Spider-Man

Good evening Elder Ben,

I've been meaning to write for the last two nights, but your brothers have been hogging my iPad.

So, for an interview update. The one I had scheduled for Thursday got moved to today. I think it went ok, but I didn't get the feeling that I was the ideal candidate. I think I did well enough, but I guess we'll see. Could use a prayer on that if you should get a chance. I also got a response on another application I filled out, it should happen early next week. I haven't heard back from Rip, but I really didn't expect to just yet.

I got a glowing letter of recommendation from my previous boss, not sure when I'll use it, but it was a salve to the old self-esteem. I'll paste it below, maybe to help keep a little faith in your old man. 

I also updated my portfolio, not sure what the rules are for downloading, but here's a link, just in case. Don't get in trouble. https://www.dropbox.com/s/tckcahebe4n05rp/George%20Rivera_Portfolio%202_19.pdf?dl=0

I won't send you my reel since it's on youtube.

Today mom was off for grade transmittal. We took the opportunity to do sealings with your aunt Patti. I had whole bunch of names saved up, a few which you had done the endowments on. I think sealings are my favorite thing to do in Temple. The thought of families being together, of people long dead being in the role of children again, and being with your mom, hand-in-hand make it really special to me.

I finally finished reading last October’s conference talks, so I started reading the October 2009 report, mostly because I had it open from one of the Elder Holland talks you recommended, the second talking in was by Elder Scott. He spoke of being a student of the Spirit. He said we should listen when the Spirit talks to us, write it down, study it, and be prepared for the next lesson. So I've started doing that, I write down the impressions I'm given, the things that impress me when I read Scripture, even the things I dream, not in detail, more in outline form. I want to use this time of trial to see what I can learn.

Speaking of trails, will you remember my cousin Estrella and aunt Patti in your prayers? My cousin is having stomach difficulties that they are having a hard time diagnosing it. Aunt Patti is having her divorce from uncle Patrick arbitrated on Tuesday, and she's really nervous about it. With all that's going on Ben, I get the feeling that we're being drawn closer to the Lord for some reason, so I think all of this will end up being beneficial for us.

Okay, on to the vague but brief Dad sports report. The Jazz beat the Nuggets in the best game of the season last night. Of course, I fell asleep in the third quarter and went to bed for the fourth, but your brothers were able to enjoy it since this morning was late start for them. 25th ranked Washington, with a perfect conference record, fell to previously winless Cal last night. The Utes signed a 7’5” kid from Pleasant Grove and play Colorado tomorrow. The Utes are tied for third due to a loss by Oregon State. If they can hold on, they could get a first-round bye for the PAC12 tournament. 

Tonight we watched a movie called Free Solo, about a guy that climbed El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without ropes. My hands were sweating the whole time. I think you'll enjoy that movie. We also watched the new Spider-Man cartoon, which I think is so well done.

Love-YA-I-tell-YA! 

Pops

February 27, 2019

To whom in may concern,

George Rivera and I worked together for more than three years. For some of that time George reportedly directly to me. During all of that time, George and I worked closely together and I leaned heavily on his talent and wisdom. As a result of those experiences, I feel especially qualified to speak to George’s strengths and abilities and to the valuable impact he can have on a productive team.

Although George has many abilities, in this letter I’ll focus on what I think are four key strengths George brings to any team: creative ability, integrity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to effectively manage or work in a team.

Creative ability

Of course George’s background as an artist and designer would suggest he is creative. I’ll let his portfolio speak for itself when it comes to design and artistic ability. The creative ability that I’m suggesting is most valuable to a team is George’s ability to look at an issue from all perspectives—many of them often quite unique and valuable—and I think from a point of view that is an outgrowth of his creative mindset. One of the first times I saw this was shortly after I began working with George. He was given the assignment of creating some quick advertising materials. Time was short so the idea was to fall back on a standard template. To most designers it was a job to get over quickly with little new design input needed.

George had a different perspective, and because of his extensive experience as a creative team leader, saw an opportunity. Although he had a very short deadline, he found time to chat with product experts to get the customer’s perspective. He worked with a writer to craft new messaging. He revamped the ad quickly and it was delivered on time. The stakeholders could not have been more delighted. The new ad was highly effective and resonated with customers. Instead of being a quick filler, it was used in campaigns throughout the year. In short, we got a much better result with significant long-term savings in time and money.

Integrity

The story above also reflects on George’s integrity. There was no such thing as a small job or an insignificant job to George. He always felt he should use the time he had to do the best possible job to meet the needs of the customer and to maintain high design standards for the image of the company.  At the same time, he always hit deadlines. George has an unusually keen ability to put himself in the customers’ shoes, to accurately recognize what they are really looking for, and then to work toward elegant solutions that benefit everyone.

This integrity extended to all areas. His high ethical standards include making sure every contributor is properly acknowledged. George is quick to pass on credit to others and has a keen ability to notice the strengths and contributions of others on the team, even when it might have been overlooked by everyone else. In my experience, it was rare to talk to George without him pointing out some contribution, or key talent of someone on the team. As a result, we discovered a copywriter was a better host for webcasts than most paid talent, that an intern had a talent for analytics, that a technical, self-proclaimed “non-creative” development manager was invaluable in creative brainstorm meetings, and much more.

Problem-solving skills

George’s problem-solving skills were touched on in the example under the Creative Ability heading above. Although he was usually involved as much as possible, many times I regretted not bringing George into projects earlier because the quick insights he offered immediately showed oversights or issues that were not adequately considered. George has an excellent ability to determine what a product is supposed to do for a customer and match that with the best way for a customer to use it. With this knowledge he is very effective at selling product to the customer.

His problem-solving skills were especially valuable when it came to revamping and improving our internal processes. George’s highly successful experience turning around creative teams in disarray because of fast growth or turnover, proved to be a key asset for our team. George’s insight led to many improved processes that included a new organizational structure and an upgraded creative brief workflow.

Ability to effectively manage or work in a team

In all the time I worked with George, including some late nights and high-pressure situations, I never heard him raise his voice or say an unkind word. When others on his teams were struggling, George was very effective at stepping in and offering help before minor issues became big problems. George is willing to get his hands dirty and take on any job. He communicates concisely and effectively and builds relationships; he is not a talker or a time waster. Fellow team members always rated George highly as a major contributor who helped the team as a whole become much more effective than its separate parts.

George is a top leader and an excellent builder of team morale.

Of course, these are just a few of the strengths that I think make George an effective contributor to any type of team. I’d be delighted to discuss them in additional detail and can be reached at 801.360.5542.

Sincerely;

Ken Loveland
VP of Marketing
Xactware