KSI Trendies 7 - OS3 Nomination

[December 601]

Name: KSI Trendies 7

Forums: @KSI Trendies 7

Award: Outstanding Service Level 3

Reason: This man. 

I met Trendies back in 2015. We were Captains in different squads in WI. Then we were Gen's. Then we were Co-Founders. His maturity and level-headedness had by that time earned him respect throughout the division. Though I eventually stepped down and left WI, to this day I still hear stories about how Trendies stayed. During an eventual "mass exodus" of members, he somehow managed to keep everything together, rising up to a Co-Division Leader in WI. Amid a multitude of difficulties and obstacles, Trendies is said to be THE primary reason WI was able to last long enough to merge with Harmonic Destruction. Trendies was promoted up to a Division Leader in WD and then later on a Director, along with KSI Ronin 77. Trendies continues to be one of the most solid backbones in this community. There's no one in KSI I personally respect more than this guy. Because of his extreme dedication over the past 5+ years, KSI Trendies 7 deserves Oustanding Service Level 3.

[KSI Airborne 7 565]

For this nomination, we are going to need many detail driven witness statements on how this member has gone above and beyond. 

[Scarface 77 359]

I will drop my vote to witness . 


KSI Trendies 7 aka Sweet Tea has been my director when he was over EO for quite a bit of time. Starting out I didn't have an idea of who he was or where he came from and I will admit there were times where I didn't think much of the guy due to EO having an era of very bad directors. HOWEVER holy crap was I mistaken , This man has become probably one of the most prominent figures during my current time as a 7's staff member. He comes into EO never playing smite but because EO is smite heavy division he picked it up and now you can see him on it daily . He did this so he can personally connect with both the 7s staff and 2 particular squads in our division and consistently asked who trying to play . This shocked me because he came off as a quiet person who didn't socialize and all of a sudden he in parties with members like he was an officer. While we didn't agree on a lot of things when it comes to divisional stuff, we always made sure to make time to discuss it and offer his insight and ideas towards it and was very efficient when it came time to get squad tags and what not where in the past it would take forever. There was a moment recently where a lot of KSI things came at me personally at once and I was struggling to handle my feelings on it and he sat there for 2 hours to talk to me on it offered me advice and I can honestly say while I didn't come out 100% better he definitely made sure I was heard and I can never say thank you enough to that man. You want to talk about above and beyond , let's add to the conversation then. 

This guy was a great 7's staff member from WD which is evident in his promotion to Director over all his other peers with the exception KSI Ronin 77 who came up with him. While he sat over just EO , I can tell you it was a very difficult job because our culture is long standing and hard to change or even adapt to if you didn't come from it. Even when we held meetings late or early he made sure to be apart of it and when events like spirit week comes around he would be the one keeping us on our toes and making sure stuff get done. I can tell you if we didn't want to do something we get very hard headed and he persevered through it . He definitely helped us through the worst era of EO that I have personally been through which seen a squad close (Predator) and multiple generals leaving forcing 7's to step in as acting generals.  I would like to consider this man a friend and a mentor for the contributions he did for EO as well as my own growth in this community and I am proud to witness for his OS level 3. Thanks Sweet TEA!!!!!

[Rita 250]

Trendies is phenomenal in a multitude of ways as a leader. He has created lasting relationships with leaders and divisions that at one point in time were considered impossible to actually form a relationship with as an outsider. Trendies does this by always remaining level-headed and calm in every scenario thrown at him, and I mean every scenario. He strives to do his best for the members of the divisions that he is over, while always remaining objective. He has been an influential leader of this community for a long time, he was even a Co-Division Leader in WD when I became Co-Founder to give you a time reference. Trendies did a lot for WI when it was still around and continued that trend with WD once the merge happened. He helped start a shift in momentum in that division which eventually led it to the position that it's in now with a strong and stable 7s staff, and a knowledgeable, hardworking, dedicated officers staff below them. Trendies is a pillar of this community and without a doubt in my mind I can say that he deserves this award for all that he has done for this community and it's members.

