Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective

Chip Suttles, Seattle Seahawks CIO and VP, Technology, is the first guest of 2021 on the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast (recorded 5 January 2021). He recalls joining Kelly Brown at SLOC, working at Snowbasin with Adam Gray and Calum Clark, and the leadership of Mitt Romney and Fraser Bullock.

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

Show Notes:

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Chip!
02:29 - Football and COVID-19

PRELIMS
03:35 - "Our culture was not one of remote work
05:32 - Motorcycle spirituality

QUARTERFINALS
07:30 - Journey to SLOC
10:29 - Chip's role

SEMIFINALS
11:29 - Life in Salt Lake
14:11 - Untold Cinco de Mayo stories

FINALS
15:29 - "Shout out to my IT colleagues"
17:53 - Dealing with the weather

MIXED ZONE
19:47 - Snowbasin at Games-time
22:20 - Leadership

COOL DOWN
23:20 - Dave Matthews Band
26:27 - Three pieces of advice

Dave Clark, Senior Project Officer at Emergency Management Victoria, joins an "evolved" Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast (new format for 2021!) and remembers overlay at the Olympic and Paralympic Family Hotel (recorded 30 December 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Introduction to our new format!
02:44 - Argentine tango addiction

PRELIMS
06:03 - Desire for 2021
08:48 - Following Mr. Foster to SLOC

QUARTERFINALS
11:41 - Painting sessions
15:01 - Coming up with the idea

SEMIFINALS
17:38 - Bobsledding with Jacqui

FINALS
24:05 - Shrug your shoulders
25:27 - The unique challenges of OFH/PFH

MIXED ZONE
29:42 - ADITL of Dave Clark during Games-time
32:50 - Softball at SLOC

COOL DOWN
34:51 - Bradbury!
37:28 - Three pieces of advice

Larry Ganson, event expert and COVID-19 Compliance Officer at Carpathia Event Production, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers rapelling from the side of the Wells-Fargo building to unfurl the flag after 9/11 (recorded 8 December 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Larry!

PRELIMS
06:14 - Life before SLOC
10:12 - The story behind the rings on the mountain

QUARTERFINALS
13:33 - "The obscenely oversized American flag"
16:20 - "I need bodies!"

SEMIFINALS
18:38 - Stolen fireworks and an FBI interrogation
23:19 - Fireworks procurement

FINALS
25:20 - The 500 day countdown / blue sky ides
28:55 - Pyro mishaps / ADITL during Games-time

MIXED ZONE
31:47 - Sport production
34:28 - The Paralympic Games / Apollo falls down

COOL DOWN
38:08 - Post-Games journey / lessons learned
42:12 - Three questions

Lisa Sams, founder of SP Events & Logistics and her new venture Work into Wellness, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recounts her journey from "sand and palm trees" to "skis and slopes" (recorded 7 December 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Lisa!

PRELIMS
06:54 - COVID-19 impact on Lisa's companies

QUARTERFINALS
11:17 - Joining SLOC
14:29 - Workforce planning

SEMIFINALS
17:32 - "We clocked 350 meetings"
19:45 - Maintaining collegiality

FINALS
22:31 - "One of my very few regrets..."
26:40 - Learnings from Salt Lake

MIXED ZONE
30:08 - Downtime
33:03 - "A collective feeling" / going fishing

COOL DOWN
36:26 - Final segment

Risa Feldman, Editor of Journey Beyond Aspen magazine, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and talks about the groundbreaking Flower Ceremonies (recorded 29 October 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Risa!

