 | Written by Dave Homsher on Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is the single most bittersweet column that I have ever written. This will be my final week in Syracuse.
On one hand, I have a lot of great news. I’ve just accepted a new, exciting job in South Jersey and there are many more opportunities for my wife to start her career in that area. We’ll be moving much, much closer to Philadelphia, which will forever be my home. We’re moving closer to friends and family. I’ll finally be able to talk sports with people with the same rooting interests as me. So, I’ve got a lot to me thankful for with this move.
On the other hand, I’m leaving an area which has been my home for the past 3 years, which have been the best of my entire life. My wife and I were married here. My career took its first major steps towards success here. I had a blast playing hoops all over the city. I made lifelong friends and created lasting memories. Driving away isn’t going to be very easy.
Although I came into Syracuse with low expectations, the area has exceeded those expectations in every way possible. There are so many things that I’m going to miss for both my work and from my social life that I could never possibly name them all. The following list is not even close to comprehensive, and my substandard writing could never do justice to anything on it. However, I couldn’t simply turn my head and walk away in silence.
So, without further delay, the things I will miss most…
WORK
1. Work environment – The single best thing about my entire stay in Syracuse was the work environment. It’s different from anywhere else I’ve been in that all of the people in the office are such a brilliantly diverse mix of personalities. All of their quirks and intricacies are really allowed and even encouraged to flourish at our facility. I’ve been to other offices, and often times the people might as well be robots coming off of a production line. They are mirror images of each other, devoid of any individuality or originality. Management can be just a bunch of suits, straight out of Men’s Warehouse. In Syracuse though, things are different. Even the upper levels of management are outstanding characters, carrying out common processes with an uncommon level of individualism and independence. Everyone from the Vice President down to the entry level employee shows a level of pride and devotion in their work rarely seen at such a large company. Challenging, exciting assignments are found at all levels of the organization. If my next situation is half as good, I’ll be very fortunate indeed.
2. Union –Before I began working here, I have to admit that I had some negative preconceptions about working in a union environment. Despite my reservations, the union exceeded my every expectation. The union at our plant forms one of the most skilled and productive work forces in all of central New York. The vast majority of the members are hard working, diligent, and talented. My team in particular has always gone the extra mile to accomplish our missions. They’ve stayed late, worked countless weekends, and gone over and above the call of duty over and over again. Inadvertently, they’ve taught me that blunt honesty is often the best possible form of communication. That open communication and straightforward dialogue is going to forge a path of unparalleled success for both the union and the business in the future. Through several years of working closely with the union, I’ve made a wealth of great friends, and met even more great people. As these great folks from our union continue to make seemingly impossible tasks the norm and not the exception, I can’t help but think of how much I’m going to miss working with them, and how much more I’m going to miss all of my good friends.
3. Team Leader – Our area team lead is without question the single most important person in our entire organization. He knows the products and the processes better than anyone and he is truly exceptional at his job all day, every day. He takes on more additional responsibilities than anyone I’ve ever seen and his dedication to making the product the best it can possibly be is nothing short of incredible. He leads the most challenging area with the most complex products in our business, and he inspires and motivates our team to excel through his example and his refusal to accept lackluster performance. Not only that, but you could not possibly hope for a nicer person to work with. In 3 years, I’ve heard more compliments about him than you can possibly imagine. The entire business, from the program office down to the other union members, has consistently showered him with 100% deserved praise. Without his help, I would have been a colossal failure. I can’t possibly thank him enough for everything he did for me personally and for our organization, so I’ll just put what I’m thinking as simply as I can. THANK YOU.
4. Boss – Often times in an office environment, your boss is someone who you work for, someone who you tolerate, maybe even someone who you only begrudgingly get along with. It’s pretty rare to have a manager who you would recommend to anyone, a manager who you’d go the extra mile for, and a manager who looks out for his people. I was one of the few fortunate enough to have had that experience. My boss took a chance on me from the second he hired me. Although I was inexperienced and unseasoned, he gambled that I would succeed in always difficult and often stressful conditions. He gave me the freedom to make important decisions, yet was there to provide both guidance and support. He stretched my skills by providing opportunities for new and exciting assignments and showed confidence in me with both his peers and his superiors. He constantly recommended me to join new teams, develop new processes, and lead major changes. Without his help, I would not be qualified to be moving on to this new career challenge in New Jersey. More than any leader I’ve ever worked with, my boss has earned my trust and friendship and I will be his advocate for as long as he is with the company.
 Thankfully, I didn't work for this guy.
5. Support staff – Our operations support staff is probably the leanest staff in our entire corporation. Just about every person on the staff is juggling 2 and even 3 jobs at one time. However, in spite of being chronically understaffed, the team consistently manages to perform miracles to keep programs from faltering. In addition, you could not ask for a nicer, more accomplished team to work with. Almost every team member is willing to lend a hand, train new personnel, and complete the extra assignment. Without your efforts, our plant would not be able to produce a single piece of hardware, let alone the complex systems that are the norm. I have no doubt that our operations in Syracuse will continue to thrive for many years to come due in no small part to your efforts. There isn’t a better support team in the entire corporation.
