The Pinnacle - Q2 2019

Presents

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Event Planner Apps to Help Get Things Done Advengers: Endgame World Premiere at LACC 100 Black Men of America Annual Scholarship Dinner Las Vegas Project Gentlemen 2019

Smart City: Where Technology Meets Hospitality Keith McNeely Celebrates 40 Year Anniversary

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Contents Presidents Corner 3 Longevity at Smart City Cover Story 4 Smart City: Where Technology Meets Hospitality GM Insight 5 Event Planner Apps to Help Get Things Done

GM Insight Check out mobile app categories that can better assist any event professional with managing multiple tasks.

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6 How IoT is Remaking the Workplace Center Updates

Center Update In June, tech professionals from around the world gathered as Cisco Live showcased the leading edge in network technology. Page 8

7 AIPAC 2019 7 Avengers: Endgame World Premiere 8 VSTE 8 Orlando United Day 9 Cisco Live 2019 10 Arnold Sports Festival USA 2019 10 Exhibition Day with HIMSS 11 Smart City Soccer Team Takes Home the Gold 11 RSCC Gets Digital Signage 11 GM Discusses Technology at MBCC 12 ACCC Expansion Approved

Center Update On May 18, 2019, the Santa Clara Convention Center held the KNect 365 IoT World Conference & Expo.

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13 IoT World Conference & Expo 14 UNLV Special Collections & Archives Center Update The Los Angeles Convention Center hosted the Avengers: Endgame World Premiere. Page 7

15 Renovations at CCC 15 Cable Management Project 15 Global Meetings Industry Day We Care and Give Back 16 Volunteering at Hope Street Margolis Family Center 16 100 Black Men of America Annual Scholarship Dinner 17 Visit Denver’s Annual Golf Tournament 17 Project Gentlemen 2019 Team Member Updates

We Care and Give Back The Los Angeles Convention Center team volunteered at Hope Street Margolis Family Center. Page 16

18 Employee of the Month (March, April, May) 19 Anniversary Milestones We Care and Give Back Smart City teams up with SMG for Visit Denver’s Annual Golf Tournament. Page 17

19 New Arrivals

Follow us online!

20 Employee Anniversaries www.smartcitynetworks.com

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

President’s Corner

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Longevity at Smart City

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possible.

HE Smart City way is built from a set of ten business principles and twenty daily basics, but one principle holds them all together, and without it, none of the others would be

Business Principle # 3 – It’s the People We have great people who want to do well, who are capable of doing great things and who come to work fired up to achieve them. Great people flourish in an environment that liberates and amplifies their energy.

live our business principles and daily basics every day; maintaining an environment that allows them to flourish within what we hope is a rewarding career with Smart City. Their longevity attracts more great people enabling the cycle to continue.

As described in this issues cover story, Keith McNeely (Senior Director, Technology Services) became the second Smart City employee to celebrate 40 years with the company, with Bob Sutton (Director of Systems Development) celebrating his 43rd-anniversary last year. Smart City’s Business Principles were practically written about Keith and Bob. They both embody our principles and lead by example for others to

do the same.

In addition to Bob and Keith, we currently have 12 team members that have been with Smart City for over twenty years, and another 26 working here for over fifteen. Their experience and commitment hold all of our business principles and daily basics together enabling Smart City to be the place Where Technology Meets Hospitality.

It takes great people to have “Integrity without Compromise,” to “Do Right

by All Our Customers,” and “Continually Improve Processes.” Great people know to “Speak, Listen and Respond,” that “Teams Work” and everyone is better off when “We Care and Give Back.” Throughout the years, Smart City has employed great people who

Boosts

Long Beach Convention Center “Luis Dominguez (Event Coordinator), it was a pleasure working with you for ACT Expo 2019. Thank you for all you did before and onsite to ensure the success of our event. I look forward to working with you on ACT Expo 2020.”

Kimberly Klonoski, Show Manager, ACT Expo Minneapolis Convention Center “Brian Clear (General Manager) and Tim Taylor (CSSR) were outstanding to work with and kept me updated every step of the way. I requested very specific billing and they were able to break everything out the way we needed making things much easier

for me on the backend. The attention to detail and communication was fantastic and well beyond what I’ve ever experienced previously. I can’t say enough good things about Brian and Tim – they are the best Smart City and overall internet folks I’ve ever worked with. Wish there were more of them out there!”

Callye, NCAA Final Four Fan Fest Los Angeles Convention Center “Paula Ruiz (Event Coordinator) and Henry De La Rosa (General Manager) were both very responsive to our concerns and requests to stay within our budget and still provide a great service! Our Smart City team met all of our expectations and provided everything we needed!!! Paula was an absolute pleasure to work with! She anticipated our needs and provided quick, positive solutions to our needs.

We had a great partnership with Smart City because of her and I’d take her with us from city to city if we could!”

American Association of Orthodontists, Show Management Greater Columbus Convention Center “Bill Duke (General Manager), thank you for all of your help during the Reimagine Me Conference June 3 and 4. Everything worked out great!!!”

Judy Wright, Show Management Indianapolis Convention Center “Desmond Baskerville (Data Operations Professional) and your company provided excellent service for the entire event! Desmond and his team were very responsive to our needs and they took very good care of the few connectivity issues we experienced.”

2019 National Postal Forum

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Cover Story

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Guillermo Huerta (Customer Sales & Service Manager), Patrick Nelson (Operations Manager), Liliya Piskunova (CSSR), David Langford (Vice President, Technology), Peggy Moreth (Event Coordinator), Tim Wortman (Vice President, Eastern Operations), Keith McNeely (Senior Director, Technology Services) Sandra Garcia (Technician), Mark Haley (President), and Frank Lopez (Technician II)

Smart City: Where Technology Meets Hospitality Keith McNeely Celebrates 40 Year Anniversary

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MART CITY: Where Technology Meets Hospitality. We pride ourselves on combining these two concepts in providing peace of mind to all of our clients. Recreating the best technology experience for every event takes a unique approach, and no one has been doing it longer or better than Keith McNeely our Senior Director of Technology Services at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. On May 1, Keith celebrated his 40th anniversary with the company and through his various positions over the years, he has been an invaluable contributor in developing the processes and client relationships that make Smart City what it is today: the nation’s premier provider of technology services for the convention industry.

