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Meredyth McKenzie
Financial safety net
The current economic conditions can be scary, but several changes have been made in the banking arena to provide a safety net to business owners and consumers worried about their finances. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, passed in October, temporarily increased the basic amount of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance for checking, savings, CDs, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts and self-directed retirement accounts, while an additional increase for noninterest bearing transactions was made two weeks later.
"A lot of people can be hurt in times like this when they make irrational decisions," says Jim Paul, senior vice president of retail administration at Fifth Third Bank. "And understandably so when it's a dynamic market like it is, people do react. Get all the facts and information before you make any decisions around your finances."
Smart Business spoke with Paul about how to sift through these changes, how to educate employees and customers on these changes, and how to prepare for changes in the future.
What are some of the major changes made to FDIC, and why were they made?
The FDIC extended the insurance on its accounts temporarily from $100,000 per depositor per bank to $250,000. Those cover checking accounts, savings, CDs and self-directed IRA accounts that people would deposit within an institution.
The second one is an additional increase that gives noninterest accounts, checking accounts, unlimited insurance. The FDIC did extend that through Dec. 31, 2009, where at that point it will evaluate the state of the market and where things are. Those two changes were important at the time because of what was happening in the financial market. There were a couple of failures — the IndyMac failure was one of the larger ones, and that's where things started to unravel a bit. This helps to create more consumer confidence, because the last thing you want is for folks to do things irrationally, like take their money out of the bank and keep it themselves at home or somewhere else. When you see bank failures, people start to think that way, but it's unsafe to do that.
How do these changes affect businesses?
From the standpoint of people over that $100,000 range, it gives them additional comfort that those funds are insured, in the case that something would happen to the institution they're depositing with. By giving unlimited coverage to checking accounts, that was something that business customers felt a little lost in the initial FDIC move, because the larger amount of funds that a business has are usually in a checking account. Usually corporations and nonprofit organizations will have some specific guidelines that are mandated by their boards in terms of how they invest excess funds outside of their operating accounts. When the FDIC was able to give unlimited insurance to the checking account, where typically a lot of businesses will move money out of the checking account, they had to decide whether they wanted to keep more money in the checking account in the immediate future because of the insurance aspect of things.
How should businesses educate their key employees and customers about these changes?
FDIC has an excellent Web site (www.fdic.gov), and that's what we offered up to our customers. It walks you through the process step by step and answers questions. It has an 800-number you can call where associates will pick up immediately and answer questions. The second piece is with businesses; it's probably a good time to review what your investment strategies are and the policies for the company and make sure that everything is in line with some of the changes that have happened this year.
Should businesses expect more changes in the future if the economy continues to go downhill?
I would say yes, from the standpoint that the FDIC and the government are proactive and ready to react to economic conditions if they see the need. So being ready for change is paying attention to what is happening and using resources, specifically around the FDIC. There are a lot of changes out there from economic conditions that are nonfinancial-market-related that companies are going to have to pay attention to and do. General preparation for businesses is the key. The FDIC and the Fed themselves show that they're prepared to act if necessary, to make sure that the economy is as stable as it can be in a situation like this.
JIM PAUL is senior vice president of retail administration at Fifth Third Bank. Reach him at (813) 306-2511 or email@example.com.
Working together
Brian Cescolini says that it's sometimes hard for leaders to listen to others because they're passionate about their jobs and growing their companies.
"Sometimes CEOs or higher-ranking executives just have their eye on the ball, and that's where they're going to go," says the chairman and co-CEO of Universal Services of America LLC.
Cescolini recalls a conversation with one of his employees, who told him in the organization that his 7,041 employees didn't know how to handle. By listening to the employee, Cescolini was able to reach out to them and help solve the issues.
Listening to his employees and creating a trust with them has helped Cescolini grow the building services company to 2007 revenue of $167 million with four divisions: Universal Protection Service, Universal Building Maintenance, UPS Fire/Life Safety Services and UPS Security Systems.
Smart Business spoke with Cescolini about how to listen to your employees and get them involved in your company.
Listen. It's something that is learned. The more that you listen to the feedback from your employees, the more understanding you have for the culture of your company.
