In preparation for the podcast series, CCISD to the Fullest, Dava West and Lindsey Hunt spent time with some colleagues to talk about life inside and outside of Clear Creek. In this bonus episode, Greg Cruthirds, the Director of Purchasing for CCISD, shares some rules of the road to living CCISD to the Fullest as well as why he is an avid angler. It's worth the listen. Enjoy.
00;00;04;24 - 00;00;26;20
Speaker 1
Hey there. It's Dava West with Clear Creek ISD, and I'm excited to share some time spent with CCISD director of purchasing Greg Cruthirds. This amazing interview is one of many we recorded in preparation for our podcast series due to the Fullest. And since we're all about telling stories, making connections and sharing advice on how to live CCISD to the fullest.
00;00;26;29 - 00;00;38;21
Speaker 1
I thought others might benefit from hearing Greg's biggest catches and life lessons from being an avid and experienced angler. He won't share his fishing secrets, but it's definitely worth a listen. Enjoy.
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Speaker 2
All right. This is Lindsey Hunt, communications for CCISD
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Speaker 3
This is Greg Cruthirds, purchasing director for CCSID
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Speaker 1
And Dava West, Counseling and Student Services. And we are so excited to have you here and learn a little bit more about you today, Greg. Great.
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Speaker 2
Thanks. So thanks for coming. So we're going to start with a simple but maybe loaded question. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
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Speaker 3
Well, I've been working in the purchasing department for Clear Creek for the last 19 years. Wow. My wife is a school teacher. She works at Parr Elementary and teaches second grade. And we have two boys that have gone through Clear Creek. The oldest one is still in the Hearts program at Clear Falls High School and my youngest is now a freshman at Texas A&M University.
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Speaker 2
Oh.
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Speaker 1
Okay. We're back on our theme now. And yes, a lot of A&M connections and a lot in an interview.
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Speaker 2
We need to do a poll. I'm thinking interesting.
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Speaker 3
He's actually a Sea Aggie I went to Texas A&M at the main campus and was in the Corps cadets and did all that. And that wasn't really the path for my youngest. But he's really enjoying the Galveston life, and it kind of fits in with his some of his hobbies that we've helped develop over the years with fishing and boating and being on the water and those type of things.
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Speaker 2
So you're from the area.
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Speaker 3
I grew up in College Station, actually, but I've been in the Houston area for 20 plus years.
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Speaker 2
And then 19 of that was at CCISD
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Speaker 3
Absolutely.
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Speaker 2
So was there a time outside of CCISD and what did that look like for you?
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Speaker 3
I did. I worked for the Houston Galveston Area Council in Houston for eight years before this and also worked in purchasing for them. And that agency was a good start for my purchasing career, and I've kind of parlayed that into a career here at Clear Creek.
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Speaker 2
Amazing. So purchasing.
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Speaker 1
Purchasing. Talk to us about purchasing. What is purchasing?
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Speaker 3
I like to tell people that I'm a professional shopper. I love it, which is, you know, sometimes get some jealousy entire time. Well, I'm actually in between everybody, what they want to buy and what they have to do to get it. And so it's kind of a it can be there's a lot of rules, a lot of a lot of regulations, as you can imagine, with public funds.
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Speaker 3
So there's a lot of documentation that needs to take place and there is a lot of contract work that goes along with that. So I'm more in the weeds than some folks would. You're making a fun purchasing decision, but I definitely it's fulfilling to me because I'm able to help people get what they want. And I've fulfilled by being a helper.
00;03;07;27 - 00;03;11;05
Speaker 2
So things, products, all of the above, everything for everyone.
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Speaker 3
It could be school busses, could be pencils, could be fuel contracts, electricity. Well, anything anything that you can look around and see that's in these buildings. Then it's gone through my office over the last couple of decades. So.
00;03;22;26 - 00;03;24;12
Speaker 1
So if we need to buy it, it goes through.
