Posts in category Super Prompt

Dream Big and Fast

Jul06
2012 Leave a Comment Written by jabbott

 

Jake Carlson, 21, relaxes at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on his day off from his internship with Western Forms Inc. in Kansas City, Kan.

He dreams big, really big, and fast too. Jake Carlson, 21, dreams of designing and creating his own theme park.

Carlson majors in construction engineering technology at Pittsburg State University, but his eyes are set on designing roller coasters.

“My dream job would be to design roller coasters because that is so different than office buildings, hospitals, and airports,” said Carlson.

Located on the Lake Erie shore, Cedar Point is Carlson’s ideal theme park because of the amount of roller coasters, the layout of the park by the lake, and there’s always plenty to do.

According to Carlson, the ideal theme park is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio because of the amount of roller coasters, the layout of the park by the lake and there is always plenty to do.

According to Cedar Point’s website,  it is known as the “roller coaster capital of the world.”

Cedar Point introduced its first roller coaster in 1892. The Switchback Railway soared 25 feet and reached a top speed of 10 mph. This first coaster is quite different from today’s coasters and Carlson’s favorites: Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster.

Millenium Force’s two minute ride takes its passengers 310 feet in the air, drops 80 degrees and reaches 93 mph before letting allowing passengers a chance to catch their breath.

“Millenium Force is so cool because it is so close to the water and you are overlooking all of the trees in the park,” said Carlson.

Meanwhile, Top Thrill Dragster, also known as the “Race for the Sky,” provides an even faster experience. According to Cedar Point’s website, the Top Thrill Dragster goes from “Zero to 120 mph in less than four seconds.” This roller coaster also takes its passengers higher at 420 feet, but the ride only lasts 17 seconds. Top Thrill Dragster


When Carlson is not dreaming of roller coasters or relaxing at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, he interns at Western Forms Inc., a leading U.S. manufacturer of aluminum formwork systems company, headquarted in Kansas City. He uses Inventor and Autocad software programs to design aluminum concrete forms for construction projects in Central and South America and the middle East.

“Taking something from paper to seeing the final product provides great satisfaction,” said Carlson.

One of his recent projects also provided him great satisfaction as well.  In February, he and five of his fellow classmates placed 10th out of 36 teams for their residential subdivision project proposal and presentation at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla.

Jake Carlson, bottom left, and his classmates placed 10th out of 36 teams for their residential subdivision project proposal and presentation at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla. this year.

As engineers, their task was to create a business plan, research the best type of residential subdivision for a 22 acre tract of land, and then, create a 150 page booklet detailing their project proposal. Then, at the show, they were to present their proposal to a panel of judges, who posed as potential investors for the projects.

To the public eye, Carlson may seem like another college student spending his summer days at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, but listening to his story provides a glimpse into the hope of the future where roller coasters are bigger and faster.

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It’s on her list: Graduating, marriage, serving ice cream

Jul01
2012 Leave a Comment Written by kpraser

After a hot, humid July day in Chicago, going out for an ice cream is an expected part of a summer routine. The Highland Queen Drive-in is the perfect spot to get a vanilla cone dipped in cherry to expel the heat. Chances are Cathy Carnall, 28, would be there to take your order.

Carnall has worked at the Highland Queen for the past nine years while attending school to earn her phlebotomy certificate. She uses the money earned to pay for her education at College of DuPage.  Not only has she been waiting to complete her degree, she has been waiting for the past six years to finally walk down the aisle to marry.

“He lives in DeKalb with his parents, and I live here with mine. So you could say that we’ve been in engaged longer than expected,” Carnall said with a sigh and a slight smile.

With the 2007 housing market crash that has lead into the current Recession, Carnall has decided that it is best for them to wait before following through with any wedding plans.

“We’re waiting for job security. He hasn’t found a job, so now he is going to Oxford to earn his English teaching certificate in addition to history.”

Carnall feels that if her fiancé secures a high school teaching position, then she can find work at a local hospital. The plan is, then, to settle down as a couple.

“In January, I will start my clinicals, which last for eight to 12 weeks. After that, I should be able to find word. My mom is a nurse at Hinsdale Hospital,” Carnall said.

Being involved in the medical field wasn’t Carnall’s first choice, music was.

“I have been involved with music and choir since fourth grade. I went to Millikin for vocal performance, but I changed majors my junior year to music theory, when I realized I had to switch colleges.”

Carnall eventually attended Western Illinois University for two years. The professor in charge of the program retired, which resulted in a complete overhaul of the program. So Carnall decided to end her dreams of music performance there.

“At one time, I did voice, piano and violin,” Carnall said.

Carnall knows one constant in her life – the opportunity to return every summer to work at the family owned Highland Queen serving their famous Brute burgers and hand-dipped cones.