If you don't listen and don't share the passion with each other, then I don't think that you succeed in having a great company. You just have to make it a priority to communicate with your employees, listen to what they say and actually act on some of the suggestions that they may have, because there are good ones.
If you don't listen to your employees, that there's a tendency to have a different perspective of how the company is running versus what the employees think.
Part of listening is open discussion and getting action items on the list. If someone has a good idea, they discuss it in meetings, and if it is something the team thinks could contribute, it goes on the action list. The initiatives on the action list are scheduled with due dates, and someone is selected to drive the process and report back to the committee in the next meeting.
Sometimes an executive can listen to an employee, but if he is too busy to do anything about it, then it is perceived that no one listens. I try to push the idea back onto the team so they drive the process, things can get done, and the employee feels satisfied that he or she contributed to the company.
When a CEO or president listens to the employee, whatever level of the position they might have, that encourages the employee to want to stay and work for the company as long as they can.
Get employees involved in the development process. When you create a vision, you have to make sure that everyone is on board. In order to do that, it involves them taking part in the decision-making and creation of the vision.
If they're part of it and involved in actually creating the policies and procedures and hiring the right people and so forth, then they own it.
Empower them, make sure that you identify the right accountabilities for the employee and that the employee understands what they're accountable for and what they're not, and also provide incentives for success. If the organization reaches its goals, then the employee should be rewarded handsomely for their efforts and leadership.
It's like a big train. If everybody behind you is on the same track, then the momentum is going to flow. That creates energy, it creates synergy, and it creates good morale. With those three things, then it allows the company to maximize its ability to accomplish any goal that it sets forth, because everybody is on the same track.
Hold employees accountable. We have chosen the five most important things that the employee is supposed to be responsible for. And those five things are the most important things to the company.
There are always going to be, these things happen and those things happen, but they have to perform on five major facets of their job. It allows the employee to not concentrate on all the little issues but to keep their eyes focused on the five most important things the company wants them to do.
And it's simplified — rather than make it 10 things or 20 things or whatever, (it's) the five most important things, and to us, that drives the culture and the vision. These five things for this employee pushes into the five things for the next person in the level above them and five things for the person above that person, and pretty soon, we accomplish and reach our goal.
It's a matter of taking their job description and mixing it with their actual [job], which is funny because job descriptions don't always match up to the actual job an employee does. Then there's an evaluation of what are the five most important things that this person has to accomplish in a quarter's time.
Every job is different, but we pick the five most important things that that person is supposed to do in their job.
We all expect our employees to perform, but some of us have to nitpick to find fault in things. Employees have hundreds of things to do. But what is important is the five most important things they do that make this company prosper.
Forget about the other small stuff; it wastes too much time. Get them to perform on the important issues and make them feel important and part of the success.
HOW TO REACH: Universal Services of America LLC, (714) 619-9700 or www.universalpro.com
A core purpose
Jason Levin says that to be successful in business, you first have to figure out what your purpose is. Working in the flower business he founded as Gringo Ventures LLC which does business as Dos Gringos Levin says that his purpose is to sell products that make a difference in the lives of his customers.
Understanding your purpose can help you create a vision and mission that your employees can achieve.
"The vision gives your team something to strive for," he says of his 150-employee, $20 million company. "Ideas are cheap; it's teams that win. So when the whole team is working together toward that vision, great things can happen."
Smart Business spoke with the president and owner of Dos Gringos about how to create a successful vision and mission that give your employees something to work toward.
Q. How do you create a vision?
Your vision is what you see for the company down the road. You get the team involved in the whole process. And from there, it's making sure that everyone is making decisions consistent with that every day. That's where the importance of the mission comes in is what we're doing right now getting us closer to the mission, is it consistent with our mission?
It stems from the core culture that you have open-door policy and making sure that you're open to ideas from everyone. It drills down from me with my leadership team to the management team to all the way through having an open-door policy.
At one point, we had a mission that was four paragraphs long. We realized there's no way that we can get all of us to know a four-paragraph mission, so we needed to narrow it down to what's that key thing that we do.
It doesn't have to be big and formal, it's just one sentence ... and narrowing it down and getting everybody's idea for what do we do to make this world a better place.
