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Job #7 was a full week of learning! Even though Clayton Homes wasn’t on my list of jobs that Sean Aiken gave me for the One-Week Job Program, I am thankful they hosted me for week #7. In case you’re behind, you can read my first two posts of this week here and here.

After working at the corporate office on Monday and Tuesday, I spent Wednesday at the Clayton Homes  sales center.

Thursday, I got the true behind-the-scenes experience! I drove an hour from the corporate office to the  Norris Homes building facility. Norris is just one of the “factories” where Clayton homes are built. As I stepped in the door, I was greeted by the manager Charlie. I spent some time with one of his salesmen to learn how they actually build a house!

A view of the home-building facility

This week I am working with Clayton Homes, the largest home building company is the United States! I spent my first day at the corporate office with the I-house specialist, Beth. To read my first post about Job #7, click here.

Day #2 was full of a variety of tasks as I spent the day with the I-House product manager, Brandon O’ Connor. Brandon and I started the morning by reading design & building blogs. One thing that stood out to me about working in this field is that the industry is constantly moving. To keep up with his job, Brandon must stay current on design trends, new innovations, new building codes, and more. He dedicates approximately an hour every morning to read blogs, interact with customers on Facebook,  and to check for i-House mentions in the media.

After checking out some industry blogs, I got to listen in on some phone calls as Brandon discussed future I-House projects with his business partners.

The highlight of the day was the very last hour!

Well my week with the PR/Media Relations expert at the TELUS World of Science came to a close…and I would have to say that it was one of my favorite weeks!

Cassandra brought me along to EVERY meeting she had, and introduced me to so many different parts of the Science Centre.  We talked about media plans and marketing strategies, internal relations and external support.  It’s a big job, but she manages to do it all, and to do it calmly at that.

In my 'Discovery Team Leader' Gear, in front of the Body Worlds sign

Out of all the jobs I did this summer, I would have to say that this is one that makes some of the most sense to me.  As I mentioned before, the goal of the Centre is to support education and community involvement.  The Communications and Marketing Team also seemed to work together really well.  The regularly scheduled meetings definitely helped communicate what everyone was working on, and what was happening next.

Some tid-bits I learned over the week:

- Know your audience. Something really interesting that the Communications Team did in advance of the Body Worlds exhibit, was invite the city’s religious leaders to preview the show.  Body Worlds has been a bit controversial, as they use dead bodies to teach people about anatomy.  Obviously this doesn’t sit well with some, but it was part of the Communication Team’s job to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.  The preview allowed the religious groups to ask questions of the exhibit, and to give them a point of reference that they could then take to their congregations.  ALL of the groups expressed appreciation for being included in such an event, and the preview night is something the Team plans on using in the future for any controversial shows.

- Know what kind of publications and media outlets (magazine, local news shows, etc…) fit into your demographic.  Obviously, your organization should only put money into advertising where it will make the most ROI – Return On Investment. The media strategy meetings I attended talked a lot about where advertising dollars should go…it’s like a big investment game…only with real money…;)

- Knowing what just happened is just as important as knowing what’s coming up AKA: Learn From Your Mistakes. The meetings I attended also talked a lot about this one…important!

- Awareness, Awareness, Awareness.  The Coms Team did a survey of their members, and 88% of them were aware of the Body Worlds show!  That’s huge!  The goal was 60%, so they have definitely gone above and beyond all expectations.

Touring the New Science Centre

With so many meetings during the week, it did get a little intense.  It almost felt like there was no time to actually work on what was decided on, because there always seemed to be another meeting to go to!  But with so many changes going on at the TELUS World of Science (the new Science Centre opening next year, new exhibits going up, budget, hours, staff, etc), communication is paramount.

I think I could handle this kind of job…I enjoy planning and acting as a liason of sorts… With the Coms Degree I have though, I would probably have to go back to school and take a few other courses just to get up-to-speed on the nitty-gritty of the profession.  Cassandra told me about the International Association of Business Communicators as well as the Canadian Public Relations Society that have workshops and courses to help further my education.

Between all the Bodies, the critters, brainstorming sessions and Team Meetings, I really enjoyed my time with the TELUS World of Science!  Cassandra, thank you so much for being so welcoming, and allowing me to pick your brain!  Perhaps one day, I’ll be working WITH you, as opposed to just shadowing.