“I enjoy seeing the customers. They do put a smile on my face.”

Maui native finds inspiration for sustainable business in Missoula

Jun30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by jderryberry

Tia Ferguson is a recent graduate in Sustainable Management who wants to help Maui locals benefit more from local resources and the tourist industry.
Photo courtesy of Tia Ferguson

MISSOULA, Mont. — Tia Ferguson is used to the envious responses when she reveals she’s from Maui. People envision and long for the beautiful beaches, cerulean waters, lush flora and cascading waterfalls. So does Ferguson. She just wishes offshore companies didn’t own all of them.

Ferguson is part of a movement to make Maui more local-friendly in order to capitalize on the tourism that makes it a popular vacation destination.

“Most people make the same mistaken assumption that tourism is the economic boon for Hawaii.  In reality, only about 20 percent of the state’s GDP come from visitors,” Ferguson said.

The reason tourism isn’t more profitable for the state is because residents don’t own the properties or businesses visitors patronize. Ferguson said locals overestimate the benefit of tourism in the local economy and don’t realize how much they’re losing. Including the service-level wages of the local workers, less than 10 percent of the revenue from accommodations stays in the state.

It’s the misconceptions around the tourism industry and the greater problem of resource ownership that Ferguson wants to change. She said she is a bit “idealistic” but nevertheless hopes to use the principles she learned earning her M.B.A. in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco to “take back” Maui.

On a recent trip to Missoula, Mont., Ferguson was inspired by the conservation efforts there and the Buy Local campaign apparent in the downtown area.

 “Here, the community comes together to create things they can all be a part of and seems to see the big picture more clearly,” Ferguson said.

Though only spending a week in Missoula visiting friends, Ferguson’s observations are indicative of many strong initiatives in The Garden City.  On a hike to a prominent landmark, the “L” on Mount Jumbo, Ferguson was touched by the sign indicating the process by which the land was designated open space.

Missoula boasts more than 3,300 of publicly owned land conserved as open space.  Mount Jumbo was publicly purchased as the result of an open space bond initiative in 1996.  Aside from the bond, money for the purchase was raised by local non-profit organizations and thousands of individuals.

The purchase, and the protections put in place, stopped the hillside from being developed as a subdivision.  This, Ferguson said, is what garnered her attention.

An overview of the proposed Makena resort shows development of the golf course already in place. Developers want to add vacation housing but issues with rezoning conditions have delayed the process. Photo courtesy of Save Makena

“I became interested in local ownership as a possibility for Maui when I worked for a real estate developer who wanted to build a resort in Makena,” Ferguson said. “It’s kind of like the controversy over the ski area in Lolo here.  It would have been offshore, third and fourth home buyer market.”

Ferguson wrote a detailed blog post in 2010 about the proposed Makena resort on Maui and what she wishes would happen to avoid more offshore ownership and build a greater community resource while protecting sacred land.

 The ski area Ferguson referenced, Tom Maclay’s proposed Bitterroot Resort, is a hotly debated issue in the Missoula Valley. Maclay wants to develop the area into a resort.

Tom Maclay has already developed the ski runs for his proposed Bitterroot Resort in Lolo, Montana. Financial difficulties and a failed proposal with the U.S. Forest Service have stalled development plans.
Photo by Jill Derryberry

As in the case of the Makena development, most of the houses would be marketed as vacation homes to owners outside of the state.  The prices of the homes would drive up property values and taxes for those already living in Lolo, forcing many to move.

Ferguson said she sees such developments as inevitable.  While realizing public ownership of the Makena resort still means development on an island with limited land, she said she accepts this reality and wants the locals to start capitalizing on what’s left.

The interest in a cooperative ownership model is a compromise Ferguson is willing to make. With downturned eyes and a slow sadness in her voice, she said, “The Makena resort is probably unlikely.  It’s a dream.”

Still, she said with renewed optimism,  “There are smaller things like locals renting out homes or getting involved in home exchanges that might work. I wrote a letter to the editor about it. Unfortunately, people worry about those prices raising the rent for locals.”

In spite of encountering setbacks and skepticism, Ferguson remains optimistic and sees hope for the future of Maui in how citizens in Missoula are working with organizations and businesses to protect local interests but also benefit from them financially.

Missoula-based programs like The Missoula Conservation District and Sustainable Business Council assist local efforts to protect lands and resources, utilize sustainable practices in business, and support local businesses to further sustain our economy.

For her part, Ferguson is active with greenhawaii.org to collaborate with others to promote greater awareness of sustainability and is graduate of the Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows Program to help develop leaders in planning Maui’s future.

“I’m surprised… Maui and Missoula aren’t so different,” Ferguson said.  “I admire the efforts in Missoula.  Maybe…,” she trailed off, the wheels turning with possibilities.