Keith began his 40-year trek working initially for Centel Corporation, one of

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Keith McNeely (Senior Director, Technology Services) and Mark Haley (President)

the founding partner companies that formed what we know today as Smart City Networks. He is one of two remaining founding employees of that partnership. Bob Sutton, our Director of Systems Development in our corporate office, is the other. Originally based in Houston and working as Operations Supervisor, Keith supported all operational aspects primarily for the George R. Brown and NRG (formerly known as the Astrodomain complex) convention centers. He was instrumental in winning new contracts, developing staff, and providing support for all Smart City’s facilities for many years, including the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Many of the operational standards that every location follows today were developed, tested, and proved by Keith during these early formative years.

Keith currently serves as Senior Director of Technology Services in San Antonio, and he is an active participant on Smart City’s 5 Star committee which quality assurance measure across all Smart City locations. He maintains an advisory role to many of the Smart City employees he has mentored throughout his career and embodies the Smart City brand of hospitality we strive for across the nation.

Our clients demand a world where technology and hospitality are on even footing. Keith is a shining example of how Smart City ensure we capture that service standard each and every day. Over the past 40 years, Keith has shaped Smart City into the place Where Technology does Meets Hospitality. It just took us a little longer to find the right tag line for his customer service approach.

A big thank you to Keith for all of his hard work and dedication with Smart City throughout the years!

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

GM Insight Event Planner Apps to Help Get Things Done

For example, if you have an upcoming outdoor event, you’ll want to make sure that the weather fits the bill! With people traveling from all over the world, it’s critical to know what the weather is like across multiple locations for a heads up on potential travel delays.

Mitch Hughes − General Manager, Smart City Tampa

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OW many of us look at our smart devices, know how powerful they are, and yet also know that we underutilize their capabilities? One way to better harness their power is through the use of mobile applications.

Mobile apps are especially handy for event professionals. Let’s look at some app categories which can better assist any event professional with managing multiple tasks, tasks that can and will change in any given moment.

PDF Apps We all have those e-mails full of PDF/ Word documents that we must read, fill out, send back, approve, and so on.

Every event professional should have a PDF editor! There are so many free PDF editors out there, but make sure they have some key features such as; the ability to import Word documents, as well as signing, editing, and export to e-mail capabilities. Also, a good PDF editor will provide cloud storage integration, which I will discuss in more detail later.

Document Scanner (works hand in hand with PDF Apps if scanning as PDF) A document scanner is a useful tool when you have hard copies of any document and wish to make them digital. Document scanners are especially handy for forms you must fill out and e-mail back. The software will detect fillable fields on the form so that the user can tab through each section and fill it in. Make sure you understand and know how the scanner will integrate with other apps you use, such as when importing into PDF or e-mail apps.

Cloud Storage Cloud storage apps are valuable when you need backup as well as have quick access to data from multiple devices.

The Cloud gives you the ability to store

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folders and documents from your device to a virtual “hard drive” on the internet. It’s not just beneficial for saving space on your device, but also it gives you the ability to access the same files instantly, across all of your devices, from any location.

Communication Apps We have always heard that communication is key. Now, there is no shortage of apps available to streamline your communication efforts in conjunction with your e-mail. Without strong communication between team members, it can be hard for all of you to stay focused on a common goal. A communication app is designed to make it easier for team members to work together, providing centralized information for everyone to access and request additional information from others quickly. Ensure you can access your app through multiple devices for better contact with your key people. If you are using a specific app outside of e-mail, make sure you communicate that to your team and extended teams with whom you are working.

It’s all about communication!

Airline Apps or Airline Tracking Apps Most major airlines have an app that you can download, but there are also general airline apps that allow you to track any flight! When people are flying from many different locations with different airlines, having a general airline tracking app will come in handy to keep up-to-date with flight delays and cancellations.

Convention Center Apps A lot of Convention Centers have apps that provide general information about the facility and the surrounding area, as well as offer wayfinding capabilities for convention goers. Before convention apps, it was harder to help attendees improve their experience once they started exploring the premises. It is always a good idea to have facility information at your fingertips for planning, and for quick reference while on-site!

Event Apps Many events offer apps in which attendees can find up to the minute updates, schedules, booth locations, special offers, and other detailed information.

Event planners can benefit from attendees engaging with and promoting an event beforehand, maximizing exhibitors and sponsor’s satisfaction Business Card Scanner while on-site and for extracting useful How many meetings do you attend data from the audience. where people give you their business cards containing valuable information If you are an event planner and looking that you need for event-related mat- to create an app for your next event, ters? There are many Business Card AppBurst, a Smart City sister company, Scanner apps out that will import in- provides affordable solutions to keep formation directly to your contacts. If attendees engaged before, during, and you don’t want all of the data stored di- after an event. Please visit us at www. rectly to your contacts list, you can opt appsforevents.com for more informaout of that feature and keep everything tion. natively inside of the app where you can easily delete it later. Guess what? Take the time to educate yourself on Some even have cloud integration! these types of apps and how they can work for you. Many will offer free vidWeather Apps eo tutorials to guide you through their Most of us might already have a weath- various features and how to optimize er app, if not, it’s a good thing to have. your experience.

