WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA - If the teachers are the performers, then the Administrative Team are the Stage Managers. As a token of appreciation for the Bay Area team, the group was set up for a surprise.
Here's how it happened.
The following events occured on Tuesday, December 22nd 2015. Times are approximate but the names, locations, and events are all real.
10:30am Hayward Studio: The team arrives for their weekly administrative strategy meeting.
10:45am: Limousine arrives - Courtesy of Angel Limousine Service in Hayward, Ca.
10:49am: Phone conversation with, owners, Chris & Daisey Lynam to determine if limousine is an Uber driver sent to Hayward by mistake.
10:50am: Ride is confirmed. The surprise has begun. The admin team begins their journey to an unknown destination.
11:30am: Team arrives at Nordstrom at Broadway Plaza, in Walnut Creek and are met by, owners, Chris and Daisey Lynam. The team is given a name, a budget, and 35 minutes to shop for their "Secret Santa".
12:15pm: Lunch at Il Fornaio in Walnut Creek. Gifts are exchanged, highlights are shared, laughter ensues, and all is followed by a fantastic meal of Italian food.
In addition to the regular duties of scheduling appointments, greeting students, and processing tuition; the Admin team help organize all of the in studio, and local events for students and staff. For 2015, this group were the first employees to spearhead the Arthur Murray Ambassador Program, a digital referral program. To do this, they each went through extensive training to understand how the product works, how to enlist and train others, and how to streamline the process so it was easy to understand.
There were many changes throughout the year with transfers, materinty leave, and the occasional officeplace curveball - yet this team proved time and again to be resilient and professional.
Due to the success of the administrative team, two of the admin staff, Brienne Thompson and Charlotte Keezer, were asked to be presenters at a regional training convention for Arthur Murray professionals.
Thompson, was also a member of the winning team in the worldwide George B. Theiss All Star Competition. This is a company wide skills competition with preliminary rounds held around the globe with the finals held at the Superama in Las Vegas, Nevada in October.
Overall, this team has had to keep pace with the students, teachers, managers, and owners. Needless to say, this Holiday Surprise was well deserved.
This group is no different than the collection of Arthur Murray professionals in any school. When they assemble there is no shortage of entertainment, talent, or insight. The purpose of this article is to sing the praises of this group of skilled individuals so they will never be misread as unsung heroes. Every school has at least one, and just like every actor knows that without a stage manager there is no show, the same can be said for an Office Manager.
| Nick Kosovich Teaches Lifetime Host How To Cha-Cha | |
| Chris Lynam Interviewed In Success Magazine |