LONE SUPERSTAR: Cliff Switzer!

For this month, I chose to highlight Cliff Switzer of the Houston office. Cliff started at Halco in July of 1996. I liken him to my good friend John Borden in the GP office. They have the same streak of MacGyver in them. They will turn the deal onto its side until it works. Sometimes that gives you something unexpected.

Cliff likes to meet the unusual demands of our customers and figure out how to solve problems. He also looks at upcoming trends and he is a member in good standing of the DOD - Division of Disruption (ask him what this is).  Cliff’s son goes to college in Wisconsin, so he has taken the opportunity to travel to the Dairy State for visits. https://www.wisconsincheesemart.com/products/brun-uusto-bread-cheese

The only thing in common between Baytown Texas and Sheboygan Wisconsin is lots of water. I hope you don’t have to visit in the winter.

The following is an interview with Cliff and Amy Weisinger.

Cliff Switzer

Amy: Where is your hometown?

Cliff: “I am From Baytown, Texas.”

Amy: Where did you go to college/what did you study?

Cliff: “Lee College and University of Clear Lake. I Studied Business, Electronics, and Computer Science. Although, after years of experience working here I feel like I’ve earned a Master’s Degree in Hospital Integrations.

Amy: When did you come to Lone Star Communications? 

Cliff: “I started working for the company in 1997 while I was in college... back when it was HALCO. My Aunt asked me to come out and help rip out some cable… and the rest is history. I’ve been here ever since.”

Amy: How would you describe what you do in your current position at Lone Star?

A: “Sales. Meeting with customers, assessing their needs, and trying to make our products fit into their environment. Sales is all about getting to know people and building a relationship with them. People don’t want to buy something from someone they don’t like. They want to buy from someone they’d want to hang out with, you know?”

Amy: What is something most people do not know about you?

A: “I feel like I am an open book. I’ve been here for so long, I’m not sure I have any secrets left. I feel like I’m really, “nerdy.” Most of my free time is spent doing something techie.”

Amy: What is the most unusual / weirdest job you have ever had?

Cliff: “I spent two summers working at an Oxidental Chemical Manufacturer in the saltwater Brine Unit. They used electricity to extract ammonia from the salt water. If you were carrying tools in a bucket near to the Brine tanks when the electrical current was running through it, you could feel your bucket of tools being drawn to it like a magnet. It was the strangest thing. Each day, when you put on your work boots, you had to test them out by standing in a small amount of water while a low voltage of electrical current went into the water you were standing in... if you felt a tingle… that meant your work boots needed to be replaced. It wasn’t long after that I started going to college. I said, ‘I’m not going to be here for 30 years’.”

Amy: Do you have any pets? Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Cliff: I have an English bulldog. Her name is Scout. She is spoiled. I am definitely a dog person.

Amy: What are your hobbies?

Cliff: “I’d like to have more time for hobbies. I make time for fixing up retro arcades and building mobile apps though. Anything techie or nerdy.”

Amy: What is your favorite Houston sports team?

Cliff: “Rockets.”

Amy: What is your favorite restaurant in Houston, and why would you recommend it to people?

Cliff:” I’m the type of person who would rather just grill or cook at home. I enjoy grilling my own steak. If you go out, you’re more likely to be disappointed. I guess If I had to recommend somewhere I’d recommend the Crawfish Hut because it’s the best place to get crawfish.”

Amy: What are you currently reading, watching or listening to?

Cliff: “I watch a lot of Netflix. I am currently watching StartUp. The show is about an attempt to launder stolen cryptocurrency. It’s pretty good. I would recommend. Other than that, I spend a lot of time on YouTube. I attend, ‘YouTube University’ if you will… It’s the best place to turn when I get stuck building mobile apps.”

Amy: What is something you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t done yet?

Cliff: One day, I’d really like to fix up the 65 Mustang fastback at my Dad’s house.

Knowing Cliff, that 65 fastback will be all tricked out. Cliff likes the work of the Ring Brothers, a Wisconsin based car custom shop. That’s a great place to get ideas for the Mustang build.

https://www.ringbrothers.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsOz63rjm8AIVrW5vBB0E4QhrEAAYASAAEgIQy_D_BwE

*Interview by Amy Weisinger *

-Submitted by Ronald F. Kruse, Chief Operating Officer, Houston

LONE SUPERSTAR: Chris Russell!

LSCT recognizes Chris Russell for this month’s Employee Highlight.

Chris Russell has been a game changer for us since day one. His character and attitude have always exemplified our core values. He has grown into his position as Director of Service easily over the years by hard work and perseverance. He organized our Service sector of the company and made it a true department. He developed a dispatching system using technologies in place at the time. We are very proud to have Chris as part of our family. Below, Chris has allowed us to get a view from his perspective.

1st some Quotes from Chris’ coworkers.

