Huge Star, Local Restaurant!!!

As I walked into a local restaurant with my family last weekend we were all surprised to look over a couple of booths and see a major celebrity eating just a few feet from us. Jim Lampley of NBC was eating a meal with his son who lives in Utah and goes to the Oakley School. My father dared me to say hi to Mr. Lampley as he was leaving. I told my father that i was not a chicken or timid at all to say hi to a nationally recognized person as Jim Lampley. Needless to say, as he was leaving the restaurant, I leaned over and said hello to Mr. Lampley. He stopped and greeted me as well. He was really friendly and to my surprise asked my family and I a couple of questions on his way out. It was pretty cool to see and talk to him.

USU Basketball

Hey Aggie fans, are your ready for the NCAA tournament? If any of you out there are doubting the Aggie's or are afraid of our chances this Friday, I am writing this to remind you of just exactly we have on our team. We have Quayle Man, shooter Tyler Newbold, High Flyer Pooh Williams, the enforcer Tai Wesley and last but certainly not least,the WAC MVP Gary Wilkinson. This lineup has proven to be a great one winning over 25 games this season and making it to the NCAA tournament. I found an article about the team and more specifically Gary Wilkinson that you might want to read. It is found at http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031609aad.html. If you don't want to go there, here are some experts from the article:

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball player Gary Wilkinson was tabbed the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete Of The Week for the period ending on Sunday, March 15. The USU award is voted on by a statewide media panel.
Wilkinson, a native of South Jordan, Utah, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 Western Athletic Conference Tournament as he led Utah State to the tournament championship with wins against Fresno State (85-68), New Mexico State (71-70), and Nevada (72-62). He began the tournament by scoring 18 points against the Bulldogs, and then scored 19 points and added five rebounds against NMSU. In the championship game against the Wolf Pack, he scored a game-high 21 points to go along with six boards. Overall, Wilkinson averaged 19.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the tournament, while shooting 54.1 percent from the field (20-37) and 78.3 percent from the free throw line (18-23).
This is Wilkinson's fourth USU weekly award this season, as he garnered the honor on Nov. 17, Dec. 15 and Jan. 12, and is the eighth time this season that a men's basketball player has collected the accolade.
Utah State will make its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years when the 11th-seeded Aggies take on sixth-seeded Marquette in the first round of the NCAA West Regional on Friday at 10:30 a.m. (MT) at Taco Bell Arena at Boise, Idaho. The winner of that game will face either third-seeded Missouri or 14th-seeded Cornell on Sunday, Mar. 22.
Utah State (30-4 overall, 14-2 WAC) is making it first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in three years, but its sixth in the last 10 years and seventh in the last 12 years. Overall, the Aggies are making their 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. USU's last NCAA Tournament was in 2006, when the Aggies dropped a 75-61 decision to fifth-seeded Washington in the first round.
This is the first time ever that USU has faced Marquette. The Aggies are 6-9 all-time vs. teams from the Big East, last facing a Big East team in 2000 when USU took on Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament, losing 75-67. Marquette is 9-1 all-time vs. teams from the WAC, with New Mexico State the only team to beat the Golden Eagles, 73-69, in 1972.

SAFETY FIRST!!!

Staker Parsons has been one of the leading companies in their line of work for many years and for many reasons and the reason at the top of that list is SAFETY. Staker prides itself on the work that they put into a job, no matter how large or how small. Going the extra mile is not just a saying or figure of speech at Staker, it is something that has come to be expected. Back in 2007, president Scott W. Parson issued a presidents message to his employees that I found very motivating and interesting. He tells a story about the power of hot water. At 211 degrees water is simply hot, but at 212 degrees water begins to boil creating steam, even enough steam to power a locomotive. That one extra degree makes all the difference. Mr. Parson issued a challenge to all Staker employees to go the extra mile in all aspects of their work. In safety, service and innovation. His message covers a variety of topics and issues that you can read at

http://www.stakerparson.com/about/index.cfm?id=31. As mentioned above, safety is number one at Staker Parsons. The company does not simply tell their employees to be safe, rather, they have developed a system called TRACK to help and remind everyone to be safe in all aspects of work. TRACK can be seen everywhere in Staker Parsons, from stickers on hardhats to t-shirts, logos on trucks to billboards on their buildings. TRACK is an acronym for:

