R&R PARTNERS - Las Vegas, NV

“You must not lose faith in humanity.  Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” Mahatma Gandhi

 

Choice, Juliann, Tate, Ryder, and Shiloh

There is beauty and goodness to be found everywhere, if you look.  Our stop in Las Vegas was a perfect example of this.  On  the one hand I was shielding my children’s eyes from the “handouts” on the street corner and inappropriate propaganda.  Yet, on the other hand we discovered a real diamond in the rough while we were there. More than enough negativity could be found if one wanted to focus on it, however, we spent the morning with one of the most inspirational and empowering companies I have ever seen.   

R&R Partners is an advertising agency in Las Vegas. They are among those whom felt compelled to make a donation to the families of the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots and they opened their doors to us today.  We were greeted by Randy, a 20+ year employee of the company.  His amazingly entertaining office was second only to his wit and tremendously pleasant demeanor.  The kids were mesmerized by the one-of-a-kind toys found in Randy’s office.  A classic old bicycle, a talking parrot (which was broken as far as they know due to the adult nature of his dialect), a giant sasquatch, photographs of Santa Claus, and a door covered in graffiti tagged with company names.  You could also find balloons, stuffed animals, pop-up books, and gliding chairs in there. He assured me that this is the everyday state of his office and not a setup for “bring your child to work day” that coincidentally fell on the same day as our visit.

 

Ryder, Randy, Choice, and Tate

 

Choice and Tate

 

The fabulous atmosphere was not limited to Randy’s office.  He kindly gave us a tour of their building.  It resembled Disneyland more than a typical office.  For that reason, it seemed far more conducive to creative thought and productivity than the sterility typical of a white-walled office.  Every R&R employee is welcome to design their work area however they feel inspired.  One office is decorated as a big block of cheese, complete with painted mice.  Another is totally camouflaged and includes a giant replica of a hand grenade on the outside.  Naturally, this is called the “war room”.  The kids were delighted to see a large, pretend alligator lurking underneath the staircase and a giant toy watermelon that was used in an ad at one point. 

I was most fascinated by the inspirational and random thoughts pained on the walls:

     “I have often regretted my speech, never my silence”     “I hate quotations.  Tell me what you know”     “Does anal retentive have a hyphen?”     “We will either find a way, or make one”     “Imagination is more important than knowledge”     “You can’t imagine the ways we can do it”     “We will help you win in ways you haven’t yet imagined”     “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants”     “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line”     “Genius ain’t anything more than elegant common sense”     “You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus”     “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress”     “Underneath all of these clothes, I’m completely naked”     “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality”     “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources”     “Hey, who took the last donut?”     “If a person has problems communicating, the very least he can do is shut up”     “Badges…we don’t need no stinking badges”     “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning”     “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”     “I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unnamed person”     “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves"
     "Patience is a virtue only superseded by cutting in line"

 

We were then honored to meet Jim, the President of the foundation.  What a delightful and kind man.  He welcomed us to R&R, it instantly felt like we'd been life long friends, and he immediately plopped himself right down on the floor with my kiddos.  He was a real life superhero!

Tate, Choice, Jim, and Ryder

The kids were excited to share handmade thank you cards with Jim, as well as Be Better Bands for the staff of R&R Partners, and a Spread the Better shirt.

Jim and Ryder

Tate and Jim

Jim had a wonderfully unique connection to Yarnell.  Every year he takes a trail ride on horseback which passes through Yarnell and Peeple's Valley.  As a matter of fact, he just returned from his annual ride two weeks ago.  This connection made it seem to me that this would have been the motivating factor for their desire to reach out and bless our family.  Or was it?  When I asked Jim that question, he replied with, "Nope. That had nothing to do with it." He further added that it was something the entire company felt very strongly about and wanted to help in any way they could.  It fit right in with the uplifting mantras posted throughout the office and the integrity, character, and class exhibited by both of these men.

Randy, Tate, Shiloh, Juliann, Choice, Jim, and Ryder

We had a wonderful visit with remarkable individuals at an incredible company. A win, win, win!!

While in Vegas, we thought we'd take advantage of the opportunity to swim with the sharks at the Golden Nugget. Well, Morghen and the kids did...I tried to get a little work in while enjoying the Nevada sun.

Ryder and Juliann

Shiloh

Shiloh (with the sharks)

Tate

Juliann and Choice

Choice

Next stop...back to Arizona to check on our bus. Stay tuned.