Director of Independent Bottlers for Coca-Cola North America Ben Lawson (3rd from left) with Dallas Elevators powered by Coca-Cola Role Models: TV personality and philanthropist Pat Smith; designer and sculptor Brad Oldham; Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert; DISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa; and radio personality Victoria Snee.

Air Check with Victora Snee and Ben Lawson on 106.1 FM

Marcus at Wendy Krispin's restaurant

Marcus and Wendy Krispin

My name is Marcus Greer and I had the best job shadow experience ever. I met the great Ms. Wendy Krispin. Ms. Krispin is a caterer and she owns a restaurant. (The food is great by the way!) Coming into the shadow experience, I wondered what type of person Ms. Wendy would be. Well, she far exceeded my expectations. For a person that has accomplished so much, Ms. Wendy was very down to earth. She made me comfortable and she was easy to talk to. I had so many questions for her. I wanted to know how she accomplished so much. Ms. Wendy shared her stories of how she came to be in the position that she is in and I loved hearing all of her stories. Talking with Ms. Wendy solidified my desire to be a chef. She has done so much and yet she gives back. She volunteers at Girls Inc and she even rebuilds houses and buildings. She can do it all.

Not only did I get to eat at Krispin Restaurant, I was able to help prepare some food for an upcoming event that Ms. Wendy is catering. And to really put the icing on the cake, Ms. Wendy offered me a job as a server at some of her catering events; so that I can get some experience. Of course I said yes!

All in all, this shadow experience was hands down the best one ever! I had so much fun! So thank you to Ms. Wendy Krispin and the Boys & Girls Club for putting this together!

Marcus Greer

Hanna and Dr. Chandler

On Friday October 2, 2009 I had the privilege of shadowing Doctor Chandler. It was a very new and interesting way of learning about the medical field. I learned that there is a call of duty for family doctors. I also learned how easy it has become for doctors to keep up with their patient records by placing all the information on the computer. I was able to see the freezing of a mole and had a very interesting discussion on the cause of Alzheimers and the new information that has been developed on the disease.

It was extremely interesting seeing how a doctor’s office really works from the perspective of a doctor rather than the perspective of a patient. The experience truly enhanced my desire to one day become a surgeon.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas at East Dallas
Dallas Elevator Member:  Hanna Awoke

Geovani and Dr. Kathryn Sarpong

Geovani examines a tissue sample

Yesterday, Sept 28th, was like any other day except that I was going to a job shadow. When we got there at 8:30, we met the D.V.M. (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or Veterinarian) and she gave us a tour of the entire clinic. She went from the surgery room all the way to the area where they walk the dogs. After the tour we met a couple of patients (animals) and their owners. Most of the animals got into fights with other animals and they had bite marks on their body. The other animal had some kind of skin problem and it got some antibiotics. I got to see the Vet and some vet technicians use anesthesia to put a dog to sleep while they fixed the problem. Finally it was surgery time. The surgery they had to perform was neutering a dog. There was one problem though. One of the dog’s testis was lost somewhere in the dog’s lower abdomen. So first they had to put the dog asleep and then the vet made a slight incision (cut) into the dog’s lower abdomen and poked around until she found it. After that it was just snip-snip and the surgery was done. Then it was time to go and we thanked them and then we left the animal clinic.  I would like to thank Kathryn Sarpong, D.V.M., and all of her staff for giving me this great opportunity.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas at East Dallas
Dallas Elevator Member:  Geovani Jimenez

Thanks to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas I was able to apply what I learned in school to real life scenarios. I learned how technology has been getting more involved and making more time consuming processes quicker and faster. The education that is needed is more than what I expected. The most important lesson I gained from this experience was that everyone should be treated with care and respect.

The experience at Sewell Lexus was great! I was able to experience a real, working environment of an industry that I have had a passion for since I was young. I met with people who have been in this industry for many years.They have worked hard and been rewarded for their efforts. They were very nice and welcoming to me.

Their facility was immaculate with nothing out of place. It was like love at first sight. Everything is kept neatly and well maintained. They have beautiful tile flooring that is not found in your most common shops. However it is kept clean to the last tile. I mean come on! They even have their customer’s car lot organized! I really enjoyed my experience at Sewell Lexus and greatly appreciate the time they devoted to me.

Chris Rios

Shadow experience with Ben Lawson

Rev. S. K. Hawkins once goofed, “Son, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to the Coca Cola Corporation for taking the time to create and add to the Dallas Elevators program.

Now, I have always dreamt of being in marketing, production or advertisement management. I am glad that I met Mr. Ben Lawson, who helped me grow a larger passion for the area of marketing than what I already had. Mr. Lawson is the director of Region and Customer Marketing for this region. He has been with Coca Cola for over 20 years. Endeavoring in speech and debate competitions made Mr. Lawson’s point come across easy to me. The Coca Cola Corporation has a very efficient structure and science that I was also privileged to learn, also known as “Fish”, from Mr. IBK, who has been with the company for 10 years. Talking with Mr. Lawson and Mr. IBK with such ease made me quickly understand that they truly love their jobs.

In conclusion, I as an individual would rather wake up doing something I love rather than a job I am obligated to do. And I feel that in marketing, I would love what I am doing!

Check this out! Air Check 1

Don’t miss this one - Air Check 2

I met with Susan Gambardella who is the Vice President of the Central Region’s Food Services Division. I also met with Allison Schlender, a Food Services Senior Sales Executive. We sat down and talked about the Coca Cola Company. Mrs. Gambardella told me about the history of Coca Cola and all of the CEOs that the company has had. I learned that Coca Colas has been around since 1886. It was first sold in a pharmacy. I also learned that Coca Cola owns many different brands from Sprite, Dasani, Vitamin Water, Minute Maid, and Gold Tea.

While I was with Mrs. Gambardella and Ms. Schlender, I went to the Firehouse Restaurant and TGI Fridays. We checked the restaurants to see how Coca Cola was doing and looked at ways to bring in more money. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about Coca Cola.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas at Oak Cliff
Dallas Elevator Member: Byron Walker

Joseph with Dallas Artist, Brad Oldham

My job shadow experience was not at all what I expected.  It was so much more, I am glad that I had the opportunity to work with Mr. Oldham because he showed me a side to art that I really didn’t know existed.  I had the pleasure of making a lamp out of an old front end of a bicycle and two tractor brakes.  I am definitely excited about majoring in art in college because through my job shadow experience my horizons have just gotten brighter.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas at Grand Prairie
Dallas Elevator Member: Joseph Velez