Starting a practice from the ground up is daunting.  I usually approach challenges in a methodical manner – often answering who, what, when, where and how to develop an approach.    How to make the Apex name and brand more well-known with decision makers?  What connections to make with business and community organizations?   Who are the companies that make good clients?

Allow me to reminisce for a few moments about some of my favorite experiences.

Roaming the Boise foothills at 6 AM on a warm August morning; it doesn’t get much better than that.   As part of the introduction of Apex to Idaho, I spent the morning with my son being recorded for my Apex introduction video.   Exploring the trails and of course watching out for snakes is a great way to wake up.   Catch my video on the Apex YouTube channel.

Oh, the first client meeting!  Through the good fortune of a friend at one of the big tech companies in Boise, I got a meeting with a few of that company’s IT managers.  Telling the story of Apex – our history, what we do and how we add value was a great way to meet some new friends and hopefully establish a future client.

The most recent event where I presented Apex to the Idaho community was at the Business and Technology Expo.  Because this is a premier event for creating business to business relationships, I was excited to showcase Apex and introduce Apex’s owner, Kurt Frohlich, to the community.   Sharing knowledge is also one of the tenets for the Expo and I was given a speaking slot to do so.  Sharing change management best practices with others was intriguing, if not a bit nerve-wracking.  Participants raised good questions and it was nice to meet other business people who struggle with similar challenges.

So now how does Star Wars fit into all this?   At the second day of the Expo, a Star Wars Imperial Storm Trooper was seen roaming the Expo floor.   Naturally, having grown up with Star Wars, a chance to get a photo with a Trooper was a must do for yours truly.

Looking forward to next year’s Expo – - maybe I’ll meet Chuck Norris!?  One can hope.

Brian Russell - Business Development Manager, Idaho

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Ten years is a long time, but went by in just a blink.  Every November finds me reminiscing because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday that’s coming quickly, and the fact that this is the month in which Apex was founded.

I’m sitting at our dining room table and scanning my surroundings, taking stock of where we’ve been and what’s taken place over the last ten years.

From a technology standpoint:

• The TV is bigger and flat;
• A DVR records our favorite shows for viewing when we want to and replaces the VHS player that used to be there;
• An iPod charges in the spot where a cassette player/CD/radio “boom box” used to be;
• I’m typing this on a laptop that I carry with me everywhere and replaces the old PC tower from 10 years ago;
• My cell phone has almost as much computing power as my laptop, and has become both a blessing and a curse in our 24X7 connected world;
• Photos that decorate our walls were uploaded for digital printing where they used to be printed from film

But perhaps the most striking changes are personal, given how our family has changed in ten years.  In 2001, I was in my mid-thirties and had more dark hair than gray, and now the opposite is true.  Our oldest daughter, Amanda, was just eight years old then and now she’s a freshman at Oregon State, blazing her own trail as a young adult.  Our youngest, Amber, is now fourteen; old photos from ten years ago showing blond ringlets and a gap-toothed smile.  Today, she’s a high school freshman, a stand-out volleyball player, and almost as tall as I am (she shot past her mom a year ago).  My wife, Dawn, has matured gracefully and looks 10 years younger than she really is.  She’s our rock and the reason our girls have turned out as well as they have.   She also keeps me on an even keel.

Professionally, Apex enjoys continued success through the hard work and dedication of its employees and leadership team.  Since 2001, Apex has employed 97 people who all left their marks and propelled us to where we are today. We’re also fortunate for long-standing client relationships that are the “bread and butter” of our existence – and we’ve done great things together over the last ten years.

Some other notable milestones for Apex include incremental improvements to our brand and marketing focus.  We’re now on our third website, and check out how our logo has changed over the years:

Ten years; a milestone and a blink.  Many thanks again to our employees, our clients, and most importantly, to my family for the support required to make and keep a company successful for a decade. I can only imagine how fast the next ten years will go by, and look forward to accomplishing even greater things during that time.

All the best, and a ten year anniversary toast to you!

