Filed under: 2017, Activities, Cinco de Mayo, Parties, Potluck | Tags: cinco de mayo, events, food, fun, party, Potluck, Work, wreco
May 5 is celebrated in both Mexico and America as the Day of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexican army defeated the French in 1862. WRECO staff celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a festive Mexican-inspired potluck in Walnut Creek and a trip to a new restaurant in Oakland this year.
In Walnut Creek, staff played foosball, ping pong, and destroying a piñata filled with candy.
In Walnut Creek, the nacho bar turned out to be a huge hit, with Brecken’s homemade margarita mix and Joyce’s watermelon agua fresca being the winners.
Filed under: 2016, Contests, Potluck | Tags: 2016, bake off, contest, Cupcakes, Potluck, Valentine's Day, wreco
This Valentine’s Day, WRECO staff celebrated by bringing their best baked goods to WRECO’s Annual Valentine’s Day Bake-off. We had five employees enter the competition, and everyone loved being able to take a break in the afternoon to eat and judge sweets.
Our entries included Mochi with Tropical Fruit, Spice Cake, Indian Sweets, Twix Cupcakes, and Mini Cheesecakes with Cherries.
WRECO staff were very intent on trying all of the creations, for judging purposes only, of course! The winner of the contest was the Chocolate with Caramel Frosting Twix Cupcakes, and the Mini Cheesecakes with Cherries were a close second.
Filed under: 2015, Parties, Potluck | Tags: 2015, cinco de mayo, May, party, Potluck, wreco
WRECO staff celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a festive Mexican-inspired potluck in Walnut Creek and a trip to a new restaurant in Oakland this year. May 5 is celebrated in both Mexico and America as the Day of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexican army defeated the French in 1862. In Walnut Creek, the burrito bar turned out to be a huge hit, with Tony’s guacamole as the clear winner.
In Oakland, our staff stopped by Parlour to enjoy some Happy Hour drinks and tapas to unwind and celebrate the day after work on Cinco de Mayo.
Filed under: 2015, Activities, Events & Outings, Fitness | Tags: 2015, 5K, april, company, fitness, Mt. Diablo, race, running, wreco
Last Sunday, April 19th, WRECO participated in the Mt. Diablo 5K trail run hosted by Save Mount Diablo. The run was located in Mt. Diablo Regional Park in the Castle Rock area and it was a hit! WRECO wanted the opportunity to get out of the office and enhance our fitness while simultaneously helping the non-profit Save Mount Diablo preserve the open space and trails around Walnut Creek. The trail consisted of climbing up moderately rough terrain and running through 4 different creeks before turning around and doing it all over again. We found out that part of the Castle Rock area is temporarily closed right now to help facilitate the nesting of a listed species, the peregrine falcon. Mt. Diablo is home to many indigenous creatures that only live in this area (14 in fact!), and we were proud to help support the preservation of their habitats.
WRECO employees getting ready before the race
Han excited to reach the finish line
Cuyler speeding towards the end
We had a great time and some of our employees turned out to be quite athletic. Cuyler Stapelmann finished 16th overall, and 2nd in his age group, at a great time of 26 minutes and 13 seconds. That’s fast!
Everyone was awarded with beautiful medals to remember our accomplishment
Since it isn’t feasible to celebrate every birthday at WRECO on our Staff’s birthday (we do still have to get work done here!), WRECO throws a quarterly cake day to celebrate all of the staff who recently had birthdays!
Grant is missing! He was working in the field on his own work Birthday Party.
This quarter we were celebrating Ruey-Wen, Amy, Cuyler, Scott, Kaz, and Grant’s birthdays. Two delicious cakes were picked up from Whole Foods to help feed the office’s mid-afternoon sweet tooth. The Chocolate Explosion cake was decadent and creamy, while the Tiramasu cake was lighter and more refreshing.
Everyone can’t wait to try the cake from Whole Foods Bakery
Thanks for helping cut the cake, Chris!
Filed under: Potluck | Tags: 2015, bakeoff, contest, desserts, February, valentine'sday, wreco
This year’s Valentine’s Day Bakeoff was a success. We had 8 different contestants for the prestigious title of best baker in WRECO, and the employees were very excited to try all of the treats.
We had lots to choose from this year. There was a gluten-free orange chocolate mousse, molasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies, Xiao Long Bao buns, a taro sweet roll, salted peanut butter cookies, honey cake, and red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips.
It was a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with an assortment of baked goodies, and the staff enjoyed having an excuse for friendly competition that resulted in with delicious snacks.
The overall winner of the competition was the Orange Chocolate Mousse! The runner-up was the homemade molasses cookies.
Filed under: Activities, Holiday Party, Parties, Potluck, Staff Planning, Thanksgiving | Tags: annual picnic, Cheesecake Factory, company, food, Holiday, holiday party, homemade cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, party, Potluck, spring rolls, staff, staff activity, team-building, Thanksgiving, Walnut Creek, wreco
Thanksgiving has come and gone but this potluck was one to remember! The amount of food everyone brought filled up three separate tables. We have the savories: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, spring rolls, stews, and breads.
For the sweet: we had homemade cranberry sauce and Chinese buns
For dessert we had two different pies, egg custard, dozens of cookies, and cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.
Healthy? No. Delicious? YES. Everyone was excited to take a lunch break for this potluck.
One of our employees even brought KFC; how can you say no to that? Does anyone have any favorite dishes to bring to potlucks?
Filed under: Activities, Volunteer Event | Tags: Belmont Creek, California Coastal Commission, Coastal Cleanup Day, Volunteer
WRECO staff added a new dimension to their familiarity with Belmont Creek after focusing efforts this year on the segment of Belmont Creek adjacent to Alameda de las Pulgas at the California Coastal Commission’s Coastal Cleanup Day. Of the refuse and recyclables cleaned out by WRECO, beer cans, gum wrappers, and cigarette butts were most common. The catch of the day came in the way of a shopping cart that had been lodged in the creek; it had been within the creek so long that a tree had grown around it. For WRECO however, it was nothing a little sweat and determination couldn’t dislodge and remove!
Prior to the creek cleanup, staff were familiar with the area through work on a watershed study for a client with facilities located adjacent to the creek. This watershed study has brought together the many parties that hold jurisdiction over the creek to help determine solutions for flood protection and environmental improvements.
WRECO’s findings
WRECO President Han-Bin Liang hard at work
Staff engineer Alvin off to find treasure
On September 6, WRECO staff held their first ride along the Iron Horse Trail in Walnut Creek. The event had a great turnout, with almost 20 riders of all ages in attendance. Highlights along the route included stops at Larkey Park and Heather Farms Park. Keep an eye out for our riders on future events!
Taking a short break at Larkey Park
Fun for all ages!
Hopping on to the Iron Horse Trail
Filed under: Activities, Dress-Down | Tags: casual, Dress-Down, relaxed, staff
WRECO held the annual Dress Down Day on July 17th. Staff members came dressed down in comfortable casual clothing, from pajamas to athletic wear to mellow tropical shirts.
Jeff was voted Most Original dressed down, and Wana was voted Most Creative dressed down. All in all, it was a fun, relaxed day in the office!
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