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

GM Insight

Boosts

How IoT is Remaking the Workplace Mark Baratti − Operations Manager, Smart City San Diego

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HE first internet connected appliance was a Coke machine at Carnegie Mellon University that was able to report its inventory and whether newly loaded drinks were cold or not.

It was invented out of necessity by a few college students in 1982, when the internet as we know it, was still in its infancy, then known as ARPANET. A graduate student in the computer science department didn’t want to leave his office to travel across campus for a Coke, only to find the machine was empty, or the Cokes were not cold. He gathered with a few of his fellow students and with a little engineering and application writing, they created the first network connected appliance. Any of the 300 or so computers connected to the ARPANET worldwide, and anyone else plugged into the Carnegie Mellon’s local Ethernet, could check to see if there were cold Cokes available to purchase from the machine on a far side of the campus. The Coke machine monitoring application became ‘pretty popular pretty fast’ in the computer science department. Not long after, the same technology was applied to an M&M machine on campus.

Today, we recognize everyday electronic devices that are connected, monitored, and controlled over the internet as being part of the Internet of Things (IoT). Integrating phones, tablets,

smart devices, and easy to use applications has opened new environments with new possibilities.

In the workplace, IoT devices are used every day. Some are apparent; some are not so obvious. On the obvious list are items like the first connected appliance and vending machines, which allow users to pay for purchases wirelessly. They keep track of inventory and report back sales to the machine operators. They provide real-time data to respond to customer demands and ensure perishable food items are safe to consume. Modern vending machines can link to security systems to reduce tampering and product loss. And, because they connect wirelessly, they can be set up in remote locations relatively quick for short-term operations. Perfect for tradeshows or special events.

An area in the tradeshow industry that is growing in demand is accurately measuring attendee traffic flow, bottlenecks, and wait times at large events.

IoT methods are quickly adapting to fill the need by relying on RFID or Bluetooth technology embedded in badges, wrist bands, or lanyards to collect valuable people tracking data. These devices are generally used in conjunction with beacons throughout a facility that delivers useful real-time info to event managers. Some centers are ex-

George R. Brown Convention Center “Orianna Jimenez (CSSR), on behalf of the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, thank you and the Smart City team for your hospitality and assistance in allowing us to host our annual Evacuation Hub Exercise on June 05, 2019. Your commitment to our mission helps to build a more resilient healthcare community. Again, your efforts are greatly appreciated and I hope that we may continue this valuable partnership in the years to come.

Thank you!”

Rick Flanagan, Emergency Management Coordinator ploring the use of collecting traffic pattern data using their Wi-Fi infrastructure. Regardless of the data gathering method, the evolution of IoT in the tradeshow industry can lead to highly customized experiences for attendees.

For instance, with real-time location data, dynamic digital signage content can be distributed throughout a center with pinpoint accuracy, capable of presenting highly customized information.

Analyzing where attendees have been, suggestions can be made as to where they can go next to get the most from their show experience. The blending of data can even build progressive tours transmitted back to mobile phones or posted on social media. The evolution of using IoT to gather real-time data in the tradeshow industry is in its infancy and is bound to grow.

The expanding list of IoT in the workplace goes on and on, from conferencing devices to voice-driven digital assistants that are programmed to perform thousands of business skills by integrating contacts & calendars, running scheduled routines, and drawing information from the internet then outputting the results. At this pace, the possibilities are endless and there is no telling what new ‘necessity’ some college graduate student will fulfill.

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

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Washington, DC AIPAC 2019

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VERY event that comes to our facilities is important. Some impact a group or organization, others impact an entire industry, and some affect our nation or even the whole planet. One such event that has global implications is The American Israel Public Affairs Committee or AIPAC. This lobbying group advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the US Government. This organization feels cooperation between the two countries is advantageous for both nations. As America’s bipartisan pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC urges all members of Congress to support Israel through foreign aid, government partnerships, joint anti-terrorism efforts and the promotion of a negotiated two-state solution.

capital. Speakers such as Vice President Mike Pence and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley creates an environment of national prestige.

data was passing through the network.

There were nearly 90,000 sessions, and the Total Session Time, or the total amount of time every user was utilizing the network, was 40,277 hours.

Communicating this organization’s message to the world is paramount to the success of the event and requires a robust network, both wireless and hardline. The DC Smart City Team engineered and installed a custom network that would meet those needs. With a wireless network to support 5,000 concurrent users and 400 Megabits of dedicated bandwidth, located throughout the facility, they were prepared to provide the highest level of customer service and meet this unique event’s requirements.

The DC Team not only installed services for exhibitors at the event, but they also extended fiber to several locations throughout the facility to support the Show Management requirements. With the help of Smart City’s Network Operations Center, the team engineered the network to support various locations with dedicated bandwidth and assure each site was able to accomplish their goals. On-site support and network monitoring ensured that the event went off flawlessly and addressed any changes promptly.

In 2019, the AIPAC Policy Conference was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC. With over 18,000 attendees, two-thirds of US Congress and representatives from organizations across the county, this is a major political event in our nation’s

On the wireless network alone, 4,000 unique users connected to Smart City’s Access Points (APs) throughout the facility and passed almost 1.4 million Megabytes (MB) of traffic over the three-day event. At the peak of usage, 4,110 Megabits per second (Mbps) of

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center team looks forward to working on these type of prestigious events and can’t wait for the AIPAC event to come back in 2020.

Picture: Custom Theater at LACC

Picture: Robert Downey Jr.

Los Angeles Avengers: Endgame World Premiere at Los Angeles Convention Center

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N April 22, the Los Angeles Convention Center’s (LACC) Hall K in the South Hall was converted into a massive cinema with a 70-foot screen and state-of-the-art projection and sound technology for Monday’s world premiere of Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. For the custom theater, Disney created stadium seating for more than 2,000 guests, which is more than the largest cinemas in Hollywood. The ambitious installation included dual laser projectors offering high dynamic range and immersive sound. It took a full week of construction to transform the LACC’s exhibit hall into this extensive, custom cinema.

