Tag: company culture

SGA’s ‘Whistle While You Work’ Vol. 3

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Break out of your normal pattern of thinking. According to an article published by The New York Times, when the mind is wandering, music can bring you back into focus and “make a repetitive job feel more lively.” Enliven the post-Holiday lows, expand your mind and listen to SGA’s personally curated playlist to boost 2017 as a year of energetic change in the world.
SGA’s “Whistle While You Work” Vol. 3

STAFF Songs in Playlist (Title/Artist)
Lauren The Imitation Game Soundtrack
Megan “Work on It” by Alicia Keys 
Jackie “Selfish” by Slum Village ft John Legend & Kanye West
Angie “Blessings” by Chance the Rapper ft Jamila Woods & Byron Cage
Carolina “You Can Go Now” by Schmieds Puls
Paloma “History Has It’s Eyes on You” by John Legend
Joy “There You Are” by Pogo
Ly “Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott
Jessica  “My Favorite Part” by Mac Miller ft Ariana Grande 
AND “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur

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SGA’s ‘Whistle While You Work’ Vol. 2

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With an entire Slack channel dedicated to exploring other music, SGA employees are verified audiophiles. Working in an office with people of varied backgrounds and an eclectic taste in music means a constant supply of fresh new music to listen to as we make the world a better place.
When your mind starts to wander or you’re in need of some inspiration, pop on a pair of headphones and discover your new favorite song below, courtesy of SGAers!

SGA’s “Whistle While You Work” Vol. 2

STAFF Songs in Playlist (Title/Artist)
Angeline Lee Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
Anya Liddiard The National- I Need My Girl
To be completely honest, “The Good Dinosaur” is what my daughter likes, so I have to listen to:
Homestead (From “The Good Dinosaur” Score)
Caitlin Dunham Miike Snow- My Trigger
Carolina Gonzalez Alexandre Desplat – The Danish Girl Original Soundtrack
Jackie Ayala Isaiah Rashad (Ft. Kendrick Lamar & Zacari) –  Wat’s Wrong
Judy Seitelman Gipsy Kings-Bamboleo
Joy Contreras Silversun Pickups- Circadian Rhythm
Lauren Palmerino DVBBS & Borgeous – Tsunami
Megan Kang Alt-J – Dissolve Me
Paloma Rosenbaum Sia- Reaper
Thomas Kim Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah
Roanel Herrera: Gotan Project- Diferente
Stephen Groner Johnny Cash- God’s Gonna Cut You Down

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Getting OC Gneighbors to Think Saving Water is Gnormal

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Stormwater is such an abstract concept for people. But when we’re tasked with getting the public to understand pollution-conveying runoff and the need for water conservation during an ongoing drought, we needed something – or someone – to help in the effort. We needed a gnome.

We looked for a mascot for our client, Orange County Stormwater Program. A lovable and personable garden gnome came to be and residents named Gnorman during a social media contest. While in reality Gnorman is a custom-made ceramic piece, he has taken on a life of his own during this campaign and speaks in a voice that residents listen to.

When emails come from Gnorman, the quality of engagement goes up. More people joined the bi-weekly newsletter mailing list. The open rate topped 60 percent. The message was not only getting out there, but was also being well-received.  Website page views increased. We found that the public loved the personal stories that were being shared. People began emailing to share their own stories and photos of their gardens, but not with us, with Gnorman. Emails were actually addressed to Gnorman. So, he replied back. He also showed up at local gardening events to educate OC residents and appeared in a video about a drought-tolerant yard. In all, he was seen across 34 cities, reaching 3.1 million residents.

Getting a social marketing message across always has its challenges. Even when people know how important an effort like water conservation is, getting them to take action isn’t always easy. Gnorman has made it easier. These days, you can find him on more than 1,000 lawn signs all over Orange County. He keeps touting the message: Over Watering is Out. Blue ribbons on those signs indicate that resident has taken action to have drought-tolerant landscaping, reduce sprinkler times, save water and eliminate runoff.

The program’s goal to create a new norm – or gnorm – was achieved. Christy Suppes, an OC environmental resources specialist says, “We believe residents understand their impact and how their actions at home made a difference.” Additionally, the campaign was honored by the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) with the Outstanding Regional Stormwater News, Information, Outreach and Media Award.

For more information on the campaign and Gnorman, check out overwateringisout.org. 

SGA’s ‘Whistle While You Work’ Vol. 1

Posted on by Stephen Groner

Every week the Economist magazine (one of my favorite reads) puts together a music playlist to go along with their insightful, often cutting and highly influential articles about the world and economics (their most recent cover story on China’s President Xi Jinping, resulted in their website being blocked).

Well, at SGA, we love our music and while we might not make it onto China’s blacklist, we thought, why not create a playlist to help influence some positive change here at home.

So here goes, some music to do a little social marketing by. Tap your toes as we help build a better world.

