TMA's Journey to a Place Called Greatness

Fondly remembering the TMA Journey to Greatness

2007-11-05T16:55:00.000-06:00

This is it, the final video from this summer's "Journey to Greatness."
Enjoy it, my friends. Thank you Matt Mayer!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OW3OH_miExU

Mission Accomplished: Journey to Greatness 2007

2007-07-24T07:33:00.000-06:00

Destination Greatness

From Philly, the team headed on to the town so nice they named it twice. After crossing the historic George Washington Bridge, Team Awesome headed into New York City.

The team made a quick stop at the spacious offices of Davie Brown NY before checking into their hotel to get ready for the night life. Members from both the Davie Brown NY and Millsport Connecticut offices made it out to the Galway Hooker for a meet-and-greet with some food and drinks.

From there, Team Awesome -- accompanied by a few Millsport and Davie Brown representatives -- made its way to McSorley’s, the oldest bar in New York. The menu at the historic bar consists of two things: Light and dark, and you have to pay for all drinks in cash.

From there, the team went on a whirlwind tour of the local hotspots in NY. They had a beer and a dog at Crif Dogs (where we couldn’t get into the secret lounge), followed by some country dancing at Doc Holliday’s and some 80’s dancing at Joshua Tree.

And, no night in the NY would be complete without a slice of pizza at Pizza 33.

Exhausted, the team was back to the hotel to get ready for their early-morning flights.

Mission Accomplished

TMA put five people in a car and sent them out on a journey to greatness. What they found was pretty amazing… inspirational places, passionate people and a bond that will tie them together forever.

We found that the journey to greatness starts within each one of us. Through a common love for the offices that we work in, we found that we all want to improve this company in any way that we can. We have come up with some ideas how to pass all that we have learned from this experience on to everyone else at TMA. You will see them soon.

Thanks for your support during our Journey! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Team Awesome

TMA Journey: On the Home Stretch Through Balt/DC

2007-07-20T09:51:00.000-06:00

After a fun night out in VA Beach (of course, wearing our pink tank tops all night), we headed to the beach in the morning for a little fun in the sun.

Team Awesome continued the search for Greatness by stopping in the great city of Washington, DC. As a part of our mission today, we were asked as a bonus to get John arrested by DC police. After walking around and scoping out our best option for hopping the fence to the White House, we decided that TMA may not want to put forth the money to bail John out, so instead we just had Basia show us her “guns” (wow).

As we walked around The Mall, Amanda wanted to play soccer with some good lookin’ boys, while Kristin wanted to go play softball with the lawyers. These thoughts of playing games in front of the Washington Monument quickly faded when a softball almost hit us and a girl playing yelled, “Watch out, tourists!” Awesome.

We stopped for some pics in front of the White House and the Washington Monument before meeting John’s sister, Giorgia, for some karaoke. Watch out LA, Amanda has a new found passion and now she can’t stay off the microphone!

Giorgia and her friends showed us an amazing night out in DC. We couldn’t leave the bar without singing “Don’t Stop Believing”and “Shoop,” but the DJ (aka “Brown Sugar”) wouldn’t let us sing “Friend’s In Low Places” so we decided to sing it as we walked down the street. Team Awesome did such an amazing rendition of the song that the people walking in front of us moved to the other side of the street.

In the morning, we woke up in Baltimore and continued our journey from Camden Yards to Philadelphia.

First stop in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell, then to Independence Hall, where the movie “National Treasure” was filmed. Someone said that some important thing was signed there, too...

No stop in Philly is complete without a stop to eat Philly Cheese Steaks, and of course, the bathroom shortly after that. At the Philadelphia Art Museum, Amanda and Kristin raced to the top of the steps, while John and Ross lagged behind. Rocky would be proud.

BTW, Basia and Ross got divorced.

Next stop… New York City, which is Latin for "Greatness"!

Quotes of the Day

John’s Love Lesson: “You fall in. You fall out. It’s called gravity. Get over it.”

Kristin: “That’s a hard song to sing.”
Amanda’s reply: “Yeah I know, but I hit it, I hit it hard.”
Basia: “Are we going through West Virginia? Good because my guns aren’t registered there.”

Team Awesome: Choose Your Adventure

2007-07-19T17:11:00.000-06:00

You Choose the Adventure!

(1) As Team Awesome set out from Concord there was an air of melancholy amongst the group. Their sullen mood was quickly uplifted once they came to the realization that they were once again embarking on a Journey to Greatness. Before they could make the journey to Virginia Beach they knew they would have to stop for some sustenance.

If you think they should go to Sonic go to paragraph 2.
If you think they should go to Hooters go to paragraph 3.
If you think they should go to Cracker Barrel go to paragraph 4.

(2) The team, as always, loves a good meal at Sonic. It's made even better because they don’t even have to get out of the car. With the Super Breakfast burritos and tater tots, no one was left hungry. Ross, of course, got mozzarella sticks because that is what he does. John, of course, agrees. It is now time to leave Concord and hit the beaches of Virginia. Go to paragraph 5.

(3) After the poor service at the Hooters in Texarkana, the team was ready to give them another chance. Everyone got wings and, of course, mozzarella sticks. The service was much better than the last time and everyone was relieved that their waitress could hear out of both her ears. Before they could leave, John had to get his shirt signed by yet another Hooters waitress. The team jumped back in the ‘burb and was off to Virginia Beach. Go to paragraph 5.