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

Virginia Beach VSTE

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HE International Society for Technology (ISTE) is a national organization that promotes excellence in education through professional development focusing on the utilization of existing and emerging technologies for improving teaching techniques. There are ISTE Chapters in most states, and many have statewide meetings to gather and discuss the latest trends in education.

The Virginia Society of Technology Education (VSTE) is one of the early affiliates to the ISTE. Founded in 1986 as the Virginia Educational Computing Association and eventually becoming the VSTE, their vision is to be an influence in technological innovation in education and be recognized as an agent of change across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

When the VSTE chose to meet in December of 2018, they picked the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Located a few blocks away from the Atlantic Ocean

Boosts

Greater Columbus Convention Center “Lacey Fields (Technician), thanks so much to you and the Smart City team for your assistance during the Ohio Safety Congress & Expo. We look forward to working with you again next year!”

Julie Darbymartin, Safety Congress & Expo Show Management NRG Park “Curt Graham (Operations Supervisor), thank you! You practically read my mind and are so willing to help! I hope we get to work together again in 2020.”

Cindy, OTC Show Management

and surrounded by several tourist attractions, the venue worked well for their needs.

Because this organization’s event utilizes technology for every aspect of its programming, it was imperative that they use a facility that could support their needs. The Virginia Beach Convention Center, partners with Smart City Networks, was able to provide all their networking and technology needs.

The Smart City team led by General Manager, Ryan McCart, engineered a wireless network that supported over 6,000 unique users over the three-day

Orlando Orlando United Day The Smart City Orlando team shared their reasons to be kind for “Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness” on June 12. The day is dedicated to honoring the memory of the 49 taken, supporting survivors, and recognizing the compassion and love displayed by our community after the tragic Pulse Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016.

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Frank Loyke (Senior Event Coordinator), Tim Overall (General Manager), Billy Bischof (Sales & Marketing Manager), and Mark Thompson (Digital Marketing Manager)

show and utilized well over 600 Mbps of total bandwidth. Along with the robust Wi-Fi network, Ryan and his team also provided hardline drops in many locations to ensure they met all crucial needs.

Some of the discussions with various attendees indicated that this was the smoothest show they’ve had in five years. Working with our customers, meeting their needs, and surpassing their expectations is why so many facilities across the country use Smart City Networks as their Technology and Networking Partner.

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

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Boosts

Washington State Convention Center “Tim Wass (Event Coordinator), thanks for taking good care of the team from SAP Concur in January. Anita Cerana and I met with Cynthia Lydum, Amy Buzzell and Linsy Miller a month ago to recap January’s meeting. They said, ‘Tim, with Smart City, knows what their needs are and made some great recommendations. He was very generous and what he was able to provide was fantastic. He’s an expert in the area of connectivity and the Concur team appreciates that he wasn’t salesy.’ Thank you!”

Aaron Davis, Convention Services Manager, Visit Seattle

Santa Clara

Phoenix Convention Center “The customer service was top notch, I have not received service like this before!”

RFID Journal Live! Show Management

IoT World Conference & Expo

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N May 18, 2019, the Santa Clara Convention Center held the KNect 365 IoT World Conference & Expo. Attended by 12,500+ people, Internet of Things World is North America’s largest IoT event, bringing the top technologies, strategies, and case studies for the key industries implementing IoT. The conference agenda included keynotes and tracks covering industrial and consumer verticals and focused technical session. The expo hall had 300+ exhibitors and startups showing the latest in technology solutions.

The Smart City Santa Clara Team provided a Wi-Fi Buyout for 1,300 simulta-

Picture: Setting up IoT World

Picture: Nagaraj Padmanaban (CSSR) neous users, and ten hardwire internet drops. The conference required a total of 50 Mbps of bandwidth for the keynote, registration, and breakout sessions. To help with providing all these services, the Santa Clara team received assistance from Sedoris Ferguson (Technician) from the Smart City Los Angeles Team.

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Thomas Lam (Technician) and Sedoris Ferguson (Technician)

Virginia Beach Convention Center “Justin LaPrad (Technician) was a tremendous asset, problem solver and great representative for Smart City” Something in the Water (SITW), Show Management Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center “Andrew Mendoza (Technician), was my contact and go to guy for our big change overnight on 5/18/19. I had direct one on one communication with him about our needs. He was truly professional in his reply and responses. He was professional, considerate and very helpful. He continued to report to me the status and conclusion of our turn. Perfect.

I feel that Andrew is a great asset to your team and please know that he provides excellent customer service.”

Tim Hartwig, Senior Project Manager, PSAV Charlotte Convention Center “Thanks for all your help today! Your staff was very attentive to our needs and we look forward to coming back next year!”

Amy Sullivan, SPHR, Director of Talent Acquisition, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

Columbus

Arnold Sports Festival USA 2019

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OST to the country’s largest multisports fitness events in the country: The Arnold Sports Festival is held annually at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC). Hundreds of thousands of sports enthusiasts attend this event every year, to keep it coming back, there is a strong need for high levels of customer service throughout the city and convention center. Offering the highest standards of customer service is why Smart City is the technology partner at the GCCC. The Arnold Fitness Expo exhibitors represent almost every aspect of the sports industry, from sports equipment and apparel to nutrition and wellness.

Two stages host competitions and entertainment events like Arm Wrestling, Power Lifting, Fencing, MAC Wrestling, Body Building, and Physique Competitions, to name a few.

With well over sixteen million followers on social media, 3.5 million likes on Facebook alone for these events, it was

no surprise that technology was essential during the Festival. Between pointto-point communication and access to the internet, wireless usage peaked at 900 Megabits with almost 2.5 Terabytes of data transferred over one day.

