Helping Out With Google Hangout

This past week the 3 amazing interns of the Valuation Services department here at Dwellworks received an email regarding an exciting project that we were asked to work on. Catherine, Kevin and I were instructed to become experts at the app called Google Hangout. Our task was to figure out how to set up a Gmail account for the Cleveland office to use, download and explore the Google Hangout app, and essentially become masters at navigating all of the functions within it, specifically the video calling aspect of it.

We then had to figure out how to use the camera in the office’s main conference room. The end goal was to utilize this application in order to hold team meetings with our on-site Cleveland employees, as well as with the various people who work  from an off-site location, through  a video conference. Google Hangout is very similar to Facebook messenger but with the option to have video or “Face-Time" calls. Using this app allows you the ability to text, make phone calls nationally and internationally, send pictures,  share documents, utilize the screen sharing function, and make video calls with up to 9 people at a time - and all for free. You can use this wonderful little app on any kind of computer and on any type of phone as long as you have a Gmail account, the Hangout app, and  a camera on the device you wish to use it on.

So we started out our assignment by downloading the app on each of our phones to get familiar with it. Then, we set up a meeting in the office conference room to get them all set up with it in there.  After mastering the ins and outs of the app, we set up a meeting for the following day to present our expertise and our findings to employees within our Cleveland office, along with a handful of off-site employees who were going to need to know how to set up and navigate it for future use.

We presented to about 14 Dwellworks employees total that day. The off site employees watched exactly what we were doing on our computer screen in the conference room here in Cleveland and listened to our instructions intently.

We walked them through step by step how to download Google Chrome, set up a Gmail account, download the Hangout app, navigate the various functions, and how set up  and participate in a group video conference. They all listened intently, caught on quickly, and were a wonderful audience I must say.

The presentation went flawlessly and everybody was extremely excited to use this wonderful new tool and very appreciative and grateful for our efforts and our instructive presentation which guided them through each and every step of the way.

I really enjoyed working on this for the office because it was so fun and technology comes so very naturally for our generation. It was great to see how us interns can use our knowledge of technology to really help out an office and improve how a business operates simply by navigating and sharing this information with them.

What can I say, interns rock! :)

Brittany Orwin
Valuations Services Intern

FUN - The Dwellworks Way.

This past week was jam packed with Fun and has lightened my mind and allowed for me to focus much easier and be much more productive on a Monday than ever before! This past week there was tons of fun to be had because Gene and Maura had come to the Canada office and did a presentation for us after taking us out for a lovely lunch! Although it was the hottest day of the summer, the time spent with Gene and Maura was fantastic! We went to a fancy Greek small plate and wine restaurant where we tested plenty of Greek delicacies and delicacies with a Greek twist! I tried foods that I can honestly say I never thought I would have ever tried in my life. Some of which was various types of Calamari (deep-fried and grilled) which was ... interesting to say the least! I also got to try Octopus which was quite the adventure since it look of the Octopus was not too appealing to me. Gene and Sandra, of course due to my cautiousness to try the Octopus, decided that it would be funny and fun to take a picture of me trying to eat the Octopus and i'm quite sure that embarrassing photo will make an appearance somewhere soon! Octopus much to my surprise tasted really good, but the look of it was still not very appetizing to me.

The following day was Canada day, which is a nation wide celebration for our country's independence. This was a greatly fun day and broke up the week in a wonderful way with tons of celebrations and shenanigans happening in the nations Capital, Ottawa!

At Dwellworks, as Gene and Maura demonstrated to me, fun is a characteristic that means a lot to Dwellworks. There is an emphasis on this because if someone doesn't enjoy where they work and they don't have fun doing it, then it's neither benefiting themselves, nor the company. Happy workers will always work harder because they realize that not only does the company love, need and respect them, but also that they love, need and respect the company in return!

Another fun week accomplished at Dwellworks, - The Dwellworks way.


Shane Mitchell
Destination Services Intern
Ottawa, Canada

Lunchtime Noms

Where is my favorite place to eat lunch? I often pack a lunch and eat it by the big, second-floor windows in the front of the Dwellworks building or outside in the plaza across the street.

But this summer, I set a small goal to enjoy Playhouse Square and the surrounding Cleveland area by trying a new place to eat every week. With the help of fellow interns and other people around the office, I compiled a (large) list of restaurants I’d like to try. So far, I’ve only crossed off about ¼ of the list, but even if I don’t make it to half of the items on the list, at least I still had the pleasure of experiencing some new places and cuisine.

Below is a list of the Cleveland restaurants I have tried thus far, along with a little blurb for each.

