Greg Junek: Sunday Briefing

Jose Ayora of Tyler hopes to make the final cut.

Ayora, a meat cutter at Tyler's Texas Roadhouse, 2101 ESE Loop 323, will compete against five other meat cutters in the final competition of the Texas Roadhouse Meat Cutting Challenge in April.

He will travel to Grand Lakes, Fla., for the final challenge for 2008 Meat Cutter of the Year. If he wins, he will take home $15,000.

Ayora has already proven he is a cut above the competition.

First, he placed first at the regional level in San Antonio, and then advanced to the semi-finals in Denver.

The nationwide competition began with more than 200 meat cutters competing in the first round. The first-round winners advanced to two regional challenges.

If you have eaten a steak at Texas Roadhouse in Tyler, Ayora has probably cut it. He is responsible for hand-cutting every steak that is served at the restaurant.

The work is not easy. A meat cutter must have hands that are strong enough to cut a day's worth of meat and work flawlessly in near-freezing temperatures.

On an average day Ayora cuts about 325 pounds of meat and spends seven to eight hours cutting meat in the 35 degree walk-in cooler.

He said he loves the challenge.

"Each time I cut a steak, I think about putting a smile on someone's face," Ayora said. "These competitions are intense - focused on quality more than anything else; so making sure that every steak is perfect is so important."

During the competition, the meat cutters showcased their skills during a timed "cut-off." Each received 20 pounds of beef consisting of two top-butts, two tenderloins and one rib loin.

Cutters were judged on quality, yield and speed. The winner is determined by the meat cutter who yields the most steaks, with the highest quality cut in the least amount of time.

Eventually, Ayora hopes to gain enough experience to become a Texas Roadhouse manager and save enough money to open his own restaurant.

"Also, my goal is to stay passionate in everything I do," he said. "This job is more than just cutting meat; it's like getting to be with your family every day. I've worked at other restaurants and this company has an amazing culture, atmosphere and shows love for all their employees."

Forest Fun Day

The Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Logging Council announced they will have the 2008 Forest Family Fun Day & Equipment Show beginning 8 a.m. May 10 at the Angelina County Expo Center in Lufkin.

Companies from across the country will show the public the latest in logging harvesting and transportation equipment and related services.

Thousands of dollars in cash prizes will be awarded in several contests, including the log loading competition, skidder driving, best looking log truck, best looking service truck, chain saw competition and truck driving skills. Food booths for the youngsters will be open all day.

A benefit log auction is scheduled, with proceeds given to the Lufkin State School Wheelchair Fabrication Department and the Texas Forestry Association Educational Fund. In 2006, the log auction drew more than $40,000 for charitable organizations.

"The log auction is a major part of the Fun Day," said Ron Hufford, TFA executive vice president. "We are very pleased that we have been able to raise money for several years now to help local folks who really need it."

Staying Close

Have you ever wished you could work at a location away from your boss? Technology has made that possible in some jobs.

But new surveys indicate both employees and supervisors believe it is important to have everybody working in the same location.

The surveys were conducted by an independent search firm and developed by OfficeTeam, a California staffing service. One was based on telephone interviews with 492 workers 18 years or older and employed in an office environment. The other was based on telephone interviews with 150 senior executives from the largest U.S. companies.

Twenty-seven percent of the employees said it would make their jobs much more difficult if they reported to a manager who did not work in the same location. Twenty-one percent said it would be somewhat more difficult and 26 percent said it be neither easier nor more difficult.

Thirteen percent said it would be somewhat easier, 8 percent answered much easier and 5 percent said they did not know.

Executives were asked how important it would be for them to have all of their department's workers in the same location.

Thirteen percent said very important, 45 percent said somewhat important, 29 percent answered somewhat unimportant and 12 percent said it was not important.

"Technological advances and global expansion have made it more common and acceptable for people to work remotely," said David Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam. "In some instances, it's hard to avoid."

Despite instant communication, Willmer said communication challenges still exist between worker and supervisor if they are not in the same location.

"Those who work outside the office must go the extra mile to make sure they keep the lines of communication open," he said.

Business Editor Greg Junek may be reached at 903-596-6280, or by e-mail at business@tylerpaper.com.

Greg Junek
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