Along with the dedicated circuits provided to show management and several booths throughout the show floor, this event utilized hundreds of more Megabits.

show’s move-in date to assure a smooth launch. With several exhibitor orders, from hardline dedicated circuit drops, in booth custom network engineering, to wireless hotspots for that specific booth to utilize, the team was busy before opening day. Like so many other Smart City teams across the county, once the show opened, they made sure all customers had the services they needed and were running smoothly.

The Smart City Columbus has been providing services to this event for many years. They make sure they understand what services the show managers will require and are prepared before the

Smart City is in a unique industry. We are a technology company in the hospitality industry, so reliable connectivity and customer service are the most critical aspects of what we do.

Orlando Exhibition Day with HIMSS

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N June 5, the Smart City Orlando Team participated in Exhibition Day with our Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) partner and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) client, which is a way to come together and build awareness with federal legislators and other policy influencers on Capitol Hill. This event helps to give a voice to the exhibitions and events industry. Addressing the matters that impact our industry is crucial to allowing the industry to continue to do its part for our national economy.

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

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Las Vegas Smart City Soccer Team Takes Home the Gold

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FTER months of hard-fought competitions, the 2019 Las Vegas Corporate Challenge came to a close on May 18. Throughout the month, Smart City team members participated in multiple events such as tennis, bowling, volleyball, and ping pong, but one team stood out from the rest. After facing round after round of fierce competition, the Smart City soccer team brought the company to new heights, and they took home the gold. Great job to everyone who participated in the Corporate Challenge and the soccer team for showing the city that Smart City is the number one soccer team in Vegas!

Pictured LEFT to RIGHT: Jacki Miller (CFO), Christy Hogan (Customer Sales & Service Manager), Eric Mowrey (Director of Engineering), Sal Bernal-Flores (CSSR II), Sarah Finnegan (Quality Assurance Professional), Nycole Smith (CSSR II), Albert Kwong (Help Desk Operator), Pedro Arias (Customer Sales & Service Supervisor) and Dane Hardy (Senior Accountant)

Reno

Miami

RSCC Gets Digital Signage

GM Discusses Technology at MBCC

IGITAL signage is, without a doubt, an essential and growing part of digital advertisement. With people coming to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center (RSCC) from all over the world, it is vital for the RSCC to keep up with the top levels of show organization and promotion experienced at other facilities. To do this, SMG has purchased Digital Signage for the concourses and lobby areas to advertise and promote at the RSCC. There are rotating slides with new and upcoming events as well as information on how to contact Smart City for any Telecommunication needs, including our Exhibitor and Instant Internet options for guests.

CCESS is everything for technology services in a convention center, and everyone wants more bandwidth!

At the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC), ISP circuits ensure the venue’s consistent internet connectivity while accommodating custom scaled bandwidth for client requests. With 1,610 miles of fiber optic cabling (nearly the diameter of the moon) and 480 miles of copper wiring throughout the venue, the MBCC is wired for success.

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The signs have only been in place for a few weeks, and already many people have commented on how attractive they are and how convenient it is to have

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event information relayed to them in plain sight. It’s also an easy way to integrate social media like our Facebook page to anyone walking in the center.

Smart City is looking forward to seeing what creative ways we can utilize the new signage and how they will help passing along valuable information to our customers and guests.

Check out the link below to hear Andrew Brown (General Manager) and Michael Napoles (IT Manager, MBCC) discuss technology upgrades at the reimagined Miami Beach Convention Center and how they will benefit everyone visiting the facility. https://tinyurl.com/y3f33lvd

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Center Updates

Las Vegas UNLV Special Collections & Archives

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MART CITY senior staff visited the UNLV Lied Library on June 12th, during Smart City Network’s Mid-Year Business review, and toured the Special Collections and Archives. In the photos, we see students involved in the summer program, archiving restaurant menus from not only Las Vegas casinos but from around the World. Mark (President) and Marianne Haley funded the Lied Library student summer program.

Special Collections maintains a photograph collection of over 80,000 individually cataloged images, including black and white prints, color prints, scrapbooks, slides, negatives, color transparencies, and glass plates. Several additional photographs are located in manuscript collections. The photographs primarily document the history of the city of Las Vegas, the Southern Nevada region, the gaming industry, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The department also maintains a nearly comprehensive series of aerial photographs of Las Vegas and other environments from the

early 1970s to the present. The photograph collections as a whole date from the turn of the century and are particularly significant in documenting the physical culture and evolution of the city from the late 1940s through the 1970s.

The majority of the photo collections have inventories listing photo captions that can be searched on the library’s website, https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/photographs/photos.html.

Boost Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center “Peggy Moreth (Event Coordinator), we wanted to let you know what a pleasure it was to work with you and your team on our event. Your help along the way was extremely helpful and provided us with great support leading up to the event.”

Tiffany & Ellen, Argentum 2019 Senior Living Executive Conference Show Management

Picture: Custom dinner menu for special event in 1950’s

Atlantic City Convention Center “Ryan McCart (General Manager) was very attentive and helpful on-site. Always there when I needed. All around the Atlantic City team did a great job!”

Expo East, Show Management

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

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Boost

Charlotte

Fort Worth Convention Center “Janae Tinsley (General Manager), Aaron Kahn (Technician II) and Josiah Boone (Technician), on behalf of everyone here at Knight Eady, I wanted to thank you for all of your help and support during the 2019 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship. I know that requests in the IT world can be ever changing so thanks for your patience.

The event was a great success and you and your team certainly played a role in that success! Thanks again!”

Robert Drumm, NCAA Gymnastics Show Manager

Renovations at CCC

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ENOVATION construction is underway at the Charlotte convention center (CCC), set to conclude in July 2021. The $110 million expansion and renovation will add 15 additional breakout rooms with 26,000 square feet. While the center is under renovation, it will remain open throughout the process and be the host site for the Republican National Convention in 2020.

