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Get to Know You: Brian Rendine
Get to Know You: Brian Rendine 1024 1024 MPatton

Brian

In today’s get to know you post, we’re talking with our Director of Program Development, Brian Rendine.

I am Brian Rendine, outdoor enthusiast, father of two boys and husband to a wonderful wife!

United EVENTures is an opportunity for companies to improve their team morale through fun and engaging activities that will leave a lasting impression. I am the Director of Program Development and I work with clients to build their team experience with United EVENTures. The client dreams up the team building event that they want to experience and then it’s my job to make it happen. I work with the company to tailor the experience to coincide with a goal their team wants to achieve. If a team wants to work on communication, I’ll work with them to design a program that encourages positive and thorough communication. Long and short of it, I make dreams come true!

The programs and services we offer motivate me to work hard for both our employees and our clients. It matters when you can see that you made a definitive difference and our clients leave with smiling faces.

When I was younger I debated between being a doctor or a teacher. I ended up teaching Physics for ten years before heading out with United EVENTures. I guess there is a common thread in there somewhere; science, coaching, and helping people reach their goals.

You never really know what you’ve achieved in life until you look back on it later. Right now it’s a work in progress, but my two boys are my biggest achievement.  In ten years I hope to be happy, healthy, and continuing to share ideas and change lives.

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Career Advice You Ever Got
The Best Career Advice You Ever Got 275 183 MPatton

The best career advice I ever received, I got from my best friend. I was just starting out freelancing and I thought I must be crazy for leaving a steady-paying but difficult job. Am I supposed to convince people to pay me to just write stuff all day? Apparently, yes.

“Just pretend you’re good at it. Eventually, you will be.” She made it so simple.  I’m not confident in my coding skills, but I can say with confidence that I’m willing to learn and have the equipment to do so. My first job rolled in and soon, I was surprised at how fast pretending to be good at my job meant I eventually became good at it.

Pretending you’re good at your job doesn’t mean lie on your resume – far from it. For me, it meant embracing the things I could learn from as much as it meant selling the skills I had. For example, an interviewer asks you this question:

What experience do you have with collaborative software?

Right, Answer: I have experience with Slack, but I’m interested in learning other platforms.

Wrong Answer: I only know of Slack but I don’t use it much.

See the difference?

More than just a poster, it's great career advice.

Great advice for any situation.

But so what, right? Now you’re confident but you’re still not an expert on collaborative software. You don’t need to be. Take time and back up your confidence. Look up tutorials for other software programs and platforms. Familiarize yourself with the basic who, what, how, why and you’ll have confidence going forward. I’ve noticed the more I go on, the less I’m pretending. It was really helpful advice.

United EVENTures CEO and President, Will Leggett’s best career advice is simple and straightforward: Figure out what you love to do in life and then figure out a way to get paid to do it. You will never work a day in your life that way.

Our Director of Program Development, Brian Rendine shares his best career advice: Do something that you love and you will never work a day in your life. I had an Irish Christian Brother in high school teach me Spanish for three straight years, Br. Sheridan, and he not only passed that good advice to me, but also was a living example of how when you love what you do, it’s not work.

Our redditors have also shared heir answers with us:

  • Document your wins and tell your boss about it OFTEN, not just during your annual performance review.
  • My best advice was work your butt off for something you’re passionate to achieve. Having done this I’ve accelerated quite quickly in my chosen career which is surprising for my age. I’ve only realized this was good advice 3 years later when it paid off.
  • Listen, don’t just hear. It is amazing what you will learn when your mouth is closed and ears are attentive.

So tell us in the comments, what’s the best career advice you ever got?

United EVENTures logo, logo, united eventures event planning, events, team building
Get to Know You: Will Leggett, President and CEO
Get to Know You: Will Leggett, President and CEO 1024 280 MPatton
A company is only as good as the brains behind the operation. In this week’s Get to Know You blog we’re talking with our President and CEO, Will Leggett.
will-leggett-small
I am an adventurer who loves to be in the wilderness. My passion is hunting whitetail deer with a bow and arrow in remote locations across the country. I love to travel, whether it’s up to Vermont to see friends and family, or to tropical locations like St. John USVI. I am soon to be blessed with my first-born baby girl and am married to my beautiful wife, Jane. We also have a dog named Zoe.
United EVENTures is a workplace that I created to bring like minded individuals together to better the lives of others. As the President and Owner, I have the opportunity to go out and promote the business and find new clients, meet new people and share ideas. This opportunity inspired me to create our UE mission statement: “Together we create memorable experiences that last a lifetime.” My team here at United EVENTures inspire me to work hard. I firmly believe that a great leader leads by example. If my employees see that I am working hard (both for them and with them) they will do the same for me, their teammates, and our clients.

