You only have to meet her once to know you are going to like her.
Clairene is the backbone of Minnesota Hockey Camps. She is the one person who has kept the camp going over the past thirty years while the rest of us worked at our various assignments in the game of hockey and we are still working in various assignments. Clairene is the reason the camp enjoys its present status in the hockey world. Chuck said, "She has allowed me to live my life. She's answered the phones 24 hrs a day and 7 days a week, sent out mailings and dealt with the problems so the rest of us could pursue our lifelong ambitions." During the summers she logs in 100+ hour weeks.
Recent years find Dino and Carrie Wood Grillo by her side as well as strength coach, Joe Ciardelli to take some of the pressure off as she enters her “golden years”. Golden they are; because of the commitment she makes for 3 months every summer.
Parents have grown to trust this person with the unique ability to be both warm and firm. They have developed a trust that comes from sending their son or daughter away from home for the first time. Her love and respect for youth comes natural. We are fortunate when we get to meet and work with unique and extra-ordinary human beings. We are even more fortunate when we are able to marry that person. She possesses a degree of common sense that allows her to function on an even keel.
Clairene embodies the MHC Template for Success Program because she has so many of the traits found in great managers and sales people. She has instilled her old-fashioned value system in her children and in those who come in contact with her. Those responsible for her upbringing can be proud. She has carved out quite a career in the hockey camp business. Little did she know that she would make a name for herself while allowing others to live their life. A good portion of her life has been structured toward the camp mission over the past thirty years. While the monetary rewards are not there, her net worth is enhanced because of all the people's lives she has touched.
Please accept this small token of appreciation for what you bring to the mix @ MHC on your birthday. You show a passion for life and work that rubs off on employees. You show an unconditional love and respect for people you work with and those in contact can sense this.
"Raise the bar people make everyone's life and job easier. They are smart, work hard, detailed and caring. They have a way of touching lives and people don't even realize they are being touched. They do a thing that others yearn to emulate and that makes a company or team. Raising the bar is a unique skill, one that many employers come to expect from you rather than recognize.”
You have touched a lot of lives over the years; too many to count. You are the underlying reason for this camp’s successes. You should be extremely proud of your conduct, example, attitude and work ethic. You are one special human being and I love you for it!
Ole gringo
The guy who is always “driving off the grounds”
HOW LIFE WORKS SOMETIMES
Herb Brooks and Chuck Grillo decided in 1980 to bring their Shattuck Camp to Brainerd, MN. They purchased Minnewawa Lodge. They were both on the road so they came to the conclusion that someone may steal from the camp. So they created a watchman position and hired a person for the job.
Herb, being the detail guy he was, then asked, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.
Then he said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people; one to do the studies and one to write the reports.
Then he said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions; a time keeper, and a payroll officer and hired two people.
Then he said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an administrative officer, assistant administrative officer, and a legal secretary. He then hired advertising, marketing, direct sales, registration and confirmation people to account for the campers.
Then he said, "We have had this camp in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."
So they laid off the watchman.
Herb got out because he was afraid of going broke after paying off the other help. Chuck found out he could reduce the budget by another $175,000 by getting rid of the writer, instructor, quality control people, time keeper, payroll person, administration officer, assistant administration officer and legal secretary. Plus, he got rid of the advertising, marketing, direct sales, registration and confirmation people.
Then he found out he needed a person to fill in for the housing director when he was gone, maintenance when he was gone, housekeeping when people showed up late and they were gone, counselors when they shirked their duties, the pro shop when shorthanded and the cooks when they failed to clean the kitchen properly @ the end of the season.
He pushed all the jobs off on Clairene Grillo and gave her any monies left over after the summer. Now, if only she could attend a few coaching, strength training and medical training seminars, she may be able to fill in when a coach wants to go golfing, the strength training coach is overwhelmed and the medical staff is strung out.
Reached for comment on her birthday, Clairene had this to say, "I'm too busy to talk right now. I'm in the process of getting my day care license because all these coaches are having kids and someone has to baby sit them."
You now know the "real reason" why Minnesota Hockey Camps still exists.
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