By Andi Hoppes, marketing assistant

IdeaStar employees set out Saturday morning for Sandusky, Ohio to take a boat trip on the Goodtime I. When they left the pier that morning the sky seemed ominous with rain threatening at any moment. The boat would take them to Kelleys Island then on to Put-in-Bay for a relaxing day with friends and family. The excursion turned out to be a great one, with lots of fun and sunshine finally breaking through to end the day! Thanks to Jim and Steve we got lots of great photos!

The Goodtime I, ready for the IdeaStar crew to board.

Our captain of the GoodTime I.

We had a great view of Cedar Point on the way over to Kelleys Island!

Steve Lamb pointing out something very important to Wayne Largent off the back of the boat.

Lia and Paul Fresty are ready to set out on a fun-filled adventure.

Kate, Mike Balogh, and Ryan Pastorelle seem anxious to get out in the open water.

Scott Largent explaining to Steve Harrison why he is drinking Pepsi and not Mountain Dew.

One of IdeaStar’s newest additions, Will Kessel, and his wife Laura seem to fit right in with the bunch!

Who thinks Jenny Burger is excited?

June Hill, another new member of IdeaStar, and daughter Rachael are hoping for the sun to come out!

Danni and Dryck Bennett don’t want to hear another joke about being late

The Lamb family hanging on to the end of summer in their bright colors!

Meili, Jeremy and Steve Harrison taking a look out over the lake.

The Lamb’s take off in their golf cart…

For a wild ride with Steve behind the wheel!

Maybe you should watch where you are going Scott….

Looks like Paul will do anything to get off the golf cart with Brent’s crazy driving skills.

Brian Darby looking stylish in his bright yellow….go kart?

The view of the dock from the top of Perry’s Monument at Put-in-Bay.

Chris Arpajian, Jenny Burger, and Scott Largent heading up the front of the boat!

Lillian Yan and James Fisher look out over Lake Erie.

Seth Puckett and Tia, relaxing and smiling for the trip back.

Brian Darby acts as a pillow for wife, Zin-Min, after a long day.

Sam Largent is all smiles on the boat ride back.

Ben Schemmel and Jessica enjoy the view now that the sun has come out!

Brent Williams and wife, Chanda, with the beautiful blue sky to end the day behind them!

Mike Balogh and Kate end a great trip with a high five!

One last look at the bay.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 at 4:41 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

While we were all working, network administration intern Chris Arpajian (above) was off vacationing at Emerald Isles, N.C. He brought back some beautiful photos, including those posted below.

“All of the beach pictures were taken along the beach in Emerald Isle N.C. primarily behind and around the house we stayed at; on the ocean front (not the sound side). The few fish pictures were taken at the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium which was located on the island. The large naval ship and those shots were taken about 100 miles away in Wilmington N.C. where the U.S.S. North Carolina was converted into a museum,” Chris said.

“I found this to be a very special trip. About 5 years ago I went to the Outer Banks of N.C. and stayed at Nags Head. Since that trip I had wanted to take another trip so bad, relax and enjoy the beach. I was lucky to be able to go again this year and spend some time with my girlfriend and her family and get to know people better. We all had a blast.”

Chris would like to go back again some time, but for now, it’s back to work!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 2:14 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

By Jen Burger, IdeaStar intern

Hello! I’m Jen Burger, a summer intern here at IdeaStar, Inc. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Rochester and am planning on finishing a double major in Studio Arts and Bio/Geo (a spin off of an environmental science major).

My internship has been great so far! I have my very own cubicle (which for some may not seem like a big deal but for a sophomore in college it’s pretty exciting) and it seems that everyday I’m learning something new. I’ve done just about everything from testing Web sites and drawing up storyboards to answering phones and cleaning carpet spots. It’s definitely teaching me what an office job is all about!

About a month ago I had the opportunity to take a two week course in Tropical Marine Ecology through Miami University of Ohio in the Florida Keys and San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. The course was an intensive field-based study on estuarine and marine ecosystems. We looked at all sorts of marine related topics including coral reefs (both living and fossilized), inter-tidal zones, mangroves, weather, algae, invertebrates, vertebrates, all sorts of water and land plants, and the geology of the Everglades, Florida Keys, and Bahamas.

On our last full day there our professor gave us some free time - this is what happened to me!

The trip was absolutely amazing! I had the time of my life and not just because of the beautiful places we visited. While there I was able to finish up my SCUBA certification and did four day dives and one night dive seeing some of the most incredible things I have ever come in contact with. I never imagined all the different marine critters I would be able to see before coming on this trip. Some of the more incredible creatures I saw were hawksbill sea turtles, nurse sharks, flounder, southern sting rays, queen parrotfish, HUGE crabs and lobsters, sea biscuits, pin cushion sea stars, and much MUCH more.

I became so fascinated while in the water that at times I accidentally got a bit too close and some creatures fought back. After a month I still have marks on my elbow from a battle with some pretty sturdy Blade Fire Coral.

While this trip was for school credit my main concern in taking it was to see if it may be something I am interested in pursuing as a career. After my two weeks of amazing encounters with all sorts of marine species and finding myself interested in even the most boring of algae I must say that I am most definitely interested in pursuing the marine sciences. Next summer I hope to take a similar course with the same professor in Costa Rica to continue my field experiences. I hope one day to get my masters in some branch of the Marine Sciences and this trip has certainly helped me on my way!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 2:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

By Andi Hoppes, IdeaStar marketing assistant

It’s time to announce our latest mystery employee….

We thought the sweater vest might throw a few of you off. But most of you knew in an instant this was Greg Kopp. His son looks exactly like him.

Greg then….

Greg now.

Four of you answered correctly, although from talk around the office, we have a feeling more people actually knew. The stats this time were:

• Four guesses for Greg Kopp
• Two guesses for Jim Fisher
• Two guesses for Ben Schemmel
• One guess for Dale Cassidy
• One guess for Maung (althought we’re pretty sure Wayne was trying to be funny)
• One guess for Ron Howard. (He works here?)

Congrats to Brent, Lia, Susanne and Jane who guessed correctly!

Stay tuned for another chance to play the IdeaStar guessing game soon!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6, 2007 at 2:42 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.