Las Vegas Customer Service Excellence Awards

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ONGR ATULATIONS to the seven team members awarded a Customer Service Excellence award from the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce this quarter. The following employees received the award during the 2nd quarter of 2019:

• • • • • • •

Vahe Oundijian (Help Desk Operator) Melinda Hernandez (CSSR III, Team Lead) Pedro Arias (Customer Sales & Service Supervisor) Angel Pereda (AES) Labrea Marshall (AES) Kasey Riley (AES) Tammera Clark (CSSR III)

Great job being outstanding ambassadors for Smart City and exemplifying our Business Principle #3 It’s the People!

Cincinnati Global Meetings Industry Day

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N April 4, Arnold Chavez (General Manager) together with Duane Law (Director, Midwest Regional Operations) and Dennis O’Gara (Vice President, East Region Operations) joined IAEE Mid-South Chapter, MPI Ohio Chapter, OSAE and PCMA Power Chapter together with the Sales team of the Duke Energy Convention Center for Global Meetings Industry Day 2019.

What is the Global Meetings Industry Day? This day unites leaders from across the meetings and events industry to showcase the real impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows, and exhibitions have on people, businesses, and communities.

Meeting professionals across the world participate in the international day of advocacy.

In 2018, there were more than 200 GMID events held across six continents! To learn more about last year’s activities, please visit: http://meetingsmeanbusiness.com/gmid/events

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates ents, stakeholders and the community to ensure they are kept up-to-date on key milestones and developments as we begin work on the next phase of this critical project,” stated Ratcliffe.

The total cost of building the AC Next Gen Project is estimated at approximately $175 million and currently includes the following elements, as well as several other improvements.

• Addition of 92,000 square feet of

highly usable exhibit space, which changes the exhibit hall layout of the Complex allowing the facility to host larger events.

• A 65,000 square feet signature

St. Louis ACCC Expansion Approved By: Anthony Paraino, Explore St. Louis

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T. LOUIS City and St. Louis County have approved the AC Next Gen Project, which will update and expand the America’s Center Convention Complex to secure its place as an economic and employment driver for the region.

The Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis passed legislation in December 2018 with the support of Mayor Lyda Krewson and Comptroller Darlene Green. St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger endorsed the proposal, and the St. Louis County Council voted to pass the bill at their April 16 meeting.

The need to expand the Complex has never been more urgent as cities across the country are making large investments in their convention centers and luring lucrative meetings and events to their communities. An anchor for the entire region, the Complex hosts roughly 100 events annually, with more than 600,000 attendees, 300,000 hotel room nights and generating $265 million of new direct economic spending for the community, according to Johnson Consulting. The facility also provides more than 3,300 full-time jobs for residents across the St. Louis metro.

“We are pleased that the community has come together to support this crit-

ical project,” said Kathleen ‘Kitty’ Ratcliffe, President of Explore St. Louis. “At present, America’s Center’s prominence and value to the region are threatened because its amenities have not kept pace. What we’ve seen in the last decade is that major cities in St. Louis’ competitive landscape have either built a new facility, like Nashville with a $623 million new convention center, or have made major improvements, like San Antonio which spent $325 million on building enhancements.”

Through the support of legislation proposed by elected officials in both St. Louis City and St. Louis County, the project will be funded completely by the extension of payments from the designated fund set up through the hotel/motel taxes collected, which was initiated in 1989 and approved by the voters of the City and County in 1990, to build an expansion to the Cervantes Convention Center. There will be no new tax on local residents, as this hotel tax is only paid by people staying in area hotels.

The next step for the project will be the development of cooperating agreements between St. Louis City and St. Louis County regarding the financing packages. Once this has been completed a potential timeframe and process for securing the project bonds will be determined.

“Throughout this process, we look forward to working closely with our cli-

multi-purpose ballroom and meeting area with 20,000 square feet pre-function event space for clients, positioning St. Louis dominantly in its competitive set.

• 22,000 square feet of new support

space to improve service access to current and new exhibit halls and ballrooms.

• The construction of 26 new loading

docks and renovation of existing 12 docks that will all be enclosed to enhance access and aesthetics of the building and surrounding areas.

• An outdoor pavilion to serve the

needs of convention attendees and improve the convention center district ambiance for residents and area workers as well.

• Refurbishment of the central Wash-

ington Avenue entrance, which serves as St. Louis’ front door for the hundreds of thousands of event attendees who visit the Complex.

• The Dome will remain a flexible multi-purpose venue for meeting planners and other clients hosting large-scale events and activities.

Upon completion, these enhancements will stabilize the current decline in event bookings and potentially create nearly 36 percent growth according to the most recent estimates by Johnson Consulting.

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Center Updates

15

was host to best speakers on technology and innovation, motivating the audience as well as those watching on a live stream.

Picture: Keynote Speaker

San Diego

to several hotels and public spaces outside the center using a combination of fiber and wireless Cisco Aironet connectivity devices. The multiple diverse

Cisco Live 2019

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ISCO Live is the ULTIMATE tech celebration. In June, tech professionals from around the world gather to attend clinics, labs, seminars, and view exhibits that showcase the leading edge in network technology. Cisco’s best and brightest presented technical education workshops promoting forward-looking ideas intended to elevate and inspire. Attendees soaked up Cisco Live in the chill party vibe of San Diego. An event matched by no other, the five days of Cisco Live showcased the latest cutting edge in hardware and technology.

