Coronavirus pandemic causes change in career focus

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Joel Goldberg realized he would have to find other ways to make money when the Major League baseball season was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Goldberg, one of the announcers for the Kansas City Royals, is an independent contractor. He said he only gets paid when the team plays. So he is supplementing his income as a motivational speaker. He spoke to a combined meeting, via Zoom, of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce and the Fairfax Industrial Association Thursday, Aug. 13.

Goldberg built his speech around what it takes to make a successful team—trust, energy, accountability and makeup. This applies to athletics as well as other businesses.

Goldberg said trust is something a person must build with good relationships. He said Mike Matheny, the new field manager of the Royals this year, first spent time during the off-season visiting with players. Matheny has an open-door policy for players.

Goldberg said energy is important to baseball although it may not be from the person who is the loudest. He cited Alex Gordon, the Royals outfielder, who expresses energy with a quiet, confident manner. Rex Hudler, another of the Royals’ announcers, expresses enthusiasm with his “Hudisms,” similar to what Yogi Berra did. Salvador Perez, the Royals’ catcher, gives off much energy as part of his personality. Goldberg said.

Accountability means that as a team member, a player has to share the blame when things are not going so well.

The makeup of a team is important—that was something that Dayton Moore realized when he took over as general manager of the Royals in 2006. By acquiring players and negotiating appropriate contracts, he built a team that won the World Series in 2015.

Goldberg grew up in suburban Philadelphia and Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He came to the Royals in 2008; he also does play-by-play announcing for the Kansas City Mavericks hockey team.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

McDonald’s gives 10 percent of fries sales to school supplies

McDonald’s owner-operators have announced they will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from a la carte fries sales to local school districts.

More than 130 McDonald’s restaurants are participating in the region, according to a news release.

This fundraiser for school supplies will take place from Monday, Aug. 17, through Sunday, Aug. 23.

The participating McDonald’s restaurants in Wyandotte County include restaurants at 7340 State Ave., 4101 Kansas Ave., 812 Minnesota Ave., 4427 Shawnee Drive, 3725 State Ave., 605 S. 7th St., 4215 Rainbow Blvd., and 10555 Parallel Parkway.

BPU among the best in national contest

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities has won a national bronze award for its corporate communications program in the corporate responsibility category.

The BPU was recently named a “Bronze Stevie” award winner in the 2020 American Business Awards.

The awards are a national awards program for businesses. A panel of judges recognized the BPU for its continued efforts to better the community and the environment, according to a BPU spokesman.

A spokesman stated that the BPU is committed to maintaining, investing in and protecting the local community, its customers and the environment. The BPU gives back to Wyandotte County through three core areas – community giving, volunteerism and environmental education and advocacy, according to the spokesman.

The BPU’s community giving efforts included raising $58,000 for children through its annual charity golf tournament in 2019; collecting more than $200,000 for the United Way; and helping 600 households through its utility assistance program last year.

Volunteerism efforts included a toy drive for homeless children, Thanksgiving meals delivery and adopt-a-family programs for the needy, according to the spokesman.

Ongoing environmental education and advocacy initiatives helped promote a sustainable future through energy efficiency and water conservation efforts, including videos featuring energy and water-saving tips, a video on the benefits of using renewable energy and a new Kids’ Zone webpage providing environmental and safety information for children.

The American Business Awards are considered the nation’s preeminent business awards program, with more than 3,600 nominations and 230 judges in 2020 from organizations of all sizes and in almost every industry, according to the spokesman. Two of the total four recognized companies alongside BPU in this year’s social responsibility category included MasterCard and Mercedes Benz.

The “Stevies” are considered the Oscars of the business community, according to the New York Post.