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Our Team and the ESTECC Board in the News |
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A man who brought dreams to life honored
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Carol Wolfram
Inspiration is not the emotion generally elicited from memorial services, but that's just how I felt as I left the ceremony held Saturday to honor the memory of Graydon Hass.
The service for Hass, who died late last year, was held, appropriately, at the Northshore Harbor Center. Hass served on that multipurpose events center board of commissioners for years and was among those in the Slidell community who dedicated decades of their lives, literally, to nurture the dream of the center and ultimately watch walls erected.
One of the primary purposes of the service was to invite family members living throughout the country to travel to Slidell to join the Harbor Center commission, represented by chairman Derise "Deb" Morel, in dedicating a permanent memorial to Hass. A plaque recognizing his contribution to the project will be remain on display in the center lobby forever -- and as Morel pointed out, the center's survival of Hurricane Katrina's wrath is a pretty good indication it will be around for a good, long time.
Passion and purpose
But the memorial also gave members of the Slidell community the opportunity to gather for a while to remember the man who wasn't content to dream big dreams; he brought dreams to life.
Slidell Little Theatre was one of his passions. In addition to building sets and working on countless productions for the 40-plus year old theater troupe, Hass and then SLT President Gary Darnell in 1991 directed a production that resulted in the construction of a new 6,800-square-foot facility for local community theater-lovers to enjoy.
Hass also was a longtime member of the Slidell Arts Commission, working in concert with that board on projects that included the transformation of the old Slidell Library into the polished, sparkling, albeit currently Katrina sodden, Slidell Cultural Center.
A California transplant, Hass was a retired engineer who owned an automotive repair shop for quite a few years in Slidell. Hass also was a leader in his church, First United Methodist Church, and was one of those parent boosters who keep Slidell youth athletic leagues afloat as their children strut their stuff on and in the fields, courts and pools of Slidell.
Time to live and give
Suzanne Parsons-Stymiest, Warren Berault, Grace Marshall, LesandEva Baham, and Boni Johnsonwere just a few members of the Graydon's Slidell family -- people related by choice rather than blood -- who described their friend as genuine, disciplined and committed. One of those people who saw what could be and worked to make it so. One of those people who chose to live life large.
The Rev. Jerry Hilbun, who presided over the memorial service, summed up Hass's passion for life with the perfect analogy.
Picture a parade. In your mind's eye, are you one of the people walking or riding in the parade, making it happen, or are you standing on the sideline, watching the parade as it passes?
Graydon was always part of the parade of life. Slidell was lucky he and his wife, the late Lonnie Hass, chose to parade here.
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 Sophisticated Woman Magazine
April, 2005 Special Feature
Northshore Harbor Center
Coming Attractions
All good things come to those who wait, and no where is this truer than in the case of the Northshore Harbor Center. The culmination of 20 years of tireless effort by business and civic leaders, this convention and event facility is slated to open this May.
Located in Slidell just off the first I-10 exit north of Lake Pontchartrain, the Northshore Harbor Center is designed to capitalize on the need for a world-class convention center that can serve both the Greater New Orleans and Gulf Coast regions. The 45,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility and accompanying 90,000 square feet of outdoor lawn, is designed to shift shape and adjust to a wide variety of events: from trade conventions to carnivals, Mardi Gras balls to boxing matches. It can house the Louisiana Philharmonic one evening and a set of several conference suites the next morning, and a grand ballroom for a 300-guest wedding that night. If you can imagine it, the Northshore Harbor Center can contain it.
Getting a structure like this up and running is no small task. It takes tireless work ethic, collaboration and creative enthusiasm. Perhaps then it is no surprise that behind the scenes of this venture are three very accomplished women who bring their own experiences and flair to the project: Kerry Painter, Carmen Toft and Kathy Lowrey. Together they form the heart and soul core of the project. Their flexibility, creativity and downright amenability seem to mirror the building that they run.
General Manager Kerry Painter was attracted to Slidell nearly two years ago in part because she likes a challenge. An experienced and proven building management professional, the Northshore Harbor Center’s civic and business development mission appealed to her.
''Most recently I had worked on the construction and opening of the new City Hall of San Francisco,'' Kerry explains. ''It was a huge project. By day it is a government building. With quality of life amenities like a café, stores, and a daycare center. At night it turns into an event hall for parties and galas. But the next day, it is a functioning government building again.''
Kerry spends a lot of time talking to local Chambers of Commerce and civic groups introducing and updating them on the progress of the Northshore Harbor Center. ''The greatest challenge is to convey the scope and vision of this project. This is a community building, yes. But it is much more than a civic auditorium. For example, the entryway will have top grade hotel lobby finishes and the finest amenities. Our motto for this project was that good enough is not good enough. We want to be fantastic, different and more. We will be competing with centers in major cities around the country for world-class events. But at the same time we can flexibly accommodate local community events. We never lose sight of the fact that this is the people’s building.''