Picture: NOC Demo In the week before the show, Cisco technicians moved into the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) in an organized wave, completely transforming all halls and meeting spaces. The entire network infrastructure at SDCC was reconfigured and fortified, adding more switches, fiber, and Wi-Fi access points inside the facility, and bridging

Picture: Network Topology properties, the Hilton Bayfront, Marriott Marquis and the Manchester Hyatt hotels, were linked back to the Cisco core at the center of the SDCC, to manage content, quality, and security. In a demonstration of new tech, a Wi-Fi6 network was created in the Marriott hotel. Bandwidth to feed the needs for this event spanned across multiple 10 GbE circuits. Attendees enjoyed full Wi-Fi access throughout the campus, allowing them to use the Cisco Events Mobile App to keep updated and on track at Cisco Live.

This year’s theme, You Make Possible, highlighted that people are the drivers of innovation, and Cisco is the bridge to help them accomplish great things. In the opening keynote session, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins shared his vision of the impossible that becomes possible, and how Cisco focuses on unleashing new solutions that bring new opportunities.

Throughout the week, the main stage

The week was packed with workshops and sessions where speakers and attendees shared and expanded on methods and ideas, ranging from security and multi-cloud environments to data centers & virtualization, IoT edge platforms to DNA center smart city technology. The Cisco Live campus offered walk-in and instructor-led labs, think tanks, collaboration village, gaming zone, tech seminars, certification courses, strategy overviews, solutions theaters, leadership training, big idea talk groups and more. The DevNet Zone offered opportunities to next-generation engineers to explore coding and engineering principals. So many topics to choose and only five days to enjoy. If all this stimulating technology weren’t enough, Cisco added in a night of music entertainment at Petco Park, featuring the Foo Fighters and Weezer, and a closing keynote conversation with award-winning actress and environmentalist Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The Smart City staff in San Diego worked hand in hand with lead technicians at Cisco to make sure installation targets were met and systems worked properly. The dedication of Smart City’s technical and customer services teams and attention to the needs of the Cisco Live team allowed nearly 30,000 attendees to move over 65 TB of data around the San Diego campus and help make Cisco Live 2019 a huge success.

Picture: Network Room

16

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Picture: Smart City & AEG LA Volunteers

Los Angeles

We Care & Give Back

We Care & Give Back

Picture: Paula Ruiz (Event Coordinator)

Volunteering at Hope Street Margolis Family Center

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N May 29, 20 volunteers from the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) worked with students ages 8-18 doing various activities such as sports, arts and crafts, games, and tutoring at the Hope Street Margolis Family Center. The Hope Street Margolis Family Center is a health, education, and recreation resource of California Hospital. It has been recognized as a national model for integrating health care within the Downtown LA community. By volunteering the LACC team helped with part of the Hope Street Margolis Family Center’s mission to promote children’s overall health, development, school readiness, and academic achievement.

Learn more about the facility and how you can help at https://www.hopestreetfamilycenter.org/

Orlando 100 Black Men of America Annual Scholarship Dinner

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Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Billy Bischof (Sales & Marketing Manager) and Mark Thompson (Digital Marketing Manager)

MART CITY was proud to support 100 Black Men of America, Inc. at their Greater Orlando Chapter’s 17th Annual Scholarship Dinner. 100 Black Men of America, Inc. is dedicated to the development of youth through mentoring, education, health, wellness, and economic development.

The Scholarship Dinner has become a premier community event and was held Saturday, June 8 at the Rosen Center Hotel. The dinner is part of the chapter’s “Project Success Program,” which provides scholarships to African American high school students at Jones High School (JHS) in Orlando, Florida. Upon successful completion of the “Project Success Program,” students are awarded scholarships with continued support throughout the undergraduate and professional school. Through this effort, thirty-five students have earned Bachelor’s Degrees with eight students earning Master’s Degrees and one Law School graduate. Smart City has been a proud supporter for 10+ years.

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

We Care & Give Back

17

Las Vegas

countless hours every year to ensure the events success and give a positive impact on young men in the community. This year, Marina was able to raise an additional $410 of donations from Smart City team members and enlisted the help of Nycole Smith (CSSR II) to volunteer at the event.

Project Gentlemen 2019

Project Gentlemen is hosted annually in both Las Vegas and Chicago, with Chicago’s event hosting over 500 young men this year. Next year, Project Gentlemen plans to expand and host an event in Miami as well. Any donations are welcome for the coming year to make this event bigger and better than previous years. Learn more about Project Gentlemen and how you can help at https://www.iamagentleman.org/get-involved

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N May 11, the I Am A Gentleman Las Vegas team hosted the Project Gentlemen 2019 Las Vegas Experience at the Westgate Hotel & Casino. The event brought in 25 local young men to help empower them for successful careers, healthy lifestyles, marketable skills, and well-balanced relationships.

The day started with breakfast and then three seminars: How to Tie a Tie, How to be a Gentleman, and Hygiene & Grooming. They then had lunch with a panel of five people talking about where they were in their lives at the age of 18.

Two of the panel members were Cami Christensen, the President of Westgate, and Earl Turner, a Las Vegas performer.

The keynote speaker of the day was Nevada Attorney General, Aaron Ford. The young men then got free haircuts by ten barbers who donated their time and got to pick from 150 pairs of new shoes donated by Zappos and hundreds of suits donated by Westgate owner, David Siegel, and other donors.

Once they all received their suit, they took the “Gentleman’s Pledge” and received an “IAAG” (I Am A Gentleman) lapel pin. When it was over, Westgate limos either took them back to their school or directly home.

Smart City’s Marina Joyner (Administrative Assistant II) is part of the I Am A Gentleman Las Vegas team and volunteers

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Jim Snook (Director, Northwest Regional Operations) and Debbie Olivas (General Manager)

Denver Visit Denver’s Annual Golf Tournament

Picture: Marina Joyner (Administrative Assistant II) in black

Smart City’s Jim Snook (Director, Northwest Regional Operations) and Debbie Olivas (General Manager) teamed up with SMG’s Kyle Weber and Rob Brown to participate in Visit Denver’s Annual Chairman’s Cup and Partnership Open Golf Tournament on June 5. Jim and Debbie both won the closest shot to the pin award. The Visit Denver Foundation raised nearly $27,000 for scholarship funding for students in the tourism and hospitality industry in Colorado.