T- think through the task

R- recognize the hazards

A-assess the risks

C-control the hazards

K-keep safety first in all tasks

As a former employee at Staker, I am very grateful for TRACK and the way that it is preached at work. I don't have a wife or kids at this point in my life that would miss me if I didn't come at the end of the day but I do have parents that I know would worry. With TRACK I feel safe at work because I know the risks and have a plan to avoid getting hurt. Injury, whether great or small, can hurt a family or an individual and in the current economic state of our country, no one can afford to be out of a job because they didn't follow safety measures at work. TRACK has helped employees at Staker, without question, be safe and stay worry free. TRACK is just one example of going the extra mile at Staker Parsons. Remember at 211 degrees water is simply hot, but at 212 degrees it begins to boil.

Michael Phelps

In light of his recent publicity, the question that has been asked the most, at least in my opinion, is whether or not Olympic national star Michael Phelps should be viewed as a role model for the current generation of children? In my very biased opinion the answer to that question is YES!!! Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete in the history of the games. He accomplished more in 2008 Beijing games than most athletes accomplish in their lifetime. He has set the standard for not only the Olympic games but for all sports in general. Most of his events are individual competitions and he succeeds in all of them. He holds numerous individual records and not to mention world records also. He has been quoted by saying he was disappointed after his gold medal winning swim because he did not break his own and world records during the swim. The list of his credentials could go on and on but suffice it to say he has all the credentials needed to be considered a role model for the rising generation. Now, what needs to be said about his choices out of the pool? Most of them are good and actually have been uplifting for most but the sad reality is that his wrong decisions out way his good in the eyes of the media. After his amazing achievements in Athens, he was picked up for drunk driving and now after the Beijing games he was caught smoking a bong at a party. Do those two decisions define who Michael Phelps is? The answer to this question is absolutely not. Yes he has made some wrong choices and yes he got caught, but two decisions should not define him as a bad person, in my own opinion. I, for one, respect Michael Phelps and all his accomplishments as an athlete, however, these two unfortunate choices will always linger in the minds of everyone who heard about them. In four years, the world will wait in anticipation for Micheal Phelps to dive off the blocks and into the pool for yet another spectacular Olympic games in which he will represent the USA. My question to America is, when he touches his hand to the wall in yet another victorious swim, will you be thinking of those two wrong decisions? I think the answer is no, America will be behind it's hero and cheering him on from in front of their televisions screaming at Michael to go faster and swim harder. Just something to think about.

History of Staker Parsons

So if you have been a follower of the Petersen Report or have simply scrolled through my posts, you must have noticed all my posts about a great company called Staker Parsons. I have worked for the company now for two summers now as a lab technician for asphalt paving and design. I have learned a lot about the company in those two summers and hope to continue to learn more about it this coming summer. In this post I would like to show you how Staker combined with Jack B. Parsons to form what is now known as Staker Parsons. On the Staker website under the link called "About Us" you can find the history of the company and it's plans for the future. Here is the link, http://www.stakerparson.com/about/. As mentioned above, working for Staker Parsons has been a learning and joyful experience. Progress is an every day goal throughout the company and at the end of each day that progress can be seen and measured. The rest of this post are experts from the already posted history and facts about the company.