(4) The team has never met a Cracker Barrel they didn’t like. This one was no different. As always, chicken dumplings were had by Amanda, and Basia had the sourdough French toast. Everyone enjoyed the meal, especially the mozzarella stick appetizers. They paid the bill and set their course for Virginia Beach. Go to paragraph 5.

(5) Pulling into Virginia Beach, the crew was brimming with excitement. The first order of business was to get team uniforms for the picture in the water. The team decided that tank tops would be the best option. The only question was the color.

If you think they should go with red go to paragraph 6
If you think they should go with blue go to paragraph 7
If you think they should go with pink go to paragraph 8

(6) It turns out that red is the color of a gang know as the “Bloods” in Virginia. While the team was out on the Boardwalk, they ran into the rival gang, the “Crips.” A gang fight ensued and Team Awesome was able to hold its own. No one was hurt, but Basia was arrested for punching a guy in the face. The team had to go to the holding station. Go back to paragraph 5.

(7) It turns out that blue is the color of a gang known as the “Crips” in Virginia. While the team was out on the Boardwalk, they ran into the rival gang, the “Bloods.” A gang fight ensued and Team Awesome was able to hold its own. No one was hurt, but Basia was arrested for punching a guy in the face. The team had to go to the holding station. Go back to paragraph 5.

(8) The pink Virginia beach tank tops were perfect for the photo in the water. The team spent the rest of the day hanging out on the beach and having a few drinks. After a full day of sun and fun, the team was ready head to dinner. At "Watermen's" on the Boardwalk, the team enjoyed a great seafood dinner. Even Kristen had clam chowder for the first time. A few drinks in front of a live band made the night even better. Now they had to decide where they would enjoy the nightlife.

If they go to back to the beach go to paragraph 9
If they go to a bar named "Envy" go to paragraph 10
If they go to the hotel go to paragraph 11

(9) When arriving to the beach the team decides that they should take a night cruise from Virginia beach to a nearby island. It was supposed to be only a three-hour tour, but a severe weather storm blew through and they were marooned on a deserted island. Ross made his best efforts to make a coconut phone but it never quite worked out. Go back to paragraph 8.

(10) The team heads out to a bar named Envy and they have a few drinks in their spiffy new tank tops. Taking notice of their great outfits a local girl invites them out to another bar where she knows a bartender. Jenna takes them to Charlie's, a local hotspot where they spend the rest of the night hanging out and dancing. The night is capped off with a slice of pizza. It was great but John wouldn’t know because his slice ended up on the sidewalk. Go to paragraph 12.

(11) The team heads back to the hotel and are greeted by the hotel manager. They are informed that a group of such greatness is not allowed to lodge there. They are all thrown out on the street. Go back to paragraph 8.

(12) After a fun night in Virginia beach the team heads out for DC with a lot of stories to tell.

Millsport Motorsports welcomes Team Awesome to Charlotte in style

2007-07-18T12:59:00.000-06:00

Destiny took us to Charlotte but Greatness kept us there. – Ross Park, 2007

After a long drive from Tennessee, we finally arrived in Charlotte, or as the locals call it, "Concord." Once we made it to the scheduled rendezvous point (the McDonald's by the side of the freeway) we met Millsport's Scott Peterson, who served as our guide.

Scott handed out Millsport-branded pit crew shirts and caps, then told us to get back in the car and follow him to the next destination.

As we followed Scott to Lowes Motor Speedway, we were trying to guess what was in store for us. Before we knew it, we were pulling into victory lane and being showered with champagne by the Millsport-Charlotte team!

After a few handshakes and photos, our adventure in Charlotte was underway.

From what we’ve seen, it was the most gracious welcome provided by the TMA family, and they were just getting started.

From there, we went to Dave & Busters for dinner, and -- more importantly -- games. The skeeball competition was pretty intense, and the Team Awesome boys lost to the Tracies from Millsport in a photo finish on the Daytona Racers.

The big winner, however, was Basia who mastered Slam-a-Winner and took home over 1,700 tickets that we used to buy a gift for our gracious hosts: A 7-foot stuffed Giraffe named "Geoff."

The next morning, we went to Millsport's “Charlotte” office and enjoyed a great breakfast while Ken Cohn and Mike Bartelli gave us a brief overview of their clients and capabilities. The discussion wrapped up just in time for us to take a tour of the Roush Racing facility where we were able to see the stock car production process from start to finish.

On top of the VIP facility tour, we also saw a pit crew practice and met Carl Edwards, the driver of the number 99 Office Depot car. [Check out the photo!]

A great BBQ lunch at R&R Barbeque with the office staff finished off a great morning, but the Charlotte folks were only getting warmed up. They still had secret plans waiting for us.

A trip to North Carolina wouldn’t be complete without a race. The afternoon surprise was, appropriately, go-kart racing at an indoor facility. After a warm-up session, we broke into pairs for a LeMans race.

When the dust settled after 40 minutes of racing, Eric Dobratz and Shelena Wong (we apologize for any misspelled names), had taken the trophy. Scott, Tracy and Stacey all made the podium, as well.

