This is one of my grandmother’s favorite poems and it is a timeless…she gave me a copy of the poem when I was twelve and I’ve kept it ever since.

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

If you can’t be the pine on the top of the hill,

Be a scrub in the valley - - but be

The best little scrub by the side of the hill;

Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.

If you can’t be a bush be a bit of the grass,

And some highway happier make;

If you can’t be a Muskie then just be a bass- -

But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can’t all be captains; we’ve got to be a crew,

There is something for all of us here,

There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do,

And the task you must do is the near.

If you can’t be a highway then just be a trail,

If you can’t be the sun be a star;

It isn’t by size that you win or you fail- -

Be the best of whatever you are.

Douglas Malloch

Minuteman Parking at Northern Trust Open

This is Minuteman Parking Company’s fifth year parking vehicles for the Northern Trust Open on the VA Greater Los Angeles grounds in West Los Angeles. Minuteman Parking Company along side with Westside Services parks over 3,000 cars a day for this event. This year we were able to staff directly from the VA Greater Los Angeles itself.

We would like to thank the New Directions Program for partnering with Minuteman Parking Company and letting us hire their residents for this event. They were a huge help. We have been partnering with New Directions for the past three years to staff this event and other events that we are contracted to do on the VA Greater Los Angeles grounds. Michael Johnson who has been an asset to our team for the past three years celebrated his third Northern Trust Open with Minuteman Parking Company.

Over the past couple of years the visitor flow has improved due to the creative thinking of Craig Owens. The landscape changes each year but Craig always has a plan to get the job done. Craig has been coordinating the parking for this event with Richard Scott for the past 5 years. Minuteman Parking Company would like to thank all of our team members who have come out to help us over the years. We would also like to let the staff from New Directions know that they are a valuable part of our team and this year they really made the Northern Trust Open a big success.

Nancy Anui at Loma Linda Medical Center

I wanted to share with everyone the story of one associate who on a daily basis exemplifies the “Commitments of Excellence” which are the cornerstone of great service. Nancy Anui has been working for Minuteman Parking Company for the past seven years. She started working at Riverside Community Hospital as a Greeter and worked up to a valet position at that location before moving on with us to Loma Linda Medical Center.

Before coming to work for Minuteman Nancy lost her disabled son and she has said she felt that her purpose in life was over with his passing.  Then Nancy felt the call to volunteer at hospitals so she could bring joy to people who were sick.  Nancy started at Riverside Community Hospital as a volunteer, around the same time Minuteman picked up the contract for parking services at the hospital.  Nancy met our manager at the location, Rafael Lopez who was looking for help and she was immediately hired. After a period of time our contract expired at the hospital and Nancy transferred with us to the Loma Linda East Campus Medical Center as a valet and shuttle driver.   Nancy loved moving over to LLECMC and the staff at the facility absolutely adores Nancy.  Nancy has been at Loma Linda with us now for four years.
Nancy tells me that she thought God was steering her towards people with Special needs. Her daily duties include helping transport patients to the area lab, rehabilitation medical offices, x-ray and MRI facilities on the East Campus at Loma Linda.

Michael Jackson head of operations on the east campus has said that when people see Minuteman Parking they know they are at the East Campus and we are the friendly touch point that the Medical Center needed in regards to their guest and patient services.  Nancy is a key person in increasing the Medical Center’s patient flow and therefore the patient and visitor satisfaction.  Nancy continues to represent Minuteman and provide the special customer care that people have come to expect when they visit the Medical Center. Nancy has been called the Parking Lot Angel by the Medical Center staff and management team and is a shining example of someone who goes above and beyond and is committed to the spirit of providing outstanding  healing service to everyone she come in to contact with.

I ask you today, how can we all be as committed to helping others and providing great service like Nancy?  Thank you Nancy, you are an inspirational asset to us all and we truly appreciate all that you do!

Some of Minuteman's Extensive Collection of Wheaties Boxes

If you get a chance to visit the offices of Minuteman Parking, you cannot miss the extensive collection of Wheaties boxes.  According to the history of Wheaties on Wikipedia, Wheaties was created in 1922 as a result of an accident by a clinician at the Washburn Crosby Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Washburn Crosby later became the General Mills company.  In 1934, Wheaties began a practice of putting pictures of athletes on their boxes as a way to go along with their “Breakfast of Champions” slogan.  Since then, hundreds of athletes and teams have been featured on Wheaties boxes.

In this short interview, Minuteman Parking President Chris Fox explains why he collects Wheaties boxes.

Q - How many Wheaties boxes are in your collection?

A - Over 300.

Q - Do you have any favorites?

A - I like all of the ones depicting a Boston sports Championship.  The Celtics and Larry Bird boxes were the first ones that I ever bought.

Q - When did you start collecting Wheaties boxes?

A - I got my first Wheaties box in the mid 1980’s and I really started to get a lot of new ones when people began to sell them on EBay.

Q - How does the Wheaties message about the “Breakfast of Champions” resonate with Minuteman Parking?