Kerry’s tireless energy can be seen in her daily schedule. In one day she spoke to a state representative about funding, shot a Channel 6 commercial, conducted a tour for 40 local 4th and 6th graders and showed them how to pour concrete, chose pink paint for the expectant/new mom parking spaces, opened a bid for client services vendors, and hired two employees.
If Kerry leads the thrust for getting the Northshore Harbor Center operations, Sales and Marketing Manager Kathy Lowrey is the one whose job it is to get the calendar booked with events. With over a decade in the local tourism business, she’s marketed New Orleans group tour packages, events at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in the French Quarter and even swamp tours for naturalists. She has her finger on the pulse of the demands that conventions and groups have on the local tourism industry.
''A facility like the Northshore Harbor Center is long overdue,'' says Kathy. ''There has been a growing need for a space that could service both the New Orleans area and the Gulf Coast. Slidell is midway between two major airports, and it is in a community that in and of itself has a need for an event hall that can accommodate carnival floats, events of more than 200 people and large spaces for auto and trade shows.''
Kathy already has the following events on the booking calendar for the Northshore Harbor Center: 3,000-person crawfish boil, a food consumer show, several large weddings, a national craft show, and an Episcopal Diocesan convention. She spends her time encouraging people to think outside the box for their smaller events like proms, dance recitals, graduations, concerts, luncheons and theatre productions.
Once the events are booked, Events Manager Carmen Toft coordinates all the details, from 50-foot simulcast screens to color coordinated tablecloths. For two years she was the company manager for a world-wide touring production company, VEE Corporation (Sesame Street Live! was one of their shows), so she’s accustomed to being able to ''keep a lot of balls in the air at one time.''
''When you tour, there are always little adjustments to make. The key is to stay open to change and to be creative,'' says Carmen. She admits that some of the best ideas come out of unexpected situations. ''Right now I’ve been doing a lot of the planning for our opening events. We want to show the community the flexibility of the Northshore Harbor Center. So we have a business and community oriented trade show on a Friday, an exquisite gala on a Saturday, and a family barbeque and carnival on a Sunday. People could attend all three events and feel like they’ve been in three totally different locations.''
And let’s not forget the fourth sophisticated woman, Emily Generes, who supports these women everyday. Mark your calendars for the weekend of May 20 and call to purchase your Gala tickets now.
The Northshore Harbor Center is located in Slidell. For more information, visit their website www.northshoreharborcenter.com or call 985-781-3650.
Copyright G \& A Publishing 2003 - G \& A Publishing Company, An Affiliate of Gallinghouse \& Associates, Inc. |
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Slidell Sentry-News
October 25, 2004
Harbor Center hires sales, events managers, director of operations
By Matthew Penix
SLIDELL -- Northshore Harbor Center officials hired the facility's second-in-command employee -- a sales manager -- this week, said General Manager Kerry Painter.
In addition, two other positions -- a director of operations and an events manager -- were also filled.
Painter said filling staff positions was the logical next step in preparation for the multi-use events center's expected April 2005 opening.
On Tuesday, Slidell resident Nicole Justice Rodrigue accepted the sales management position. As such, she will be responsible for promoting and securing events for the $7.6 million, 40,000-square-foot facility.
Rodrigue, whose job Painter said is the most ''pivotal,'' previously served as a sales manager at the Chateau Sonesta Hotel, Hotel Montleone, W. New Orleans Hotel and W. French Quarter Hotel in New Orleans. During her tenure at these hotels, she consistently exceeded monthly projections by an average of 6 to 15 percent, Painter said.
Arthur Emile Baudoin, a Salmen High School graduate, will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the facility's heating, cooling, plumbing and overall building systems.
Baudoin now serves as the building superintendent/engineering supervisor for the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, a small arena that hosts boxing matches, sports events, concerts, conventions, trade shows and more.
Carmen Christine Toft, the new events manager for the Northshore Harbor Center, said she will draw on her experience as a company manager and assistant director for stage plays to meet customers' needs.
A resident of South Dakota, Toft holds a bachelor's degree in communication studies and theatre from South Dakota State University. As a theatre major, she mad`e many professional contacts that eventually led to management jobs with six different touring play companies from 1998 to 2004.
''At an event, I wanted to meet the manager at the door, and I wanted my phone to be working,'' she said. ''I know what the people want and I plan to deliver that to those who come to the Northshore Harbor Center.''
Each hire endured an intense, one-day interview -- from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. -- with five of the facility's board members.
''We are officially open for business,'' said Painter. ''We picked these three very carefully. Our intention is to set a customer service standard above anything seen here.'' |
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