+  Walnut Wednesday Food Trucks – while I haven’t made it to the food trucks in a while, I absolutely loved it when I went with the rest of the interns. The area was bustling with people young and old, dressed up or dressed down, and a multitude of trucks offered a variety of food options.
+  Aladdin’s – When Suzy invited us to make the walk to Aladdin’s, I was obliged to say yes. Although not related to the Mediterranean chain restaurant bearing the same name, this Aladdin’s is a market featuring authentic Middle Eastern food. I indulged in pita and hummus.
+  Cibreo – Along with the rest of the associates at Dwellworks’ Cleveland headquarters, I was treated to an Italian lunch at Cibreo for the company’s Town Hall. The atmosphere was impressive and the food was simply tasty.
+  Burgers 2 Beer – When my mom, aunt, and cousin joined me for lunch one day, we found ourselves in this local burger joint. I decided to make things interesting by adding to (the inside of) my burger one of my favorite things: macaroni and cheese. In all honesty, though, it could hardly be tasted.
+  Roth Child Farms – On the day of our MAGIC Customer Service training, the company allowed us to place orders from Roth Child Farms. I nommed on a hearty chicken-salad sandwich. On another occasion, I ventured back to Roth Child Farms for soft-serve ice cream; my banana foster was good, though expensive nonetheless.
+  Farmer’s Market – Once a week, a small farmer’s market congregates in the plaza across the street. If the weather is nice, it’s pleasant to stroll through the market, sample the breads and jams, and listen to the live, exotic music.
+  Map of Thailand – As the name conveys, Map of Thailand is a Thai restaurant and one of the last places I would have chosen on my own to eat at. However, I was excited to expand my food repertoire. As an appetizer, I ordered a rich, creamy, chilled, coconut soup. I tried the cashew chicken as my main course and absolutely loved it. Plus, my rice was served formed to the shape of a cone, and I challenged myself to eat everything with a pair of chopsticks.
+  Cleveland Pickle – Even though its personified pickle mascot is a little creepy, the sub sandwiches from the Cleveland Pickle are both filling and delicious.
+  Slyman’s – Messy is the only word needed to describe a Slyman’s sandwich. Although it is known for its giant corned beef sandwiches, I opted for a warm, turkey sandwich.  I ate the whole thing and was uncomfortably stuffed afterward, but it was worth it.

Where will the next lunch adventure take me? Time will tell!

-Kaitlyn

Having Fun at Work

It is rare to find a company with a core value of FUN. When I first saw this I was extremely surprised. However, throughout this experience so far it is no surprise that FUN is a core value. This company, honestly, can be the definition of “work hard, play harder.” Dwellworks bases their commitment to clients on the value of communication and does the same with its employees. Almost every week we have had some form of event that allowed us to get together and cherish our time spent together.

I can remember the first Friday that we were here the Fun Committee put on an ice cream social! It was delicious and just a little treat to make everyone’s Friday great. We have had numerous events; we had a World Cup Summer Party where everyone got to wear sports attire and had games throughout the day. We recently had a Popsicle social for the Fourth of July. The wellness committee also puts on events to cheer everyone up and to teach us about healthy eating. This internship is filled with numerous things that we have to get done but it is the little things like these that make working here better than anywhere else.

Colton Ebersole

Destination Services Intern

Summer Internship

Wow, we are already half way into the summer and I cannot believe it. I am very impressed with myself and the relationships that have come together at work. All the work I have been doing is great I really feel that sense of contribution to the team. The interns are given actual work to do and quickly see the results of our actions. I like coming into work with things to do and accomplishing tasks is truly gratifying. The office is lively and there is always room to take a break from work and most importantly get work done. I feel the Dwellworks team is really good at prioritizing what needs to be done and doing it in a fun rewarding way, especially towards the end of the billing period. TEAMWORK is everywhere as a lending hand goes a long way in making a success of the company. As a recommendation to our classmates and friends I would say that this internship puts you in a great spot for future opportunities. I feel even more confident and excited of what I am capable to do after this internship. Bottom line at Dwellworks is real work and a real experience with the best of co workers anyone can ask for.

 

Andrew Tam

Intern, Supply Chain

Week 7: Tell Us Something You’ve Learned through the Group Project: Broken Molds

            At the summer’s start, I was placed in the “Cultural Dynamics” intern project.  Basically, before the end of the summer, we’ll present on our respective topic to the rest of the company.  Our project aims to give associates a better understanding of how to interact with people from the other countries where Dwellworks operates.  Maybe, at the end of it, we’ll actually accomplish this. 

            The project is centered on a widely accepted (though deeply flawed) cultural behavior model invented by a man named Geert Hofstede in the 1960s.  Through a long process of surveys and relativity, he developed 5 (now 6) “dimensions” that are supposed to inform outsiders how a certain culture operates.   My portion of the project examines the findings for Canada.

