Celebrating PrideFest 2023 with Some Colleagues

Yesterday morning (25 June), I drove to downtown St. Louis and parked in the Stadium Garage West. I then walked to Market Street just east of 7th Street. It was there that I met up with my Enterprise colleagues. Together, we would march in St. Louis' PrideFest parade.

This parade was the highlight of the annual PrideFest this past weekend, which celebrated the LBGTQ+ community. Many local companies and other organizations were represented in this parade. Most of the Enterprise contingent came from the Enterprise Holdings corporate office. I was the rare marcher who came from the rental branches.

Besides the approximately 100 marchers from our organization, there were three vehicles in the parade: a Ford Mustang convertible loaned from Enterprise Car Sales, and two trucks (stake beded and a box) from Enterprise Truck Rental. These vehicles were decorated in rainbow colors. Most of the marchers (including yours truly) wore green Enterprise t-shirts designed for this year's event. many of us added leis and beads for further decoration.

A few of us marchers wore bunches of balloons in assorted colors. They included my friend Melissa Maciorowski, who was just wonderful.

Many of us waited in the shade of a building while we waited for the parade to begin. I was one who took advantage of that shade and enjoyed a pre-parade drink of champagne with orange juice, which was welcome.

Just after 1:00 pm, we stepped off onto the parade, which went west on Market from 8th Street to 18th Street. Our group was early in the parade. It was hot under sunny skies, with the temperature of approximately 95 degrees F (35 degrees C), with a heat index of about 100 degrees F (38 degrees C). I had applied plenty of sunscreen before I left for the parade, which really helped me cope with the sunshine.

There were many units in this parade, including various companies, sports teams, labor unions, and social service organizations. Naturally, several LGBTQ+ organizations were present.

It was stop and start at times as our group headed down Market, pausing when units ahead of us stopped. Despite the heat, there was a great crowd along Market to watch the parade.

There was a reviewing stand just west of Tucker on the south side of Market, near City Hall. There, an announcer recognized each unit as it passed by it. We really appreciated the attention the announcer gave us and the applause from the audience along the street. 

I would tell the audience "Thank you all for coming!"  A few audience members told me thank you for marching. I felt much better when I heard that. I was not just marching to help support all LGBTQ+ people out there, but for a few people that I knew who are in the LGBTQ+ community. They know who they are.

After reaching Market and 18th, the parade ended for us. It was about 20 minutes of marching for us. We gathered for some photos by others in our group and I said my goodbyes. Then, I started walking east along Market towards my car. While walking along Market, I caught the rest of the parade as it passed me and the PrideFest grounds north of Market. I thought of stopping by those grounds for lunch but decided not to fight the crowds and headed to my car. 

I got to my car in the Stadium West garage and headed home. I did stop by a QuikTrip on the way home to get a light lunch--barbecue pork sandwich, iced tea, and cookies--before arriving home in mid-afternoon.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Enterprise Holdings: A Leader in Transportation & Mobility | Enterprise Holdings

Enterprise: Rental Cars at Low, Affordable Rates | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Pride St. Louis: Pride St. Louis (pridestl.org)

QuikTrip: QuikTrip

Weekend in Downtown West with Julie

Last Saturday morning (8 October), I picked up Julie at her house and drove us to the Schlafly Tap Room in St. Louis' Downtown West neighborhood. We attended a watch party for the MLS Next Pro Cup being played in Columbus, Ohio between Columbus Crew 2 and St. Louis CITY 2. The St. Louligans were there to hold the event, joined by the St. Louis City Punks, the Thieves, and Fleur de Noise. Schlafly provided a free buffet lunch, and we could buy Schlafly beer in the Tap Room.

Julie and I set up our chairs in front of the big screen set up on the lot and we watched the livestream of the match. We had fun socializing with the other supporters. Unfortunately, CITY 2 lost the match 4-1. We were sad about the loss, but happy about the season they had.

After the game, I drove Julie back to her home, before I returned to my home.

The next day, after refereeing some youth soccer matches at the Lou Fusz Complex, I washed up and returned to Julie's house. This time, we went to Centene Stadium, immediately south of the Schlafly Tap Room. We were attending a special event for Enterprise Holdings employees, and Julie was my guest. Entering the stadium, we were each presented with a commemorative scarf.