SOCIAL
1. Summers –Whereas most places get too hot and humid during the peak months, Syracuse tends to be 80-85 degrees with low humidity just about every day. In short, every day of the week has perfect golf weather. Even my wife takes advantage of it by spending time with her running group, enjoying long runs all over the city. Although the summer is too short, it continually inspires the people of the area to spend more time outside enjoying themselves. Syracuse has without question the nicest summers of any place I’ve ever been.
2. Chucks – This SU campus bar has hands down THE BEST chicken wings anywhere. They take their ENORMOUS wings and slosh them around in a 5 gallon bucket full of hot sauce before they serve them to you. Not only that, but it’s a phenomenal place to hang out. They regularly have $3 pitchers of beer, and they let their patrons play flip cup and assorted card games at their tables. Expect to leave with a stomach full of great food and cheap beer. Also, plan on taking a cab home.
 Chucks - where both sobriety and empty stomachs go to die.
3. Zero Traffic – To put it bluntly, I’ve NEVER experienced anything even closely resembling traffic in my 3 years in Syracuse. There are a million reasons why I’m glad to be moving home, but spending more time in the PARKING LOT that is New Jersey traffic is not one of them.
4. Basketball Leagues – When I moved to the area, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find quality basketball leagues to feed my addiction. Wow, was I wrong!! In fact, there are even MORE basketball leagues in the Syracuse area than anywhere else I’ve ever lived. I found myself playing in 4 or 5 very competitive leagues at a time all over the area. More importantly, I managed to befriend great teammates who often invited me to join and contribute to their already fantastic teams. I will miss playing with everyone who I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with over the past 3 years.
5. Cheap Golf – Honestly, it doesn’t get any better than golfing in the Syracuse area. Like I mentioned before, the weather is ALWAYS conducive to a golf game in the summer months, and there are TONS of beautiful courses and just about all of them are reasonably priced. I regularly play on courses that would cost $50 or more near Philadelphia, but they are under $25 here. And, perhaps even more important, there are so many great courses, that you can usually walk right on and play at a fast pace. The competition between the courses is so fierce that it drives the prices down so that just about anyone can afford to play 5 or 6 times per month. The friends and family that I’ve had up for golf weekends would agree - you can’t have a more affordable golf weekend at nicer courses anywhere on the east coast.
 Like Augusta National, only cheaper.
6. SU basketball games – The college basketball atmosphere in Syracuse is one of the best in the entire country. As a huge college hoops fanatic, it’s incredible to see fans so passionate about their college teams. Although Philadelphia has a rich college hoops tradition, our hometown squads will always play second fiddle to the 4 major professional sports teams. However, in central New York, Syracuse basketball has a monopoly on meaningful sporting events. Without any pro teams to support, the city rallies behind its hoops team like none other. Watching 30,000+ rabid fans pack into a football stadium at the Carrier Dome for basketball is something you have to see to believe. Seeing as the dome might be the worst acoustic structure ever designed by man, you would think that there was NO WAY that it would ever be able to get loud. Guess what? You would be DEAD WRONG. The dome ROCKS like a Pearl Jam concert when the Orange play in huge Big East battles against their bitter rivals. The chants of “LET’S GO ORANGE!” shake the very foundation of the arena. The fans are so passionate, that they temporarily turned me into an Orange supporter (Except when they played Villanova, of course). While I am excited to see the Philadelphia schools in person once more, I won’t soon stumble upon a college hoops atmosphere like the one in Syracuse.
7. Affordable housing – The bottom line is that in Syracuse, you can buy PALACES for under $250K, and can rent out very nice 3 bedroom townhouses for around $1K per month. When I move back home, I’m going to get an absolute BEAT DOWN financially because of housing prices. Paying twice as much for half as much is going to be pretty painful considering how nice I’ve had it in the Syracuse area.
8. Dino – Last but CERTAINLY not least, is Dinosaur Barbeque. This dirty-looking biker bar serves probably the best BBQ north of the Carolinas. The atmosphere is one of the coolest you’ve ever seen. You’ll see people in suits sitting across from people with tank tops and 200 tattoos. You’ll see groups of elderly folks sitting across from a group of biker dudes who look like they don’t want to be messed with. The laid-back blues atmosphere is welcoming to everyone, and you will never, ever go home hungry. Every item on the menu is a worthy purchase, and you won’t find a better meal anywhere for under $25. I’ve been to Dino probably 30 times, and I’ve never left wishing that I had chosen somewhere else to eat.
Although this list is insufficient to even begin to describe how much of my life I will be leaving behind in Syracuse, it serves as a partial testimony to the superb years I have enjoyed in the area.
As I look ahead to a bright future with equal parts anticipation and anxiety, know that when I look back on the past I will see nothing but fond memories of remarkable adventures and smiling faces of equally remarkable friends.
Goodbye Syracuse.
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