CoCo Reflections from Michael Marchant:
Bio: Hello, SCC friends. I am writing to you from the desk at receiving in our downtown Milwaukee Production facility, just a stone’s throw from the Menomonee River Valley. My name is Michael Marchant and I am a Master Fulfillment Specialist who handles coffee and operations fulfillment and supply ordering for our 8 area cafes. I also co-manage inventory for our corporate office and e-commerce website. I have been with Stone Creek Coffee since April of 2018. Outside of the workplace, I’m an artist and musician who has played guitar and synthesizer for a handful of local and touring (mostly punk) bands since 1995. I’ve been married since 2015 and live here in the city with my wife, Kim, and my dog, Mabel.
You know what this is—I’ll be sharing my core commitment reflections with you for the next thirteen weeks and it is an absolute privilege and pleasure!
This Week’s CoCo: Keep Your Commitments
I’ve gotten really into note taking over the last few years for a specific purpose. I needed to get to know myself better. Maybe that sounds absurd, but I was reaching a stage in adulthood where I was finding myself assuming various roles and accumulating more and more responsibilities. I had an elevated position at work, I was planning a wedding and getting prepared to buy a home. My wife and I were going to adopt a dog like we’ve been talking about for years. There was so much riding on my ability to plan ahead and follow through that I had to figure out a way I could focus. So I decided to literally collect my thoughts.
I began with taking notes of random ideas that would pop into my brain during the course of the day. When I noticed something needed to be fixed in my home, or a task that needed action at work I would take a moment to type it into my notes app. I made notes of recipes that I wanted to try, movies to watch, songs to listen to, things I encountered that required further exploration. I made notes of things that I enjoy, things that surprised me, things I have learned from others and things that I want to learn. When I encountered a problem I took note so I could be more prepared next time. My note taking was beginning to help me stay on top of work, social, and creative obligations. I was letting go of the burden of having to keep track of everything in my mind. I could always go back and work out an idea or a problem when it was convenient for me.
Most importantly I had gotten to know myself on a deeper level. I was able to develop a self-trust that I was going to be able to set goals and deliver on obligations.
If you’re the type to feel disorganized or overwhelmed I would recommend for you to physically take note of what you are thinking and experiencing. Writing down or typing out your thoughts is a great way of being able to clear your mind and arrange ideas in an order that makes sense. Eventually you’ll earn your own trust— and the trust of others will come with keeping your commitments.
Next Week’s CoCo: Think Hard
When I was five years old my grandpa told me that I could become anything I wanted to be if I set my mind to it. After dinner that night I laid in bed and thought hard about what he said. The next morning I began my day by stomping my way out to the front lawn and climbing a tree to collect and eat its leaves. I did this quietly by myself for awhile until my Mom eventually noticed and came outside to ask what I was up to. I remember letting out a “ROOOOOAAARRR!” with a tiny furrowed brow and leaves falling out of my mouth. I had yet to break it to her that I had decided to become a triceratops.
I obviously missed the mark on what grandpa meant. I did think hard about what he said, but I could have benefitted from asking more questions.
So this week I encourage you to think hard about what you want to be and envision it!
CoCo Heroes:
- Keep Your Commitments: Our “Keep Your Commitments” Core Commitment Hero comes from the Office – our Accounting Team! Without them keeping their commitments, our bills couldn’t get paid and important projects couldn’t move forward. Thanks team for always working hard behind the scenes to keep things moving at SCC!
- Think Hard: Our “Think Hard” Core Commitment Hero comes from the Office – our Design Team! They have worked hard at reinventing ways to rep SCC swag and they are doing a great job thinking hard and outside of the box!
Coffee Talk: Green Dragon
- What’s in this coffee? Where is it from?
- Green Dragon is 100% light roasted Costa Rican coffee.
- How long have we been working with this partner? How long has this been the coffee in this coffee? What coffee was in here previously?
- We’ve sourced this lot -275 bags worth- from MICEPA (Microbeneficio Cerro Paraguas). We’ve been working with this partner for over a decade.
- We’ve sourced this lot -275 bags worth- from MICEPA (Microbeneficio Cerro Paraguas). We’ve been working with this partner for over a decade.
- How long does this coffee roast for? How does this roast affect the flavor experience?
- We light roast this coffee to highlight the citrus flavors and creamy cashew body. This coffee roasts for roughly 10 minutes and ends at 412 degrees.
- We light roast this coffee to highlight the citrus flavors and creamy cashew body. This coffee roasts for roughly 10 minutes and ends at 412 degrees.
