Congratulations Team VorTX 3735 (Klein ISD Robotics Club)

VORTX 3735 SPONSORS  

This year Champion helped sponsor the Klein ISD Robotics Club, VorTX 3735, which is part of the FIRST organization.  FIRST stands for ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology’, was founded by Dean Kamen in 1989 and sponsors annual competitions in Tech and Robotics for children in grades 1st through 12th.

 

Every January, FIRST releases a new game for robot clubs to play. From that point, each team has six weeks to build a robot that plays the defined game, after which they are not allowed to make changes to the robot. During a seven week competition period that follows each team participates in three regionals, in an attempt to qualify for the FIRST World Championship.

 

 

VORTX CLUB DEMONSTRATION

Klein ISD is an Independent School District that covers approx. 87.5 square miles in Harris County, Texas, United States (part of Houston). The club was founded in 2011, by a group of students out of Klein Collins High School.  Now, the team is made up of about 60 high school students from all five high schools in the Klein ISD. The team promotes ways for students to learn engineering, business, and leadership skills, which can be used for the rest of their lives. The team is effectively student run, as students do everything from training others, to building robots, to writing budgets, to reaching out to the community to demonstrate what they do.

 

 

VORTX 3735 ROBOT

This year was possibly one of the best years the Klein ISD Robotics Club has ever had. While their first competition was rough, during the second competition, they were seeded 4th but finished 3rd as alliance captain. Their third competition went just as well securing them a spot at the FIRST World Championship. During Worlds, the team did the best they’ve ever done by finishing second in their division, putting them among the Top 100 teams in the world.

In addition to the in season competitions, the club had two off season competitions this past summer. The first competition was a massive success and they won from the 8th seed alliance. They did not win the second summer competition, but were seeded first overall.  Overall, this is the best individual performance their team has ever had.

 

Much of the information about the VorTX 3735 club in this article was provided by the team’s business lead, Savannah Smith, and she expressed her gratitude on behalf of the team with this photo and stated “None of this would have been possible without your support. Thank you once again.”

Click here for more photos from the club’s events.

The leadership team at Champion Technology Services, Inc. sees programs like FIRST and other STEM initiatives as an essential part in the development of a future tech oriented workforce and has budgeted funds to sponsor these types of programs annually and encourages all Champion’s with a passion to lead and support our youth, to reach out to your managers for information on how to get Champion’s support for your preferred team.

 

Excellence Award Winners (September 2017)

As most of you are aware, we are accepting nominations for the Excellence awards at this link: Acknowledgement & Appreciation. A link can also be found on the SharePoint home page.  Nominations will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, and the winners will be announced in the newsletter when appropriate. The following are the 2017 winners through August based on previous nominations.

SHAWN WILSON

Excellence in Analytical Thinking

This person is excellent at analyzing and evaluating work processes, work flows and budgets in order to maintain successful projects.

TONY BLACKFORD

Excellence in Customer Service

This person demonstrates a focus on customer service and attention to detail.

TONY GAGLER

Excellence in Mentoring

This person is an excellent mentor and coach. They build rapport and effectively manage teams and work groups.

WILSON SANTAMARIA

Excellence in Performance

This person demonstrates excellence in the performance of their role within the company. They have a broad knowledge base and are the go to person in their area of expertise (i.e. automation, telecom, administration, sales, finance, internal business systems, etc.)

Each of these winners will receive their Excellence Award Certificate and a $100 gift card, and the individuals who nominated each of them will receive a $50 gift card as well. This is an ongoing award program, so please be sure to nominate your peers (using the link above) if you feel they should be honored with one of these awards.

What’s Been Happening (September 2017)

Service Awards – Employee Spotlights (September 2017)

 

SCOTT THOMPSON

Q: What is your favorite lunch routine?

A: Well, I actually have two.  My primary is going home to eat lunch with my wife.  Nothing fancy.  Just time together.  We try to spend as much time together as possible.  My second is Joe’s Pizza and Pasta.  The Joe’s salad with grilled chicken and dipping oil for dressing is fantastic.  The downside is there’s not enough gum or mints in the world that can mask that meal.

