Congratulations, Natalie, for 10 years with Spectrum Reporting!

Posted on by Megan Rogers

Natalie Ward grew up in the small town of Obetz, Ohio.  After graduating high school, she decided to become a court reporter.  She started her college career at The Academy of Court Reporting.  Natalie graduated from Miami Jacobs after it took over The Academy of Court Reporting.  She now lives in Pickerington with Dean, her husband of ten years, and their two sons, Reid and Cole.  Reid is already an all-star baseball player at age seven, Cole has started playing soccer at age two, and they both love to go camping.  Natalie and Dean make a killer team and are always thankful for the support they get from their family and friends.

Natalie was hired at Spectrum in February 2010 right out of college.  She trained in-house, mastering all the necessary software and technology, growing her dictionary, and shadowing veteran reporters.  Over the past ten years, Natalie has become a polished and knowledgeable court reporter.  When asked what she likes about court reporting, she said, “I love that every day is different, and that I am constantly learning so much!”

You never know what might happen during a deposition, and Natalie has some of the funniest stories.  One time, Natalie was covering a deposition in a warehouse when a spider descended from the ceiling down into the front of Natalie’s shirt.  The attorney was right in the middle of a line of questioning and Natalie didn’t want to interrupt, so she continued writing while smacking herself in the chest trying to kill the spider.  Natalie has been chased down and pecked at by chickens in the front yard of a witness’s house where a deposition was being held.  Another time, Natalie was pulling her steno writer case on the sidewalk on the way to a deposition when she had apparently run over a dead crow.  Somehow the bird got stuck in the wheel of her case and rode with her all the way to the deposition where an attorney noticed it.  Everyone in the room helped dispose of the dead bird before the deposition got started. 

Regardless of the unexpected situations that court reporting may bring, Natalie always keeps a positive, friendly attitude.  She is dedicated to our clients and the profession.  She is loved by our clients and is often requested.  Everyone at Spectrum Reporting is incredibly proud of Natalie and her accomplishments over the past ten years.  When asked about her 10-year anniversary at Spectrum, Natalie said, “I am so thankful that I found and landed at Spectrum.  I love my job and the people I work with!”  And we are so thankful that we found Natalie!  Thank you, Natalie, for all your hard work and congratulations for 10 amazing years!

Three Benefits of Knowing your Court Reporter is an Employee

Posted on by Megan Rogers

At Spectrum Reporting, our court reporters are employees, not independent contractors.  You may not be aware of the employment status of your court reporter.  Most court reporting firms prefer to use independent contractors because the cost of doing business is less … tax savings and savings on employee benefits, to mention a few.  Spectrum prefers our court reporters to be employees even though we spend a substantial amount on supporting our reporter-employees through payroll taxes, employee benefits, equipment, tech support, training, etc.  There are also many intangible benefits to hiring employees, such as building ongoing, working relationships.

So, why does Spectrum Reporting employ their court reporters and how does it benefit our clients? Your case files are available to you anytime you need them. 

1. Your case files are available to you anytime you need them.

Spectrum Reporting retains your case files because we employ our staff.  On the other hand, an independent contractor controls your case files, not the company you hired.  You may need to order a transcript months or years after a deposition took place.  If an independent contractor was used and that court reporter is on vacation or has left the company, then it may be difficult or impossible to retrieve your files.  At Spectrum Reporting, we maintain your case files and can make them available whenever you need them.

2. We will preserve your files and keep them safe.

We maintain a backup of all your files, both on-site and off-site for added security.  You won’t ever have to track down a court reporter or worry about losing your transcript or exhibit files because a court reporter moved, changed employment, had their computer crash, or a basement flood.  You can rest assured that your case files are safe with us.

3. Company culture matters.

Spectrum Reporting provides its employees with benefits, training, equipment and support.  Trust and loyalty are built when people know their company is investing time and money in their future.  Employees that trust their company feel a sense of security and satisfaction in their work.  And happy employees make for accomplished professionals that do great work for our clients.

We are a company, but more importantly, we are a team.  We rely on each other.  Court reporting is at the heart of what we do.  Employing our court reporters and ensuring our product is protected enables us to operate as a successful team, developing trusting relationships with one another and our clients.

P.S.  The same is true for our videographers and office staff.

Happy Anniversary Mary Bradley

Posted on by Megan Rogers

Spectrum Reporting LLC is celebrating Mary Bradley’s 15 year anniversary with the company!  Mary is a dedicated court reporter and a valuable asset to the company.  Thank you for all of your hard work over the last 15 years!

Mary Bradley – RPR, CRR

Spectrum Reporting Celebrates Its Birthday!
(But we’re not sure how old we are.)

Posted on by Megan Rogers

Founded by Barbara Rogers and Nick Marrone, Spectrum Reporting opened its doors on August 1, 1988.  Simple math would suggest that Spectrum is 31 years old, right?  Maybe. 

Before the creation of Spectrum Reporting, Barb and Nick worked at Runfola & Associates, a court reporting firm owned by Tom Runfola.  Before leaving Runfola & Associates, Barb and Nick informed Runfola that they planned on starting their own company.  Runfola notified Barb and Nick that they would be in violation of their non-compete agreements.  Preemptively, Barb and Nick filed a declaratory judgment action in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in May of 1988 to determine the validity of their contracts, the non-compete clause and their rights.  (Case No. 88-CV-003521)  The Court found in favor of them in July 1988.  Runfola appealed the decision.

With the favorable trial court decision in hand, Barb and Nick began business as Spectrum Reporting.  Barb and Nick worked tirelessly to impress their clients.  Spectrum was growing and began hiring additional court reporters and office staff.

In June 1989, the court of appeals affirmed the trial court decision. Runfola appealed the case for a second time, and the case was accepted by the Ohio Supreme Court. 

In March 1990, Spectrum bought its first office space at the Waterford Tower to accommodate its growing business.  Spectrum continued to expand by hiring more employees, purchasing the latest equipment, and being one of the first to introduce realtime reporting to the Columbus market. 

On January 9, 1991, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a decision in the Rogers v Runfola matter.  In summary, the Court reversed the prior court’s decision, modified the employment contracts from a two-year restriction to a one-year restriction, reduced the geographic area of restriction, and enjoined Barb and Nick from competing for a year.  https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914bfe2add7b049347b0797 

Barb and Nick had 60 days to close Spectrum’s doors and figure out what to do.  Being recently divorced, Barb was the sole support for her two young children that were just starting school, and she didn’t want to move her family.  She decided to sit out for a year and stay home with her two children.  Nick was single, making his decision to relocate easier.  He moved to Florida to work for that year.  The rest of Spectrum’s staff found employment elsewhere. 

Upon receipt of a court decision that they had to close for a year, many people would have decided that owning a business wasn’t for them, but Barb and Nick were resilient and ready to get back to work after that year.  On April 1, 1992, Spectrum Reporting re-opened its doors.

Spectrum began the process of rebuilding the business.  In 1994, Barb purchased Nick’s share of the business and Nick moved back to Florida.  Since its re-opening, Spectrum has added additional services, including video and trial presentation services, audio transcription, and videoconferencing.  Spectrum recently moved into larger space at 400 South Fifth Street so that it could offer its clients four large conference rooms, each outfitted with videoconferencing.  And today Spectrum celebrates another birthday, even if we’re not quite sure how old we are. 

So, what do you think?  Is Spectrum 30 or 31 years old today?