“Chris is amazing. Seems he has things done or had already been working on them before I ask him to! The guy is unreal. So happy to have him as a part of our Lone Star Fam.” – Chris Andrus

“Russ has been a go getter from the beginning; we didn’t have a true central service department before he came and he has made the department run very smooth. He handles nearly all the calls that come into the office. He is always pleasant to work with in the office, and never complains when he has so many calls with both phones going at once.”- Kathryn Marshall

“Russ is a very reliable coworker. He continues to maintain a great work performance with new and added responsibilities through the years. He is an excellent communicator with our customers and makes the Accounting Department billing very complete. He is funny and brings lots of laughter. Makes it nice to work with him and be in the office.” – Kristin Best

“He is always willing to tackle new tasks that are thrown his way with no hesitation. Since Russ has been with us, he has helped the service department grow tremendously. Russ is always putting the customer first.” – Steven Spangler

Chris Russell:

I began my career with the company September 2012, and it has been a blessing to be a part of this team for almost nine years. The relationships we have developed are beyond the work environment, and I am proud to be a part of such an amazing family. One of the first things I noticed, was the focus on employee wellbeing and development. If you want to learn, sky is the limit and if you need a shoulder to lean on, you will find more than enough backing. The support and encouragement to learn, advance, and succeed are unmatched.

My prior work experience has been in service management and office occupations. In 1988 I began working on a BAAS-Office Management and tinkering with computers while working on Data Processing courses (COBOL, Fortran, BASIC). I eventually graduated with BBA in Management with a minor in Marketing. Continuing to expand my formal education at 53 is still a goal and perhaps an achievable goal now that my girls are fully independent. However, and most importantly, I am fortunate to learn from the staff that surrounds me. Practical knowledge, experience, and expertise in this environment is a never-ending fountain of education and information.

For the first few months, we concentrated on getting me familiarized with Rauland systems and various integrations. This was truly a birds-eye view, as I quickly realized the amazing capacity of the system as a whole! Shortly after, Mike Nations instituted the development of our Service Department. Using my background in Service Management and Office Occupations, we quickly began transitioning. The initial focus was capturing service activity and within a year detailed processes began to shape and lead us to a formal Service Department. We would not be where we are at had it not been for the support of Administrative Staff, Accounting, Sales, Project Managers, and of course, some of the greatest technicians I have had the pleasure to work with.

As Lone Star Communications continues to grow, I see an opportunity to continue developing service and be a part of the expansion of the mostly software driven environment Rauland systems are evolving into. We are seeing remote services increase and I believe these will eventually encompass a large majority of services required.

Outside of work, my focus is to spend as much time as possible with our 3 daughters. Although Sally and I are now empty nesters (not including our Corgi/Beagle son and King of the House - Russy), dinner dates, Saturday morning hikes, and movie nights with our daughters are the highlights of our free time. Sally and I are also currently transitioning from our church in Killeen where we were involved with several ministries and where I played lead guitar for many years. We are hoping to find a home at a church nearby soon. This leads to another activity I enjoy occasionally: Let my hair down, put on an old bandana, grab one of my guitars, and rock to some contemporary Christian music or Santana backing tracks, and perhaps some 80’s hair band as I feel the ceiling fan blowing my long-gone hair back...

Thank you, Chris, for all that you do. We are lucky to have you. You emit our core values.

One Team, One Family, One Purpose.

-Victor Gonzalez, Chief Operating Officer, Central Texas

LONE SUPERSTAR: David Mullins!

David has nearly 50 years experience in the sound and integration industry. David has served in several roles in his career. He started as an apprentice in the early seventies, advanced to journeyman, service technician, operated sound boards for celebrity artists, worked sound stages at the Great State Fair of Texas, operations manager, purchasing manager, and now our PITCO manager. You cannot pull the wool over on this guy.

David is a longtime friend. He was my mentor and supervisor in prior companies. David has proven to be consistent and reliable in his passion to help the customer. David understands the vendor/customer relationship. He demands excellence from himself and those that serve him.

David not only sees our end users as customers, he sees the technician that receives his fabricated product as his customer. He is always thinking about how to make it better for the next guy. David is generous with his knowledge and loves to share with anyone that is interested. He finds it difficult to observe work that he knows should be done to a higher standard. He will intervene!

David loves to be at work. In his early years, David was an avid basketball player. More than once I have heard him say “just give me the ball.” Implying, I will get it done. He also indulged in golf whenever possible. For years he would rush out the door at the end of a day’s work to catch nine before the sunset.

David taught me things like, ”If you can pay your bills ten days late, why can’t you pay them 10 days early?” If you are around David for very long you will hear his wisdom emerge. You do have to listen.

David has beaten back cancer. He did not let it define who he was. We were fortunate to be part of his recovery. The PITCO area was in transition and David was the person that developed and grew its value. The PITCO room and the products it produces have raised our value as a company. David set the bar high.

When you can, stop by and see what is happening back there in PITCO. David will show you around.

What about this person is outstanding?

He consistently lives his values!

What do you do at LSC?

Manage the Fabrication Shop PITCO

What positions have you had at LSC?

My only position with Lone Star is managing the PITCO area

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Fabricated products that are easy to install and service, which saves the company and the customer warranty rework.

Tell me something we do not know about you that you feel comfortable sharing.

I did not know that I was scared of heights until I had to work on a 90 ft. tower.

What jobs did you have before LSC?

Newspaper route, grocery store, and at sixteen I got in the sound business for the rest of my life (He has worked with many different sound companies as an employee and as a contractor).

What do you do for fun?

Watch grandkids play ball or coach.

What is your most memorable vacation?

Hawaii

Do you have a story reflecting One Team, Purpose, Family?

I like that we can count on all the departments for their experience in each phase of workflow, which makes this a very powerful company.

- Dan Hiett, Chief Operating Officer, Grand Prairie