After a quick pit stop (pun intended) to shower, we headed over to Mike Bartelli’s house for dinner with the entire office and their families. After a terrific meal and a few drinks, we were treated to the musical stylings of "2 Piece Meal." With Mike Mooney on the congas and Bartelli with the lead guitar and vocals, it was a memorable acoustic concert.

Everyone had a great time singing along regardless of musical ability, and Pam even did a little of the tambourine work (until Mike revoked her privileges).

The time we spent at Mike's house really showed us what office culture was about. They genuinely seemed more like a family than co-workers, something that makes the 12-person office very special.

As we got ready to say our good-byes, they weren’t quite done yet. They gave us each gift bags with various goodies inside. The most exciting of which were the trophies with our racer names on them!

It was harder for us to say "good-bye" to Charlotte and our Millsport friends than we had expected. They overwhelmed us with their energy and generosity. We left feeling like a part of their office -- and they definitely became an extension of "Team Awesome."

THANKS to all of the Charlotte folks for an amazing time, especially Katherine for setting everything up. Feed the Shark. (Kristin and Amanda are raising their hands)

Quotes of the Day

-- “I’m more of a thigh guy than legs...”- Mike Mooney
-- “I think I’m a little off...” – Pam
-- “I’m Pop, he’s Lock, together we Drop it..”- Ross
-- "If we start a band we'll call it 'One Man Band.'” -- Ross and John.

Guess Team Awesome’s racer names:

Basia: A) Gun Show B) Big ___Salad

Amanda: A) Burke Mountain B) Olive

Kristin: A) Smellson B) Sugar Momma

Ross: A) Rossome B) Future Self

John: A) Captain Awkward B) Past Self

We'll have the answers for you tomorrow. The first person to e-mail Kristin Nelson (USMP) back with the correct answers will receive a prize from the road. HURRY!

Pics from the road

2007-07-18T07:25:00.000-06:00

Check out all of the TMA Journey videos

2007-07-17T09:33:00.000-06:00

Watch the TMA Journey teams in action as they make their way from LA to NYC. Visit the TMA YouTube page:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TMADallas

A little "Mad Lib" in Arkansas with Team Awesome

2007-07-17T09:19:00.001-06:00

Day #2:

From the soulful blues found at BB King’s bar in Memphis to the bluegrass sounds on stage at the famous Tootsie’s Lounge in Nashville, Team Awesome discovered their PASSION for live music.

After being drug onto the Tootsie’s bar by a 70-year-old woman (we’ll call her Berta), we decided that listening to music was no longer what we needed, and we headed out to Buck Wild Saloon, a karaoke bar, to entertain an audience of our own.

Everyone had a turn at the mic with the night culminating in Ross and John’s rendition of "Shoop" by Salt ‘N Peppa.

Day #3:

Case of the Mondays

We figured that everyone is bored of our writing by now so with thought we would spice things up a little bit with a Mad Libs style blog. Bon Appetite! [answers posted below]

= = = = = = = =

Everyone woke up bright and early and jumped into the ___1___(noun) and headed out to Knoxville to the ____2____ (noun) of Tennesee.

Before that, we had to make a quick stop at Sonic ____3___ (noun). John and Ross said they would not go any further without super breakfast ____4___ (noun).

The ____5___ (noun) was beautiful and we ____6___ (verb) three students for the journey. Thanks to Jenny and her two friends for giving us a tour of the campus. We even stopped to ____7___ (verb) some souvenirs at the ____8____ (adjective) store.

Next stop was Charlotte but we had a lot of _____9____ (noun) to kill on the road. Will filled the time by calling various ___10___ (noun) stations and trying to get them to announce our arrival. Evidently they don’t give out free advertising but Nellie did get them to play her favorite song “Don’t stop ____11____ (verb).”

= = = = = = = =

Quiz of the Day

Match these people with what animal they said they would like to be.

1. Basia A. Pterodactyl
2. John B. Monkey
3. Ross C. My Parent’s Dog
4. Amanda D. Shamu
5. Kristin E. Shark

What member of Team Awesome said this?

“Just because a body of water meets a landmass doesn’t mean I have to look at it.”

Answers:

Mad Lib

1. Space Winnebago
2. University
3. Drive- In
4. Burritos
5. Campus
6. Interviewed
7. Buy
8. Book
9. Time
10. Radio
11. Believing

Matching

1. C 2. A 3. E 4. B 5. D

Quote: John

Sunday with Team Awesome: Little Rock and Memphis!

2007-07-16T10:07:00.000-06:00

TCB: Takin' Care of Business

This morning started off with a bang! Well, something like that.

Our mission was to find Ray’s high school that he attended in his “boyhood” home of Little Rock, Ark. With a little help from some fellow TMAers, we continued our journey to North Little Rock High School.

Ray Clark is definitely the talk of NLRHS. We discovered where Ray had his first kiss (with the captain of the cheerleading squad, Berta), and because he is still so popular in Little Rock, he even has his own parking space (see video). After seeing the Charging Wildcats' football field we decided to head to Memphis, home of The King.

GRACELAND!! Who knew Elvis was still alive??