Wandering around the concourse, we were most impressed with the beautiful, clean lines of the stadium. This is the home ground for St. Louis City SC when it begins play in Major League Soccer in 2023. Julie and I sampled food and drink from the complimentary buffet bars around the concourse and shopped in the City Market souvenir shop.

Julie and I then joined other attendees and took our seats in the lower deck for the evening's program. This was the premier of a new documentary film, "Jack Taylor: The Enterprise." It is about Jack Taylor, born 100 years ago, who founded Enterprise 65 years ago. Prior to the film being screened on the videoboard, the film's director interviewed Jack Taylor's two children: Andy Taylor, Executive Chairman of Enterprise Holdings, Inc., and Jo Ann Kindle. The three discussed Jack Taylor, his life and legacy.

After the discussion came the film. The 57-minute-long film was narrated by Gary Sinise and looked at Taylor's childhood in St. Louis, his service as a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific during World War II, and his founding of Executive Leasing (now Enterprise Rent-A-Car) in 1957. Interviews Taylor gave prior to his death in 2016 were included, along with archival footage and interviews with family members and historians. The film showed how Taylor's wartime service influenced his approach to business and life. (Taylor would eventually call his firm Enterprise after the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, where he served part of the time in the Pacific during World War II.)

After the movie ended, Julie and I walked out feeling happy and most impressed with what we saw. I drove us back to Julie's house. We stayed and talked for awhile before I left to go home. This was a great weekend for us.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Schlafly Tap Room: Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer

St. Louis CITY2: STL CITY 2 | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)

Saintt Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

The Thieves: Home | Up the Thieves! (stlouligans.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

Enterprise Holdings, Inc.: Enterprise Holdings

Centene Stadium: Home - Centene Stadium

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC | America's First Soccer Capital (stlcitysc.com)

Hawaiian Party with Enterprise

After work this past Thursday night (25 April), I drove to The Caramel Room at Bissinger's (https://www.caramelroom.com/) in downtown St. Louis. A party was held there for Enterprise Holdings (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html) employees in the St. Louis area. This event had a Hawaiian theme, so most attendees--including myself--wore Hawaiian shirts. I bought mine the day before at Target (https://www.target.com/) just for this event.

Though I had a full day of work before this party, I did have a fun time. I chatted with many of my colleagues and enjoyed complementary food and drink. Each attendee received two drink tickets--I had two beers--and there were buffets for tacos and burgers. Plus, there was free chocolate treats from Bissinger's (https://www.bissingers.com/). Overall, it was a wonderful time.

Later.

Volunteering Double Header

Yesterday morning (6 April) found me at Benton Park (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/parks/parks/browse-parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=17&parkName=Benton%20Park) in south St. Louis. There, I joined other Enterprise Holdings (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html) employees and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri (http://moreleaf.org/) to plant trees in the neighborhood. This was done in cooperation with the City of St. Louis' Forestry Division (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/forestry/).

After a breakfast of doughnuts and fruit, we split up into five teams and began going to our areas to plant tree--including dogwood, oak, and red bud--in the green strips between the streets and sidewalks. My group of about ten went north of Benton Park. In about three hours, we were able to plant about 50 trees. I had not planted a tree in years, but after a short course by the Forest ReLeaf people, my fellow volunteers and I were able to dig holes and plant the trees. Forest ReLeaf loaned us the shovels and pickaxes we used, and provided the tree saplings they had grown on their CommuniTree Nursery at Creve Coeur Lake Park (http://moreleaf.org/learn/nursery-tours/). Forestry Division personnel brought the saplings and mulch over to the planting sites.

I did have a bit of a mishap well into this shift, as my belt broke and my pants sagged. I was able to use my rain jacket threaded through my pants' belt loops as an improvised belt and it was good enough for the rest of the shift.

After the trees were planted, we went back to Benton Park for box lunches from Subway (https://www.subway.com/en-US) and the thanks of Enterprise and Forest ReLeaf for our efforts. I was certainly happy and proud to have taken part. I trust the residents will appreciate the new trees on their streets, especially when the trees grow towards full size.

