Corey Cook, The Avionté Support Manager along with his son Jack (6 yrs) and wife participated in “Feed My Starving Children” yesterday.

Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit organization committed to feeding hungry children around the world. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and we ship the meals to nearly 70 countries around the world.

As part of the Avionte Hope Foundation  Initiative, Avionté gives each employee up to 3 “Hope Days” a year  to donate their time to a charity or organization of their choice.

We kicked off the launch of The Avionté Hope Foundation with Operation See- A-Need as a surprise for Avionté employees at our Year End Party. Each employee was given a 50 dollar bill in an envelope with this message:  Operation See-A-Need

Avionté Hope Foundation:  Please use this $50 to make a difference in someone else’s life.   The only rule is that you can’t keep the money or give it to an immediate family member.  What we ask is that you have a story to tell and can communicate how this money impacted somebody’s life in a positive way.    You have one week to use the money and submit your story. Go make a difference!

Below are some of the inspiring stories employees shared with us.

• Tracy brought Beth to our attention who lost everything in a flood last summer. She was bouncing from trailer to trailer with almost nothing, dealing with insurance, she ended up losing her job. About 10 other employees pooled their money together to donate to Beth.
• Bart donated his $50 to Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women.  This organization is very personal to Bart and his story.  10 years ago Bart’s sister ( a NICU nurse at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul for over 25 years) was preparing to file for divorce from her husband who had been in and out of drug rehab.  She had a restraining order filed against him, but on February 17^th 2003, her husband broke into the garage @ 1:00 am and murdered her and then turned the gun on himself, leaving behind 4 young children.    Bart and his wife adopted and raised the 4 children.
• Sachin, Tinu, Shekhar, Pradip and Suresh pooled their money and donated $250 to an organization for the blind in Nepal that Sachin’s uncle runs.  This is a large amount of money for them and will go a long ways.  His parents will be buying them blankets, clothes and other items they are in need of.

• Tony and Adam donated to Second Harvest Heartland, a program that provides food for families in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A $50 dollar donation provides up to 180 meals for needy families!
• Briana chipped in an extra $10 to evenly split her donation among 3 hardworking guys she met while getting her oil changed.
• Kevin donated his $50 to his server, Nadia, at Cracker Barrel. Nadia is saving to buy a new car, and with her tax return she hopes she can meet her goal.

• Malik stopped to help a man change his flat tire in the snow.  He noticed his car was on empty, so he asked him to follow him to the nearby gas station.  He filled up his tank, got him a car wash and bought hot chocolate for his wife and kids.  The man was absolutely flabbergasted as to why this was happening, Malik just said, “Today you, tomorrow me.”
• Angela used her $50 to help a family pay for daycare for a child whose  hard working parents  just found out the dad has a brain tumor and are having a very difficult time.
• Josh bought diapers, pacifiers, and warm baby clothes for a young unemployed mother trying to find a job and go to school.  In July 2011 Karisha Clifton was homeless and pregnant and had just lost her job working concessions at Target Field. Not content to only look for a job, she also joined a program to help young people pursuing productive academic and work lives.  She attended a Customer Service class through Saint Paul College and also found stable housing. Karisha had a baby girl one month ago and is still looking for employment. She is in most need of simple material goods that you or I would take for granted.
• John and Brenda went to a grocery store with the intent of donating $50 to an employee, and $50 to help someone in need buy groceries. Instead they were touched by the story of Maureen, an employee, who tries to work as much as she can, but gets limited hours, is all on her own, walks to work  and suffers from cerebral palsy.
• Katherine donated $50 to a high school student.  He was left by his parents, works every day to pay for his gas, and struggles to find money to pay for lunch. Operation See-A-Need bought his ticket to his senior brunch.
• Darien donated $50 to the parents of an enthusiastic 2 year old girl suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  Due to so many hospital stays and visits, her parents are struggling to pay her hospital bills to ensure she fully recovers. This $50 will at least remind Violet and her parents that there are people out there who do care and are willing to help out in any way, shape, or form.
• Jessica and Corey pooled their money to buy Target gift cards for the homeless downtown.
• Jason G. helped to feed the poor by purchasing five pre-bagged food shelf donations at Cub foods.
• Alaric donated his $50 to Melissa, a single mother whose husband recently left her, leaving her with two very young children.  She recently had to give up her home because she couldn’t make ends meet.  She was ecstatic that someone, and a company would be able to help her out in a difficult time.
• Jason gave $10 to his daughter to choose how to donate. Madeline chose to buy new books for her preschool class. The other portion went to Breaking Free. Breaking Free is a non- profit organization helping women and girls escape abuse, exploitation, and prostitution/sex trafficking.
• Heidi donated $50 to a family who uses the same daycare provider she does and has many struggles due to losing a job and then a back injury that restricted the dad’s ability to work.  The Dad explained that he never thought he would need something like this and was happy to accept it.  They had typically always been the family that gives to others.
• And so many more. great stories..

