Maine – Razflections

March 29, 2009April 3, 2009

On the Road Again…

So while I blogged already about our road trip from Montreal to Portland, there’s a bit more to add…Including this odd little pairing above, a “State Safety Rest Stop” where they’re cross selling using a “State Liquor Store” right off the highway in the middle of nowhere. That’s one way to raise revenues. An audacious one.

This little video here is a bit of a summary from our trip and as we’re headed East/South/North (we went the long way).

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJs52XCFZWw

Click to play the video.

Portland was a great event, including dinner with the Univera leadership local to this area on Saturday night that started at my favorite local restaurant named J’s, but I think it perhaps was a little too rustic and we were a bit too large of a group–so we moved restaurants and had a great time nonetheless.

A wonderful evening with great people was followed a fantastic event Sunday afternoon. Eddy Wittry was the Diamond hosting along with Larry and Claire Owens who were the local hosts–plus there were many other leaders involved, including Blue Diamonds John Ryan and John Rogers. Beyond this, the event really was made possible by all the local leaders who helped contribute in some way–by bringing guests, drumming up excitement, conducting testimonials, and coordinating logistics.

Lots of great people, about 200 in attendance. A very fun group, we enjoyed every minute since arriving here through the event this afternoon.

On a personal note I also got to meet a well known author, Susan Conroy, who spent a lot of time with Mother Teresa and has written several best selling books. Claire introduced me to her a while back, and finally I got a chance to meet her which was an absolute blast to see her energy and enthusiasm and passion for writing–regardless of the industry or voacation/avocation, I love to meet people who have a passion for what they do.

And, it’s one of the very reasons why we loved so much our trip to Portland Maine.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your physician. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all date. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

November 2, 2008March 26, 2009

Winding Down (the Road Tour, that is)

We left Jax early enough, around 8 a.m., and caught a 10 a.m. flight that had a layover in Philly.

Now, when I kidded about foreshadowing in a previous post and how Stephen was forced to wolf down some rather unwholesome (but probably tasty) Bob Evans food due to scheduling problems, it probably was an indicator of scheduling challenges to come.

We arrived in Philly around noon and waited for our 1:30 p.m. connecting flight to Portland, Maine, which never happened. Nor did the 3:30 p.m. flight. Nor did the 5 p.m. flight. And then the 7:30 p.m. flight got delayed.

Hey, if the weather was bad enough to shut down a game of the World Series as well important political rallies, it was also very capable of trapping three Univera executives and Michael Jr. at the Philly airport.

With the Portland meet scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Regan, Stephen, Michael Jr., and I decided we needed to split up. Or risk that nobody would get to Portland on time.

So Stephen waited for the flight and managed to arrive at the Marriott in Portland at just about 9 p.m. Meanwhile, Regan, Michael Jr., and I drove around Philadelphia before finding a warm, cozy respite from the dreary weather that featured bottomless hot coffee and an ample supply of fried, sugary treats to tempt our health-conscious taste buds.

Yeah, we wound up at a Dunkin’ Donuts. By lack of better choices.

In the end, all was not a lost cause as Stephen was able to address the amazing crowd in Portland while Regan, Michael Jr., and I SKYPED in from our haven from the storm. Admittedly, the connection wasn’t ideal. Michael was able to deliver a good 10 or 15 minutes of comedy, which left just enough time for me greet the crowd but then, quickly, sign off prematurely due to a worsening SKYPE connection.

I can’t say enough about how great the folks in Portland were, however, braving this crazy weather and coming out, en masse, to hear about the Univera message. Kudos to the host and other local leaders including Claire Owens and Eddy Wittry, who really hustled and were able to both cover for us as we scrambled to get to Portland and then excite the 250 or so people in attendance about the possibilities with our company. Thank you so much for your hard work and your enthusiasm!

Determined to not be bogged down again by weather issues, Regan, Michael Jr., and I wasted no time making our way across the border to the Great White North, as our next event would be in Montreal in less than 24 hours. We passed countless Walmarts, McDonalds, and an assortment of roadside dining and shopping opportunities in our rental car, arriving in Montreal at about 5 a.m. Tired, but happy to still have time to rest and re-up for our event in the evening, the three of us pondered, where was Stephen?

Our question wouldn’t be answered until about 6:15 p.m. that evening, as Stephen apparently encountered his own travel issues while driving from Portland to Montreal. Did I forget to mention that when Stephen parted company from the rest of us in Philadelphia, we also left him with all of our checked bags?

If you were a border patrol agent — Canadian or American — would you find a very charming, physically fit, silver-haired man driving alone in a rental car with about eight pieces of luggage in the back seat suspicious? Apparently, the agent who checked out Stephen at the border did and consequently pulled him over for further interrogation. Poor Stephen would not be able to win the agent’s favor until he astutely remembered an old Road Tour flyer shoved somewhere in one of his bags. Only then was the agent convinced it was OK to let Stephen go.

So we had about 45 minutes to get ready, which, in light of all we’d been through in the last 48 hours, was almost a blessing. And we had a fabulous time meeting everyone in Montreal. We switched things up a bit due to language barriers and cultural differences, having Michael Jr. get the crowd laughing towards the end of the event rather than the beginning, but folks didn’t seem to mind too much. We heard all sorts of great testimonials both about our products and their health benefits, as well as how people have benefitted from our business opportunities.