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Speaker 3
Absolutely. Absolutely. We have we have contracts in place for many of these things. So you can shop in between those various contracts. But it gives you some flexibility for budget managers to find what they want. But also keep us legal and make sure that we're getting good value for the taxpayer dollar.
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Speaker 2
That is so interesting. Fascinating.
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Speaker 1
And I know I've had to do it at some contracts and all things through purchasing and I'm like, okay. But then when they explain it, I'm like, okay.
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Speaker 3
So one of the other things that we really have is that we want to we strive to provide outstanding customer service. So we want we want to be helpful. We want to make this complicated process as easy as possible for our end users, departments and our internal customers.
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Speaker 1
And I can vouch for that. Like I will say, every time I have called over there and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be asking that that customer service, that being there for your consumer, I guess you say has has come through and it's been a painless process. So on my end, having been a outward user, I always go, I know I can call this person and she will make it make sense to me.
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Speaker 1
And like talks to me about purchasing in a level in which I can understand and get the right people time. So it's really nice. I've always enjoyed working with anyone over.
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Speaker 3
There, but it's great to hear. We want to keep that going.
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Speaker 1
So what brought you to CCISD?
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Speaker 3
Well, when I was working for the agency in Houston, I was having to make a long commute back and forth to the Greenway Plaza area. And a part of I was a senior buyer at the time and a senior buyer job came open in Clear Creek and it was almost a lateral move, but it allowed me to have that extra hour and a half to 2 hours a day back in my life that I could spend with my young family, which I was, which I was missing out on slightly sometimes just sitting in traffic would just bring a level of stress to your life.
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Speaker 3
And so this was an opportunity to do that and to also, I think working in the education business, if you feel like you have a higher purpose in that you're passing on your your skills and your abilities to help the next generation of students and kids get what they need so that they can be productive and fulfilled members of our society, too.
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Speaker 3
So it's a kind of a higher purpose in that way.
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Speaker 2
So we've heard you have a hobby outside of CCISD and it sounds like.
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Speaker 3
Something called an obsession. And so I've I've been a avid saltwater fisherman for my whole life. My grandfather served in the Coast Guard during World War Two. And so he always had a fishing boat. And I would spend summers with him and my grandma and she would take me fishing every week and kind of taught me the ropes.
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Speaker 3
And I took that to another level with tournaments, fishing and traveling to fish all over for for billfish. So I've been all over it from Mexico to Costa Rica to Florida to the Virgin Islands, and I'm taking my fishing to a high level where I've caught multiple species of billfish, everything from blue marlin to swordfish and all kinds of fish.
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Speaker 3
And then I also have a couple of fishing boats, my own at home, and so I take the family out regularly with that. And it's been a very positive thing in my life for me to have something else that I can obsess on over and above, just work.
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Speaker 1
So finding that balance between something outside of work that gives you something to look forward to in it. And it sounds like you're pretty passionate about your purchasing too, in the way in which you work with customers. And I love your your view of you're helping that next generation through what you're purchasing. But that fishing kind of gives you that balance.
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Speaker 3
It does gives you a chance to unplug. I mean, there's there's a lot of technology that we have in our lives, and it's it's provides a lot of great things for us. But it also almost has an expectation that you're always available for work and that emails can come through at any time and you have to be there to answer them.
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Speaker 3
Well, when you're out on a boat, you really have to put the electronics down and pay attention to what you're doing and.
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Speaker 1
Pay attention to that.
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Speaker 3
Do the fish don't care. And so that's not.
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Speaker 2
On their time.
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Speaker 3
That's true. That's true. That's true. So part of the part of the game is trying to unlock what's, you know, when the fish are going to bite and where. And so you have to focus your thoughts on and on on that as opposed to, you know, focused on work where you may just overthink things too much. You know, it's a it does give that that work life balance.
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Speaker 3
And it's given my family and myself a lot of time to be unplugged from this crazy, busy world that we all live in and give us the ability to spend time together in a kind of a close environment where you don't get very far away.