Ross spotted Elvis while we were inside his house at Graceland (but no-else saw him, so it seems Ross had an early “wake-up” call this morning). The one-piece jumpsuits and shag carpeting couldn’t stop John from doing a little Elvis impersonation (see awkward video).

We tooled around the Graceland mansion, the “Lisa Marie” airplane tour, the automobile museum all for the love of Elvis -- "The King.”

We decided we’d had enough mullets and sideburns for one day and decided to check out the infamous Beale Street to spread more of our TMA passion.

BB King’s Blue Bar was first where we indulged in tropical drinks (Basia made sure that they all included Passion fruit) and fan-tabulous BBQ pork sandwiches, both so wonderful and yummy the instant they touched our lips. Ross, Kristin and Amanda tore up the dance floor Tina Turner style.

We met the famous Carl Darvin, a Blues guitar player who had strummed with the best of ‘em of the past 50 years. Carl’s advice for those who are passionate about music: Don’t drink and drive.
We decided we would make our way to Nashville, but not without another stop at Alfred’s and another completed mission, the Elvis impression (we love John).

Nashville or Bust!

Team Awesome's First Day: Dallas > Texarkana > Hot Springs > Little Rock

2007-07-15T15:07:00.001-06:00

First off, we would lie to say "Thank You" to the TMA Dallas office for an awesome Lake Day. We had a blast boating, tubing, skiing, dancing, eating, drinking and laughing. It was truly a "Mistake on the Lake."

But when Brad Penman told us that he wanted us to get on the road by 9 a.m. the next day, we started to wonder if playing that fifth game of Beer Dice was such a good idea.

Needless to sa, the team rallied and was up and chomping at the bit to head out on the open road. A big "Team Awesome" thanks goes out to USMP's Mark Carpenter for being the only TMAer to show up to send us if with a big bag of Breakfast Tacos from Whataburger. Mark, they were delicious and really helped our mood as we battled the Hangover Monster on the way to East Texas. But we did throw out the spicy beans as we didn’t want to pull a “Mayer” before we even got out of Texas.

Our travels took us up I-30 towards destination number #1: Little Rock , Arkansas.

In the car we started to break the ice by recapping the night before when John, who had recently acquired his “Goblet of Greatness” (a.k.a A fishbowl glass from Jake’s Hamburgers), proceeded to drop it at our next bar and smash it into quite a few pieces. Upon the completion of story time, John responded by saying “Why do I break everything I love?”

Our first stop might have been the most pivotal on our trip. It began as a routine “nature” break, but when we entered the truck stop John was cosmically drawn to the designer trucker shirts that were so strategically positioned next to the shotgun racks. The image was that of a beautiful brunette gently chained to a Harley Davidson. [See photo at right.]

At that moment our mission chained from spreading the TMA word to finding John’s true love. His passion for this animated goddess was unbelievable.

Our lunch stop took us to Texarkana. For those of you who don’t know, that is "Texas" and "Arkansas" combined into one word. Yep, they get real clever with the city names down here in the South...

And where did we decide to eat in this city that straddled two states? That’s right, Hooters. Because they have great wings…duhhhh! And unbeknownst to us this was only the third day of operation for this new Texarkana hotspot.

It was obvious as the 25 waitresses preferred to stand around singing to the cooks rather than actually serving us food. [Video to follow.]

We did come to find that our waitress could only hear out of one ear, which is a perfect scenario for the food service industry. So in an ambitious effort by Kristin to try to improve the Hooter Service System she asked for an application for employment. As the manager came over to talk to Kristin about her future Hooter dreams, he noticed that we were documenting this occasion and he promptly stopped our filming…or so he thought. Supposedly, we didn’t have a permit or something. But when the Head Hooter begged to sign John’s “mission” shirt we weren’t going to stop her -- but we were going to film her.

It took a lot of teamwork but we pulled it off.

Before leaving this 5-star establishment we felt the need to get a souvenir for Kristin to help heal the pain she was feeling by having her Hooter dreams crushed. She is now the proud owner of a mini stuffed owl. He is now our team mascot. We call him "Frank" and he’s a wonderful listener.

From that point we continued on towards Little Rock, making a stop in Hot Springs.

After a three-mile hike to the top of a mountain, we were finally able to view nature. We couldn’t leave Hot Springs without first taking a Duck Boat tour through the town. Our tour guide, Bubba, informed us that he is ordained by the state of Arkansas to perform marriage ceremonies and divorces while on the water. Ross and Basia thought this sounded like a great idea, so when we arrive in the office, ask to see Basia’s wedding ring!

[CLICK HERE to watch the video of our travels through Arkansas.]

The wax museum kept us entertained, trying to guess who the wax figures were. Our personal favorite was the legless man sitting next to a hot spring…yes, the Hot Springs will burn the skin off. They don’t lie when they say they are hot. After the intense heat from the springs we needed to cool off at The Winery. Enough said.

Quotes of the Day

“If it gets any prettier out here, we might have to put some pantyhose on her.” -- Bubba, our Duck Boat Captain

John’s life lesson of the day: “Next time some big-breasted chick wants to sign my shirt, I am going to say no.” -- John

“Is it raining men or just water?” -- John [Basia's reply: “No, droplets.”]