             It was not long into the project though, that I completely jettisoned Hofstede’s model as anything but a rough and mostly useless starting point.  The most striking feature I've found about Canada is its deep diversity and respect for cultural differences: interpreting Canada via sweeping generalization as Hofstede would have us do,  is to profoundly misunderstand Canada altogether.  Perhaps it was the crass pop-modernism of mainstream culture in the ‘60s, but Hofstede’s models are a practice in monocultural reductionism and shaded personal ethnocentrism.  There might be some value in the models, if you can take them with a healthy dose of the realization that they’re relative and a tool, not normative and definite.  But that also means they rapidly approach total uselessness the more you find out about the intricacies of a country and the culture of the people who live there.  That, and the models are based on surveys from high-ranking business people in a given country.  To say they speak for the culture as a whole is an abject fallacy.  They are, at best, a picture of what business people want to see themselves as- not an imprint of the culture itself.

            All of this though is nothing in light of the cultural dimension’s worst facet:  one of the dimensions is defined as “masculinity-feminity.”  Let me say in no uncertain terms, that such a classification with those words and the suggestions they make is offensive, illusive, and dangerous.  There are no such things as m**culinity or f**ininity: just contrived concepts the patriarchy has perpetuated to remain empowered and denigrate women.  To define cultures as more one or the other is an intrepid route to misogynistic racism.

            But the project is not doomed by its flawed starting point.  Thankfully, we've mostly focused on more practical tips for doing business in our respective countries.  We've talked about differences in lingo in other English speaking countries (Canadians call corn dogs "pogos" and electric bills “hydro”).  We've talked about greeting Luxembourgish people in Luxembourgish instead of French or German.  We've discussed how hard it can be for outsiders to operate in Brazil, and Mexican telephone etiquette (best tip: don’t expect a call back).  I’m glad that’s where we've ended up.  I've glad we’ll be talking about history and shared cultural values more than we’ll be examining the boxes Hofstede arbitrarily flung people into based on incomplete and unsubstantial surveys of non-representative groups.  I’m thankful that, as a group, we had the intelligence and class to find out what mattered and what could be instructive, instead of sticking to the tools we were given that weren't doing anything for us. 

            I have learned a lot about Canada through this project.  I could list it all and satisfy the prompt for this post.  But I've learned much more about what it means to respect a country and its culture, and I’ve done that in the context of my research on Canada.  Truthfully, we can’t expect to understand a whole group of people without actually meeting them.  That’s my biggest takeaway from all of this.  But even attempting to understand a culture fully without that opportunity provides an excellent chance to put yourself and your own culture in context.  So often, we think of Canada as a proto-American nation-state, not quite British, not quite American, somehow sorta French, but not defined as anything in and of itself.  We’re dead wrong though.  There is real culture; real, unique, and extraordinary Canadian culture.  That’s true of every country in the world.  Dwellworks is blessed with relationships all over the globe.  The best way to understand the people we work with is through honest conversation and honestly valuing other people’s contribution.  Canadian culture is diverse, respectful, and welcoming- we’d do well to take a page out of their book. 

We’ll never approach other cultures perfectly.  Indeed, we’ll always do much better to approach other cultures from a learning posture, assuming we know next to nothing, and following the lead of our hosts and friends in other cultures.  I hope something useful comes out of our project, but if we end up giving Dwellworks a false sense of security, we’ll have been better off doing nothing.  It’s American arrogance that causes culture blunders (and senseless wars, death, diseases, and poverty); losing that arrogance is trillions of times more important and useful than simply knowing what non-representative Canadian businessmen thought about “power distance” in the 1970s.  Not only was that nigh on 50 years ago, but it was flawed then too. 

If you want to interact well in other cultures, admit your mistakes, ask for help, and realize that you don’t know anything.  That’s what I've learned from the intern group project, and what I’ll strive to take with me everywhere I go.

-Zack

           

Favorite Lunch Spot

So I am a huge fan of food. I love to cook it, eat it, bake it, freeze it, think of something to do with food and I love it! Having said that, choosing a favorite restaurant is nearly impossible. How can you compare a great sandwich with fresh spring rolls? Can you even put pickles in the same category as ice cream just because they are both food? In my mind, you can’t just jumble all food together. There are so many categories to choose from. Since I have not yet mastered how to cook many Asian dishes, especially my personal favorite, Pad Thai, I am usually drawn to Asian restaurants, Thai in particular. I usually judge any Pad Thai that I order based on its taste and freshness, all the usual things, but, it has to impress me as much as my favorite Pad Thai. I have tried numerous Pad Thais in restaurants all over New Orleans, Chicago, Cleveland and more. I love Pad Thai and could probably eat it every day. My true favorite is made in a restaurant called Thai Gourmet in Stow Ohio. After years of comparing, I have finally found its rival. Map of Thailand’s Country Style Pad Thai is amazing. They do everything right. There is just enough sauce, the spice is not too spicy, they include chicken, egg, shrimp, and tofu and they make some of the best red base Pad Thai I have ever had. Having rambled for a paragraph on my love and current obsession with Pad Thai, I am naming my favorite lunch spot in Cleveland Map of Thailand. Even though you have to drive, I recommend it 100%, the food is absolutely worth it!