After this stint, I headed towards Pattonville High School (https://phs.psdr3.org/) in Maryland Heights. After stopovers at a Target (https://www.target.com/) in Brentwood for a new belt and a library to change my shoes and pants, I arrived at the high school in the early afternoon. Pattonville was hosting a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineers, and Mathematics) event aimed at school children and their teachers. The Missouri Aviation Historical Society, or MOAHS (https://moavhist.org/) had a table there with information on the group, and on the upcoming Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/) this September. Joe Gurney from the Society asked me to relieve him that afternoon, as he had to leave for another event, so I agreed. In addition to promoting MOAHS, I also promoted the Gateway Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers' Society (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home). I brought in some models and IPMS/Gateway flyers for the table, and there were a few visitors who showed interest in our club and picked up our flyers.

Most visitors had left by the time I arrived on site, but I stayed until mid-afternoon when the other groups were starting to pack up. One of the fair's organizers thanked me and my groups for coming, and I gave her an IPMS/Gateway flyer.

It was quite a busy, yet fulfilling day for me.

Later.

Supporting #MLS4THELOU at St. Louis City Hall

On my off work day this past Wednesday (28 November), I picked up my friend and fellow soccer referee Austin Gomez from his Mehlville residence and drove to City Hall in downtown St. Louis (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-hall.cfm). After parking in the lot and entering the building, Austin and I made our way to the meeting room where the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning (HUDZ) Committee of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/committees/committee.cfm?comId=1) was meeting to discuss Resolution No. 180 (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/resolutions/resolution.cfm?rDetail=true&resolutionId=13075). This is the resolution to support St. Louis' effort to get a Major League Soccer (MLS) (https://www.mlssoccer.com/) expansion franchise, via a stadium to be built in downtown St. Louis.

Austin and I arrived in the meeting room around 8:30 am--approximately 30 minutes prior to the committee meeting--and found seats in the front row. While we waited for the meeting, we met part of the prospective ownership group, #MLS4THELOU (https://mls4thelou.com/), Carolyn Kindle Betz. She is the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/enterprise-holdings-foundation.html) and a third-generation member of the Taylor family that owns Enterprise Holdings, Inc. (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html). The Taylor family and the family of Jim Kavanaugh, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Wide Technology, Inc. (https://www.wwt.com/), make up the ownership group.

Austin told Kindle Betz that I worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and she was very pleased hearing that. Kindle Betz and I chatted briefly, as I mentioned that have worked at the Ellisville branch for nearly six years. She was very happy for that and thanked me for my work for the firm. Before our conversation ended, I gave Kindle Betz one of my networking cards, with my employee number written on it, and she thanked me for it.

Austin and I also met Lewis E. Reed, President of the Board of Aldermen (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/president/), who was the lead sponsor of Resolution No. 180.

The meeting room soon filled up with other supporters--including some of the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/)--and with media, and an upstairs gallery was opened up to handle the overflow crowd. The HUDZ Committee, chaired by Alderman Joseph Roddy, opened its meeting around 9:10 am. After taking care of a brief resolution for another city matter, the committee took up Resolution No. 180.

President Reed, Kindle Betz, and other speakers stated their case for the resolution. This presentation emphasized that this proposed stadium would be privately financed for its construction, with only a slight user tax that would go upkeep. After the presentation, Alderman Roddy and his committee asked questions of the proponents. These questions were primarily to clarify matters, such as minority and women participation and what would happen if the stadium had to be demolished. The committee members praised the thoroughness of the proposal as presented.

After these questions, Roddy made room for some speakers from the floor. The one person in the who opposed the measure decided not to speak, and three proponents made short speeches to the committee. One of those was my friend and long-time soccer commentator Bill McDermott, who spoke of how St. Louis would be in a great spot with MLS if the resolution was passed. Then, sportscaster Dan McLaughlin of Fox Sports Midwest made an impassioned speech about how important landing an MLS team would be for St. Louis.

Then, the committee voted on Resolution No. 180. It passed unanimously, to great cheers from Austin, myself, and the other supporters in the room. Soon after the meeting, Tom Strunk from World Wide Technology--who also spoke to the committee--chatted briefly with Austin and I.