- Why does it have this name?
- The terrain in Chirripo (and most of Costa Rica) is mountainous and unbelievably lovely. It’s about as green as it gets. It’s not unusual for the clouds to roll between those mountains, which look like Dragon’s breath!
- The terrain in Chirripo (and most of Costa Rica) is mountainous and unbelievably lovely. It’s about as green as it gets. It’s not unusual for the clouds to roll between those mountains, which look like Dragon’s breath!
Going-Ons:
- Paperless W2 Update: As we continue to learn about opportunities to be environmentally conscious, we are asking that you help us go paperless for our upcoming round of W2s in 2023. Please opt in to receive your W2 digitally as soon as possible, as we are hoping to have all team members paperless. This will also allow you as a team member to have your tax information at the ready with plenty of time to spare. These can be accessed via Paycor in advance of tax season each year. Please take a moment to update your W2 preferences in Paycor in advance of August 1st. If you would like to continue to receive a paper copy for any reason, please reach out to Teams to arrange for one to be printed. Thank you!
- To update your W2 preferences to be digital follow these steps:
- Log into Paycor on a desktop
- Click “W2” under the homepage welcome
- Click “Paperless Options”
- Select “Paperless On”
- To update your W2 preferences to be digital follow these steps:
- SCC Transportation Grant: Hey Coffee Geeks! In striving to be equitable, inclusive, and environmentally conscious, SCC offers a transportation grant opportunity to a handful of team members each quarter. This grant is awarded based on need. Team members who receive this grant will receive a monthly reimbursement towards a bus pass, bike, etc. If your primary method of transportation to work is something other than a personal vehicle and you are interested in participating, please email teams@stonecreekcoffee.com to request an application. All current and previous recipients should reach out to Teams to request a new application to reapply for the upcoming quarter. We will be accepting applications through the end of the day on Monday, July 11, 2022. Q3 grant recipients will be selected by the end of the day on Monday, July 18th. Please see the 2022 Employee Handbook for additional details.
- July 28 EDM Latte Art Throwdown: GET HYPED! The next Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT) will be an EDM theme. Invites and posters will be coming soon to cafes. Start talking this up and thinking about your schedules. Let’s Partay!!
Wins & Shout-outs:
A Shout-out for the Tech Team: Tech team is crushing the Shorewood remodel hard and taking care of their coworkers across teams. Thanks for all you do, Tech!
Email the Employee Celebration Committee (celebrations@stonecreekcoffee.com) if you’d like to recognize or celebrate a teammate. Or if you want to make a public shout-out, email Val (vnewhouse@stonecreekcoffee.com) to include in the next Employee Newsletter!
Birthdays:
- 7/6 – Hailey Barsch
- 7/6 – William Thiemann
- 7/7 – Olivia O’Neill
- 7/10 – Elena Caceres
- 7/14 – Maya Oezer
- 7/15 – Selina Domenech
- 7/15 – Katelin Rockwell
- 7/16 – Dylan Adams
- 7/21 – Meghan Gross
- 7/22 – Justin Zambrano
- 7/24 – Arcadia Schmid
- 7/29 – Olivia Aponte
- 7/30 – Amy Balestrieri
Anniversaries:
- Kai Flores Komatsu – 1 year!
- Patricia Kovochich – 5 years!
- Brian Koznarek – 1 year!
- Bryan Kraft – 15 years!
- Andy Kubash – 1 year!
- Eli Miller – 1 year!
- Justin Miller – 3 years!
- Kara Moon – 5 years!
- Maya Oezer – 4 years!
- Molly Persin – 1 year!
- Marie Redding – 1 year!
- Domenic Serena – 1 year!
- Holly Sporek – 1 year!
- Mitch Stewart – 2 years!
- Margot Stonyte – 1 year!
- Karen Strange – 6 years!
- Margaret Tews – 3 years!
Welcomes:
- Mara Rugen – Wauwatosa
- Johnny Zei – Tech
Employee Discount Codes:
Please don’t share these with non-employees
- 20% Employee-Only Website Coupon Code
- July: Jul22sccemp
- 40% Employee-Only Mobile App Coupon Code
- July: Jul22sccemp
Catch up on all of our newsletters, company updates, recipes, and more in our Employee Blog here.
Ways to Speak Up:
Do you want to speak up about ideas, thoughts, and more? Send an email to Teams & People (teams@stonecreekcoffee.com) or use the button below to send a note anonymously.