[KSI xHAWKx 7 50]

I would like to set apart as a witness Trendies has become a really good friend when I was down because we were transferring divisions because my division got shut down Trendies opened up his division with open arms made me feel as if I still had a shot at moving forward he's always been there to help me and understanding what I need to do as a gen as a co-founder has a founder and has a co-division leader he's always been willing to help me out when I got to WD I don't think I would be where I'm at without his help and guidance I do believe he observes just outstanding service award level 3

[KSIxPapi77 46]

O man good ole chicken tenders. Where to start. With EO being the "place where directors come to die"I had my reservations when trendies came over as our director. As a lot of people know I can be a very tough critic. Trendies first order of business as our Director was simply just to get to know us, not as a 7s staff but as a Divison. That alone earned him a whole lot of respect within EO. He never once talked down to anyone. He never "flexed" his rank. He came to learn and help, and thats exactly what he did. He knew when he came to EO we thrived on smite, we literally live and breathe the game. So what does he do? Downloads the game and gets in parties with our members. He did this on a regular basis. He joined game nights and squad meetings and even workshops. Are these things a Director should be doing? that would be up for a debate but thats how we as a division feel and he just did it. While doing this he was always in touch with the 7s staff. Keeping up to date with what's going on within the division and also feeding us information handed down from the seniors. If we had an issue that needed his attention he was there in a heartbeat. I can't say much for what he prior to him becoming the Director of EO but he helped change the mentality of what it means to be a leader in my eyes and several other individuals eyes. Chicken Tenders leads by Example and I can say I was proud to have him as my Director and wholeheartedly believe he deserves this award.  Can't wait to see you sitting on the board chicken tenders!!!

[ZIEIRO 20]

Not much else I could say that hasn't already been said about the man. But he's been my director twice already both times I have seen him get do envoled with a division to show that he does really care about it... He is one of best directors I have had the pleasure knowing and a good friend. 

[KSI Kratos18 57]

Good ole grandpa Gary, there is a lot to say about this man with how dedicated to KSI he is and dedicated to his members. When I first joined KSI back in the WI days he really helped me out with figuring out the KSI ways after coming from XGN. He does that with all the new members he comes across, he has such a family trait to him to make all members (new or old) feel like they’re part of a big happy family. He will go out of his way to try and game with all the members to this day and I’ve known a lot of directors in my time of gaming communities to which hardly any of them still game with the lower ranking members. Keep being you grandpa Gary, an awesome man I’ve known for years.

[Impy 460]

Trendies is a quiet one, and you've got to keep an eye on those people. But his intelligence and awareness are his strengths, as well as his ability to make time for his divisions and his members.

There may not be a more welcoming, open person than Trendies, and those around him respect him for it. He is always calm in the midst of any storm that may surround him, and that calm helps lead to better decisions and outcomes.

Trendies is always offering a helping hand whenever he is available, and those contributions cannot be measured or understated. Trendies deserves this award and I am grateful for his commitment to this community.

[Ganondorf 58]

Oh man, good Ol' Trenders (KSI Trendies 7) I've had the pleasure of working with trenders here on numerous situations while he is enjoying his journey of being a director. When I first had met him, he introduced himself, extremely quiet and then explained he was a really big neverwinter nerd. Well, EO culture had never messed with neverwinter before so at first glance it seemed as tho it was going to be a primarily business style relationship between director and 7's staff. I was pleasantly proven wrong, with such haste that it shocked me. He was literally playing smite THE next day after meeting us and learning about what we played here in EO. Didn't even tell us that he was downloading it during our initial meeting after learning what we played. His willingness to learn the game, learn about our div, and us as individuals within the division is extraordinary. He was always looking to get involved one way or the other. Game nights, workshops, squad meetings, or just randomly party hopping, he was interested in all of EO.
While being director over the 7's staff he provided what I believed to be excellent advice and guidance to handle situations varying from poaching, to enticing others to recruit, to member retention or advice pertaining to promotions. He was never one to turn down a challenge or a question and if in the event he didn't know, he was always more than willing to reach out to the seniors and gain clarification for us. When it came time for discussing anything among the 7's he was always the first one asking for an invite to the meeting. He was also normally the last one to offer advice about a situation to see how we might handle it among ourselves and how we discuss it, then chime in with his opinion on the matter. I'm proud to call trenders a friend, a mentor and a nerd. I look forward to seeing him as a senior director one day and the impact of his knowledge help the community more than he is already doing.

KSI Trendies 7, to me showed me exactly how a director should conduct business and how to get to know your new division. His interaction with the division will be what I try to be like if/when I become a director and I thank him sincerely for the guidance he has provided. It is for these reasons I believe he deserves this award.  Keep on keepin' on trenders.

