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DLM Notes – 1/25/2017

Department Leadership Meeting

January 25, 2017

·        City Manager Dave Hansen opened the meeting with his usual passion for the organization

o   Special thanks to the Finance Department and PALS for making a successful transition to bi-weekly payroll

o   Reminder for everyone to keep up the good work on the Striving for Excellence Report and the yearend report to Council. This isn’t only about the money. It’s about being creative and working smarter.

o   Keep a list of your initiatives and keep it current

o   Be engaged with staff, get in the trenches

o   Thanks to everyone who supported the snow storm preparation and recovery efforts

·        Patti Greer (HR Dept.) spoke about the Middle Managers Development Program. Applications for the 2017 program are available now. Not everyone gets into this annual opportunity which requires one day per month for 10 months. To be considered, seek approval from your supervisor and complete the application at www.surveymonkey.com/r/2017MMDP A letter of recommendation from your supervisor or director is also required.

·         Shelby Goldsmith (HR Dept.) presented the City of Virginia Beach Mentoring Program, a pilot of which was recently completed. The program pairs seasoned City employees with more junior members who are interested in advancing in the organization. sgoldsmith@vbgov.com for more information or Ext 5793.

·        Member Survey – City Communications Manager Donna Mickley presented summary findings for the bi-annual employee surveys which were completed last fall. The City’s overall score dropped from 3.9 to 3.8, the first decline since 2004. Brad will share the findings of our Department, which remained unchanged at 3.8, during our Department Staff Meeting 1:30 p.m. February 3 at VBCC.

·        The Police Chief shared to short videos they are using for recruiting new officers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCVQL2kpG3Q

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15 Years of Service Award

Please join us in congratulating Mike Eason, of Resort Management, who was presented an award for his 15 years of service to the City yesterday by CVB Director, Brad Van Dommelen. Congratulations, Mike!

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Check Out This Roll Cloud!

Event Coordinator, Ashley Puvogel, with Resort Management snapped this photo right before her Polar Plunge site meeting on Wednesday morning with the organizer and reps from Beach Ops, Electrical, EMS, and Perfect Event Rentals.  Meteorologist Tim Pandajis (WVEC) identified it as a “roll cloud developing along the leading edge of the cold front.”  Within minutes, it felt like the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees and the wind picked up. Pretty cool!

Roll Cloud

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CVB Supports USS Whidbey Island Homecoming

Christmas Eve morning was extra special this year for thousands of military families who joyfully celebrated the homecoming of loved ones returning from deployment overseas. The CVB participated in a pier-side homecoming event by donating more than 40 dozen donuts and 300 branded Koozies to the troops and their families. This event was organized by the Mid-Atlantic Morale, Welfare and Recreation office at JEB Little Creek – Fort Story who reached out to regional businesses and industries for support. Along with the donuts and Koozies, hundreds of Virginia Beach attraction guides were distributed to the families as a way to share ideas of how the reunited families could spend time reconnecting while having fun in Virginia Beach. This sponsorship was part of the CVB’s ongoing tourism advocacy efforts. A link to the photo gallery of the event may be found here:

http://www.navymwrmidlant.com/sponsorship/photos/fy-16/uss-whidbey-island.

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And the Winner is….

She didn’t win the car, but Karen Ovalle was the correct winner in Courtney’s Friday afternoon contest for the lowest and highest priced car in the show.  Karen guessed that the Chevy Spark was the lowest price car on the floor with a base price of $13,875. Decked out for the show it has a sticker price of $16,900.

Shantese Putman won a pair of tickets for the first to guess the closest to the highest priced car in the show, the Porsche Panamera turbo at $185,895.

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Car Show at the VBCC

Over 20,000 guests visited the annual Hampton Roads International Auto Show January 13-15.  The show hosted by the Hampton Roads Automobile Dealers Association is one of the Convention Center’s largest consumer shows. In case you were wondering, the most expensive car on the floor was a Mercedes Maybach S600. At $205,525 it comes with a refrigerator rear center console, a $4,950 Magic Sky Control (whatever that is), rear reclining seats with elevated foot rests, airplane style pull out trays for rear passengers, and countless other features found in any good European luxury limousine. The second most expensive car was a more hip Porsche Panamera Turbo with 550 hp and a zero to 60 mph time of 3.4 seconds. This four door luxury sedan even has a Night Vision Assist package worth $2,540.   At $185,895 this one screams don’t quit your day job.

Let’s be realistic though. You can buy 12 Chevy Sparks at a delivered price of $16,900, the lowest priced car in the show, for the price of the Mercedes.

We’re looking forward to some larger road vehicles this week with the Annual Recreational Vehicle returns January 20-22.

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