“Say there will be punch and pie. People always come then.” John (referring to the party we threw at Hot Springs National Park)

“Oh, I gotta go look at nature now, I will call you later.” -- John

And Darkness Warshed Over The Dude…

~~ Team Awesome

Team Awesome gets on the road

2007-07-14T16:31:00.000-06:00

"Team Awesome" departed the chic Hotel Palomar in Dallas heading for Little Rock, Ark., this morning at around 10 a.m. They wasted no time publicizing their trip, immediately placing a classified ad in the Arkansas Times.

Watch for updates, photos, and vids from the road!

The Journey to Greatness arrives in Dallas

2007-07-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

Check out the video of TMA's Little Urban Achievers arriving in Dallas after four days on the road -- from LA to Big D -- all in the name of Greatness.

Recap of Days 2 and 3: Love those aliens

2007-07-12T16:07:00.000-06:00

Looks like we're nearing Big D, so I better throw in a quick (guess again) snapshot of Days 2 and 3 of our Journey to get ya'll up to speed before getting to TMA Headquarters.

"The Dam, The Hole & the Aliens"

Hoover Dam – it was, well, exactly what you'd expect from a dam. Not too many surprises there. It helps control water. Congrats- you're officially an expert on dams. Next topic. In fact, I just think 'the Hoov' took the same long, desert-filled drive we're on and was like "wow- if we don't stick SOMETHING here, people might actually try killing themselves or develop a severe case of depression before they reach their next destination. This won't be good for anyone."

And that's the story of the Hoover Dam.

(wait, I haven't dropped a few key words yet in these emails…..ok here: "The Hoover Dam most likely took a lot of teamwork to complete. OR… ONE, unbelievably strong and ambitious man"….There. Perfect.)

Grand Canyon – similar story, except unlike the Dam, it was actually cool. I'll even say beautiful. But then Matt and Tommy started holding hands, and I decided we had enough sight-seeing for the day. I don't remember seeing that turn on our map towards Greatness.

Quote of Day 2: Referring to what cows must be thinking every day they wake up, since there's not much out there in this world for them, besides, well, standing around…

"Today's objective…Exist."

Followed by Tommy's insight on the locals: "I think the people out here probably have the same thoughts."

Moral of the story: We humans have it pretty good. You can write that golden nugget of information down, too.

After a quick pit stop to sleep in Albuquerque Tuesday night (transitioning to Day 3), it was alien time, and Paula was happier than a fat kid on Halloween (not like 'me fat'; we're talking 'Chunk from The Goonies fat'. She was THAT excited). I would be too though if I were visiting family. Just kidding (Paula, you silly ipsh!y, you). We were visiting the Gimlers.

Oh, in case you're wondering what "Alien Time" means, I'm referring to Roswell, New Mexico, home of CRAZY. Seriously, it's the home of the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The entire town is in on it, as they financially feast on helpless people like ourselves, so strung out from the desert that yes, we WILL believe them when they tell us aliens chose THEIR town to inhabit. Cuz if I'm an alien, I'm really thinking Roswell, New Mexico is the place to be.

We then proceeded to purchase $200 worth of souveniers at the UFO Museum Gift Shop. We were helpless under their commerce-enticing powers. Aliens: 1. TMA's Little Urban Achievers: Zero.

(PS What's THAT conversation like before the aliens land in New Mexico anyway? Alien 1: "Let's go to New York City or L.A." Alien 2: "BORING." Alien 1: "Ok, Roswell, New Mexico it is. You win. You always do…")

Anyway, the last stop on our trip Wednesday was visiting the bar in Odessa, Texas. That's right – THE bar. Some things are better left unsaid. Let's just all take a quick timeout as a company and thank God we're not from Odessa. (and I apologize to anyone from Odessa, but let's be serious, there's NO way you can read anyway.)

Well we can see the Dallas skyline now, so I'll sign off and conclude this daily dosage of what TMA's Little Urban Achievers are up to. We'll post some pictures and videos as soon as possible to give a little better insight into the rambling I've been able to provide via email.

Otherwise, its Dallas office today, Lake Day tomorrow, and Team Awesome will take the reigns after that. Until then. Good talk. See ya out there.

Yours forever,

TMA's Little Urban Achievers Email Correspondent,

~Kevin Andounian

Update from the road: Vegas, Baby!

2007-07-12T11:49:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately for you Mr/Mrs. Reader, we still haven't quite figured out how to upload/share photos from the road, so you'll have to wait a bit to see beautiful pictures from last night's destination – the International UFO Museum & Research Center, where we met some interesting people…..that is, if 'interesting' equals 'creepy.'

(Question: at what point in someone's life journey do they say 'I want to be the Librarian at the UFO Musuem & Research Center'? Answer: someone not overly concerned about being asked to their high school prom.)

Regardless, another rest stop, another snapshot of the trip – Day 1, Part 2…..

"Vegas Baby"

I wouldn't say the people at the Mirage were extremely interested in our story about the company journey. Well, not until Tommy busted out his guitar in the lobby and started singing about it. Then they (security) were definitely interested. Frightened, but interested, nonetheless.

Once we settled in, we headed off to what's best described as a 'not cheap yet incredibly delicious dinner' – luckily, Davie Brown had just given us some great HP products, so we quickly sold all that and had money for both dinner and gambling. Don't tell Davie Brown.