Best!

Amanda

Kieley here!

Sorry for disappearing from blog world over the past week! I’ve been in the process of moving and in case that wasn’t enough, I picked up a cold and have been trying to get well.

In case you’ve been following Michelle and Amanda’s blogs, you’ve noticed that they finished Job #8 last week. I am on the slow and steady track and am just starting Job #7 this week. Why? Well, family is very important to me so I took a family vacation earlier in the summer and last week I got sick and needed time to rest up. What’s the lesson here? This program is incredible, but it would be foolish to work different jobs like a madwoman and sacrifice my health and time with my family.

Alright, so to get back on topic, let me share my job for this week!

This week, I’m in Knoxville, Tennessee! I’ll be working with the United States’ largest home building company, Clayton Homes. Clayton homes is known for their high-quality manufactured and modular homes, but more recently for their I-House. This week I’m joining the I-house team to learn more about modular prefabricated homes.

What is the I-House?

The I-House is a new (released in 2009) house that is environmentally friendly, reasonably priced, and beautifully designed.

Here’s a picture of the model I-House to give you a better idea:

Why did I pick this job?

I’m a curious person and since a young-age, I’ve been fascinated by architecture and modern houses. After stumbling upon Dwell Magazine, I discovered prefabricated houses. I love the idea of custom designing a house and then having it built in a factory and delivered to the site. It’s mind-boggling that a house can be factory-built! The I-House is fabulous because it combines energy-efficiency with modern design.

My boss for the week is Brandon O’ Connor, the head of the I-House team.

I learned a tremendous amount about this industry in just one day at the corporate Clayton Homes office. After having a brief meeting with Brandon to discuss my schedule for the week, I met Beth Walker. Beth works as the I-House Specialist, a unique customer-oriented position that allows her to interact with people interested in the I-House. It’s impossible to know every detail about the house, but she sure knows a lot. Here is the I-House manual, which could basically be called the “I-House Bible.”

I spent most of the day sitting with Beth and listening in on calls with prospective I-House buyers. It might sound boring that I sat in a cubicle for the majority of my day. It was the opposite of boring! Each phone call was unique and required good people and problem solving skills.

I had looked at the I-House website before this week, but I learned way more during my time with Beth actually listening to questions that prospective buyers ask. I realize now that people really get excited about custom designing homes and the process of building a manufactured home is well worth it.

So, what questions do you have about the I-House or about manufactured homes? I would love to receive honest comments with your feedback on this industry and your opinion on this type of house.

Stay tuned for interesting updates all week. Tomorrow I will be heading to the Clayton Homes Center, the place where all their different model homes are on display for people to physically walk through.

Please comment with your questions and thoughts about prefab houses.

Thanks,

Kieley Best

“HOWDY!” from College Station, Texas!

For those of you who have never heard of the place, it is the home of the Texas A&M Aggies, and the place where I earned my undergraduate degree.

This week, I’ve been co-hosting with Radio DJ Niblett of Candy 95! I’ll be ending the Program as I started: In a laid-back fashion (Remember when I worked with a virtual company during Week #1??). My blogs this last week will follow that atmosphere. Each day, I’ve been working the nightshift: 6pm to 11pm CDT.

Night radio is a lot different from radio at any other time. You have fewer people in the car, and as result, less outside interactions with listeners and less time to develop character and emotions. A night Radio DJ has to rely a LOT on quick and funny bits to keep listeners listening. It’s not easy at all. The wrong person could easily buckle under the pressure of having to constantly be on their toes.

Working at the registration desk

Greetings!

I’m back home in Tennessee this week! It’s been hectic since my family and I moved this week from Cleveland to Knoxville, Tennessee. In case you’re behind on the blog, you can read my posts from Job #6 at Dallas Market Center here and here.

To recap: I spent Wednesday-Sunday last week working at Dallas Market Center. During the year, the Market puts on numerous “markets” that each focus on a certain business. For example, they host home & gift, apparel & accessories, menswear, and bridal markets. It’s incredible because the World Trade Center (the building with 15-stories of showrooms) is transformed for each market to fit the theme. All the windows feature new displays and there are events that cater to the buyers specifically.