It was about 12:40 pm when Austin and I walked out of City Hall and headed for my car. He wanted to have lunch with me, but I told him I had a dentist appointment in about one hour. So, I drove Austin to his home, then headed to Dr. Kevin Price's office in Kirkwood for the routine check up. (No problems with my teeth, I am happy to report.) After the appointment, I had a light lunch at Steak 'n Shake (https://www.steaknshake.com/) in Sunset Hills.

Two days later (30 November), the full Board of Aldermen passed Resolution No. 180, 26-2. Now, it's up to MLS to decide if St. Louis gets the expansion team. I like to think that #MLS4THELOU has a great shot. We should know by month's end, when the league is expected to make its expansion decision.

Yesterday afternoon, just before heading out to dinner with Mom, a package arrived in my mail. It was a scarf and knit cap I ordered from #MLS4THELOU, which gives me a visible way of showing my support for this effort.

Later.

Party Times and a Job Interview

I joined with four others from the Single in the City Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/STLSingleInTheCity/) at Craft Beer Cellar in Clayton (https://craftbeercellar.com/) for the Beer Geek Fest last Sunday (29 July). This event was part of St. Louis Craft Beer Week (https://stlbeerweek.com/). I arrived early for this event, so I got lunch at The Posh Nosh (http://www.poshnoshdeli.com/) next door. The Claytonian sandwich I had--corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, creamy slaw, and homemade Russian dressing, all served warm on rye bread--was most satisfying.

At the Beer Geek Fest, approximately 30 breweries from around the Midwest were present with samples of their beers in and just in front of the store. I took full advantage of it, sampling 28 beers in about three hours. Yes, I felt a bit woozy from that, but I was otherwise fine. I kept track of the beers I sampled using the Untappd (https://untappd.com/) app on my phone.

Then, I walked west to the Barnes & Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/) in Ladue to browse, and to enjoy a pastry and iced coffee drink in the Cafe. Recovered after that stop, I walked back east to the garage where I parked my car, about one block from Craft Beer Cellar, and drove home after a wonderful afternoon.

It was a rather busy, but good week at work this past week. This included my last week working with our intern, Lucas, who leaves us next week to head back to college. I will be gone on vacation most of next week, so I said my goodbye to him yesterday. Despite the return of high heat late this past week, we did our part to exceed customer expectations.

After work Tuesday night (31 August), I changed into a suit and drove to The Caramel Room at Bissinger's (https://www.caramelroom.com/) just north of downtown St. Louis. Group 01 of Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html), which includes the St. Louis Metropolitan area, held a fiscal New Year's Eve party there. It was an occasion to celebrate our group's success in the past fiscal year, and to aim for more success in the fiscal year that began on 1 August. I saw a few colleagues there, enjoyed a couple of beers, and walked around the complex. There was a countdown to 9:00 pm, complete with champagne toasts. A very nice time at this venue, which is connected to Bissinger's chocolate factory.

Off work Wednesday, I helped my mom and the handyman who was working to have our washer and dryer set up next to her bedroom. I helped to move the appliances up from the basement, where they have always been.

That night, I was at the Kathryn Linnemann Branch of the St. Charles City-County Library (http://www.youranswerplace.org/home) for this month's Mark Twain Model Club meeting. It was my first time at this venue; the club previously met at Mark Twain Hobby Center (https://www.hobby1.com/), but had outgrown the meeting room there. I brought in a ship model I was working on, and had flyers for next month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) Invitational contest and swap meet on 8 September. A demo on adding carpeting to model car interiors was delivered, and was quite interesting.

Back at work Thursday, I checked my company email during a break and found out that Enterprise Holdings, Inc. (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html) received my application for its Channel Marketing Specialist opening and wished to interview me for it. I contacted the Talent Acquisition (TA) person and we had a brief phone conversation before setting up a phone interview for the next day. She called me yesterday--I had arranged with my supervisors to have 20 minutes free for it--and we had a pleasant interview. I was asked some general questions to help the TA person sense what I could bring to this job. She told me that I had a great resume and great enthusiasm for the organization, but felt I was not a good match for this specific position. However, she told me I should have a place in the organization in some capacity and to persist with following the in-house job boards. I thanked her for her time and her candor, which I told her was nothing I had received from any other organization I had applied to in the past. I had let some of my colleagues know about this, and they said that although disappointed I would not get this job, they felt I would do better in future interviews from the experience.

Later.