I'm kidding. We kept the HP stuff. But we had to sell our driver Cara. I really believe that old man with the mullet when he said he'd take great care of her. Plus, we really needed those 12 dollars.

After spreading the gospel of TMA in a crowded hip-hop club (where we ran into Simon Temperley- though we couldn't talk to him since he was in a roped off section called 'valued customers'), we engaged in a fairly healthy dosage of blackjack.

This is when we noticed some sub-par service (see below), something TMA would NEVER allow. I think Tommy learned a good lesson about managing ambition and being accountable for decisions, because when we called for a bus-boy in the morning, it was Tommy that came to our door in a tight outfit. Something about needing to make a few bucks before we left the hotel. That's accountability my friends.

And that's the way TMA's Little Urban Achievers roll. Write that down.

Other than that, nothing too exciting. Oh, except Liz died. But I'm pretty certain she would've wanted us to continue on, so let's not get all mushy and make a big deal of it.

Ok, about to lose connection – a recap of Days 2 & 3 ("The Dam, the Canyon and the Aliens") to follow shortly...

Quote of the day: Matt Mayer, upon sweaty return from a Vegas club: "I'm not gonna lie guys, I just laid down some pretty sick moves out there." Righteous.

Sub-par Service Examples (referred to above):

Liz lost a blackjack hand and proceeded to jump on the table, stomping her feet and pouting like a child. They told her that was unacceptable and to step down. I told them they needed to work on their client service. Stomp on, Lizzy.

Tommy's consistent attempts to get dealers to make out with him were thwarted when one of them vomited on the table. I found that pretty rude.

The waitress kept giving me weird looks when ordering the "Snogle Special" of black coffee and Bud Light between 4 and 10 a.m. (my loyalty to our beer brand takes NO time off). I was like, "Hey, waitress lady, let's seize the condescending facial expressions and leave the judging to someone else."

She said it was just cuz she's a Miller Lite person. I said ok. Then shot her immediately. Problem solved.

Update from the road: LA, Vegas, and Roswell

2007-07-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

Some technical difficulties (apparently, internet access isn’t high on people’s priority lists between Vegas and Roswell, New Mexico…they’re more COW people) have limited our ability to share some pictures, etc., but here’s a snapshot of Day 1, Part 1 (“The L.A. Departure”), of the Journey To Greatness.

Check back later today for some additional thoughts from each group member, pictures, and most telling quotes of the trip thus far. Back to Day 1 though before I lose this connection……

“The L.A. Departure”

Started off with a quick tour of Venice Beach - we met some interesting people that were definitely on their own life journey -- one that smelled of liquor and weed. As tempting as their journey appeared, we were not deterred from our mission: to further the greatness of TMA.

The most logical way to do that of course was hitting up a street shop, picking up some awkward-looking muscle sweatshirts and hitting up Venice’s famous Muscle Beach, ambitiously challenging strangers to physical exercises on the sand-filled training grounds (videos to follow).

It crushed our spirits a bit when our captain Tommy lost a rope-climbing battle with a 7-year- old girl, but I’m pretty sure she was on steroids, OR had the deepest voice of any 7-year-old in the world.

Regardless, Tommy’s eyes were filled with passion (followed by humiliated tears), and that’s all that matters to “TMA’s Little Urban Achievers.” That, and saving the world.

A quick stop to In-N-Out Burger was obviously next on the agenda. Nothing says Greatness better than cheese fries covered in mystery sauce, unless of course living past 40 is a goal of yours. Either way, those burgers sure were delicious - though I’m not sure what the differences are between numbers 1, 2 and 3 (the ONLY choices) on the menu. Probably just the “amount of greatness.”

Yes, if you’re keeping up with this post thus far, we decided that being sweaty, sandy and filled with In-N-Out Burger was the only way to start the trip off right. This interesting choice came back to bite us a bit when Matt fell asleep and provided the car with a ‘medley’ of sorts. You connect the dots.

A snapshot of Day 1, Part 2 (“Vegas, Baby”) to follow shortly. Look for some blogging done in the next hour or so from ‘Woman Of Few Words’ Paula and ‘High Octane’ Tommy G.

~Passionately yours, and your TMA Urban Achiever Email Correspondent,

Kevin 'the Snogle of all Pitts' Andounian

Video from Day One: Los Angeles, July 9, 2007

2007-07-10T17:11:00.000-06:00

Check out the video from Day One in Los Angeles as TMA's "Little Urban Achievers" visit the USMP and Davie Brown offices before departing for Las Vegas and the Mirage Hotel and Casino.

Team #1 debuts its Journey tee

2007-07-08T17:57:00.000-06:00

Limited edition. Only a few ever produced. Watch for these to pop up on eBay soon.

Gimler & Co.: Here come "TMA's Little Urban Achievers"

2007-06-29T12:11:00.000-06:00

Tommy Gimler, leader of the LA-to-Dallas group, announced today that his team will be known as: "TMA's Little Urban Achievers." Excellent.

Dallas-NYC: "Team Awesome" it is

2007-06-29T12:02:00.000-06:00

Led by team captain Amanda Burke, the Dallas to New York group has selected the name “Team Awesome.” Nice.