Q: What projects were particularly interesting, exciting, or challenging that you would like to reflect on?

A: We get to touch a lot of process and technologies so it hard to pick.  For me though, anything with databases integrating with the control system gets me charged.  Data is king.  Two projects that stand out the most are Phillips 66 Lubes Division SAP integration into batch blending.  And the Sherwin Alumina laboratory information system that Mike O’leary and I developed.  The latter made use of lab equipment, OSI PI data and information from their accounting system.

Q: Who has been your favorite customer (company / individual) and why?

A: I’d have to say David Farris, Plant Manager with Phillips 66 Los Angeles, was my favorite customer.  He had an automation background and lived to grill my knowledge.  I specifically remember filling up three whiteboards in a conference room, with him, over a two day span creating mind maps for every scenario.  And then having to give account for each.  It was exhausting and a total blast at the same time.

Q: What company / office sponsored event did you enjoy most and why?

A: I enjoyed the family-focused atmosphere of the recent weekend at Coushatta Tribe Ranch.  It was great to see everyone enjoying each other’s families.

Q: What would you like to be working on here at Champion in the future?

A: I want to stay engaged in the development of the company in terms of technology and workflow processes.  As great as this company is, it’s only scratched the surface of its potential.  Everything being implemented is poising us for an incredible future.

Q: When were you proudest to be a part of the Champion team?

A: I have to say without a doubt, the year my peers blessed me with the Champion Award.  I was completely blown away.  Especially knowing the caliber of people within all aspects of the company.

Q: What is something that you’d like to see Champion do in the next 15 years?

A: We’re a solutions company.  As we continue growing with automation, safety lifecycles, cybersecurity and data, I would also like to see us delve more into instrument engineering.  To complement our offerings further, it’d be great to have an instrument group to perform calibration, troubleshooting and validation.  As far as automation, customers should look no further than Champion from the field device to the board room.

Q: Describe a memory from your first years at Champion.

A: When you make a life changing decision, like quitting a job after 14 years, you tend to wonder if you made the right decision.  Coming on board with Champion, I hit the ground running on a project.  I loved the pace, the work and the people.  But it was new so you still wonder if it’ll have its luster after the new wears off?  Then I was in the middle of a startup not long after coming on board.  I received a call that my mother was dying from cancer.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.  I hadn’t accrued vacation yet.  I was the keeper of knowledge on the project and in the middle of a startup.  Next thing I know Gary Hamer drove over from Baton Rouge and took over my startup so I could head to Oklahoma.  That sealed it.  There is no doubt that Champion is the home for me.  You will not get this from other companies.  Champion has been there for me from the beginning and has not let me down.  We’re family…

Q: In your opinion, what is the #1 improvement you’ve seen take place since you’ve started?

A: Project Execution Methodology.  Its value continues to prove itself the more we adhere to it.

Q: How are the dynamics at Champion different than when you first started? How are they the same?

A: When I first started, Champion was a flat organization and very organic.  When you were assigned a project, you were the project manager, engineer, designer, draftsman, purchasing agent and project admin.  We were very fluid and agile.  We cranked out some high quality products and services.  We were cool and creative.  What we lacked was consistency.  Now with additional staff and the project execution methodology we’re seeing a greater level of consistency in delivery.  And the additional staffing has improved the work/life balance.  One thing that has never changed is how well everyone works together.

CURRENT EVENTS (September 2017)

Sep 6

LSU’S 2017 FALL CAREER EXPO
September 6th – 7th – LSU will hold it’s annual fall Expo at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.  Champion will participate in the career fair, showcasing our exciting career opportunities.

Sep 8

BATON ROUGE AUTOMATION SUMMER OUTING
On September 8th, the Baton Rouge Automation office and their families will hit Premier Bowling Lanes for some family fun and of course a little friendly competition!

Sep 13

LAMAR UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING CAREER FAIR
September 13th – The Lamar University College of Engineering in Beaumont, TX, is gearing up for their annual career fair at which Champion will participate.  The fair will be held in the university’s Montagne Center.

