Ken Roberts: Collin College Trustee

Ken Roberts for Collin College: Campaign Platform:

 New Leadership with New Vision needs New Perspective.

  Our community has proudly watched Collin College grow and become an integral part of the ‘Collin County experience’. It has progressed from a ‘greenfield dream’ of a higher education institution through Quad C to its present status as Collin College. Collin College is no longer a rural community college of 30 years ago. It is changing to a suburban College which resides in a county that is attracting Fortune 500, Global 2000 giants. This progression needs to constantly review perspective.

  We are approaching another milestone in the development of Collin College. We have a new leader, a new President, Dr. Neil Matkin. We have had 2 outstanding Presidents. Dr. John Anthony for 14 years in the start-up and foundation stage and Dr. Cary Israel for 16 years in the formative and establishment stage. I will work with Dr. Matkin to facilitate the new vision of our progression. My perspective is to be the Board member to help us ‘to the next stage’.

HR experience:

  I bring vital experience not present on the board; 25 years of HR experience. The Human Resources mindset is that the employees are the most important asset of their company. We must communicate, recognized and retain all the outstanding teachers and staff that we have at Collin College.

Corporation Partnership:

  Another vital experience that I bring to the Board is current Corporate/Business experience. We need to enhance our relationships with corporations; just as TI with UTD and PISD. Barclays Bank, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Ericsson, Huawei, Frito-Lay, Dell, HP and, of course, the crown jewel, Toyota have decided to move here. The primary reasons are business friendly attitude, quality of life, and the outstanding educational systems in our County. My perspective is based on the corporation type mindset like the Global 2000 tech company I am currently employed.

Service/Board Experience:

  I have the strong desire to serve the community.  I have served the people of Plano and Collin County for over 20 years on boards.  I work well on boards. I have served in positions up to president on boards involved in education (adult & student), civil, philanthropic, city and county.  I am engaged and contributory. I volunteer, build concessions and effectively relate my position and ideas to other board members. I am a graduate of Leadership Plano and other leadership courses to train myself as a doer and facilitator.  I am passionate for an idea but not obsessive or egotistical. 

I feel that with ‘New leadership with New Vision, will need a New Perspective’ to move to the next level.

Please vote for me as Collin College Trustee, Place 8 on May 9^th (or before).

- J.B. Blocker is a media consultant based in Collin County in North Texas. Advertise with J.B. by calling 469-334-9962.

My First Time

My First……

Romancing the bean series by Caffeine Cowboy

  A lot of chefs know I’m the coffee guy. My friends certainly do. A regular son of a preacher man, “the only one who could ever please you!”

  I have tasted many satisfying coffees over the years. In all other cultures, making a personal cup for friends, guest, or even themselves was not wasted on making a bad cup of coffee.

  They might add sugars and spices or any number of creative/available additives to make the drink worth the time.  But virtually every coffee drinking culture really still takes their coffee time seriously.

  Except in America! Even the best restaurants are brewing coffee by the pot. Starbucks, Royal, and Community Coffee heavy weights supply all the equipment and then funnel their bulk coffees into 4 Star venues. America isn’t choosing their coffee like wine. Coffee service is rarely personal any more.

  Do you wonder why Starbucks types are doing so well? I think it is a psychological reason. The beverage is being made especially for the customer! It is as simple as that! Why else would many thousands of people spend their car payment each month for not so great coffee?

  I am not so certain they are even really satisfied!

  And there lies my mission. To satisfy you!

  I am truly driven by my depth of exposure to the world of food and beverage and its relationship with coffee!

  So how did this passion ignite? What ‘got me in to coffee’?

CAMPFIRE COFFEE

By J.B. Blocker

  Over a small camp fire, Old Tom began by heating the well-cured little skillet he had once carried with him on the open trail. It was just breaking dark as others were showing up to the rodeo arena on the edge of town.

 He would often arrive before anyone else and be drinking his coffee when his sons and grandsons pulled up with their trailers. Others would show up on most Saturday mornings.

 This was the ‘60’s. I was a teenager in love with western lore. Tom was born in the ‘1870’s and had lived his youth in the time of the last great cattle drives. He was a real cowboy!

ICONIC! The hub of Downtown Dallas

  If you see the Eiffel Tower in a photo, you know you are looking at Paris. If you see the Sky Needle, you know it is Seattle.  When the Twin Towers were lost, a skyline photo of New York was not the same!

  As long as the great mirrored multilevel building with the great ball in the sky is in a photo, you know you are looking at downtown Dallas. If the photo doesn’t include the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion most people wouldn’t know you were looking at the Dallas Skyline.

  Fifty Stories in the air, Wolfgang Puck’s 560 now occupies the Reunion Tower (the rotating ball in the sky). It is a must experience if you are visiting Dallas to view the city in all its glory at the Cloud 9 Cafe.

  The Hyatt Regency is perfectly suited to host conventions and perfectly located to easily access everything Dallas. When it opened in 1978, the city of Dallas became recognizable worldwide.

  Hundreds of thousands of guest each year take advantage of the 1120 rooms, 42 suites, 160,000 square feet of convention area, stunning views, and dining experiences to satisfy every whim.

  Just 10 minutes from Dallas Love Field and 15 miles from DFW Airport!

  This AAA Four-Diamond rated luxury hotel has an underground access to Union Station. From there, all the magical places you want to visit in Dallas radiates from this historic central transportation hub built in 1916. The 23 million dollar restoration can take you back in time and into the future.