About Us

"Staker Parson Companies was formed in 2001 when Staker Paving and Construction Company and Jack B. Parson Companies became partners. For 55 years, Staker Parson Companies has worked to be the Preferred Source of quality rock products, concrete, asphalt, paving, and construction serving a wide variety of contractors, businesses, government agencies, municipalities, and homeowners. The company has been recognized by numerous organizations for its commitment to safety, quality, and innovation. Staker Parson Companies is the Intermountain Region's largest producer of quality sand & rock product, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt, paving, and construction services, employing more than 2,200 people at more than thirty locations. For the past five years, Staker Parson Companies has been recognized as one of Utah's fastest growing companies. From the roads you drive on to the parks you play in, you can count on the team at Staker Parson Companies to deliver quality products and projects in a safe, timely, and efficient manner. The federation of Staker Parson Companies includes Jack B. Parson Companies, Idaho Sand & Gravel, Co., Idaho Concrete Company, and Western Rock Products. Staker Parson Companies is affiliated with the Oldcastle Materials Group/CRH plc (www.crh.com), one of the world's largest construction materials supply companies."

Missing NFL Players

This post is simply a current event that has happened over the past weekend. The Nation Football League has had a tremendous accident that has happened. Here is a recent article.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- "The Coast Guard said Tuesday it is suspending at sundown the search for two NFL players and another man whose boat capsized off Florida's Gulf Coast.
The Coast Guard said it doesn't believe any of the three men -- Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free agent lineman Corey Smith and former University of South Florida player William Bleakley -- is on the surface of the water.
Cooper
Smith
Crews had narrowed their search for the three after finding a survivor Monday. Former South Florida player Nick Schuyler was found clutching to the boat's hull.
The 24-year-old Schuyler told the Coast Guard that the boat was anchored when it capsized Saturday in high seas. He said the four men put on life vests after the boat capsized. They stayed together for some time, yet it remains unclear when and how they got separated.
Schuyler was dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia when he was found. But his condition improved to fair at a hospital Tuesday.
The four men left Clearwater Pass early Saturday in calm weather, but heavy winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy, with waves of 7 feet and higher, peaking at 15 feet on Sunday. A relative alerted the Coast Guard early Sunday after the men did not return as expected. The Coast Guard said it did not receive a distress signal.
The men were aboard an Everglades-manufactured boat, which is built with compressed foam encased in Fiberglas, making it difficult to sink. The weather had improved Tuesday, with waves subsiding to 6 to 8 feet, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Barron said.
Searchers had previously covered 16,000 square miles of ocean but the area being searched was much smaller since they found Schuyler, Capt. Timothy Close said.
However, Bob Zales, president of National Association of Charter Boat Operators, said waves that high can capsize a boat the size of Cooper's.
"A boat that size, personally, I wouldn't get out any farther than 20 or 30 miles offshore," Zales said. "But I see people all the time 40, 50 miles offshore."
Smith had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the Detroit Lions. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and was a standout at North Carolina State.
Cooper, 26, played college ball at Washington, and has spent five seasons with five different teams, appearing in 26 games with the Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005. He's played sparingly since.
The Raiders and Lions said in separate statements that the teams hope the men will be rescued and that their thoughts and prayers go out to their families."

This is a sad story indeed and one can only hope that they find the missing persons involved. If you feel so inclined, keep up on the news in the next couple of days.

One Beautiful SUNSET!!!

One of the oldest practices in public relations is the passing out of fliers for certain plays, musicals, parties and much more. One of my good friends was on the Internet the other day when I walked into her apartment. As i sat there looking at the gorgeous pictures on her computer of sunsets, scenic wonders and weddings,I couldn't help but wonder how she knew about this certain photographer named Kristopher Orr. I proceeded to ask her that very question and low and behold the answer was not what I expected it to be. She said that she had received a flier up on our campus about the work of this photographer. It amazed me that a little 5x5 cutout could create such an interest and generate such attention. Fliers might be considered "Old School" but they still seem to get the job done if the fliers are done in a professional manner. Since then I have been looking at hundreds of fliers on campus and examining them down to the very smallest detail. Some are awesome while others look as if they were put together in three minutes. Once again it amazes me how productive a simple fliers can be.