Sep 19

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE CAREER FAIR
September 19th – 20th, ULL will hold it’s annual career fair in the Student Union Ballroom of the Lafayette campus. Champion is pleased to be a participant of this year’s fair to share our Engineering opportunities.

Sep 25

UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY STUDENT INFO SESSION
Champion will attend the Utah Valley University, Department of Automation and Robotics, Student Info Session on September 25th to present Champion’s career opportunities and answer any questions.

Sep 26

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH STEM CAREER FAIR
Champion will be in attendance on September 26th, at the University of Utah’s annual STEM Career Fair in the Union Ballroom at the university located in Salt Lake City.

Sep 27

UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING CAREER FAIR
September 27th – the University of Wyoming Engineering and Sciences will hold it’s annual job and career fair for it’s students.  Champion will be in attendance to promote opportunities that Champion has to offer!

Sep 27

MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY CAREER & INTERNSHIP FAIR
On September 27th – McNeese will hold it’s annual career and internship fair at the McNeese Recreational Sports Complex, Ward Arena in Lake Charles, LA.  Champion will be there to showcase our full spectrum of career opportunities.

Click HERE for more Champion events!

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

September is National Preparedness Month.

This year we are asking you to take action now – make a plan with your community, your family, and for your pets.  Plan how to stay safe and communicate during the disasters that can affect your community. We ask everyone to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! and the national day of action, National PrepareAthon! Day, which culminates National Preparedness Month on September 30.  http://www.ready.gov/september

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Homemade Soft Pretzels and Creole Honey Mustard Dip

PREP TIME:  1 Hour             TOTAL TIME:  2 Hours, 10 Minutes              SERVINGS:  6

If you haven’t made soft pretzels before, it’s time to do the twist (and, really, it’s not as hard as you think). To shape a pretzel, simply roll a strip into a “u” shape, fold one of the ends into the center, making a small loop, then fold the other end down to make a second loop. Press the dough lightly to secure the pretzel shape. Then, proceed with boiling and baking.

For the dip, try this unique honey mustard dip. It’s honey mustard with a kick. Creole seasoning (a combination of paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, dried thyme, dried basil, black pepper, and cayenne pepper) adds a bit of heat and herbaceous smokiness to this sweet-tangy dip. Creole seasoning can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores and online.

Pretzel Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 (1/4-oz.) pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2 1/4 cups (about 9.5 oz.) bread flour
  • 2 1/4 cups (about 9.5 oz.) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 10 cup plus 1 Tbsp. water, divided
  • 6 tablespoons baking soda

How to Make Them

Step 1

Stir together 1 1/4 cups warm water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture, and let stand until mixture is foamy, 5 minutes. Fit mixer with paddle attachment. Add flours, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and 1 egg to yeast mixture, and beat at low speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Replace paddle with dough hook, and beat on medium speed until dough is smooth and has pulled away from the bowl, 5 minutes.

Step 2

Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 hour.

Step 3

Stir together apple cider vinegar and remaining 3 tablespoons each of sour cream and mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the mixture on each bun half. Place 1 patty on each bottom half of bun; top each with lettuce, tomato, and red onion slices and other half of bun.

Step 4

Meanwhile, turn dough out onto a lightly greased surface; roll out to a 12- x 8-inch (about 3/4-inch-thick) rectangle. Cut into 8 (12-inch-long) strips; cut each strip into 4 pieces.

Step 5

To shape the pretzels, form 1 strip into a “U” with the ends of the strip pointing up. Fold one end down, making a small loop. Fold the other end down, making a second small loop. Press the dough in place to secure. Repeat with remaining dough.

Step 6

Add baking soda to water; stir to dissolve. Add 3 to 4 pretzels and cook 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to prepared pans. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Step 7

Let pretzels rest until moisture evaporates, 15 minutes. Whisk together remaining egg and water. Brush egg wash over tops of pretzels, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons salt.

Step 8

Bake until tops are golden, 7 to 10 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom rack about halfway through bake time. Turn pretzels over and bake until tops are golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

Creole Honey Mustard Dip Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

How to Make It

Whisk together Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, honey, and Creole seasoning until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.