00;08;00;29 - 00;08;03;13
Speaker 2
Are you able to?
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Speaker 3
And so it's given us that opportunity to spend time, quality time together, which enables me to bring that energy back to the office whenever I get back here and give it my all.
00;08;13;29 - 00;08;16;20
Speaker 2
So you're disconnecting pretty much every weekend.
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Speaker 3
As often as possible.
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Speaker 2
Almost like going on vacation every weekend, even if.
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Speaker 3
It's a mini vacation, even if it's just for four or 5 hours. We tend to do shorter trips in the summertime when the weather's hot, we'll get up early and go in the morning and get off the water before the sun bakes us too hard. So we even if it's just for that amount of time, it helps just kind of reset.
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Speaker 1
And based on what you said earlier, I hear this hobby also maybe have led to like maybe some career decisions for your youngest son as well. I mean, I am Galveston. Is that what you were referring to? Is he looking at something more than that now, too?
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Speaker 3
He is. He's he wants to work in the maritime shipping business. And he really loves being here in this area of southeast southeast Houston on the in the Clear Lake area, maybe in Galveston area. But he he definitely knows he wants to be around here. There's there's a ton of good jobs in that field here. So that would enable him to still be by the water and continue doing those type of things.
00;09;08;28 - 00;09;11;04
Speaker 1
So turning your hobby into a career.
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Speaker 3
Career. Brilliant. Yes.
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Speaker 1
So I have to ask, what's what's the best place to go fishing?
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Speaker 2
You never share there. See, kind of.
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Speaker 1
General like we talked about Mexico versus Florida versus Texas. We'll have to give the exact fisherman spot.
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Speaker 2
Well, what are your coordinates?
00;09;26;26 - 00;09;49;21
Speaker 3
Right. He's just kidding. We fished out of Cape Coast, Costa Rica, this past Christmas break, and we had a really wonderful time. We caught yellowfin tuna and blue marlin and mahi mahi and just had a fantastic time. It's a funny thing about fishing on the Pacific Coast is that the water gets deep really quickly so you don't have to go out very far to catch big species of fish.
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Speaker 3
You can have you can have large fish kind of basically come within sight of land.
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Speaker 2
Whereas mahi mahi is an interesting because it's bright and colorful.
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Speaker 3
They are.
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Speaker 2
Underwater. And then the minute it kind of comes out, it it changes color. I mean.
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Speaker 3
Correct. Yes, it goes they can go from from green to blue to silver. One interesting.
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Speaker 2
Species.
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Speaker 3
Know another another meeting about that species that they're very acrobatic. So when you hook one bell off and jump out of the water and make multiple leaps and it's just exciting. And any time you have a visual aspect of your fishing, whether that's shallow water where you can watch a speckled trout or redfish strike your plug, or whether it's in the in the blue water where you can feed a bait to a huge fish that's right behind the boat.
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Speaker 3
That's like whenever it really gets your heart rate up.
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Speaker 1
I saw a stingray jump one time when I was out fishing. I didn't know that they do that, but it like jumped out of the water and I was like, Oh my gosh, that is so cool. So I'm sure you've seen other amazing things on that journey that give you pause to amazing things.
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Speaker 3
Yes, I love the manta rays. And I saw a huge tiger shark that was 14 feet long swim on the boat. We've had like I said.
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Speaker 2
What's your best story? Fishermen always have good stories.
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Speaker 3
Let me think so. I have so many.
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Speaker 2
I've had some top five. Name one in the top five.
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Speaker 1
So missing in the tiger sharks. Sounds pretty.
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Speaker 2
Cool. I know. That was really to be.
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Speaker 3
I think this deal. I think the first time the first time I caught a marlin was also offshore of Cabo San Lucas and didn't really know what to expect. But I had a friend that I'd met at an academy, another Aggie, and we kind of started talking, sort of fishing together. And then we started traveling the fish together and kind of developed a really close friendship over the years.