A Motley Crew: The 10 who will take "The Journey"

2007-06-25T10:09:00.000-06:00

Los Angeles to Dallas:

Matt Mayer
Art Director
The Marketing Arm / Dallas

Liz Wells
Coordinator, Film & TV
Davie Brown Entertainment / LA

Tommy Gimler
Account Coordinator
USMP / LA

Paola Nieto
Associate Project Manager
ipsh! / San Francisco

Kevin Andounian
Manager, Special Projects
The Marketing Arm / Dallas

Dallas to New York:

Amanda Burke
Film Coordinator
Davie Brown Entertainment / LA

John Marchini
Account Coordinator
USMP / LA

Basia Wojcik
Consulting Manager
The Marketing Arm / Dallas

Ross Park
Client Manager
Davie Brown Talent / NYC

Kristin Nelson
Account Coordinator
USMP / Dallas

Snogle and Coop-a-Loop do some hazing

2007-06-20T13:30:00.000-06:00

Kevin "Pittsnogle" Andounian (TMA) and Danny Cooper (AT&T) top it off with a little hazing. Watch their video here.

Jess Bello gets a cameo from Jenn Houston

2007-06-20T09:31:00.000-06:00

Another top-notch video from USMP -- this one from Jessica Bello features a cameo appearance by Jenn Houston. Check it out.

USMP's Marchini breaks out the paper dolls!

2007-06-20T09:28:00.001-06:00

John Marchini's got it all: Voice impersonations, cut-out paper dolls, vivid imagery... Watch it here.

Belmont's "Right-Hand Man" delivers

2007-06-20T09:21:00.000-06:00

Brad Alesi's "Journey" video is live! Watch it by clicking here.

Matt Mayer makes it rain

2007-06-20T09:03:00.000-06:00

The next Eminem? You be the judge. Check out Matt Mayer's vid here.

Gotta love the spacious NY offices of Davie Brown Talent!

2007-06-19T22:04:00.000-06:00

Ross Park and Caroline Darman make Jeff Chown and Ken Crawford proud in this nearly six-minute video entitled "The Lost Fun." Click here to watch it in its entirety.

Marty Klein's a road tripper: Check him out

2007-06-19T21:59:00.000-06:00

Here's USMP training manager Marty Klein and his TMA "Journey" video. Click here to watch Marty in action.

Liz Wells picks up dog poo in the name of TMA!

2007-06-19T21:55:00.000-06:00

DBE's Liz Wells will do just about anything for TMA. Watch her video here!

Amanda Burke goes to the movies (and a bar)

2007-06-19T21:48:00.000-06:00

Davie Brown's Amanda Burke takes us to the movies. Check it out here. Another TMAer comes through!

The white board's never far away for Stu Hill

2007-06-19T21:42:00.000-06:00

Well, well, who do we have here? That's right, it's TMA's own Stu Hill and his ever-handy white board. Watch his "Journey" vid here.

ipsh! is in the game as Paola belts out a tune

2007-06-19T21:37:00.001-06:00

Oh, yes! Tara and Paola team up for a video that would make MTV proud. Click here to watch it.

Kristin Nelson: TMA Cribs

2007-06-19T21:29:00.001-06:00

USMP's Kristin Nelson joins the party with her "Cribs" video. Watch it here.

Ana Salguero and friend team up for a "Journey"

2007-06-19T14:22:00.000-06:00

USMP's Ana Salguero, a market manager on the Hill's Pet account, enlisted the help of her pet for her "Journey" video. Check it out here.

David Skarin from DBE joins the fray

2007-06-19T07:43:00.000-06:00

David Skarin from Davie Brown-LA has posted his clever video submission for the TMA Journey. Check it out here. Nice, David!

Journey video: A day at Ray's office

2007-06-18T15:18:00.001-06:00

We have our first foursome: Basia Wojcik, Matt Delzell, Alison Brinkman, and Scott Sanford. Check out their video here.

Jeff Bond weighs in with his "Journey" vid

2007-06-15T07:38:00.000-06:00

Be sure to watch Jeff Bond's "Journey" video, which is now posted on YouTube. Excellent!

Check out Tommy Gimler's "Journey" video

2007-06-13T20:17:00.000-06:00

Be sure to check out USMP-LA account coordinator Tommy Gimler's "Journey to Greatness" vid. Nice work, Tommy!

Road to "Greatness" goes through Vegas, Graceland

2007-06-12T08:52:00.000-06:00

TMAers taking the "Journey to Greatness" next month will visit several of the nation's most memorable tourist destinations, including Las Vegas and Washington, D.C.

The group taking the first leg of the journey -- from Los Angeles to Dallas -- will spend the night in Las Vegas on July 9 before traveling to Albuquerque and Roswell, N.M., home of the infamous "Roswell UFO incident."

After a stop in Carlsbad, N.M., the group will wind through West Texas, stopping in Odessa, of "Friday Night Lights" fame, before heading into Dallas for TMA's annual "Mistake on the Lake."

Team Two departs from Dallas on July 14, heading northeast to Little Rock, Ark., home of TMA founder and CEO Ray Clark. From there, the group will visit Memphis and Nashville before arriving in Charlotte where they'll spend the day with the Millsport team.

After a day's rest, the group will depart Charlotte for Virginia Beach, then head north to the nation's capital, on to Baltimore, and through Philadelphia before arriving in New York City.

