To prepare for competition at the recent Olympics in Athens, Greece, U.S. athletes consulted with their coaches and received last-minute help from their trainers. But to unwind after such a pressure-filled environment, they may have sought the services of Robert Campbell.
Campbell, an Eastern Michigan University alumnus and unit manager at CrossRoads MarketPlace and Einstein's Bagels in the Hoyt Conference Center, was invited to work in dining services at the United States House at the Olympic Games.
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OLYMPIC SPOILS: Robert Campbell, in
Dining Services, proudly displays his
Olympic pins, credentials and hat at
CrossRoads MarketPlace in Hoyt Hall.
Campbell worked as a volunteer in
dining services at the Olympic Games
in Athens, Greece. |
Campbell, who manages approximately 60 student employees and three full-time employees at the Hoyt Conference Center, said this was his second time working at the Olympic Games.
"I w orked for a company called Culinary Expressions in Salt Lake City, Utah, and they worked for the Winter Olympics in February 2002," said Campbell, originally from Jamaica. "They actually picked the folks they wanted to take to Greece this year. Based on my work experience, they asked me to go."
Out of the 360 Culinary Expression employees who worked the 2002 Winter Olympics, Campbell was one of five people chosen to work in Athens this year, he said.
His duties in Greece included bartending and helping to host parties for the U.S. athletes, such as the women's soccer team just after they won the gold medal.
"I met the goalie for the women's U.S. soccer team while serving drinks," Campbell said. "She asked where I was from and how I got the job because she thought it was the coolest job. She wondered how I could work and still have a smile on my face."
Campbell worked 10-12 hours a day for 28 days in Athens, but the job had its perks. He was given free tickets from United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to attend seven sporting events. The USOC also paid for Campbell's housing and half of his airfare.
While bartending, Campbell not only served drinks but also used the moments of social interaction to start an Olympic pin collection. His pursuit of the pins from competing countries served as a way to meet athletes, like Jimmy Pedro, the bronze medal winner in judo, and other famous attendees, including newscaster Al Roker.
But, Campbell brought back more than souvenirs. By the end of the Olympics, he admits he gained new inspiration from Greece.
"I took the organizational skills I learned from EMU to Greece," he said. "And I can bring patience back to EMU. Patience can be carried into customer service and the Greeks were good teachers of that."