The reaction we received from the Avionté team was amazing. This experience really opens your eyes to how many people are struggling, and how 50 dollars can make a difference in someone else’s life. We hope that by doing our part of paying it forward, others will be equally inspired.

If you’d like to contact the Avionte Hope Foundation, email us at  AHF@avionte.com

“2012 is looking to be another great year for Avionté and I’m very thankful for all of our successes. So now feels like the right time to start sharing our success with others and helping to make a positive impact in the lives of those less fortunate than us. Starting a chartable side of Avionté has always been a vision of mine and I couldn’t be more excited to finally see this start to take form.   January 2012 was the official launch of The Avionté Hope Foundation (AHF) and I’m thrilled to see all that is already happening!” John Long, CEO of Avionté

The mission of the Avionté Hope Foundation is: To positively impact the lives of individuals by helping them achieve long term life improvement, through financial and personal support.  Providing a conduit for employees of Avionté to become involved in charitable activities and start making a difference.

We created AHF to support people in need, and to provide volunteer opportunities for Avionté employees. The financial side has an allocated budget each month to help local non-profit organizations in Minnesota and Nepal (Our Corporate office is located in MN and we also have an office in Kathmandu). Each month the funds are split into three buckets.  A portion goes to a local Minnesota organization to help provide support for an individual or group who is working toward a better future.  Another portion goes to support so many of the less fortunate in Nepal.  The final bucket is set aside for special opportunities and needs as they arise.

For the month of January and to celebrate the launch of AHF, we kicked off our Year End Party with Operation See-A-Need. This surprise mission presented each Avionté employee a $50 bill to go out and make a difference. Check out some of the inspiring stories from Avionté.

Money was also sent to our Nepal office in January to help an orphanage purchase educational supplies for children whose parents are imprisoned.

The month of February we are working with Lincoln Place in Eagan, Minnesota. Lincoln Place is an apartment complex providing supportive housing for young adults ages 18-24. The residents come from a variety of backgrounds but many are transitioning out of the foster care system, are homeless, or are at risk of becoming homeless. In addition to a financial donation, we are encouraging Avionté staff to volunteer at Lincoln Place, by teaching a class, helping refurbish computers and so on. We also created a site at our corporate headquarters highlighting household items that Lincoln Place residents need. Many times residents move into minimally furnished apartments and they are missing many of the very basic items we take for granted.

For February, the remaining funds will be used to help a local teenage boy whose parents moved out of state and left him to fend for himself. We are buying him gas cards, a high school parking permit, and putting money into a school lunch account.

Employees are also given three paid days off a year to volunteer at the charity of their choice. Many of the organizations we support financially are also in need of volunteers,  so we are working on a schedule for Avionté employees. We believe in giving back and are happy to see members of the Avionté team taking time to help others.

We look forward to working with organizations that are helping to make a difference in lives of the people around us and providing them hope for a better future. If you know of an organization, volunteer opportunities or individual circumstances, let us know!

Email us AHF@avionte.com

I experienced the best introduction to Avionté Staffing Software. I have been with Avionté for about a month, and much discussion concerned the Year End Party. “Katherine make sure you are free January 21, you do not want to miss this!”  The stories I heard about the past year’s party only added to my anticipation and excitement; hypnotists, dancing, coveted prizes, tigers (only kidding) and lots of dancing.

I am the sales and marketing assistant and part of my responsibilities include event planning and party prep. So the couple of weeks before the big event were spent covering every aspect of the Year End party in great detail. We needed prizes, games, munchies, transportation, name tags, booze (and lots of it), music (the Avionte band debut), and surprises! After all that planning and buying we pulled it off.