Kurt Frohlich – President

Take for example public speaking. Public speaking is more feared than death and I don’t find that hard to believe. Speaking in front of a group of people, regardless of the topic, can be intimidating!  However, as a rodeo queen public speaking is something we do often so being comfortable in front of an audience is critical. Especially when we are dealing with animal welfare issues, it’s vital that we can articulate our points clearly and confidently. This is not a skill gained over night but instead comes with years of practice. During rodeo queen contests, queens are required to give a prepared speech (usually 2-5 minutes in length) on a rodeo topic. We also answer a variety of questions that can vary in topic from local, state, or national current events, social issues, politics, rodeo facts, rodeo statistics, rodeo cowboys, rodeo rules, equine knowledge…. well you get the idea. Being able to give a memorized speech is equally as important as being able to answer impromptu questions. This competency comes into play in everyday business. Whether having a casual conversation with a potential client, to making a pitch to upper level leadership, public speaking is something we all come across. I’ve often said that I was able to be successful in my internship because of the public speaking skills I learned as a rodeo queen.  And it doesn’t end there!

Even the horsemanship skills I’ve gained this year translate into job experience. As a state rodeo queen it’s not always practical or feasible to travel with your own horse to rodeos. So many of us borrow horses we’ve never ridden before. This means you could be on a very experienced horse (otherwise known as a baby-sitter) or you could be on a very inexperienced horse! The latter is much more challenging but every horse has a personality much like a human. This means they have their own quirks and ticks. In essence, you never know what is going to happen. Not only has riding all of these different horses made me a better horsewoman, it’s made me better equipped to handle tough situations in the work place. Being able to go with the flow and take anything that comes my way has made me a better employee. It gives me the confidence to know that there is nothing I can’t handle.

My next big adventure as Miss Rodeo Nevada is to compete against the 28 other state rodeo queens for the national title of Miss Rodeo America. The competition takes place in December in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). If you are a rodeo fan and you’ve never been to the NFR, I highly recommend adding it to your bucket list. During this year’s pageant I will be judged on a variety of different things that include my appearance, my personality, my horsemanship ability, my public speaking skills in both an impromptu and a prepared setting, and my rodeo knowledge. It can be a stressful undertaking but I feel confident that the skills I’ve developed this year will help make the experience a good one! I love challenging myself to become a better person and I know I’m a better person today because of my rodeo queen journey. I hope you all find something that challenges you in a similar manner than continues to push you towards becoming a better version of you. Because at the end of the day, who couldn’t use some improvement? Certainly not me!

Ann Clemmitt - Project Manager

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‘Twas the day of the cook-off, and all through Apex,

Our mouths were watering, for ribs from the fest!

The laptops were shut down, the printers were quiet.

We could wait until next week, to start our new diet!

The sun was quite hot, and the smokers were flamin’,

But thanks to Great Basin, the shade we were claimin’!

Our peeps were all there, packed in nice and snug;

Jason, Toni, Nicole, Hilary, Mishka and Doug.

The ribs, they were juicy, the beef was fork tender,

The sauce was so spicy, our taste buds surrendered!

I swilled diet coke, Amy nibbled on greens,

Anne gnawed on grilled corn; Kelly scooped up baked beans.

We ate and we drank, and we toasted our boss,

And when we were done, we passed ‘round dental floss!

Our fingers were greasy, our bellies were full,

Conversation was flowing; with hardly a lull.

Then Kurt, with a satisfied nod of his head,

Looked ‘round and saw that we’d all been well fed.

And though we’d had fun, and enjoyed this great perk,

We knew it was time, to head back to our work.

Now David!  Now Cyndy!  Now, Shelly and Van!

On Orland! On Karin! On, Seth and Diane!

And we’re all off to Vassar or MSLI!

Every Apex lady and every Apex guy!

For me, an employee, so new to this gig,

I thought to myself, that this must be rigged.

From baseball to barbeques, to luncheons from Dee’s ,

There is nowhere, than Apex, that I’d rather be,

And to those of you Apexers, who could not be there,

Get pumped for the 24^th annual cook-off next year!

So thanks to the Frohlich’s! From employees, old and new,

You’re the best, Kurt and Dawn, our ‘ribs off’ to you!

