United Linen Blog

Wrapping up United Linen's United Way Campaign

This post wraps up United Linen's United Way campaign for the year.  We had a great time raising money for United Way and learned a tremendous amount about fund-raising.  This marked the first time we used social media tools to help promote our fund-raising efforts and that was a huge learning experience (more on that in a future post). 

As Kristin alluded to in the video above, we have added up the money and votes for those employees who participated in our Halloween Costume Contest.  Last week our employees dropped off money in a box under the picture of the person they thought had the best costume.  Those of you around the world had the opportunity to vote by donating money via the ChipIn widget, placed in the blog's right sidebar, and leave a comment as to the costume you thought was the best.

We tallied up the money and the winner is...

  

...Cherie Sanders (Christmas Tree).  Cherie won an iPod Nano for her creative interpretation of a Christmas tree as her Halloween costume.

  

Runner up was Dana Henshall, who portrayed a texting-while-driving accident victim. 

We raised $62.00 using the ChipIn Widget.  The cash collected during the jelly bean guessing contest and costume contest totalled $282.35, making a grand total collected of $344.35 for United Way. 

A tip of the hat and a heart-felt "thank you" to all of our employees and to all of you who participated with us in this fun campaign.  This just goes to show what can happen when everyone does a little bit...it adds up to making a big difference. 

If you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, you would like to make regarding our United Way campaign, we would love to hear from you.  Just leave a comment in the Comments section below.

Please retweet if you like...

RT: @unitedlinen Wrapping up United Linen's United Way Campaign http://bit.ly/MTbC5

United Linen's 2009 United Way Campaign - Interview with Chris Berger

We are a couple of weeks into our United Way campaign and learning alot as we try new and different approaches to raising money for this great cause. Today, we visit with Chris Berger, former resident of Bartlesville, OK about the Bartlesville United Way and how you can help make a difference in this year's United Way Campaign. Chris was heavily involved in the Bartlesville United Way campaigns when he and his family lived here, so it's great to get to visit with him and get his insight on United Way and his perspective on social media/fund-raising.



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RT: @unitedlinen UL's 2009 UW Campaign - Interview with Chris Berger #uluwc09 http://bit.ly/3Zg0U4

And The Winner Is...

We announce the winner of the "How Many Jelly Beans Are In The Jar" contest we had for our 2009 United Way Campaign.  Thanks to everyone for your generosity and for helping us raise money in a fun and unique way for United Way.

This was our first time to try this approach in fund raising.  We had read about some other fund-raising efforts using the ChipIn Widget in the book, Twitterville, by Shel Israel and thought we would give it a try. 

Have you tried fund-raising usine social media methods?  What were your thoughts on this contest?  Was it easy to donate money through the ChipIn widget?  We would love to hear your thoughts.

Please ReTweet if you like...

RT: @unitedlinen And The Winner Is...http://bit.ly/1W31K4

United Linen's United Way Campaign - Special Guest Chuck Wheelock

All this week we have been talking about our United Way campaign and how you have a chance to win a Flip video camera by guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar pictured below.  We really appreaciate everyone participating and helping out.  We have be best fans of any company around and we thank you for helping us reach our goal of $600. 

To find out how to play, see our blog post here.  

To help make the point that geography does not matter in our fund-raising event, we called Chuck Wheelock, of Johnny Grey Studios, in Greenwich, Connecticut and visited with him about our fund-raising effort.  Chuck is a cousin of mine and practitioner of the social media arts, so we thought he would be a good candidate for helping us demonstrate how easy it is for people all over the United States (and the world) to join us in our efforts in helping support the United Way.

We are confident that with your help, we will reach our goal of $600 for United Way.   And who knows, you may even win a Flip Video Camera.

Stay tuned as we will be coming up with other fun fund-raising events during the month of Oct and Nov.

Please ReTweet:

Rt: @unitedlinen United Linen's United Way Campaign vlog update http://bit.ly/1CP3KG

United Linen's United Way Campaign - Special Guest David Austin

David Austin is today's special guest on the United Linen's United Way Campaign.  In today's segment, David guesses how many jelly beans are in the jar and shows us how easy it is to make a donation online.