A - Wheaties is one of those old American brands that are synonymous with success.  The only people or teams that they put on the box are Champions (they also usually only sell them in the geographical area of the winner on the box).  You don’t get on a Wheaties box if you come in second place.  Here at Minuteman Parking we know that there is no room for second place.  The guy who comes in second does not get the contract or keep the customer.

I ask you, how do you get to be a champion?  My answer would be through commitments; commitments to excellence, to others, to self and to your own integrity.  To have a successful career or relationship, one must make and keep commitments.

Would how you live your life qualify you for a Wheaties Box?  If not, now is the time to change.

Thank you Chris for sharing your passion and insights - and if you’re visiting Minuteman Parking anytime soon, don’t forget to bring your bowl, spoon and milk!

And for the more curious, here are some more Wheaties links to check out:

• Wheaties website
• Wheaties article from Wikipedia
• List of athletes appearing on a Wheaties box
• Wheaties boxes for sale on Ebay
• Get your own picture on a Wheaties box

To all Minuteman Team Members,

I am writing to you as we enter the last month of 2008 to share my thoughts on what is going on in the world and with Minuteman Parking. This year has been an extraordinary year with the United States electing the first African American to be President and our economy sinking to depths that have not been seen since the Great Depression.

In terms of the economy, we are in the midst of one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. The US Government is bailing out the financial services industry, the stock market is down 35 to 40%, housing prices have plummeted while foreclosures are rising, and the unemployment figures for California have recently risen above 8%. Because of the economy, personal and business travel is also down for the second half of 2008 which directly impacts our Hotels segment. In our Hospitals segment they have frozen equipment and other expenditures and have begun to limit or cut labor hours from their budgets. Some economists point out to a recovery during the second half of 2009 and others are saying that it may take even longer.

Fortunately, Minuteman Parking has been able to more than hang in there. Our revenue for the year is down, but we’ve been able to remain profitable by implementing aggressive cost controls. We have had to scale our labor hours back as some of our accounts have slowed and we appreciate your understanding that this is hopefully just a temporary setback. Our goal is to keep everyone employed and prospering in 2009. By continuing to work by our ˜Commitments To Excellence™” we will make Minuteman Parking Company an indispensable partner to our hotel and medical facility accounts. We need to come to work every day in these turbulent times asking ourselves, “How can I make myself indispensable today?” We all need to want to make a difference every day.

Thank you to all of you who have worked so hard in 2008 to help us continue to deliver on our commitments by providing excellent service to our partners and their customers. Our business is people-based and caring for others, teamwork and the little personal touches we add every day are what make Minuteman Parking different from other companies. You make it possible to keep our commitments and I thank you for that.

We have recently made some very positive changes that will impact our business when the economy starts to pick up later in 2009. In November, we re-launched our new website which now includes a blog and easier ways for people to contact us. Plus, the site establishes Minuteman Parking as one of the premier providers in the Western US. Check it out at www.minutemanparking.com/ and make sure to share the URL with your family, friends and colleagues. We have beefed up our sales efforts by bringing in Greg Best to drive new business and we have promoted Treavor Bramwell to training and safety manager as we continue to make training and safety a key differentiator in our marketplace. We want you to have all the tools necessary to be the best ambassador for your location that you can possibly be.

Finally, let’s be thankful as we enter this Holiday season - thankful for our families and friends, thankful for our jobs and for working at a stable company, thankful that we can still share our blessings with others.

I would like to leave you with a short quote about faith by Barbara J. Winter that I find appropriate these days:

“When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”

I have faith that the economy and country will recover and we will all be stronger for having gone through this turbulent time.

I would like to wish you and your families a happy and healthy Holiday Season. I am looking forward to a great year for Minuteman Parking in 2009 and beyond.

God Bless,

Chris Fox

When I promote someone to manager at Minuteman Parking, one of the first things I do is hand them a copy of Ken Blanchard’s Simple Truths of Services: Inspired by Johnny the Bagger. This book helps to reinforce the Minuteman Parking Commitments to Excellence.

I like this book because it helps people see that everyone can make a contribution and a difference. And that what may seem to be a small gesture can pay huge dividends. The story is about Johnny who has Down Syndrome and is a bagger at a grocery store. Johnny’s contribution was to come up with a new special saying each night. He would type up the saying and would then put them in customers’ bags the next day. This small gesture ultimately transformed the whole store and inspired other employees to ‘delight’ their customers too.

My challenge to all Minuteman employees is to:

Think about something you can do for your customer to make them feel special - a memory that will make them come back.

If you don’t have time to read the book, at least take the time to watch this 3-minute movie about the story. I am confident that you will be as inspired by the story as I was and continue to be:

In the October newsletter for St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, Minuteman Parking is highlighted as having a positive impact on patient satisfaction.

Here is what Kimberlee Prokopij, patient satisfaction coordinator, said about Minuteman Parking’s valet parking service:

“By the amount and tone of patient feedback we’ve received so far, the free valet parking seems to be having a very positive impact.”

The hospital began offering free valet parking service though Minuteman Parking in June, and more than 90 visitors use the service each day.  The free valet parking proves how important it is to provide patients and visitors with a great first impression even before they enter the building.

Minuteman Parking at St. Bernardine

St. Bernardine is a 463-bed non-profit acute care hospital that is part of the Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) system.