[KSI MetalBarbie 81]

My backstory with Trendies did not start out in clan ops, but instead, started in department ops. I was a new judge and he was the first person who had reached out and welcomed me. At this point I only knew of him as a 7 and was surprised and quite taken back by the hospitality. Over the next few months of getting to know him and taking his LEAD 101 workshop, l learned how down to earth he is: Trendies is not only a director but he is also a prime example of what all leaders should be. I personally never had the chance to experience him as my director, but just as these statements posted and statements I have heard from his members during the workshop, he gets to know members as an individual and not just another number. Trendies definitely deserves this award for his hard work and dedication to the community!

[KSI ODINN 7 354]

Ok so I have a few things to throw up in here for this old man lol. Way Back when , I've heard about trendies, Not for anything bad but only good things about the guy. Years later he was running a LEAD CLASS and I was like why not, I've heard he was an exceptional leader so who better to learn from. Attending his classes I quickly realized how true the rumors were about him. Great teacher for sure, he made it fun and by the time I was getting cool with him, LEAD 101 was over. So this is where the OS comes in, several times within this year problems arose throughout LS, GENS an 7s not taking their duties seriously,  officers backtalking higherups, relationships just all the above. Trendies was the first guy we went to,  asking advice And proper course of action. Every time we had a question he had an answer. Some days it would be 1 or 2 am and still he would make time to get on. It felt like he was directly involved constantly with LS and not 1 time have I heard ( ill do it tomorrow or later) from him. Even when we got a new director he was still around if we needed him and he made sure we knew and still know that. I'm surprised he's not a senior director yet with all he's done and his extreme level of commitment to this community. KSI Trendies 7 is and has always been a great leader, friend and mentor to many members in KSI and he definitely deserves OS3.

[KSI Cherry 7 58]

Let me first start by making this OS witness statement about myself. I am the originator of the nickname "Grampa Gary". May he wear it with pride!!  Honestly I have been in KSI with this fool for a hella long time. He has been a mentor for me for a long time. I watched him climb the rank under multiple leaders and outshine all of them. He is 100% here to support the community. He will stop and listen to you about anything and everything. He has this amazing ability to be able to be chill and laid-back but still command a room. 9 times out of 10, any decision Trendies makes I can stand by. He is a common sense leader that never flexes his rank. You can chill in a party and talk Poop as well as talk business. He has been a lead Mentor, director over multiple divisions and my mentor. WD would not exist if this man did not stick around when everyone said the sky was falling 2 years ago. There are members that have stayed in KSI specifically because they had faith in him as a leader. I forsee Trendies to continue to help many more people in this community and continue to be a grumpy old man. 

[KSI BRUNAN 7 32]

Trendies Has been a rock supporting whoever even not in his division. He answers people promptly with good advise and information. He use to be over WD and when presented with Ideas he always looked at it with a open mind. If he thought it should be presented to the board to help KSI, he would do that without any thought. One of these everyone who has been around long enough to know was the writing of the notes by every general or representative at Div meeting. This would take forever and most people would miss something so we asked to get updated to the 20th century much less 21st and post notes on Forums to follow. Xbox always has connection problems or someone's microphone would be echoing. This saved a lot of time and frustration and I thank him for going to bat for that.

He has also moved on to other Divisions and will still answer anything or direct the right way to get it done, thank you for that also.

Over the years I have watched him deal with so many controversial issues and he handled them with a calm demeanor and I was impressed by the way he handled them.

He has always been loyal to KSI and has looked to improve it every chance he can to make it better.

This is why I think he deserves this award.

KSI BRUNAN 7 

Rank WD Founder

 

[KSI RiiOT 7 305]

Any more witnesses before it gets taken to discussion?

[KSI RiiOT 7 305]

48 hours until it goes to discussion

[Kalakoi 143]

Taken to staff discussion

[DntAskImAwfl 227]

OS 3 : YES

[KSI Airborne 7 565]

Outstanding Service lvl. 3: Yes

[KSI Rockdogg 7 154]

Os LVL 3: yes

[KSI Folkstyle 73]

Outstanding Service Lvl 3- Yes

[KSI BadKitty 7 356]

Outstanding Service Level 3 - Yes

[KSI RiiOT 7 305]

Awarded and closed