MARCH MADNESS

When this month started, Bob and I looked at each other and said, “see you in April”. We weren’t speaking of physically seeing each other, but we knew that this month was going to be a busy one. Side Effects happenings include:

· NEW Website Launch: Jenn Baumaster in our Marketing Department has been working feverishly to get this new site up and running in time to market it at the various state shows. We are excited to better communicate with our current and future customers!

· NEW State: Side Effects is now in Connecticut! We’re excited to be working with Stonington High School in Connecticut for a new football scoreboard! Great work, Angel Fuson!

· The completion of the first quarter of Side Effects’ 15th year! This year is off to a great start. Our production has already reached where we were in June of last year. Thank you everyone at Side Effects – for your hard work! Thank you schools – for your faith in allowing us to represent you! Thank you sponsors – you support so much beyond a school advertisement! Here we grow again….

· Back 2 Back Ministries: Side Effects supported a local family’s mission trip with Back2Back this month. Oh how we wish we could have gone and spent time with these babies in need of our love and help! With three children that are 3 and under in our own home, we can’t participate during this season of our lives and are happy to support those that can. We look forward to trips in our future. It sounds like they had another incredible experience. I love a quote off of the Back2Back Facebook page this month: “There are 30 million orphans in India. Every 2.2 seconds, another orphan “ages out” of a system, without a place to go or a plan. Our response can be multi-layered. Some are called to go, some to adopt, others to pray, others to mentor, some to give, some to speak for them, and others to serve. It’s not a question of whether or not to go after the “one,” but how and when and where.- Beth Guckenberger, Relentless Hope”

· German Hockey! Bob Westerfield traveled to Berlin, Germany with old friends including; Tim Pelcic, a Side Effects high school’s Business Manager, and Dave Studzinski (Waynesville Veterinary Hospital), a faithful Side Effects sponsor of Springboro Athletics. There they took in a few Berlin Polar Bear hockey games. Dave Studzinski’s brother-in-law, Stefan Ustorf, plays for the Polar Bears and hosted them. The Polar Bears won both games and Stefan scored in both games! What a wonderful experience!

· New York Athletic Director Show: Chris Burke attended the NYS Athletic Administration ok Show in Saratoga Springs, New York on March 16th and 17th. This was our first trip to this show. We are excited about new business in New York!

· Biggest Loser: Side Effects employees are participating in a company-wide Biggest Loser challenge that kicked off in March 2011. We’re getting healthy!

· Michigan Athletic Director Show: Kevin Kemper and Kevin Myers traveled up to Traverse City, Michigan for the MIAAA Conference from March 18th-20th. Kevin Kemper said after several years attending shows that this was “his best show yet”. Kevin Myers stated that everyone involved in the show was extremely friendly. It was a joy to receive so many kind words and references from Rob White – Athletic Director at Saline High School in Saline, Michigan.

· Springboro High School Hockey Banquet: Springboro High School is where Side Effects began. This year we were excited fans of the Springboro Hockey team. They improved from winning only 5 games two years ago to reaching the state level with a record of 28-4-3 in the 2010-2011 season. Bob Westerfield spoke to this fine group of young men at their banquet. His motivational talk was based on one of his favorite quotes: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

· Indiana Athletic Director Show: Bob Westerfield, Jen Westerfield, Jenn Baumaster and Kevin Myers attended the IIAAA Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana from March 20th -22nd. Bob Westerfield was recognized as a 10 year vendor at this show and was given a plaque for Side Effects’ continued support. It was wonderful to connect with so many old friends including Jon Zwitt from Center Grove High School. Jon shared the fact that we have provided their Athletic Department with over $120,000 over the past 10 years at one of their meetings. As a result, new schools are interested. Thank you Jon!

· Georgia Athletic Director Show: Chris Burke attended the GADA Show in Savannah, Georgia on March 21st and 22nd. This was our first trip to this show. We have several projects in Georgia and it was great to have a presence at this show!

· Pennsylvania Athletic Director Show: Kylene Wendling Pippin and Angel Fuson are heading to the PSADA Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania from March 23rd-25th. This is supposed to be a great show and we are looking forward to hearing about their experiences and connections with our current Athletic Directors.

· OHSAA Basketball Tournament: The Side Effects “Bus” will be traveling to Columbus this week where many Ohio high school basketball tournament games will be seen in conjunction with televised games of “March Madness”. We’ve seen many great players go on to play college and pro ball that we first saw at this tournament. This is always a March highlight.

· Virginia Athletic Director Show: Bob and Jen Westerfield will be flying to the VIAAA show in Norfolk, Virginia on March 30th and 31st. We are thrilled to have an opportunity to meet some of the people that Kylene Wendling has been working with.

· Four years ago Bob Westerfield started the Kemper Scholarship Fund for a Springboro High School girls’ varsity player. Side Effects along with several area businesses that Side Effects contract with, come together to provide an annual scholarship for a chosen player. Bob Westerfield has always appreciated all that Coach Kemper does for these players and our community and decided to start this scholarship in his honor. Our hope is that the Kemper Scholarship Fund will carry on for years to come. The 2010-2011 recipient will be revealed at tonight’s Athletic Banquet….stay tuned for the news article and recognition of these fine businesses that continually support the fund.

· Baseball, Baseball, Baseball…we’ve had several baseball projects installed this month despite all the rain! Batter’s up!

· Idaho Athletic Director Show: Matt Westerfield and Kevin Kemper will be heading west by truck as the two venture out at the end of the month to Idaho visiting many current customers along the way. They will be attending the IAAA Show in Boise, Idaho from April 4th to 5th. Idaho is one of our strongest states and we are happy to be participating in their show for the first time.

· Missouri Athletic Director Show: We finish the month with Kevin Myers, Bob Westerfield, Jen Westerfield, Les Ferguson (Jen’s dad) and the little ones (twins Ben & Boyd and Elle Westerfield) boarding the Side Effects “bus” and heading to the MIAAA show at Tan-Tara Resort from April 2nd to 4th. Side Effects is a proud first-time sponsor of the MOAD Golf Outing along with Daktronics. We look forward to having a great time on the course with many of our current and future Athletic Directors! The show promises to be a wonderful time connecting with current and future customers.

Despite the “madness” this has been a very blessed month for our company. Thank YOU!

-Jen Westerfield, VP