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Speaker 3
And so he had been in the past and so he wanted to help introduce me to that. So he had set up a trip for us to go. So we flew out there and the first morning we, we went out and we got, you know, the whole the whole process is interesting because you go and you go, you go buy bait from a little bait boat.
00;11;59;05 - 00;12;18;00
Speaker 3
And then you take that and you go out in the Pacific in the Sea of Cortez, where they kind of intermingle there. And so it's a very super rich fishery. There's lots of species that are all kind of come together. And the first time we saw a marlin come up behind the boat, it was like it was hard to envision what it really was.
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Speaker 3
It was like a stick came out of the water and this just bill was just going back and forth across the wake of the boat. And so I quickly grabbed one of the sardines that we had and put it on a hook and dropped it back to the the fish. And he just changed. He flashed this amazing blue color and it was like a flash of light in the water.
00;12;34;24 - 00;12;51;24
Speaker 3
He got so excited he could accelerate across the back of the wake of the boat and at that starting and took off and I set the hook and he just started leaping out of the water left and right and put on quite a aerial display. It was it was just an amazing experience to see all that come together.
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Speaker 2
Wow. Well, it's quite a physical act.
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Speaker 3
To.
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Speaker 2
Bring one of those into the boat.
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Speaker 3
That is true. And that's another thing that that leads me to another thing that vision kind of helps me. Jimmy motivation to go to the gym, work out, stay in shape so that I'm physically ready to do the things because I'm dealing with a boat, launching boats, dealing with all the tackle, the heavy ice chest, the fishing rods, the tackle bags, all the things that the fish themselves when they I mean, when you're.
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Speaker 2
Five hundreds of pounds.
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Speaker 3
So I'm really know the biggest marlin I caught is 500 pounds. for a blue marlin in the Gulf of Mexico. So that that takes a toll. So you really have to be ready. And if you're not, then you'll miss out on some of the experiences that you could otherwise have.
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Speaker 1
So so that's another thing to find that work life balance. You also find time to work out just to. And that's another way to disconnect. Absolutely. And trying to work for whatever reason that you're doing it, whether it's to catch fish or whatever, it's another way to reset, recharge. It sounds like you have some great ways to find some balance and things.
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Speaker 2
Absolutely. So let's talk about some of the lessons that you've learned on the water and how you apply those to your life within Clear Creek.
00;14;04;06 - 00;14;27;16
Speaker 3
ISD But I think one of the first lessons that fishing teaches you is patience, because as you mentioned earlier, that the fish are on their own schedule, the tides are on their own schedule, the weather does what the weather is going to do. And so that makes you kind of step back and realize that you're a part of a bigger picture as opposed to having control of everything in your life.
00;14;27;16 - 00;14;55;22
Speaker 3
You have to let go of some of that control. Just let things come to you sometimes. And so that gives me a sense of balance in that way. Another thing I would say is that I've taken more joy as time has gone on and being a teaching my fishing skills to my children and my friends. And so I think any time you can you can teach them that you have a level of expertise and and you kind of give that back, then it comes back to you in more ways and more.
00;14;56;00 - 00;15;11;07
Speaker 3
Yeah. And maybe tenfold with what you. So I've, as I've kind of indicated, I've caught all the fish that I've ever really targeted in my life at this point. And so now it's more fulfilling to me to see through my kids eyes or through my friends. I haven't done that yet.
00;15;13;02 - 00;15;26;13
Speaker 1
That's right. And I mean, I think you can apply those to anything. I think anyone listening take these lessons even in your job, that you do have to be patient because I'm thinking I'm a teacher and they have lots of different students in their classroom. And you mentioned time schedules.
00;15;26;13 - 00;15;27;19
Speaker 2
The kids are probably.