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The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Team Member Updates

Employee of the Month Boosts

Los Angeles Convention Center “Paula Ruiz (Event Coordinator) was great, Henry De La Rosa (General Manager) was fantastic! Can’t say enough about how great they were to work with!”

American Association of Clinic, Show Management

March

April

Larissa Franzen, CSSR Hawai’i Convention Center

Cabrea Smith, CSSR San Diego Convention Center

Long Beach Convention Center “Luis Dominguez (Event Coordinator), thank you so much for your help this week!”

Judy, Linda, William & the entire APA Team

May Teresa Williams, CSSR Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: David Bachler (Gen- Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Donna Kacmarcik eral Manager) and Larissa Frazen (CSSR) (Customer Sales & Service Manager) Cabrea Smith (CSSR), and Shawn Lowery (General NDIVIDUALS like Larissa give our Manager) company a good name, give our organization a reputation to be proud of ABREA continues to bring a smile and the confidence to say that we deto our team on a daily basis. She liver the best. Time and time again, has an upbeat attitude and a cheerful she has lent insight to our clients and personality that resonates throughout their needs. She has developed a meth- the team. Her sense of humor is appreod of making client information readily ciated by all! Her hard work is evident. available for the team, and our work- We are minus a CSSR and she has conflow vastly more expedient. She was re- tinued to ensure all paperwork for all cently promoted to FT CSSR, a position current and upcoming events is comthat she worked toward for over a year. pleted. Quite the task for a busy center She is also our Safety Officer, assists in like San Diego. We are proud to have running our monthly meetings and has her as part of the team! been crucial in our success with 5- Star for the past five years. Truly, she goes above and beyond.

I

C

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Jim Erickson (General Manager) Teresa Williams (CSSR), and Donnita Butler (Customer Sales & Service Supervisor)

T

ERESA WILLIAMS’ work always exceeds expectations, she even looks for more work to do once all of her assigned tasks are completed! She comes to work to…WORK and work hard! She is eager to take any training on to better her skill-set and to continue to improve at her job and customer service.

The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Team Member Updates

Team Member Updates

19

Anniversary Milestones

Smart City Los Angeles’ Technician, Abel Soto, pictured with Henry De La Rosa (General Manager), celebrated his fifteen-year anniversary with the company on April 12. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 15 years!

Smart City Tampa’s Technician, Caleb Carro, pictured with Tim Wortman (VP, Eastern Region Operations) and Mitch Hughes (General Manager), celebrated his fifteen-year anniversary with the company on May 18. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 15 years!

New Arrivals Smart City Anaheim’s Technician Lou Reyes (Technician) recently welcomed two new grandsons, Luca Kepler Chamberlain and Silas Nathan Reyes, in to this world. Luca was born in March measuring 21” and weighing 10lbs and 6oz. Silas came on May 7 at 7lbs and 8oz.

Smart City San Antonio’s Technician II, Frank Lopez, pictured with Patrick Nelson (Operations Manager), celebrated his twenty-year anniversary with the company on March 31. Frank began as a telephone tech in 1999 and through thick and thin Frank has seen it all with us. Frank has also given back over the years with his energy, and generosity to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Foundation, National MS Society, Salvation Army, and several others. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 20 years!

Pictured LEFT to RIGHTt: Silas & Luca

Smart City Los Angeles’ CSSR, Juan Lopez, pictured with Henry De La Rosa (General Manager), celebrated his five-year anniversary with the company on April 21. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 5 years!

Boosts Minneapolis Convention Center “AV support from the Smart City team at the Minneapolis Convention Center exceeded our expectations.

The AV techs were readily available and checked in on our group often.

The planning process was also very smooth and your team made the paperwork very easy. We are truly appreciative for your partnership and celebrate a successful event with you! We look forward to working with you again on future projects. A final thank you to Tim Taylor (CSSR) and the Smart City crew. Our AV needs were minimal, but we appreciate you checking in with the group often to ensure everything was going well.

Thanks for your assistance in setting up the order prior to arrival - it was so easy, we appreciate it!”

Kathleen Crowley, Show Manager

20 The Pinnacle Q2 2019

Employee Anniversaries

April - 2019

Louis Reyes Eleazar Martinez Abel Soto Samantha Heller Sandra Garcia Kelli Bonds Nicholas Gwinn Juan Lopez Andrew West Tommie Beltz Kenny Kitchell Alisal Alisal Witold Myslinski

21 years 15 years 15 years 13 years 9 years 8 years 6 years 5 years 5 years 5 years 4 years 4 years 3 years

Doug Sowell Juan Corona Pareece Nasario Alexia Dillon Madison Grimes Lacey Fields Cecily Beltran Phillip Tanlim Nicholas Corr MyKahla Trounce Dan Concepcion Matthew Foust Nivia Guitard

3 years 3 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

40 years 24 years 16 years 15 years 15 years 14 years 11 years 7 years 2 years

Mark Baratti Christopher Kissoon Nicholas Husak Ryan Hall Teresa Williams Josias Badillo Glenn Sparkes Luis Dominguez

2 years 2 years 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

19 years 14 years 13 years 11 years 10 years 3 years 2 years

Christopher Clark Windell Conyers Michael Nolan Donald Brewer Jeffrey Le Lang Situ

2 years 2 years 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

May - 2019 Keith McNeely William Hale Peggy Cooper Anthony Taylor Omar Carro Tim Overall Carlos Reyes Kasandra Williams Kasey Riley

June - 2019 Laureen Boykin Adolfo Ramirez Andrew Brown Mark Haley Paula Ruiz Jim Erickson Eliam Agosto

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