We held our gathering at the Dakota Lodge in West St Paul. The Dakota Lodge was a quintessential place to host a party. The night started off with a cocktail hour and many introductions. Just to put it in perspective, Avionte hired about 25 employees in the past year. Our Year End party guest list was double that of the previous year. After some initial mingling, everyone took their seats for dinner and a short presentation by our CEO, John Long. One of the best surprises of the night was the revealing of Operation See-A-Need, which was the launch of our Charitable Arm, The Avionté Hope Foundation. That topic deserves a blog all to itself!

We catered in dinner, enjoyed cocktails, played some highly competitive yet socially awkward team games, raffled prizes, listened to the Avionté band (New Order Wizard and the Worker Comp Claims), danced and sang.  While all of that made for a great party, it was really the amazing group of people that came together to celebrate what they had accomplished as a team over the past year that really made the night special.  There was camaraderie within this company that I had never experienced before in my previous positions and it was truly amazing to be a part of it.   Here’s to an amazing 2011 and looking forward to all that 2012 has to bring!

Corey joined the Avionté team in May of 2011 as Support Manager.  He brought with him a unique set of talents after serving as the Vice President/General Manager for CCI and The Merchandising Team, a reputable Twin Cities staffing and retail service firm, since 2002.  Having been on the client side for so long, Corey has an extraordinary perspective into the dynamic challenges and issues facing the staffing industry today.  As the new Support Manager for Avionté Staffing Software, he manages the client support team and is responsible for driving the highest levels of satisfaction and problem-solving capabilities for our clients. Corey attended the University of Minnesota and lives in Eagan with his wife and their three sons. In his little free time, he enjoys golfing and playing hockey.

Congratulations to Jason Ortner, Avionte Sales VP and his wife Bridget!  

Jack was born on March 8th and blessed the office with a visit today! 

Looks to us like baby Jack has a very proud big sister.

Katie Grutsch, Support Manager for Avionté and her husband Shane welcomed their first baby last Friday! 
She’s been out of the office for just a few days and although we are already missing her greatly…I’m confident this little guy is well worth it. 

Congratulations Katie and Shane!!

Zachary Bernard Grutsch
7 pounds 10 ounces
20 inches long

Mike Scoville, VP of Sales

by Briana Morgan

Mike has made the transition to the staffing industry through several years of software sales experience.  Having this background in ATS and ERP, front and back office systems allows him to provide valuable insight and guidance to our clients.  Mike’s great energy, easy going attitude and highly driven perspective are a perfect fit here at Avionté Staffing Software.  Please feel free to introduce yourself or ask him any questions!  Mike can be reached at mike@avionte.com or 651-556-2121.

Role at Avionté:  VP of Sales – Providing prospects and clients an in-depth knowledge of our front and back office system, while presenting solutions to meet their specific staffing needs.  An active member and participant in several staffing industry associations, Mike is the voice of our organization for his territory, while building upon relationships he’s developed with other organizations and industry partners in the staffing space.

Outside of Work:  Mike maximizes our Minnesota climate, whether it’s heading out of the city during the summers for a weekend at Battle Lake, a back yard barbeque or the annual ski trip to the Rockies, he enjoys surrounding himself with family, friends and always having a good time.

On the Lighter Side…

If you could live anywhere for 1 year where would it be?  Nashville, TN

What is the strangest food you ever ate?  Lutefisk

What is your favorite color?  Blue

What do you think the secret to a good life is?  Carpe Diem

Only the Staff at Avionté knows… just how dangerous a Bluetooth speaker system in a car can be.

I asked someone from the Avionté Implementation Team to give me a few details of the recent river trip Avionté sent them on as a reward for all their hard work and the busy months ahead.  You may soon realize there is one thing everyone on the implementation team has in common…and I’m not referring to the joy of a smooth staffing software conversion or implementation.  There is also an omission of my suggested topics on team building, bonding, relaxation and rejuvenation…but I guess that all goes without saying.  Thank you to the entire implementation team for all your hard work and long hours! 