00;15;27;19 - 00;15;59;04
Speaker 1
On different schedules and they are different. They are different is bringing in lots of different things to the classroom and so trying to get them all to fit on a schedule. I know we have a bell schedule, but to find some, be patient with them and and let that develop too. So I think that who knew that you could take fishing lessons and apply it to to a classroom or even to a different department that maybe maintenance or are some of our child nutrition that those kiddos coming through the line might not always be the way we're thinking they might be.
00;15;59;04 - 00;16;09;07
Speaker 1
And then teaching those skills, I think we all can have a take away for that because we all have gifts and talents and teaching others is a good way to remind us of those gifts and talents that we get to share.
00;16;09;18 - 00;16;24;25
Speaker 2
So it sounds like you've got a good balance between work and life outside of work, but we all have tough days. So on those tougher days, what helps you get through them? What strategies do you implement to to help you?
00;16;26;07 - 00;16;49;28
Speaker 3
Well, sometimes when when the pressure is on, I believe that you have to still give yourself a time during that day to unwind, whatever that may be. I'm I'm an avid reader also, so I take time to read a novel in the evenings just to give myself that time to decompress. But I like I said, I'm very fulfilled by being helpful to other folks.
00;16;49;28 - 00;17;09;28
Speaker 3
And so having having the opportunity to solve problems, to save money for the school district, to, to bring my talents and purchasing is fulfilling in its own way. But I do think that every day you should take some time for yourself, whatever that may be, to unwind whether that's watch your favorite television program, whether it's to cook dinner.
00;17;09;28 - 00;17;21;07
Speaker 3
I like to cook. So spend a little time in the kitchen, maybe with a glass of wine, you know, helps helps unwind at the end of the day, honestly. And then making that food for the family and sitting down and sharing that oh.
00;17;21;26 - 00;17;22;22
Speaker 2
So purpose.
00;17;23;01 - 00;17;32;06
Speaker 3
Because you I think I think having a bigger purpose than your own self is is fulfilling in its own way. And it helps it helps you to bring your best every day.
00;17;32;25 - 00;17;35;26
Speaker 2
What's going great in your life right now?
00;17;35;26 - 00;17;36;17
Speaker 3
Most everything.
00;17;36;17 - 00;17;37;13
Speaker 2
Else. Everything.
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Speaker 3
Yes. Like I said, I have a wonderful wife and children. Things are things are smooth. The boat's running good. That's it. I spent a little money on it recently, but that's okay. It's okay. It's part.
00;17;48;00 - 00;17;48;26
Speaker 1
Of sailing.
00;17;48;26 - 00;17;56;26
Speaker 3
Or smooth sailing right now in the fall. Weather is coming on, which was nice. Kind of give us a chance to extend those days out a little bit longer on the water and.
00;17;57;08 - 00;17;59;07
Speaker 2
And your hobby can be year round exam.
00;17;59;07 - 00;18;02;16
Speaker 3
That's right. Yes, it is. It is good to go every single month.
00;18;02;22 - 00;18;04;22
Speaker 2
Anything that could use a little attention.
00;18;05;19 - 00;18;13;00
Speaker 3
And know my wife, we're I could I could probably work on my organizational skills a little bit.
00;18;13;09 - 00;18;13;16
Speaker 2
Okay.
00;18;13;26 - 00;18;17;00
Speaker 3
So that's one of the one of the things one of the things I need to.
00;18;19;03 - 00;18;34;07
Speaker 1
And I'm glad that you said that because it's good to recognize that, because I'm going to say ditto for me, too. I'm looking at my office sometimes and going, Oh, but when I hear other people are having those same, same things that they need to work on, it actually makes me go, okay, I'm not that far off. It's okay.
00;18;34;07 - 00;18;42;11
Speaker 1
I have time to grow and learn and continue. So it's nice to hear when someone else is having the same struggles to know that I'm not in that boat alone.
00;18;43;00 - 00;18;58;01
Speaker 3
And I think it comes and goes. It comes in waves. Sometimes I'll get real motivated, get organized, get everything put where it needs to be, and then things will slip after a little bit after. I'm like, Oh my goodness, look at all this mess I got to get. I got to organize again. So yeah, I'm kind of in that spot right now.