You can go to this blog post for more information on the rules and regs.  There are not alot, but there are a few.

Have some fun with this, see if you can guess how many jelly beans are in the jar, support a good cause and maybe even win a FLIP video Camera.

RT: @unitedlinen United Linen's United Way Campaign - Special Guest David Austin http://bit.ly/4AgnBC

Everyone Gets To Guess for a Good Cause

 
United Linen is participating in this year’s United Way campaign through a series of contests. Our goal is $600.  In the video below, Kristin Crawford gives a brief description of how the game works.

 Our first contest is “Guess how many Jelly Beans are in that jar!” & will run October 5^th through October 16^th. The gist of it? Purchase a guess (or as many as you want) & the closest to the correct number of Jelly Beans wins a Flip video camera.

 Employees & friends across the globe are eligible to participate.

 An employee wishing to participate should check out the jar in the front office or see Kristin & Elwanda in HR.

 For those of you wishing to participate virtually, please click on our ChipIn Widget on the (right) side of the screen. This will take you to a secure Paypal site where can you make donations for $1.50 per guess. When making your donation, be sure to click the "Go to ChipIn/Leave a Comment" link & type your guess in the comment field. You do not have to have a Paypal account in order to participate. Once on the Paypal site, there is a link to pay via debit/credit card.

 Just a few housekeeping details…

1. On Monday, October 19^th, the beans will be counted and a winner determined.
2. The person with the guess closest to the number of jelly beans, without going over, is the winner.
3. In the event that all guesses are over, the person with the lowest guess is the winner.
4. In the event of a tie, the person turning in the correct guess first, wins.
5. The winner will be notified by October 21^st & the prize will be awarded/mailed by October 23^rd.

 
Thanks for playing along and helping us raise money for the Bartlesville Regional United Way.

Retweet this post and help us raise even more money!

RT: @unitedlinen Raising money for United Way the new-fashioned way http://bit.ly/1prr0F

A Recollection of Events Leading Up to the ORA Tradeshow by Shannon Moad

Scott's Note: Allow me to introduce today's guest blogger, Shannon Moad, Marketing Director, Oklahoma Restaurant Association.  Today, Shannon gives us a look behind the scenes of planning and executing this year's ORA Tradeshow which took place in Oklahoma City, OK.  Shannon uses a "journaling" approach to telling her story. 

March 13, 2009.

Okay, it’s time to start planning the 2009 Oswalt Culinary Cook-off and Ice Carving Competitions.  With the Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo moving to September, we have about 6 months to plan this thing.  There’s a lot to do, so I’d better set our first committee meeting.

 

April 16, 2009.

Had our first committee meeting today; got a lot accomplished.  Made a few changes to the heat schedules, and decided to announce the winner of the Ice Carving Competition at the same time we announce the winner of the Culinary Cook-off.  Tomorrow we’ll release the application forms on our website, and we’ll send out a blast email to everyone in our database and our past participants.  If the release goes like last year, we should see at least a few applications come in over the next 2 days. 

 

Need to work on sponsorships. So far, we have a few people who have noted their interest in sponsoring the event, but this year’s economy is a lot different.

 

April 17, 2009.

Our first 2 culinary applications have come in! It’s a first-come, first-served deal, so we need 10 more by the July 31 deadline.  Have scheduled a few more blast emails.

 

May 29, 2009.

Second committee meeting was today.  Was able to report that we had 7 culinary applicants and 3 ice carvers; we might just make it to a waiting list-only soon!  Confirmed 3 of our culinary judges and all 4 ice judges, plus the emcees. The committee is doing such a great job securing sponsorship dollars, too. We even have some new ones coming in. Still have a long way to go though.

 

June 25, 2009.

A month to go before the application deadline, and we are officially full for the Culinary Cook-off!  Even have some new faces this year. Chefs are getting curious; I’ve had several phone calls and emails from anxious participants wanting to know who they’ll be competing against. Have 5 ice carvers, and we need 3 more.  Need to work on that. 

 

July 10, 2009.