Wanna go on a journey?

2007-06-08T05:52:00.000-06:00

This past spring, as part of our "Steps to Greatness" initiative, we unveiled TMA's first-ever corporate purpose statement:

"To experience a daily, dynamic journey down a road named "Progress" to a place called "Greatness."

At the same time, with your help, we developed a list of six (6) TMA core values -- things we value as a company:

Fun
Passion
Teamwork
Accountability
Ambition
Integrity

As it stands, these are just words on paper (or, in this case, on a computer screen). We want to bring them to life. We want to live them.

So, we're sending a lucky group of TMA employees from across the network on a journey -- literally. Read on to find out how.

FAQs about the "TMA Journey"

2007-06-08T03:56:00.000-06:00

What is the “journey”?

It’s a cross-country road trip – from Los Angeles to New York – over the course of a week, divided into three (3) legs: LA to Dallas, Dallas to Charlotte, and Charlotte to New York City. Along the way, groups of five employees representing different TMA agencies and offices will work together to bring to life TMA’s values and vision.

What’s the point?

To highlight and bring to life TMA’s values and vision in a big way. We want to do more than just talk about it – we want to live them. The idea is to (1) engage you, our employees; (2) make it fun; (3) make it unique to TMA; and (4) go big!

When is the journey?

It runs from July 9-20, across three legs:

FIRST LEG / Group One (Total miles: 1,437)
Mon., July 9: Depart Los Angeles for Dallas
Thurs., July 12: Arrive in Dallas
Fri., July 13 Annual "Lake Day" outing in Dallas

SECOND LEG / Group Two (Total miles: 1,027)
Sat., July 14 : Depart for Dallas
Mon., July 16 : Arrive in Charlotte

THIRD LEG / Group Two (Total miles: 644)
Wed., July 18: Depart Charlotte for NYC
Fri., July 20: Arrive in New York City

Who is eligible to go on the journey?

All full-time TMA employees, regardless of location/office. Agency management, including CEO and division presidents, are not eligible.

How many TMAers will go on the journey?

A total of 10 TMA employees will participate. The first group of five will travel from LA to Dallas. The second group will drive from Dallas to Charlotte and onto NYC.

How do I enter/qualify?

Read through each of the "Steps to Greatness" (STG) qualities listed on this website. Also, review the TMA mantra and core values listed here. Then, make a 2-minute video that tells a story about an experience you've had at your agency involving either one of the STG qualities or one of TMA's core value's. Be creative and tell a compelling story!

Upload your video to TMA's YouTube channel (you'll receive an email with instructions on how to log into the TMA channel on YouTube). Once you've uploaded your video, email the link and your name/agency affiliation to Chris Anderson at: CAnderson@TheMarketingArm.com by Monday, June 18, at midnight (PST).

When we will know who is going on the journey?

We'll announce the winners by close of business on Wednesday, June 20. We'll start booking travel immediately.

If I'm selected for the journey, will it cut into my vacation time?

No. It won't have an impact on your vacation.

I have no idea how to upload a video to YouTube. How does this work?

There are several online tutorials, including this one. Or visit the YouTube Help Center.

Who will judge the entries? What's the criteria?

TMA founder and CEO Ray Clark will personally watch each of the video submissions and choose the 10 lucky winners. Ray loves big ideas. The bigger, more creative your video, the better chance you have of being selected. But, remember, be sure to integrate STG and our core values into your video.

If I’m selected, which leg of the journey will I go on?

To make it more interesting, we'll mix employees from each of the TMA agencies. If you're in the Chicago office, we may fly you to Dallas for the second leg of the trip. If you're in San Francisco, you might take the leg from LA to Dallas.

How will we travel?

By SUV, of course! You and four others (along with a professional driver) will pile into Suburban and hit the road.

What will we do on the road trip?

You’ll be required to bring to life TMA’s six (6) core values: Fun, integrity, accountability, teamwork, passion, and ambition. Further, you'll highlight various aspects of TMA's Steps to Greatness, including our vision and purpose, culture and people, client service, collaboration and innovation, and great work.

How you do that is up to you and your group. But, you’ll be required to carefully chronicle your trip via blogging, photos, and video that you’ll upload to the TMA Journey website (right here!) along the way. This will allow employees from across the network to track your progress.

Is there a required route we take on the trip?

No. The route you take – whether LA to Dallas, Dallas to Charlotte, or Charlotte to New York – is entirely up to you. You decide on the roads, rest stops, Flying Js, motels, tourist sites – your call. Just be sure to find interesting, visual ways to illustrate our core values and the Steps to Greatness, and complete the trip within the allotted time.

How do we pay for the trip?

You'll have credit card (and a budget!).

How long do we have to complete our leg of the journey?

While you can take whatever route you want, you MUST be at your destination on the required date (see schedule above).

What happens once we reach the end of our leg?

You’ll hand the keys to the SUV to the next team, then celebrate with the local office, have a good meal at a fine restaurant, and spend the night at a classy hotel before flying home.

Where can I go for more information?

Brad Penman, our COO, personally describes the journey in a five-minute video available for download here. If you have other questions, please email Chris Anderson or call him at (214) 259-3290.