00;18;58;04 - 00;19;02;02
Speaker 3
I'm going to get my garage and get my tackle box and get some stuff lined up.
00;19;02;29 - 00;19;15;09
Speaker 1
Well, I think we know what you do to recharge. Anything else that we cook, we read, we fish, we work out anything else.
00;19;15;09 - 00;19;21;12
Speaker 3
I also hunt. I like I like duck hunting. And so we we do some of that. And on the.
00;19;21;12 - 00;19;22;11
Speaker 2
Water or doing.
00;19;22;12 - 00;19;41;23
Speaker 3
Water or anything outdoors is is is peaceful to me in a lot of ways. I think it kind of lets you reconnect with your inner self, whatever, whether that's been going for a walk, whether it's like being on the water, being in a in a blind, it gives you that ability to reconnect with yourself and kind of decompress.
00;19;42;04 - 00;19;43;17
Speaker 1
Being outside, getting that fresh.
00;19;43;27 - 00;19;44;13
Speaker 3
Fresh air.
00;19;44;24 - 00;19;45;12
Speaker 1
Sunshine.
00;19;45;13 - 00;19;58;25
Speaker 3
So it's less for me about I, I care less these days about how many fish I catch or whether the ducks cooperate with this or any of those type of things. I care more about the experience being out there, watching the sunrise, those type of things.
00;19;59;26 - 00;20;05;25
Speaker 2
So this podcast is about living C.S.I. To the fullest. So when you hear that, what does it mean to you?
00;20;07;06 - 00;20;29;28
Speaker 3
Well, I think that it means it means bringing your your best to CCISD As to help the organization and to help your fellow teammates across the district get the things they need so that we can do our very best in educating children. And so that's brought home to me. Like I said, we're we're full CCISD in my family, obviously two kids and a wife, teachers and myself that works here.
00;20;29;28 - 00;20;39;27
Speaker 3
So you are team CCISD so we are we are team CCISD and we absolutely love it. We've been a part of this community for a long time and we intend to keep it going.
00;20;40;15 - 00;20;50;00
Speaker 1
Well, I think you have some great advice on that work life balance, but what advice do you have for others to help them live CCISD to the fullest?
00;20;50;00 - 00;21;09;29
Speaker 3
Well, I think, like, like I mentioned earlier, I believe that you need to give yourself a chance to recharge your battery so that you don't get too worn down. And that way you can bring your your best every day when you show up and make sure you have a purpose and teaching others what you know and helping bring that positive attitude every day.
00;21;11;03 - 00;21;13;17
Speaker 2
Sounds like you're a natural, positive person.
00;21;13;25 - 00;21;19;01
Speaker 3
You are the eternal optimist. Absolutely. I'm definitely a glass half full.
00;21;19;01 - 00;21;22;10
Speaker 2
Wow. It's been an honor. Definitely learned some things.
00;21;22;21 - 00;21;25;13
Speaker 1
I enjoyed it. One last question. Go for it. Because we.
00;21;25;13 - 00;21;27;05
Speaker 2
Did. Yes. With the future self.
00;21;27;12 - 00;21;40;02
Speaker 1
Yes. And the future self. So I actually have two questions. We talked to Matthew. I'm in our catering department a bit ago. And so what is your favorite fish dish? So we catch the fish. Do we like to cook them? And you said you like cooking, too.
00;21;40;02 - 00;21;48;23
Speaker 3
So true. So I'm a I'm a big fan of tuna and so I really like a lightly chargrilled tuna steak.
00;21;50;03 - 00;22;02;20
Speaker 1
And if you could go back and you had a young graduate from A&M that was just starting their journey in the purchasing world. What advice could you go back and what would you what advice would you give them?
00;22;04;04 - 00;22;19;28
Speaker 3
I would say that you need to really enjoy what you're doing and have that sense of being helpful and bring in your best every day.