Third “official” committee meeting today.  Zena Dater of Oswalt has secured our fourth culinary judge – a food editor from Chicago! She writes for several industry publications and is a recipe contributor for others!  She’d heard about our little ol’ Oklahoma competition before and seems genuinely excited.  I can’t believe how big this thing has gotten over the past few years!

 

More sponsorship dollars are coming in, but we’re still behind from where we were at this time last year. Thinking of ways to expand the ROI for sponsors. 

 

August 3, 2009.

Sent out confirmation letters via email to all competitors today. Will follow up via phone tomorrow.

 

August 4, 2009.

Made 42 phone calls today.  Confirmed all culinary participants, plus our wait list; our ice participants; judges; emcees; culinary students from OSU-Okmulgee. Also released the final 12 culinary names to Carol Smaglinski, one of our judges who also happens to be the food editor for the Oklahoma Gazette. She’s going to run it in an upcoming publication.

 

August 14, 2009.

Last committee meeting before the show, which is in 2 WEEKS!  Looks like we will only have 5 ice carvers this year; not too bad, since they’ll have more room to work. Our incredible committee has outdone themselves this year: we currently have almost $14,000 in sponsorship dollars, more than we’ve ever had!  I wonder if they know how much I appreciate them?  We’ve done a couple of media interview so far, and United Linen’s Scott Townsend, who I just met last night, and I talked about the benefit of social networking for the event. We’re new to this field – we don’t even have a Facebook page! – but Scott is an expert, so we’re going to see what we can come up with.

 

August 27, 2009.

Everything is finalized. The winners’ checks have been written, the trophies and medals are in, everyone knows the time and place I need to see their shining faces.

 

September 2, 2009.

It’s here – the beginning of the end. It’s 9:30 a.m. and our first 3 culinary competitors have checked in, plus a few others that will be competing later on. The kitchens are set, the pantry is filled, the judges are taking their places, and the emcees are checking their microphones.  We just drew names to see which culinary students will work with which chefs, and Scott Townsend has started “Tweeting” about the first heat. 

 

(Later on that day) – So far, so good. Everything is going smoothly. We decided to use basic ingredients in our mystery baskets this year, and it’s been fun to see what the chefs do with them. They’re all so talented, and I find myself feeling bad for the chefs who don’t progress to the Semi-Finals.  Scott is Tweeting like crazy and doing such a great job – we actually have people following the competition via Twitter!  What a cool way to communicate to the public, especially since this is a private, industry-only event.

 

(Later still…) – The first day is over. We have 4 chefs progressing to tomorrow’s Semi-Finals.  Must get rest. Tomorrow is the really crazy day.

 

September 3, 2009.

Ahhh.  Today is going to get exciting!  We have two back-to-back Semi-Finals, move over to the Ice Carving Competition, and then back to the Culinary Cook-off for the Finals.  I can’t wait!

 

Semi-Finals are over – it’s going to be Brad Johnson of Hal Smith Restaurant Group against Jed Kronholm of Oak Tree National.   The Ice Carving Competition has started – a huge crowd is over watching these guys use their chainsaws and chisels and hairdryers on a block of ice. Talk about talent – these chefs are amazing artists.  Okay, I’ve checked on this area; I’d better get back to the culinary section to make sure everything is set.

 

And it is!  The stage has been draped, and people are already taking their seats for the Finals, which is 45 minutes away! 

 

It’s time.  I can’t believe how many people are here to watch – it’s standing-room only at this point. The chefs have an hour from the time they see the Mystery Basket until the timer goes off and their plates must be turned in.  The Mystery Basket is amazing – our coordinator Eddie Hartwick always does such a good job working with sponsor Super Cao Nguyen to get cool things.  This year is no different; it’s one thing – shrimp.  But there are about 6 different varieties, all flown in this morning from places like Nigeria!  Scott is Tweeting again, and we have even more followers.  I have got to learn this Twitter thing…

 

Plates are done.  The judges are working.  While they judge, we’re announcing the Ice Carving Competition winner – John Wheeler from Chaparral Energy!  Kudos to him; he’s been a runner-up too many times!  He’s the Grand Champion and is now $1,500 richer.  And the judges are done tabulating. 