Creating UnitedEVENTures has been a journey. I have always been into athletics both as an athlete as well as a spectator, so I originally wanted to get into sports broadcasting or become a coach. After taking a class at Ithaca College called “Leisure in Society” which taught me about national parks, I realized that there was an entirely new path I wanted to go down. I switched majors to Recreation Management. “Leisure in Society” influenced me to do my senior project on Organizational Development and Team Building which is the reason I started United EVENTures.

With the help of my team, I hope in ten years to build United EVENTures into a multi-million dollar company with locations and services across the world. I will have also have started a second company flipping houses and will have 3 beautiful children.

We here at United EVENTures look forward to helping you and your team achieve your corporate, personal, and professional goals. Let’s make some memories!
TGIF: Get the Most out of Your Friday by Preparing for Monday
TGIF: Get the Most out of Your Friday by Preparing for Monday 575 340 MPatton

Fridays in the office are basically dedicated to staring at the clock, making excuses to get coffee, and ducking your supervisor lest they give you a project that makes you stay past 5:30. But the clock watching coffee marathon on Friday can lead to an overloaded and chaotic Monday.

There is a solution to your conundrum: work. I know the concept of actually accomplishing something on a Friday is a little on the radical side but hear me out. Using your Friday to get ready for Monday, you’ll be more prepared and less swamped Monday morning. Clear these small tasks off your desk and they’ll add up for an easier week.

weekend-1756858__340Clear out your inbox and voicemail. Catch up on all your emails and voice mails. Use your clock watching time to follow-up with coworkers, clients, and customers. Don’t start a long email convo back and forth – just be short, sweet, and to the point so you don’t end up with extra stuff to add to the pile. Finishing up your communication for the week means no surprises on Monday morning and no weekend texts or phone calls.

Prep for meetings. One of the companies I used to work for loved Monday morning meetings. Sometimes the meetings were productive and sometimes we all took turns bumbling around and shuffling papers to hide that we were unprepared. If your Mondays and Tuesdays are booked with meetings, carve some time out of the day on Friday to get prepped; make info packets, tweak your power point, double-check your reports. Prepping on Friday means you’ll have a few extra minutes to stagger around on Monday morning and shake off that zombie feeling before you hit the conference room.

Don’t dive in to any big projects. If you have a presentation or a big project coming up, leave that for the middle of the week. Starting something big just before the weekend can throw you off when you come back to it two days later. Odds are, you’re not planning to take the work home with you over the weekend. If you have a big project, don’t just jump in with both feet at 10am on a Friday. Break the project down into small sections, do some outlining and a little bit of research so you have something to show if your supervisor wants an update.

Make a donut run. Seriously, make a donut run. You’ve cleared out your inbox, got your Monday prep ready and you’ve got a good handle on that next big project. Take your fifteen and go off site and bring back some glucose encouragement for the rest of the team.

Not every Friday is created equally and, of course, you’ll probably have days where you’re so busy you don’t notice the day fly by or days when the clock never moves forward. Keeping your Friday lightly busy and organized will help you at 8am on Monday.

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Spotlight on the Sunlight: Jobs that get you Outdoors
Spotlight on the Sunlight: Jobs that get you Outdoors 960 635 MPatton

One of my first real jobs out of college had me sitting in a cubicle (yes, the dreaded cubicle) facing a wall that was painted a bright, cheerful yellow. The sunny yellow of the wall didn’t do much to mitigate the fact that I wasn’t  seeing actual sunlight.

If that weekend itch to get out into nature, go hiking, kayaking, or just hang out with friends around a bonfire starts to become a week-long sting, a career in the great outdoors may be calling you. A lot of outdoor careers are in the sciences or recreation but you don’t have to be field botanist or a survival expert to find a career that incorporates the outdoors and your interests.

Sports Instructors:

Ski and snowboard instructors usually work in the hospitality industry or for a sports complex or training center. Instructor roles tend to rely more on history and experience than educational background. Ski and snowboard instructors generally also assist with trail maintenance and ski patrol and instruct people at all levels of ability. IMG_0135Instructors will need a good skill level and a working knowledge of gear, environment, and terrain, as well as weather patterns.

