A Day of Rest at Maranatha
April 13 was the last day of rest for the students for the spring semester, yet not so for the facilities here at MBU.
Two groups, various Public Safety individuals and the Fisher Barton Corporation, were able to put the Dining Complex and Alumni Hall to the test.
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., approximately 45 members of the City of Watertown Police/Fire/EMS and the Jefferson County S.W.A.T, in their full gear performed a training exercise. Utilizing the lower level of the Dining Complex, the teams, including 15 volunteer “victims,” focused on clearing the building of any “existing” and “perceived” threats. These staged activities provided the opportunity for these various groups to learn more about each other, practice their procedures, and build stronger relationships.
Working in smaller groups, they moved through the various classrooms and other spaces. Their work involved eliminating threats, locating, and safely “clearing” citizens, while ensuring the security of the building. Additionally, they practiced the procedures for EMS personnel to safely clear injured individuals from the facilities.
Coordinated by Captain Ben Olsen of the Watertown Police Department, the group spent three hours on the campus. In addition to bringing their team and their police/fire vehicles they also brought their S.W.A.T, tactical vehicle, providing an exciting object to view by students, faculty, and staff.
Fisher Barton was looking for a facility to do training for 65 members of their team, focusing on “Customer Focused Work Teams.” Arriving at 7:00 a.m., they set up in Alumni Hall and began training at 8:00. Led by Buddy Rice of Shepard Presentations, the trainees spent the morning working through “The Cult of the Customer,” where they focused on developing a SWOT analysis, setting a base line and gap analysis. Rice’s keynotes began with “The Journey to Amazement” and concluded with “The Loyal Customer.”
After their lunch break in the Dining Complex, they moved to the lower level lecture hall to complete their training. Mr. Rice commented: “The facilities were exactly what we needed and were a great help to the training exercise.”
Scott Hoffman was recently selected as the CEO of Fisher Barton. Hoffman indicated that their team had not been able to meet as a group for more than two years. He had requested that his team find a location that would allow staff from various parts of the country to be together in one place in Watertown. At the conclusion of the meetings, Hoffman said, “This was exactly what I was looking for.”
Maranatha has endeavored to build relationships with the community through Fine Arts, Athletics, and Leadership Breakfasts. These relationships allow MBU to have an impact in the community for the Gospel. Maranatha’s facilities offer great opportunities for local businesses to meet and train their staff.
Steve Board, Maranatha’s Director of Development, states, “We are excited to have been able to support our local public safety personnel and to have Fisher Barton on campus. We look forward to accommodating more groups with our facilities in the future.”
To reserve space for your next staff meeting, contact the Development Office at development@mbu.edu or by calling 920.206.2325.