I hope this finds you all well and in good health. I want to take a minute of your time to let you know a few things as it pertains to me, my business and you as well as your Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Department. Coach Derek Inc will no longer be teaching classes in the City of Manhattan Beach. Before I get into additional details, first and foremost I want to THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS. YOUR WILLINGNESS TO ALLOW US TO WORK WITH YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO GIVE US YOUR MONEY AND YOUR TIME WHEN WE ALL KNOW YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS. FOR THAT I WANT TO THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTUM OF MY HEART.
I never could have imagined Coach Derek Inc. becoming as successful as it has and I have you to thank for this. Please
know that by no means do I want this to be a good-bye. Both my staff and I want nothing more than to continue to teach your children and grow the relationships we have all worked so hard to establish.
If your child needs a Youth League Coach, please calls us. If your child needs some one-on-one coaching, contact us. Or if your child would like Coach Derek or Coach Mike for their birthday party, please don't hesitate to let us know.
I do however feel that it is important that you know what my experience has been like while dealing with the Parks and Recreation Department that has led to this unfortunate turn of events. I want to start by saying that I know I have made some mistakes and I am not perfect. However for the last few years, we at CDI have done our best to give you the highest quality of youth sports
instruction.
When Mark Leyman approached me to partner with Manhattan Beach Parks & Recreation. I was excited about the possibilities. Unfortunately, that excitement was short lived. After having to fall on the sword many times for their constant mishaps, scheduling typos and over-booking fields, I was at my wits end. Throughout most of my relationship with the department, I have been met with lack of communication, misinformation and bullying. After having several meetings to address these issues I realized that this conduct was not going to change, but as a contractor I had no recourse. We at CDI were routinely told, "If you don't like it here, you can just leave".
For the 30% fee the city was taking for each child per session, Manhattan Beach Parks & Recreation originally agreed to do the
following:
- Market/Advertise our classes and supply accurate information to its residents
- Provide CDI the appropriate space to conduct our classes
- Pay CDI in a timely manner
It has saddened and frustrated me to no end that these three agreements were seldom met. From what I was told, it was for bringing these concerns to them that my contract was not renewed.
The work I was doing in Manhattan Beach and the relationships I have formed are very important to me and to CDI. I feel like those relationships don't matter to the City of Manhattan Beach. I invited the Parks & Recreation department to observe my classes on many occasions, but was never taken up on my offer. I understand that to them, I was just another
business, but I had honestly hoped to be considered a partner in a shared goal of bringing a great service to the City of Manhattan Beach and it's kids. I had no illusions that we would become the best of friends, but I did expect them to keep their end of the agreement.
In the end, I realize there is nothing I can do now, especially as a contract employee. But I do believe that my organization was treated unfairly. Neither my staff nor I did anything to warrant this type of response and for that I am very sorry it happened.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this. My goal was to make sure you knew that CDI has not abandoned you or your children. We loved coaching them. We are leaving Manhattan Beach, not by our own choice, but due to circumstances outside of our control.