Like I said before, my schedule was jam-packed! Since I’m an eternal optimist, I honestly didn’t mind the chaos of being a human baton for a week. I literally spent every hour with a different Market employee and then went to another person. Someone joked, “you’ll probably know more about this business after this one week than I know after being here for years!” I think they were right!

I already explained what the Dallas Market Center does in a past blog, but now I’d like to run through the different departments that make a market happen. It would be great if there was a magic “instant market” switch, but alas, it takes fabulous people and lots of work!

I’m exhausted.

The last 8 weeks have been wonderful, exciting, stressful, and tiring.  I’ve learned things I would never have had the opportunity to experience otherwise – and have definitely grown because of it.  The thing is…I’m tired!  Constantly moving around takes it’s toll on a person…I have no idea how Sean did this for 52 weeks!!!

BUT. Enough whining.  I’m here to tell you about my latest, greatest, and FINAL – One Week Job.

I’m spending my last week of the OWJ program in Calgary, Alberta, working at the TELUS World of Science.  I’m shadowing Cassandra McAuley, the Centre’s Media Relations Manager.   During her 5 years at the Centre, her duties have included that of Media Relations (both proactive and reactive), strategic-planning, member and internal relations, and execution on all planning.  Suffice it to say, Cassandra has A LOT on her plate

Communications and Marketing Team at a meeting

We first met while I was freelancing in Calgary as a news shooter and interviewed her for some local news stories.  She was extremely helpful and knowledgeable when it came to the specific needs of dealing with the media, and made the crew feel right at home.  Since I have my Bachelor of Communication Studies Degree, but have never used it, I’ve been really curious to see how things operate on the other side of the media-scene.

The TELUS World of Science is a massive centre in Calgary, and according to their website:

Our goal is to present science in a hands-on, fun and dynamic environment. Our programs and exhibits are designed to spark the imagination, satisfy the most curious of minds and inspire a spirit of life-long learning.

Right off the bat, I love the goal of the centre.  To work with an organization that strives to better people’s lives through education, is a goal to be proud of.

Monday morning we hit the ground running.  Cassandra had actually just returned from a week off, and while she was gone her entire office had moved!  This could be a little frustrating, but she took it all in stride, and we headed to the first meeting of the week.

The current exhibition at the Centre is that of Body Worlds – a showcase of human anatomy that uses the bodies of those who have donated them to science.  Basically, real bodies are put through a process called ‘plastination’, where they are preserved and showcased.  It’s an amazing exhibit if you haven’t seen it already – not gross like some may think, but definitely interesting.

Mr. Anatomy!

The TELUS World of Science is winding down to their final 3 weeks with the Body Worlds exhibit, so our first meeting was with the Body Worlds crew and their plans for the last 21 days.  We talked about the possibility of extended hours, a 24 hour exhibit, photo shoots with local sports celebrities, banners, coupons for reduced ticket prices, digital signage, and even a guerilla-style ‘Mr. and Mrs. Anatomy’ event – where 2 models are painted up with anatomically-correct muscle structure and paraded around night-clubs and pubs to drum up interest!

It was interesting to hear about their plans; media contacts, event successes, attendance numbers, and other logistics.  The team was excited about what they had done, and what they had yet to do.

After the meeting and some personal exploring of the Body Worlds exhibit, I met up with the Discovery Team and learned what it was like to work on the exhibition floor dealing with the public.  I met Joseph, a 4th year University Zoology major, who showed me the ropes.  We took out a cart of fake hip replacements, knee replacements, and even breast implants.  The public is encouraged to touch and talk about what they see, while the employee explains how everything works.  It was great to feel part of the exhibit and to show off things that most people never actually get to see up-close, let alone touch.

Recap Time.

I felt good Friday morning. Jolly, semi-hyper. When I walked to work, I listened to my music and sang out loud. Danced a little. Thinking back, I believe my mood stemmed from the knowledge that I had truly tried my best all week. No matter what happened, no matter what anybody thought or said, I had put in killer effort for this job. Not everybody could say that if they were in my position.

I arrived at the shop at 9:30am since Korey and I were doing a GCA, and I got everything ready.

This trip was to be my time. My time to shine. The night before, Korey told me that the best way to lead the trip was to wait to be asked questions first, then I could answer and slowly gain the trust of the passengers.