  Amtrak can bring you directly to the Hyatt from all over America if you have the time to read or write a good book.

  From there you can ride the DART commuter transport system to Plano or Garland. The Cotton Bowl at Fair Park, the Dallas Zoo, the 6^th Floor Museum, Gilley’s, the Dallas Convention Center, the West End Entertainment District, the American Airlines Arena and all parts in and around the Dallas Metropolitan Area are on the routes.

  You can take the Trinity Railway Express to DFW or on to Ft.Worth without getting wet!

ICONIC DINING

Featuring Executive Chef Hermann Hiemeyer

 

The Great UnKnowns

isplaying Reunion at Reunion v3.docx.

Living among us are keepers of the flame!  Who truly understands the spark that ignited that inner fire? That spark which gave way to a young vulnerable flame. The flame that, when properly fostered, ignited into a raging inferno of desire capable of driving a person to a lifetime of the extraordinary?

  Who among us is 

Photo by Debbie Knowlton and D-Magazine
D-Magazine Article by Nancy Nichols 

equipped to predict when that passion, born of a creative young mind growing up in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or France, ultimately decides to settle in the most unlikely place a world away?

  That is exactly what happened in the span of several years stretching from the mid-70s to the mid-80s when a disparate group of chefs, each trained in the art of European cuisine and fine dining inexplicably relocated to Dallas, where they spawned a culinary revolution that reshaped and molded the Dallas food world.

True Texas Cuisine

“They came into Dallas at a time when fine dining was a big ole’ T-bone, a loaded baked potato, and an iceberg lettuce salad,” says Dotty Griffith, former food editor for the Dallas Morning News.

 “I became food editor in 1978 and that was when Dallas was really starting to enter a new age of cuisine. I can’t imagine the culture shock they must have experienced, most of them having come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland or France, and many of them had traveled much of the world in their training."

More than thirty years later,

ICONIC DINING at the HYATT REGENCY

ICONIC

By J.B. Blocker

On Monday October 20^th this illustrious group of very special people gathered at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion to share a classic European menu, recall the development of the Dallas culinary culture, and to be memorialized in photos and on film.

 Representing:

D-Magazine, Ms. Nancy Nichols

Rosiggnol Production, Ms. Isabell Rosiggnol

EWMCS, Chef David Sokol

 Dallas Chefs Assoc., Chef Pat Mitchell

Hosted by Hyatt Regency
 Executive Chef Hermann Hiemeyer

Co-Host Caffeine Cowboy, J.B. Blocker

EMCEE, Honorary Chef Dotty Griffith

Chef John Blaze, Chef Karl Haas, Chef Ernst Gruch
 Chef Klaus Mittlehauser, Chef Bernard Muller, 
 Chef Josef Bucher, Chef Rene Weibel, Chef Andre Bedouret
  Chef Klaus Baumbach, Chef Karl Kuby, Chef Ewald Scholtz

   Chef Peter Curley, Chef Randy Gehman, Chef Robert Bilfulco

       Gus Katsigris, El Centro, Lucian LaBarba, Ben E. Keith 

Chef James Deibel (For Chef Jean LaFont)

  Honorary Chef (JD) Werle, Honorary Chef Gay Prewitt
  
On the personal invitations, the following was included.

You have been responsible for great Dallas venues.

You have mentored many current and future great chefs.

You have been instrumental in apprenticeship and education.

You have promoted and supported the dining industry.

You have elevated the dining industry with your talent and skill.

You are highly regarded by your peers.

This list would not be complete without you!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

  On behalf of the staff of the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion it is my honor to welcome each of you to a memorable afternoon to share and create memories. You will honor us with your presence.

  Please accept our invitation to join us for a historic gathering of exceptional professional. Our guest list of 21 very special people includes senior Chef John Blaze (age 93) and remembers the late great Chefs John LaFont and Werner Vogeli.

Executive Chef Hermann Hiemeyer

Honorary Chef Ms. Dotty Griffith will begin with a nostalgic view of this illustrious group.
Ms. Nancy Nichols of D-Magazine will record this event for posterity.

Ms. Isabell Rossignol will video record for the Dallas Historic Society.

The Caffeine Cowboy, J.B. Blocker will provide the World’s Rarest Coffee (Kopi Luwak).

 Wild Mountain Kopi Luwak

the 'Bucket List' coffee
 roasted by Caffeine Cowboy

       I receive my Kopi Luwak directly from Mystical Coffee Holding Company. They represent Coffindo the premium Indonesian coffee supplier. As of now, Mystical is the exclusive source for their limited allotment to the United States. It is flown directly from western Sumatra. 

     I personally roast every bean and hand manicure each batch before packaging to insure that no 'bad beans' reach the consumer.  It is a time consuming and pain-staking procedure! The coffee is roasted, ground, measured and delivered weekly to insure freshness in 14 gram/ 4 cup personal packets for $18. Discounts available for 10 packs, 30 day supply, and commercial purchases.
     This coffee is without a doubt distinctive, exquisite, exotic, and memorable. For coffee lovers, it is an experience you will want to check off of that list!

     Expect to see it served wherever fine foods, exceptional desserts, and choice wines are offered. Or you can buy on-line at Caffeine Cowboy.us beginning in December 2014.

     Enjoy the following video!
  Visit the source of Lone Star wild Kopi Luwak

  

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 [JB1]

- J.B. Blocker is a media consultant based in Collin County in North Texas. Advertise with J.B. by calling 469-334-9962.