Chad Thanks James Braaten

Hey team! Thank you Thursday again. So, here we are. I’m out on my back deck and was thinking about who should I be thankful for this week.

It’s really hard, to be honest, to decide who to be thankful for because we have so many great people. We keep getting so many things. That’s why we also do Officer highlights and we write up something about people.

Very soon, when you walk into the lobby, you’ll see the officer highlight bulletin board. Oh my goodness, wait until you see that. So the next time, make a point to look for it as you walk into the office.

You’re going to see the officer highlight bulletin board. There’s a cool little thing around that bulletin board I think that will draw your attention and make it very visible and understanding. So take notice of that when you come to the office next time over at Sandy.

Now, who are we thankful for today? Well, today I would be remiss because this person and I share a number of different things and loves in life. So I wanted to highlight this individual for a couple of different reasons. That person is James.

James is our developer, and there are a lot of people here, I can imagine, because we’ve hired a lot of new people. You’ve never met James; you might have seen a picture on a website or in orientation, but you don’t know who James is. You might have been told about him.

Well, James writes all of our software for SRT, and he has put it together. So that means that from the moment you come in, your life has been touched by SRT because we put you in the system using our SRT software. Your schedule, every time you log in for work, every time you log out for work, all the calculations of everything is done on patrol, every time you make a hit, every time you make a call in, every time you make a radio check. All of that James wrote.

And some of you are saying, “Man, that guy’s amazing.” You’re right. He is an absolute rock star. We call him the wizard, and it’s no joke. All he needs is a purple robe, a long staff with a crystal on top. I’m telling you, Gandalf ain’t got nothing on this guy. He is absolutely an amazing guy. We love James so much, but James and I share something else that’s very special.

In just a couple of days, James and I are both turning a year older. Me, I’m a couple of years, a couple of hundred years older than James. But James is an amazing guy. We also share a love for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I have sworn off Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups because I just can’t do it anymore. It’s too much sugar for me and stuff. But James and I have a huge love for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

So if you’ve never met James, buy a couple Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. When you run into him, say, “Hey bro, happy birthday,” and here’s a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. He will become a friend for life. He is an amazing guy.

Another thing that we share is, and what I love about James, is that he’s kind of a foodie. He knows, especially in the southeast Portland area and around Troutdale and stuff like that, he knows every small, really tasty, good place. The best food truck or whatever, you want to know where the best burrito is, you want to know where the best taco is, you want to know where the best hamburger is, he will hook you up with the knowledge of a great place that’s affordable that is going to give you some really great food. He’s a food connoisseur.

That’s another thing that we share because I kind of like food. So again, James is an amazing guy, and James, we appreciate all that you do. And there’s guys, there is some stuff that’s coming down the pike that James has been working on that it’s just going to blow your mind. The stuff that he’s putting together, and the connectivity that he is making happen, the synergy, the innovation, the ease for leaders and for others, and using the software and stuff that we’re doing now, there’s some stuff coming that is just going to, hands down, be something that you’re going to be pretty excited about.

Anyway, God bless you guys, James, happy birthday, brother. I will see you later this week, probably got a peanut butter cup for you somewhere in my pocket. And guys, if you don’t know James, we have a barbecue coming up here in August, say hi to James and tell him thank you for all of his dedication, his dependability, and his hard work because it’s exciting to have him around.

All right, God bless you guys, and remember, be valuable because nothing less will do. Just follow James.