 

We’ve counted the scores 4 times - just to be sure.  This is a $3,000 decision, so we’d better pay close attention.  And the winner is…Brad Johnson.  Jed Kronholm takes home a $1,500 second-place.  This was one heck of a competition! 

 

September 4, 2009.

I can’t believe it’s over.  I’m so lucky to get to work on this project – it’s definitely the highlight of my job!   And the best part?  In 5 months, I get to start all over.

Want to be a guest blogger on the United Linen blog?  Send us an email.

Please let us know your thoughts about this blog post.  You can leave a comment in the Comments section below.

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RT: @unitedlinen  A Recollection of Events Leading Up to the ORA Tradeshow http://bit.ly/15eZm3

 

The Tulsa Chamber's Networking Breakfast

Robin Black and I attended the Tulsa Chamber's Networking Breakfast at the Renaissance Hotel this last Tuesday morning.  This is the 2nd time I have been and have enjoyed the format both times.

The purpose behind the event is to help businesses make connections and to help you practice your pitch.  It goes something like this:

    1st things 1st...have breakfast and drink lots of coffee...get yourself psyched up.

    Find your first table and visit with those at your table while having breakfast.

    Once the program begins...

    Everyone passes their business cards and brochures around the table so that each person gets one.

    Each person gets 1 minute to introduce themselves and their business.

    Then after everyone has made their introductions, you got to another predetermined table and start all over.

    You make your way around 3 tables and your done...back to work.

Below are a couple of pictures taken during the Networking Breakfast.

United Linen's Robin Black and Gloria Kelley of Jacobi Kelley Personnel.

Some presentations being made before the Networking exercises begin.

One of the business representatives giving their pitch.

The participants at Table 2.

Some of the cool people I got to meet are:

Morgan Dickson of The Melting Pot .

Beverly Atteberry of Creative Memories .

Brian Greer of Maxim Health Systems .

Ballroom Revolution - 918-994-5550.

Bambi LaTray of Phoenix Residential.

Carlos Moreno of Performance Magazine.

Alicia Branson of Cox Marketing Solutions.

Vancrete Decorative Concrete.

Norbert Gallagher, DC of Gallagher Wellness Center.

Rebecca's Flowers.

Stacy Guilfoyle of Great Skin.

Janice Ruh of Marketwise.

Lindsey Mersman of Post Oak Lodge.

Dori Howard of American Diabetes Assoc.

Jack Majors or Farmers.

Gloria Kelley of Jacobi Kelley Personnel.

If I met you and I missed getting your name above, I apologize.

Tweets from the Odyssey de Culinaire

Below are the aggregated tweets sent from the Odyssey de Culinaire on Thursday, August 13th in Tulsa, OK.

The theme for this year's Odyssey de Culinaire is Kid's Menu #Ora

Odyssey de Culinaire - The Appetizer: "PB&J" by Chef Robert Black. http://yfrog.com/5j4sbmj #Ora

Odyssey de Culinaire - Soup & Salad, prepared by Chef Brad Evers, Gallardia Country Club http://yfrog.com/6plulmj. #ora

Odyssey de Culinaire - Entree, "Fish Sticks & Tarter Sauce" by Chef David Henry http://yfrog.com/11wmlj #Ora

Odyssey de Culinaire - Entree, Un-"Sloppy Joe" prepared by Chef Christine Dowd, Trattoria il Centro #ora http://yfrog.com/6pskgj

Odyssey de Culinaire - Dessert, "A Modern Rendition of Candy Bars" prepared by Chef Ryan Parrott http://yfrog.com/0lamztj #Ora

I also had the pleasure of getting a picture with Michael Yip, Culinary Instructor at Tulsa Technology Center and Tealor Barton, Pro-Start Student Competitor

AND, below is a copy of the menu from this extraordinary dining experience.

United Linen Sponsors BRCC Small Business Forum

The Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce just posted pics from the Small Business Forum we helped sponsor in July.  Cindy Morrison did a great job talking about how to use social media tools to promote you and your business.  There was a great turn out from area businesses, and there were even some who drove in from as far away as Oklahoma City.

Hats off to the BRCC for doing a bang-up job putting the event together and to Hillcrest Country Club, who are always gracious, helpful and have such nice facilities.