WHA On Holiday

Good Morning, I’m Kenzie Sodestrom and this…is WHA on Holiday.

Our San Ramon staff had a great 2015, so we had much to celebrate at our holiday party! This year our Northern California staff and a handful of Principals from Santa Ana ventured out of the suburbs and gathered at Lake Chalet Restaurant in Oakland, CA. Lake Chalet sits right on Lake Merritt in the center of Oakland, neighbored by downtown Oakland to the west and a panoramic view of the water and the Oakland hills to the east. The light-traced lake provided a beautiful and festive backdrop for our party. Our staff and guests enjoyed delicious food and drinks as we connected, reminisced, and celebrated together. The evening included a 2015 Year in Review video, encouraging words from Robert Lee and Bill Hezmalhalch, and silly office awards hosted by Natalie Rowe and yours truly. We are looking forward to a great 2016!

The winners of the NorCal 2015 Awards are:

Most Likely to Not Turn in His Timecard – Robert Lee

Redbull Bromance Award – Jeremy Leach & Brandon Wenzel

Office Foodie Award – Calvin Lu

Master Prankster Award – Jim Loche (Best known for his work in taping perfume samples under desks, eyeballs under magnifying glasses, and flying dragons from the ceiling)

Apprentice Prankster Award – Chris Ard (Best known for his work in trolling everything, desktop background shenanigans, using coworker’s names as his computer password, and putting his face on Brandon’s toddler’s photo)

Best Movie Maker Award – Mohsen Heidari

Most Likely to Give Themselves an Award for their Party Planning Skills – Natalie Rowe & Kenzie Sodestrom

MVP Award – Kenzie Sodestrom (sneaky sneaky Natalie & office!)

Mr. Fossi, I understand the Santa Ana staff had a party of its own down south. How did that go?

Thanks Kenzie. Yes, the main office of WHA had a wonderful time enjoying an evening stroll and delicious dinner at the Richard Nixon Library. The grounds provided quite the setting. The well-tended gardens extended a path from the main entry, leading to the top of a small hill upon which lay the quaint kit home in which Richard Nixon was born and raised. The one-and-a-half story house, wrapped in white lap siding, also features an improvised fireplace Nixon’s father built himself. Only yards away, President Nixon and his wife are buried in a respectful, quiet corner of the garden.

After our hour tour, we poured through the opened doors of the dining hall and were seated for dinner. The room was magnificent – a remarkable replica of the East Room of the White House, although it looked a little short to me, maybe a half-inch or so off. A live band entertained as we dined on a meal fit for a President, and then danced it off on the intricately patterned parquet floor.

Bill Hezmalhalch gave a nice speech that thanked everyone for the talents and teamwork of our firm and the innovative, collaborative culture that collectively drives us forward. Todd and Shannon followed with our highly-competitive award ceremony. They congratulated Bill on his own accolades and induction into this year’s Hall of Fame, and acknowledged some other fellow WHA employees for their contributions. Kevin Mukbel received an award for his teaching skills, and Amber Roberts for her friendly demeanor. Meanwhile, Don Ancheta and Brian Crooker, our intelligent IT team, took the prize for Dynamic Duo.

A couple of returning WHA employees stole both the coveted male and female prizes of “Best Hair,” a vote the previous recipient, Harry, was not too keen on. In an interview later I asked, “Harry, the prize is practically in your name, what happened?” He replied, “Ah, I know…I got my haircut too soon. Next year – I’ll show ’em some flowing locks.” His hair couldn’t hide the tears welling in his eyes – it was too short. “Next year…next year.”

I spoke with both winners, who had mixed reactions to their newfound fame. “Nick,” I shouted over the crowd of photographers snapping away at those smooth, dark waves that rippled as his hand ran through the thick of it, “what’s your secret?”

“Manea own business,” he grumbled. “That’s enough photos. Good night.”

Then with Maria: “Only two weeks on the job and you take the prize. How did you prepare for such a feat?”

“I just make sure I look good daily. That way, I’m always award-ready.” She flashed a smile as she posed for a selfie with a fan.

“Would you go as far as to say it’s Bueno-Dailey?”

“Si, I come from a long thread of fine hair.  It’s haireditary.”

Maybe she intended the pun, maybe it was Maybelline.

Meanwhile, Cathy Baranger stood a hair above the rest and won the Lifetime Achievement Award for great hair, an honor we will never share.

It was a nice conclusion to 2015, and as I was surrounded by such kind friends and coworkers – not to mention my beautiful wife – I had a sense of calm confidence and a bright outlook as to what the coming year holds. Thank you all.

Back to you Kenzie.

The other winners of the SoCal 2015 Awards are:

Most Friendly – David Esparza & Amber Roberts

The Todd Larner (Most Injured) – Ron Kugler & Jeff Chelwick

Best Dressed – Mark Rohling & Jessica Fritz

Most Witty – Anthony Fossi & Cheron Weimholt

Where’s Waldo – Rick Aiken

Weekend Warrior – Ben Gualberto

Best Use of Accessories – Karen Moyer

Courage – Katie Darter & Brittney Bruneau

Little Miss Sunshine – Alan Menzies & Caitlin Jorgensen

Best Smile – Kent Miyake & Kerry Shynn

Most Likely to Never Miss and Industry Event – Mike Hutaff & Louisa Feletto

Best Use of Office Space – Simon Hibbert & Kim Spears

Thank you, Mr. Fossi. This is Kenzie Sodestrom signing off, and wishing you Happy Holidays from the offices of William Hezmalhalch Architects.