ED HAYES

At USG we have many white boards in our conference rooms, and most of them are accompanied by Egan brand dry erase markers. Every time someone starts to use one of the markers, I get rather agitated; the odor of the markers is nearly unbearable. This is not just my thought, it is a belief that I share with others; I have witnessed my boss commenting on how badly the markers smell as he crinkles his nose. The strangest thing is, my coworkers who use the markers use them like they have no idea they smell so badly.

I decided to take things into my own hands, as I usually do, and I sent a letter to the manufacturer of the markers. It appears as though they couldn’t care less how badly they smell, as long as they produce “maximum satisfaction” when erasing. Now, I don’t know what sort of person only rates a marker based on its erasability, or what person only asked the focus group to rate its “erasability” and not anything else, but the ENTIRE experience of using the marker should be factored into the “satisfaction”. I’ll tell you this; I will not be investing in Egan if their thought process is so convoluted.

Here is the e-mail chain:

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I have been staying at the SpringHill Suites in Norfolk the past few weeks, and I must say, I am impressed.  The first few weeks in Norfolk VA I stayed at the TownePlace Suites, and I was not that happy about the cleanliness and quality of their hotel for the price I was paying.  I have the SAME rate at the SpringHill Suites as I did at the TownePlace Suites.  I tried to negotiate with the owner of the first hotel to get a better rate, but after 3 attempts, they never contacted me back.  So I gave up.  If you are ever in Norfolk VA looking for a hotel, I highly recommend the SpringHill Suites at 6350 Newtown road.

I have a few updates on things that I would like to share…

I am off of the Jacksonville rollout and back in Chicago for good! That makes me happy that I am back in Chicago.

I still do not know where I will be when the project at work ends at the end of the month, but I am working on things. And my managers have assured me that I will have a job and that why will keep me busy with something before I take a final position.

I am looking for a gym now that I am in Chicago. I went gym shopping the other day and had some interesting experiences. The first place I went to (Fitness Formula Clubs), the salesman had his fly unzipped. The second place was just a sales location for a new gym opening up soon (Lakeview Athletic Club) and the sales women did not even acknowledge me for 20 minutes. She was helping other customers, but I would expect her to say “hi, I will be with you as soon as I can” or something like that. The third place (Sweat Shop), was the smallest, and least desirable place, but had the kindest, most professional salesman.

I think I will be signing up for FFC because soon my company will give me a subsidized membership, and its the middle of the prices between the three clubs as it stands; $70 a month. We’ll see how it goes. I hate contracts.

I just got my bike tire fixed. Someone had hit it in the parking garage in my building. The bike originally cost me $65 (was 50% off at Wal-Mart) and the front tire cost $70 to replace! Yikes. Must be a good tire, or a really crappy bike! Or both!

I don’t have too much to update you all on, other than the last two weeks have been a bit stressful. Leading four strong intelligent people with different ideas is a tough thing to do, especial if you have strong opinions yourself. We are chugging along thought…

On Sunday I went to the beach with some coworkers and had a lot of fun, got a bit tan, and enjoyed the day off… Until I had to go to work at 6:00PM and stay till 6:00 AM. How fun does that sound?

Sorry about the lack of updates lately, things should pick up once Jacksonville is rolled out, and I am back in Chicago for good!

I just watched the movie Fast Food Nation and am now watching 20/20. During the movie there were two injuries caused by someone turning a machine on somehow while it was being cleaned. 20/20 showed someone else getting hurt while in a machine. Someone bumped the on button while the other was in it. In both of these cases the machine was turned on while someone in it or on it, and it reminded me of the company I work for.

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This is the last week I will be in Utah supporting the Sigurd Plant, and I have to say, I will miss this plant. It has been a very smooth roll-out. Many thanks to the great team I have been on, and also thanks to the amazing staff at this plant; they have done a wonderful job.