FYI- I took the liberty of bolding a few words. If you’re in a rush, skim the bolded words and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what this trip was all about.  

by Kevin Cunningham 

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship.” I was boarding the houseboat for Avionte’s implementation team river extravaganza, so I was a little concerned that the theme from “Gilligan’s Island” was stuck in the back of my head, and could not be silenced. Sure several of us had boating experience but this was a 50 ft houseboat on the Mississippi River which we had to cross lock and dam, and the crew seemed far more interested in swimming, diving and drinking, than in navigating. If the SS Minnow had set sail for 3 days not to return for years, what chance did the twelve of us have? 

The first night we travelled a distance of about 300 yards and then decide to take shelter in a cove. Going further up river with delays from the lock could have caused us to be on the river within the prescribed “one hour before sunset”, apparently a Bozo no-no. Doug at the helm, grounded the boat perfectly, we set our anchors, ate dinner and proceeded to play. I believe chicken, brats and burgers were on the menu the first night, things started to get a little fuzzy after we pulled out of port. Jim, our corporate trainer’s husband, cooked all the meals and did an outstanding job. Laura and Jim had done all the shopping and did a great job of estimating the food, and underestimating what lushes they were traveling with. Before the first day was over, we had to make an emergency call for more beer. 

The first rule we unknowingly broke was “no jumping off the upper deck“, but come on what did they expect, putting that thing up there that looked like a diving board. Because the slide on the back of the boat was obviously not enough, people began swimming across the pond to use the slip and slide that was resting on the opposite shore. So slipping, sliding and falling down went on till somewhere around 11 PM just in time for a some drinking games (Bizz Buzz and Tippy Cup). 

Most of the crew was out by 2 AM when the wind kicked up and started blowing cans and boxes all over the place. We scrambled to put them in the boat and then sat back to watch a wild electrical storm which surrounded us, and looked like fireworks. It was awesome! 

Second day has us steaming upstream after breakfast, Laura remarks that she heard what must have been a grizzly bear the night before with loud roaring sounds, more than likely due to Laura’s drinking too much. We met up with John and Brenda further upstream, they had brought with them, via John’s boat, necessary replenishments (more beer). We spent the day in the channel swimming and diving, and we had a blast. Later we pulled up on a beach where we had seen a volleyball net and joined in with the local natives playing volleyball. Near sunset has John and Brenda returning, and us settling down for a peaceful night’s sleep, not a chance. I think it was around 10 PM when someone decided it would be a good idea to race up the sand bank we were beached on. It was about 200 yards uphill at about a 65 degree angle.  About a half dozen or so started up, and fell down in various places on the hill. Sandeep and Scott decided to roll back down, a decision I think they still both regret. Sandeep spent the remainder of the night trying to get the sand out of his bathing suit. I wonder if that is how he got his name. 

Third day left us dropping off more of the crew, now there were only six of us left. We cruised back down to the cove where we spent the first night and relaxed. We waited overnight and returned the boat in the morning. 

So what did we learn from this experience? 

• 12 motivated people can drink a lot of beer in a short time.
• It is really not a good idea to have an uphill race in the sand after drinking all that beer.
• Kevin can snore louder than a jet engine.
• But by far the best discovery of the weekend was the name of Doug’s first pet, DC. “DC”, what does that stand for we all wondered? “Doug’s cat”. You have to love the simplicity.

by Briana Morgan

One of our original employees, Katie is an integral and vital team member; not only within her department, but throughout the whole organization.  Since Katie started out as our first corporate trainer, many of our clients know her as upbeat, cheery and the person with the answers!  We appreciate her commitment and can’t express enough how much her positive outlook affects each one of us.

Role at Avionté: Staffing Software Support Manager – Maintaining all aspects of the support department and support team including their career development and efficiency; from trouble-shooting to implementing and creating new and improved processes.  Katie is also the main point for all external communication to clients and often our go-to contact of our internal issues as well.

 
Outside of Work: Katie enjoys spending time up north at the cabin, hanging with her hubby and spending time with their friends and family.

On the Lighter Side…

Who is the most famous person you have met? – Josh Campbell www.joshuajamescampbell.com

The next place I travel to will be:  Germany – To visit a friend who lives there.

What was your favorite music group in junior high? – New Kids on the Block

Do you have any phobias?  L.A.R.P.ing

Only the staff at Avionté knows… Katie never yells, what are you talking about support?!