Team hustles behind the scene for president’s Akron visit
From Vision, Volume 6, Number 3, February 2, 1998
Meeting the demands of a presidential visit is a test of any organization’s ability to work effectively under pressure. Ameritech’s ability to do so was proved in December when President Clinton visited Akron, Ohio, to hold a town meeting on the subject of race relations.
“As always, meeting the short fuse demands necessary to provide protective service for the president, as well as service for his support staff and the media, is a feat unto itself,” said Maryellen Dzigiel, account manager – custom business services. “The White House Communications Agency (WHCA) provides all the information and direction concerning presidential matters, and security is its priority.
“We answer only to them,” Dzigiel said. “Information is always sketchy and very slow in coming. Marie Karnak, custom business service representative, issued, verified and followed every order involved in this trip.”
When the WHCA announced the proposed location of Clinton’s hotel, Ameritech went into action. “I had the facilities checked and ordered a facility job to be done,” said Joe Kalis, manager – outside plant engineering, network services. “Then Dave Baum, manager – custom provisioning and maintenance, network services, and I began verifying routes and facilities at the University of Akron. We found a shortage there, also, which required another facility job.”
“By reacting to the proposed information, Dave and Joe kept us ahead of the game,” Dzigiel said.
Baum assigned orders to his crew, and a lead technician took responsibility for supervising each location. Mike Demancsik and George Beorn took charge at he Akron Canton Airport, while Bill Napier and Jeff Smith handled the Quaker Square Hilton, and Wayne Crislip, Jeff Miller, Marvin Evans, Tom Giovinozzo and Don Rohr were in charge at Akron University. All are network services customer service specialists.
In the two days preceding the president’s arrival, major problems arose with the lines. Dzigiel credits Mary Szmahlo, provisioning specialist – Ameritech Ohio, with helping to resolve every issue. “In many cases, we would guess at a fix and Mary would patiently try it and let us know the outcome,” Dzigiel said.
Further difficulties arose on the day the president arrived in Akron. “People from the media were unable to dial ‘1-888,’” Dzigiel said. “We notified Warren Anderson, manager – network services, who had the issue resolved within minutes.
“Ameritech employees went the extra mile to ensure the visit was a success. We must consider that three of the days fell on a weekend or a holiday, and there were only two regular business days,” Dzigiel said. “Our team overcame the hurdles and did an exemplary job. The White House told me that Ohio is a great place for a trip because we always get the job done.”
Brian Fairbanks, contributing writer
© Copyright 1997-98 Ameritech
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