Alane Schnelker - Office Manager

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Well, I woke up to a beautiful day for golf on Friday the 19^th and headed for Red Hawk.  After checking in a donning my free Nike golf shoes, quite the spiffy black pair I headed for the practice range to warm up.  I soon realized it was going to be a long day as large tufts of sod left the tee with my first practice swings but hey it’s a golf day, I’m going to have fun.   As 8 AM rolled around we headed out to the course and started our round.  First shot, pressure on, I go a little left but am happy with my distance.  Off to the lady’s tee for Bea, Cyndy and Shelly to send off their first drive.  Let’s just say in the scramble format we were playing (best ball used for each shot) I picked up my ball and went to the point of a much better drive by one of the ladies for our second shot.  As the day went on fun was had and laughs were plentiful.  I got a hold of a few nice shots and dropped a few in the many water hazards.  On the Apex sponsored hole we took a break for pictures and spent a little time goofing off for the camera.  After enjoying a fantastic lunch we wrapped up our day and all agreed to get together for another round of fun soon.  How did we do?  Our score wasn’t the best or the worst if you have to know.  As for a score on fun, friendship and a beautiful day off golf I’d say we did pretty good…maybe even First place!  Thanks Kurt and Apex for a wonderful day! Enjoy the photos.

Cheers,

Van Fortier – IT Project Manager

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The one key point in all of this is that a rodeo queen’s job is never done. Sometimes the best interactions with fans don’t happen at a rodeo. Take for example the airport. Traveling in full queen regalia (i.e. hat, crown, sash, and belt) you get a lot of attention. That is generally the best time to interact with people who don’t know anything about rodeo because they are curious who you are.

Regardless of where the interaction takes place, nothing brings me more joy than spreading the word of rodeo. From those young at heart to those young in age, rodeo offers something for everything. It is not often that you find a sport in which the contestant competes in their event and then turns around to help their competitor. Timed event cowboys (meaning ropers and steer wrestlers) often share the same horse. Rough stock cowboys will often ride their bull or bronc and then pull the flank strap for their buddy’s animal (a job not trusted to many). Sportsmanship in the rodeo arena is unmatched in any sport. The sport of rodeo was born in America and truly idealizes the Western Way of Life. It exemplifies hard work, perseverance and most of all humility. No other sport can have you riding so high only to be eating dirt the next minute! Cowboys and Cowgirls don’t rodeo just for themselves, they rodeo for their families and for their traditions. It is that ideology that makes me so proud to be called Miss Rodeo Nevada!

Ann Clemmitt - Project Manager

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July 21, 2011- Apex Performance Solutions is pleased to announce a partnership with Talus Solutions Group; a Seattle based, veteran owned business that specializes in Business and IT solutions and services.  Apex will provide change management, communications management, business process improvement and training design, development, and delivery services that will complement Talus’ competencies in systems development and integration, business intelligence, supply chain optimization, and ERP/CRM systems implementations across multiple vertical industries.

Therefore, Reason #472 in my “why I like working at APEX”, has to do with a recent morale event for APEX employees that began with a wonderful lunch at Duffys in the Freight House District, followed by an Aces Baseball Game. (I could have probably added at least 20 more reasons during the lunch and the game, but kept the event to one collective reason.) The ballgame and the lunch were wonderful events that facilitated an abundance of camaraderie.

I find the individuals who work at Apex very easy to get along with in addition to being incredibly supportive of one another. As a result, it’s easy to have a good time in such an environment.  At the ballgame we had great seats right down the third base line. Given the fact that it was a warm day in Reno, moving to the shaded seats stopped the sunburns before they became unbearable. The Aces lost under an avalanche of runs scored however this did not deter our group from having a wonderful time.

I look forward to continuing to add to my list of reasons as to why I like, scratch that, LOVE working at APEX but for now, I really need to get back to work.

Until next time…

Anne Paine – Instructional Designer

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BOISE, IDAHO – June 17, 2011

Apex Performance Solutions, LLC announces their launch into the Idaho market.    Apex’s service offerings all share at their core an ongoing commitment to delivering value at a competitive cost. This is achieved by delivering projects on time, on budget and in alignment with an organization’s strategic direction and objectives.

Apex President, Kurt Frohlich, states: “Apex Performance Solutions was founded in 2001, and is headquartered in Reno, Nevada. Apex offers management consulting services in the areas of Strategic Consulting, Project Management, Training & Readiness, Contingent Staffing, and Software Quality Assurance”.   Current and past clients include: Microsoft, Intuit, HP, the City of Sparks, NV,  the City of Boulder, CO, and the County of Sacramento, CA.

Idaho operations , strategy, and business development activities are led by Brian Russell, CPA.   Brian is a 15 year veteran in the high tech industry with a focus in project and program management, plus back office process design and implementation.

For additional information:  Contact Mr. Brian Russell – 208-318-4567  or visit  http://www.solutionsbyapex.com/