We are so indebted to Andre Bedard and other Gold and Platinum leaders in that area of the country for their general leadership and in this case, for organizing a fantastic event that attracted 224 people (with more than half being guests). They even had simultaneous translations that were seamless and very helpful for the French-speaking folks in attendance.

And then before you know it, we reached our last stop: Schaumburg, Ill.

I don’t have a great, outlandish travel story to tell you about our last leg, but I do want to say this was one of the best events on the trip, thanks in large part to the great enthusiasm and leadership from local Associates like Dave and Becky Ylinen and Tim Kaufman as well as Mark and Patty Middleton and Tony Fightmaster among other great leaders. We had about 250 people in attendance and, again, about half of the people there were guests who might never had heard of Univera prior. It was a wonderful event with strong and sometimes poignant testimonials, especially about the benefits of AgelessXtra and Essentials for children.

As with our Spring Road Tour, we wrapped up our Fall Road Tour in Illinois (it was Chicago in May). And as with that previous event, this event was magical to each of us.

I will wrap up this rather long travelogue-type post by saying that sometimes I fear my chronicles make it seem like these Road Tours are all about us, and they’re plainly not. Lost baggage and travel delays aside, the Road Tour events give us at Univera Corporate the opportunity to reach, serve, and support the Field—the leaders and customers of today, and equally importantly those of tomorrow. They give us the chance to connect with who we think are the true VIPs: our Associates and prospects across North America who join with us in Bill’s mission of Bringing the Best of Nature to Humankind.

So thank you to everyone for coming to see us this time around. It is always heartening for us to witness firsthand the generosity, compassion, and friendship that characterizes our Independent Associate base.

And when that base intersects with the opportunities that come from Univera, it’s simply magical.

Road Tour: By the Numbers

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doc. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all period. What is the most significant information you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good soundness, it�s doubtless important for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.

May 20, 2008March 26, 2009

The Drive up the Coast

Today we drove up the Coast, from New Jersey to Maine. A perfect day for a road trip, mid 70’s with clear and sunny skies. About a five hour drive, but it went quickly with the good conversation.

When you get to know someone really well, they needn’t speak words to tell you how they’re feeling. And, as such, I could tell “Stephen DVD” was exhausted (again, you’ll have to read Knoxville’s posting first to get the irreverent humor). He didn’t say a whole word the entire five hour trip. And it wasn’t because he was in my bag, instead I put him gently under a seatbelt in the middle seat, basking under sunlight so he could catch some rays and relax. Regan and I chatted the whole way up, there likely weren’t more than ten minutes of silence.

But, clearly, Stephen DVD was beat. And I can understand why. Because while Stephen Cherniske (the real person, not the DVD) was away for the entire time of rebuilding of 1.5 trillion cells (300B/day x 5 days back ) my little Stephen DVD was putting in overtime. Four cities in five days the little guy did! And, after participating in his fourth city, tirelessly and without complaint, it is time to retire Stephen DVD for the rest of this journey and let him be replaced by the live version of Stephen Cherniske, who thankfully met us in Portland, Maine.

Regan and I arrived in the early evening, I ventured out to J’s restaurant to dine with the locals and really enjoyed the time. I sat at the baahhr (bar) with a few locals who told stories about big fish that got away. I met a really great guy named Scotty who was the husband of my server (who, incidentally, were known by other people at the leadership luncheon the next day). He traveled all over North America over the past 40-years camping, so I was able to listen to a man’s lifetime worth of adventures over the course of my dinner of seafood right off the dock.

And, while I liked the stories, what I really enjoyed was the connection. It’s probably why I love Univera–it’s just an incredible pathway to be able to connect with people of so many different backgrounds.

This weekend was the first time that any of the Corporate team had been to Portland, Maine. The day was spectacular. Lots of sun, cool winds, nice cottony clouds above. The event itself was also really fantastic in terms of turnout, about 300 people during a Sunday afternoon in Portland Maine. There was also a great CANADIAN contingent that came down to participate in this event (thanks for making the trip!).

Stephen, as always, was great. In fact, he really got on a roll during the session, and just kept rolling. It was fantastic. And, the stories of how these products changed peoples lives were awesome, hosted by Diamond Sherry Oberling. One in particular was simply incredible, from Tim Douglass’ brother (his name escapes me) where his body in some incredible ways truly renewed and rebuilt itself.

Larry and Claire did an AMAZING job of putting this event together, many others were involved as well including Tim and Malinda as well as Eddy who hosted this days workshop and quite a few others.

Post-event we spent some time in the restaurant area with some of the local leadership where we exchanged some fun stories and much laughter, partly from sharing some of the bloopers and more humorous moments from this road trip. Amidst this, Claire was even busy working and she gifted this really fantastic associate manager in the hotel. Then, post dinner, it was off to J’s Restaurant (second night in a row for me) to finish the evening with some local eats and people.

No doubts, take Lasix only as prescribed by your doctor. Levitra is one of the best-known medications of all day. What is the most significant info you must study about levitra vs cialis? Most doctors say the effectiveness of Levitra is well documented. Absolutely, a sexual problem refers to a problem during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual life. Whilst sex is not vital for good health, it�s doubtless significant for anyone. Why it happen? What kinds of professionals treat sexual diseases in men? A common class of antidepressants, which include Zoloft � can kill the mood in bedroom.