PRELIMS
06:06 - Risa's journey to Salt Lake
09:58 - Creating a new thing

QUARTERFINALS
13:51 - Timing / Reducing 45 minutes to 2 minutes
17:05 - Choosing flower bearers

SEMIFINALS
20:33 - Celebrity voice overs
22:30 - Podium design

FINALS
25:05 - Finding flowers
27:50 - 9/11 impact

MIXED ZONE
30:40 - Risa's on The Today Show!
33:42 - The Games end

COOL DOWN
37:34 - Jimmy Shea heist
40:35 - Three questions

Karen Wright Williams, former E Center Deputy General Manager, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and shares her journey to SLOC, cyberstalking Tim Larkin and planning a wedding (recorded 20 October 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Karen!
03:10 - COVID-19 and school

PRELIMS
06:05 - Working at the Georgia Dome
08:05 - A Valentine's Day call

QUARTERFINALS
11:27 - Starting out at The Peaks
14:40 - "That's my job!"

SEMIFINALS
17:33 - Working at the E Center
19:37 - Talent, work and fun

FINALS
21:52 - Alan Brooks for president / cabinet picks
26:02 - Wedding planning

MIXED ZONE
28:43 - Dress in the closet / ADITL
33:24 - The Paralympic Games

COOL DOWN
36:21 - Music and food
40:38 - The gold medal match

Andy Williams, Georgia alum and event experience expert, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recalls following his future wife to the Wasatch Front (recorded 20 October 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Andy!

PRELIMS
05:03 - "I created experiences for people"
08:40 - Serendipity at the Georgia Dome

QUARTERFINALS
13:03 - First impressions / a start in logistics
17:40 - The importance of punctuality

SEMIFINALS
20:28 - Transitioning to venue management
25:04 - Andy's conversion to the Western Experience

FINALS
28:08 - Becoming an experience creator
30:44 - Soldier Hollow challenges

MIXED ZONE
37:57 - "I had to get married"
41:32 - Salt Lake take-aways

COOL DOWN
47:15 - Final segment

Sayre Wiseman, SVP Production at FiveCurrents and former Director of Ceremonies for SLOC, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers meeting the Mayor on her first day at the office, idiot-proofing the cauldron and the ice rink in Rice-Eccles Stadium (recorded 14 October 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Sayre!

PRELIMS
03:48 - An interesting history with Scott Givens

QUARTERFINALS
10:27 - First day on the job
15:08 - Director of Ceremonies

SEMIFINALS
17:52 - A unique ice rink
20:10 - Working with Don Mischer Productions

FINALS
26:13 - Keeping secrets
30:00 - Closing it out

MIXED ZONE
33:41 - Paralympic ceremonies
36:00 - Mt. Blanc drive

COOL DOWN
39:57 - "A memorable time in my life"
45:26 - Final segment

Bob Finley, founder of Morar Design, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers coming to Salt Lake from Las Vegas, a regime change and emceeing the Torch Relay (recorded 8 October 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Bob!

PRELIMS
03:55 - From Philly to SLC (via Las Vegas)
07:07 - Finding a home

QUARTERFINALS
09:17 - A harrowing start
12:53 - Everything will be fine

SEMIFINALS
14:48 - Torch Relay in W. Va.
19:05 - "Don't forget to say the right city"

FINALS
23:33 - Games-time
26:28 - The triple-wide trailer

MIXED ZONE
31:43 - Dinner-time stories - snowshoeing
36:18 - Cauldron testing

COOL DOWN
40:30 - Gladiator
43:41 - The cauldron is lit

Our first guest from Finland joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast! Chad Salmela talks about scrambling to find a plane, rifle covers as an accreditation solution and Kenji's teriyaki (recorded 7 October 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.

Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access the playlist and a map to favorite SLOC restaurants here. 

If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email [email protected].

WARM UP
00:26 - Welcome Chad!

PRELIMS
04:48 - A horse of a different color
09:23 - A national team biathlete

QUARTERFINALS
12:26 - "It's a good thing I spoke German"
15:21 - The five-alarm fire

SEMIFINALS
19:43 - The test event was the test
21:40 - Custom rifle covers

FINALS
27:17 - An innovative venue
33:12 - Color commentating at Soldier Hollow

MIXED ZONE
37:08 - A tremendous start
40:09 - Salt Lake's impact on the sport

COOL DOWN
46:12 - Brain traces
50:52 - Anyone have the Kenji's teriyaki recipe?