Well, this is what happened.

The boat filled up with passengers, and I began talking about safety, fumbling a few words as I backed out smoothly. It became very obvious very quickly that the crowd was rough. There was very little response to anything, quite unlike the atmosphere of Thursday’s trip. I made a bad, pre-arrangedjoke about how it was my first day, and that was why I was wearing a lifejacket. No laughter. At this point, we technically still hadn’t left the dam yet. I gave an insufficient introduction about the area, even though I had sat through five introductions throughout the week. No response. Korey later told me: “You gotta get them from beginning.”

Wednesday morning, I was functioning on less than four hours of sleep, but I felt serenely energetic. I thought back to last night. I had never done karaoke before, and I have a very-small-but-still-present fear of performing in front of an audience…but I ended up singing three songs. I even sang one song with Forrest! Also, to bike around town in 70-degree weather late at night surrounded by cliffs and canyons was just so freeing. I kind of felt as if I was in the “Wonder Years” or something. I don’t know why I thought that, that was just the first television show that came to my mind.

That small-town feeling of close proximity, trust, and freedom was alive in me and I wanted it to stay.

When I woke up, Forrest was already up, getting ready to leave town. The night before, Kyle mentioned that I could take his bike to work, but I couldn’t adjust the seat, so Forrest ended up taking me to work. I was happy about this because we had gotten some good talks in during our bike ride, and it was nice to have an official opportunity to say goodbye.

Blogging takes time and energy and I have been running low on both! I have been traveling a ton lately for the One-Week Job Program. I just finished job #6 after having a busy week in Dallas, Texas.

I am so thankful I got to spend week #6 at the Dallas Market Center to learn about the wholesale business. If you missed my first blog about DMC, read it here.

A special thanks is due to Meredith Hite, Dallas Market Center’s Director of Public Relations. She is also the logistical genius who offered me the job, arranged my schedule, and ensured that the week was absolutely fantastic!

I love meeting people who are so gifted like Meredith and so on top of their game. For Meredith, public relations is her forte’ but there were many other young professionals with exceptional talent at Dallas Market Center.

My schedule was tight from Wednesday to Sunday since I was booked to be in a different place and with a different employee every hour! I’m thankful for the chaos though because I learned as much or more about the business than some of the long-time employees know.

In my next blog, I will give a breakdown of all the departments I visited and the role they play in putting on the Market.

For now, I can’t help but share the main things that stood out during my week.

Friday 08/06/10 @ 5:10pm CDT: Leave Austin, Texas by Greyhound bus.

Saturday 08/07/10 @ 2:40pm MST: Arrive in Phoenix, Arizona by Greyhound bus.

Sunday 08/08/10 @9am MST: Leave Phoenix, Arizona by car.

Sunday 08/08/10 @1:40pm MST: Arrive in Page, Arizona by car.

1,379 miles of travel in order to make it to Job #7! The journey map has been retired for obvious reasons. If you’re really curious, you can view it on a separate tab.

If my friend Katie hadn’t given me a ride from Phoenix to Page, I’d be in lots of trouble. A 5-hour drive to Page, and then 5 hours more back to Phoenix. Now that’s a good friend. Thank you so much, Katie!

Last week, I was a river Guide with the Colorado River Discovery (CRD)! This job was the first one I received when I found out I got into the One-Week Job Program, suggested by my friend Dani. Being the quintessential outdoors Arizonan girl, she had worked for CRD one summer and wanted me to get to know what many would call “the best job ever” for a week:

“Welcome to Dallas, Texas!”

I received a warm welcome from Sydney Holt (Dallas Market Center intern) on Wednesday morning as we met at the Dallas airport. This week is likely to be my busiest week and also the best learning experience!

The World Trade Center at the Dallas Market

I’ll be working for the Dallas Market Center in Dallas, Texas. The Market contacted the One-Week Job Program to participate and I’ve never visited Dallas so after a few calls, emails, and a short flight, here I am! This week is different since my work week is Wednesday-Sunday.

When I initially heard about the Dallas Market Center, I thought of a shopping mall. I was partially right, but there’s a big difference between the Dallas Market and a regular mall: the Market is not open to the public. Only qualified buyers are allowed!