SGA’s “Whistle While You Work” Vol. 1

STAFF Songs in Playlist (Title/Artist)
Adam Quinn “The Temptation of Adam” by Josh Ritter
Andy Luo “Knock You Down” by Keri Hilson
Carolina Gonzalez “Don’t Want to Fight” by Alabama Shakes
Chris Koenig “Hold on, Hold on” by Neko Case
Dani Schmulevich “Beautiful Life” by James Morrison
Erin Rode “Ragged Wood” by Fleet Foxes
Basil Mangra “Stella”  by Jam and Spoon
Jackie Ayala “Spottieottiedopaliscious” by Outkast
Judy Seitelman “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Sara Bareilles
Rachel Dowd “Who You Are” by Jessie J
Rose Solis “Work” by Rihanna
Sarah Catallo “Worry” by Jack Garratt
Stephen Groner “So What” by Miles Davis
Thomas Kim “If I’m Unworthy” by Blake Mills
Whitney Schmucker “Hurricane” by Halsey

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2015: SGA’s Year in Review

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Countdown of the top 11 things we did in 2015

11. Worked with LA Stormwater and Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education on the 22nd Kids Ocean Day.
10. Won a CASQA award for our work with Orange County Stormwater Program and Gnorman.
9. Exceeded goals for County of Santa Barbara’s pilot pet-waste campaign.
8. Boosted social media engagement for San Bernardino County Stormwater with pet photo contests.
7. Helped NRDC and Grant EDC brand their new nonprofit, Watts Re: Imagined.
6. Created a new website for the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department.
5. Co-chaired the 2015 Zero Waste Conference in DTLA and introduced Mayor Garcetti.
4. Volunteered at The Growing Experience urban farm in Long Beach.
3. Read good books on marketing and behavior change in our book club.
2. Went a whole new level of green.
1. Aspired to change the world, one project at a time.
Cheers to 2016! All of us at SGA look forward to another year of working with you to improve our community and the planet.

What We’re Thankful For

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At the SGA office in Long Beach, we like to focus on gratitude. And if we ever forget what gives our lives purpose and joy, there’s a 10 x 12 ft chalkboard wall to remind us.

Gratitude for SGA’ers can be brought about by things small (a blueberry muffin from Doly’s can turn any day around) or large (making a difference gets us up in the morning). Being grateful makes us feel good. But it turns out, it actually makes us healthier, too.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine tested the power of gratitude on heart disease. They asked one group to write down two or three things they were grateful for each day in a journal. The other group didn’t journal. After two months, the researchers found that the people who wrote in their journals showed reduced inflammation, improved heart rhythm and less risk of developing heart disease. Looks like our chalkboard scribbles are doing double duty.

There’s perhaps no better time to express gratitude than Thanksgiving. So we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients, colleagues, associates, and friends. It is a privilege to work with you to make the world a better place. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do what we love and to be part of a team of passionate people that believe in change.

Straight Outta Compton: A Case Study in Impact

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If there is one thing that gets SGA up in the morning (aside of the double-shot soy latte), it’s impact. We like to make a difference.

We put our passion for impact to the test one recent Saturday morning, when we met in the parking lot of Bunche Middle School at 7am sharp (caffeine in hand) to participate in Compton Initiative’s Just Do Good work day. The Compton Initiative is a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and transforming the City of Compton.

Four times a year, hundreds of volunteers gather in the school parking lot, put on bright yellow t-shirts and pick up their work assignments—anything from building planter boxes and planting trees to painting a mural or renovating a house. Continue reading “Straight Outta Compton: A Case Study in Impact”

Clinton, Yahoo and the Modern Family

Posted on by Stephen Groner

This past January marked 20 years since Bill Clinton first took office as the first baby boomer president, and as one of his first actions he signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. The Act mandated that employers allow either or both of the new parents the ability to take unpaid leave from their work to take care of their newborn baby. In many ways it was the country’s official (albeit, belated) acknowledgment that the world had changed and that families with two working parents were the norm.

At the time when the Act was passed, I was an engineer working at Los Angeles County Public Works and my wife (a pharmacist) had just found out that she was pregnant with our first child. I was just three and half years out of college and as a young dad was ready to take on the challenge of fatherhood in a new era. The plan was that my wife Thuy would take off for the first four months and then I would take off for the second four months.

However, County Public Works, as I found out, had not yet made the mental shift to this new era. I got well intentioned advice that this might not be a good move, various skeptical questions checking to see if I was somehow “gaming” the system and finally, reluctant permission. As it turned out, I was the first dad in the organization to take this new leave and my request was somewhat understandably met with bewilderment by my engineer bosses; men who had been dads in an era when roles were different and young ambitious engineers (like I was) followed a standard regimented career path void of such distractions.

Then in 1997, my second son was born and in four short years perspectives had already changed. By this time I was in management and rising. I had a key role in managing a couple very large and visible contracts. I again, requested time off, however this time the reaction was different. Not only was I granted time off, but my boss worked with me so that I didn’t have to take unpaid leave. Instead my boss created a flexible part time schedule, mixed with my accumulated time off and telecommuting so that I could both cover staying at home with my son and continue to manage those key contracts.
What created such a big change in such a short time? Continue reading “Clinton, Yahoo and the Modern Family”

Starting a Book Club in the Office

Posted on by Stephen Groner

Good food. A good book. And an engaging conversation. What more can you ask for (OK, well, maybe a little wine)?
The 2013 edition of the SGA Book Club is now rolling, with a great line up of new books on slate. We just completed How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christianson, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon. Now we are onto The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

SGA is now into our fifth year of doing our book club and I wanted to take the time to encourage more work places to try it and perhaps Continue reading “Starting a Book Club in the Office”