach the policy during yearly departmental training. Here are some highlights from the Emergency Lockdown policy:
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19 Years of Excellence For the nineteenth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association has awarded our company a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by the Authority’s Finance team under the management of Rob Turner, Director of Finance. Congratulations! ![c:\users\ahaddad\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\temporary internet files\content.ie5\0xuoc66o\mp900313786[1].jpg](23191_html_666e8cf4.jpg)
Halloween Fun: Take a look at some of your co-workers (and their kids) as they enjoyed a fun filled Halloween night. - By Caitlin Ramsdell    
   
From Top Left: Allison (firefighter) and Madelyn (Bumblebee) Caro; Katy (Starbucks Coffee) and Peter (The Ninja) Barahona, Bottom Left: The Barahona Clan (Peter, Haley, Anabel); Cameron (Grim Reaper) and Jordan (Luigi) Haddad; Kyle and Addi Smith (as Olaf and Elsa); Chef Nick’s son as Spiderman; Bassem’s son as Mickey Mouse. Policy of the Quarter: Vacation & Sick Policy With the holidays approaching (and flu season in full swing), employees may need to familiarize themselves with the company vacation and sick policy. –Dina Dow All full-time employees, including working test employees, will accrue annual leave after six months of full time employment. A full-time employee must be employed for a minimum of one year prior to requesting annual leave. Annual leave shall be accrued and credited in accordance with the following schedule: Length of Service Rate of Accrual 6 mos - 5 years 3.08 hours bi-weekly (10 days annually) 6 -14 years 4.62 hours bi-weekly (15 days annually) 15+ years 6.15 hours bi-weekly (20 days annually) Accrual begins after 6 months of full time employment.
▪ Vacation pay may be used to compensate for scheduled days missed due to emergency situations that cause employees to miss work, including weather related and personal events.
not exceed eighty (80) hours.
is pre-approved in writing by the General Manager/CEO. Carry-over of excess accrued vacation hours will be considered when the employee submits written justification for an extension of vacation accrual to the GM/CEO, not less than 60 days prior to the end of the calendar year. Vacation: a period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need. ![c:\users\ahaddad\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\temporary internet files\content.ie5\yzhyu0n5\mc900390700[1].wmf](23191_html_1dc4f295.gif) -Author Unknown
Birthdays
November December January Jeremiah Smith, Jr. was born 10/27/14 at 11:16am. Congrats Jeremiah Smith (Event Services) 
Promotions: Caitlin Ramsdell, Event Services Assistant Manager Brittany Coley, Senior Event Coordinator Alemneh Teshome, Housekeeping Supervisor Arthur McDowell, Director of Facility Services Mamadou Ly, Facility Services Manager Lilliana Diaz, Banquet Chef Joe Green, Chief Engineer Mark Newman, Head Carpenter/Flyman Directory: 2016 2016 -> Senate, No. 627 State of new jersey 217th legislature 2016 -> 2017 afoCo Landmark Scholarship Program 2016 -> Instructions for the Preparation of Camera-Ready Contributions to the Conference Proceedings 2016 -> Strategic Plan South Sudan Country Office Context 2016 -> Original: English 2016 -> Step student Scholarships for Year 10-13 2016 -> Resolution 2016 -> American bar association adopted by the house of delegates Download 148.69 Kb. Share with your friends:
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