To clarify my role here, it’s important to explain what the Market is all about. The DMC is a set of four buildings that house hundreds of showrooms (stores).  To give you an idea of how massively big, I got this fact from their website:

The four buildings total more than 5 million square feet; larger than the Sears Tower and roughly twice the size of the Empire State Building.

Buyers from retail stores, boutiques, and other businesses come to the market to see new products and buy products at wholesale prices.

Hello All!

This is sort of a disappointing blog post, because it doesn’t contain any good One-Week Job meat, but I wanted to check in with the world. It is the Friday of Week #7, and as you may have noticed, I haven’t blogged at all. I’m always late with these posts, but I’ve never been this late so I’m addressing the issue. While I could have and arguably should have posted SOMETHING by now, I always aim to give my best words, so I refuse to write just anything. That would make this Program a waste; the stories I share with You are very important to me.

I’m currently not in a state where I can share with you, because I am completely immersing myself in this week’s job. This is in an effort to make sure I’m doing all that I can to take as much away from the opportunity as possible. This job’s much more difficult for me than all the others, so I’m having to try extra hard. Consequently, my mind has been nowhere ready to write. I have to admit that I would describe this week as sort of a life vacation, but I am definitely not slacking off. I’ve been reading and studying a lot. I’m awake randomly at 4:30 in the morning because I’m studying again. Consider that a clue for what I’ve been spending my time with this week! It’s probably the worst clue, but clues are fun anyway!

Okay okay, here’s another:

This week I’m in Dallas, Texas to work with the Dallas Market Center and learn all about the wholesale business!

Before I jump into blogging about this week, here’s a recap about last week. I worked with Peak 7, a nonprofit in Spokane, Washington on one of their 5-day backpacking trips. To read my first 2 blogs about last week, click here for part 1 and here for part 2.

After surviving our first night in the wilderness, we woke up to soggy boots outside out tents. There are times in life when you ease your way into something, but we sure didn’t ease into hiking! After eating our standard breakfast of instant oatmeal, we loaded our daypacks with granola bars, filtered water, and raingear and hit the trail.

We had three amazing guides on the trip, Nicole, Laura, and Lo. For the first day of hiking, they announced we would summit a mountain called “Stiletto Peak” by the end of the day. Hearing “stiletto” made me think of high-heels and glamorized the idea of hiking to the top of the mountain. Let’s just say I missed the memo that we would be walking 3 miles up a mountain! That may sound like nothing, but we counted the number of switchbacks (alternating hills up the mountain) and there were close to 30 hills we climbed.

Well, the life of an artist isn’t exactly what you’d call “structured.”

With a handful of projects going on at the same time, Dean Stanton is constantly buzzing from place to place, either finishing up a job or getting supplies ready for the next one.

So far, I’ve helped him outline his latest mural (one for a community garden in Calgary), painted with the kids camp, done some varnishing, and am getting ready to help set up for a large community mural to take place later this week.  It would be great to have a boss like Dean!  He’s easy-going and totally supportive of individual ideas.  He understands how people work, and instead of getting frustrated of upset if things don’t go his way - he totally rolls with it.

Painting is almost therapeutic…gently brushing the colour on the canvas, whether staying in the lines or drawing outside, it’s a hands-on project, that gives you immediate results. I’m definitely a visual person, but am not one that’s able to articulate much of anything with a paintbrush. Dean’s style is funky – simple, but uplifting. You can’t help but smile when you see his zany cartoon caricatures and animated animals.

As far as my own painting ambitions go – I can definitely appreciate how tough it is to figure things out in a freelance world.  You never know where your next job is coming from, or how long until you’ll be able to stock the fridge with something other than kraft dinner and hot dogs…

To be an artist, you have to sacrifice.  Whether that sacrifice includes ever being able to wear pants that aren’t stained with paint, or larger things such as having a decent-sized savings account – the reason people become artists is because it’s their PASSION!  Professions such as painters, photographers, musicians and actors, encompass the focus of the entire OWJ program!  Artists become artists to express themselves and to create beauty – either for themselves or others.

There’s no guarantee that anyone will notice, never-mind like your artwork – but for some, it’s just something they have to do.  Not many artists become rich and famous, but they continue to work at it because it makes them happy.

Simple, right?

I think so.

- Amanda