Gardening:

Gardening, landscaping, and running a nursery or greenhouse can get the sun on your back and the dirt under your fingernails. If you’re interested in running your own small business, this could be the opportunity you’re looking for. Owning and operating a landscaping company or a nursery gives a people person with a natural sales talent the opportunity to work outside, be creative, and work with people.

Nature Guides:

If hiking, trekking, and camping is your thing look into being an outdoor or recreational guide. Outdoor guides may require certification in certain areas like white water rafting and wilderness first aid. Nature guides work in a myriad of businesses: hospitality, travel, scouting, summer camps and with corporate outing ventures, much like United Eventures, to get groups of people from all walks of life engaged in outdoor activities.

Photography:bonfire

Nature and art are closely entwined. Nature and wildlife photography can take you outside in a variety of landscapes and environments. Photography can be a dynamic and adventurous complimentary career; it’s not uncommon for guides and sports instructors to use body cameras to capture film and stills of their stunts, guide trips, and treks for promotional purposes. If you’re more of a people person, wedding and family photography can give you the opportunity to see new and interesting locations while helping families create memories to last a lifetime.

Environmental Impact:

Working in the green industry can take you outside for a cause. Surveying, forestry, and Ranger positions can keep you poised to make an environmental impact. A career in forestry allows you to help manage and clear forests in a sustainable and restorative way and promotes conservation, restoration, and stewardship of public and private lands. Some jobs in forestry require a Bachelor’s Degree or two-year certification. Some ranger positions require a background in law enforcement while others are geared towards educating the public on things like wildlife, outdoor safety, and environmental impact.

Better than a sun lamp.

Better than a sun lamp.

Volunteer!

Not everybody can just ditch their day job and run off into the sunset after going all Office Space on the fax machine. Find a project or nonprofit agency that gets you outdoors and giving back. Volunteer for a team clean of your local park, or assist with trail maintenance on popular local hiking trails. If you’re interested in finding volunteer opportunities by you, check out VolunteerMatch or with your state or local parks and recreation department for what volunteer opportunities are available.

 

If the mountains are calling and that sunlamp on your desk isn’t doing you any favors, get out there. The world is waiting.

United EVENTures: Who We Are
United EVENTures: Who We Are 1024 791 MPatton

What comes to mind when your boss says “team building seminar”? A few hours of bad conference center coffee, speed cup stacking, some easy trivia games, and role playing. Does that sound about right?

Let’s be honest: As an employer, keeping your employees engaged, connected, and feeling valued is vitally important. Connection and worth are at the very heart of what keeps employees engaged individually and as a team. Team building matters and not all team building programs are created equally. Creating great memories as a company can help boost team efficacy, company positivity, and ultimately, productivity.

United EVENTures, LLC is a full-service event planning company specializing in team building adventures, entertainment and conference services, as well as planning for all of your special occasions. Whether you are organizing a retreat to strengthen team skills or need help finding a venue or entertainment for a family reunion or party, we are here to take care of all the logistics and delivery.

We pride ourselves in excellence and creating experiences that are memorable, impactful, and engaging. There is no group too small, too large or destination too far that we cannot accommodate. We’re dedicated to creating a positive and memorable experience that goes beyond the basic reputations of team building seminars, group activities, or parties – our goal is to create memorable experiences that last a lifetime.

Work obstacles are never this fun.

Work obstacles are never this fun.

 

A little about our mission and services:

We are willing to travel to you! It’s a common question and our answer is always, of course, we travel.

We can tailor the program to fit your needs. At United EVENTures, you’re working with experienced staff and facilitators with backgrounds in event planning, group leadership, and experiential recreation to help you achieve your goals. Need to work on communication and transparency? Try our Geo Trekking program or a scavenger hunt that incorporates trivia, problem-solving, and information sharing for a successful and fun outing that promotes clear and productive communication. Want to get everybody out from behind their desks and blowing off steam? Knockerballs, water wars, or our obstacle course will get you up and create memories to share around the water cooler.

We give back. Every event we host or coordinate, a portion of those proceeds goes to Tackle Kids Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending childhood cancer and providing support and resources to children and families dealing with pediatric illness. We are also partnered with other charities and would love to help you host a fundraising or awareness event.

Get moving and get productive!

Get moving and get productive!

Follow up with us next Monday, April 10th for an interview with UnitedEVENTures President, Will Leggett. Check back with us here at the UnitedEVentures Blog for more this week as we shine the Spotlight on Sunlight: Jobs That Take You Outdoors. Watch out for our weekly question on twitter at UnitedEventures.