Q. How do you narrow your mission statement?
What do you do that makes the world a better place was how we approached it. It's just that one or two sentences that are key to driving your business forward that you can lean to when you have to make difficult decisions what is it, and to ask that question over and over again.
If this was our mission and we were faced with this difficult situation, could we go back to our mission and ask ourselves, 'Is this consistent?'
Q. How do you create an open culture?
If you want an open culture, you have to be open yourself. This means communicating relentlessly with your company.
I start my day by walking through the plant entrance ... and saying good morning to all of my teammates. If you want to find out what's happening at your company, go to the front line and just listen. The more you listen and follow up with action items, the more open your team becomes to communicating ideas with you on how to make the organization better.
You always want to be sharing. For me, it could be a quick e-mail to the entire staff, it could be just out on the sales or plant floors talking to people. There are lots of ways, but I'm rarely sitting behind my desk, I'm always out communicating, talking and finding out what's going on in each department, and just keeping the team informed.
It's the personal connection. You're learning about them as an individual and key things that are going on with them that help you connect. As I'm walking around or communicating, I'm trying to see, are there any roadblocks getting in the team's way, and what can I do to eliminate those for them?
Q. How do you encourage teamwork so that employees are working toward the vision and mission?
You've got to have great people ... and then it's making sure someone's doing what it is that they do best. Then always communicate to them what's going on in each department so that they can feel the momentum.
We look for solid character and a history of success in life at some point. ... It could be from having raised great children to captains of their college sports teams to loyalty to past companies. I always say the coach of the San Diego Chargers doesn't hire a field goal kicker without watching them kick field goals under pressure situations time and time again. So you're looking for something in the past that is a leading indicator to what type of person they're going to be for you on the team. You're looking for examples and verification of that example.
You either hire smart or manage tough, and it's far too time-consuming to manage tough. The benefit is you don't have to manage tough, yet if you hire smart, you can give people rope, let them flourish, support them and spend time leading the team without having to be a tough manager.
HOW TO REACH: Gringo Ventures LLC dba Dos Gringos, (760) 477-7999 or www.dosgringos.com
A simple thank you
David Decker says that all leaders, at some point, will learn that their success or failure depends not on what they do but on what their people do.
And when that happens, you will be better able to engage your employees' loyalty and set them up for success.
"Then you have to respect the loyalty that you are able to develop in people who work for you by not placing them in situations where they can't succeed — so establishing realistic expectations for people," he says.
Decker follows these rules with his 960 employees at Franklin University, which has an operating budget of $52 million and three campuses in the Columbus area.
Smart Business spoke with Decker about how to respect your employees and set expectations that they can achieve.
Take time to say thank you. You have to honestly believe that the contributions that people make at all different levels are important. People don't have much difficulty in identifying false opinions and reactions, and they can do that from a leader just as easily as they can with anyone else. If you don't actually believe in the value of the contributions of others, then that will become evident.
You have to make a conscious effort to say thank you a lot more than almost anyone else you'll ever meet. Thanking people, and complimenting them in public, is important in engaging their loyalty. There's a promptness aspect to this — when people do something good ... you ought to acknowledge that when it happens and not six months later. There's a value in being current and prompt in your expressions of gratitude.
It's also important to people to have their peers hear the thanks that are expressed to them by people above them in the organization. You want the people who you work with to know that what you've done is appreciated by the leadership. Complimenting people openly and in front of others has a multiplier effect.
Establish realistic expectations for employees. You want to establish goals that represent a challenge, but at the same time, you don't want to establish goals that are just not achievable.
There's a trap in all of this. ... If you ask people to set goals for themselves, often they will set goals that are too aggressive. Sometimes, of course, they do the opposite — they set easy goals for themselves. It's the responsibility of the leader to adjust those.
You have to have the ability to recognize when someone has put out a goal for themselves that they can't achieve, and you then have to gently and sometimes indirectly adjust that so it's a goal they can achieve.
Learn how your employees work.
Some people are steady and methodical workers, and they're working their way calmly and steadily through everything and keeping their nose to the grindstone. Other people work in spurts — they put out huge output for a few days or weeks and then go for some time when they're not doing much of anything.
If you have someone who's steady and methodical, then you set goals that are consonant with that. You set a large number of intermediate goals, so they're always working toward the next one.
Whereas with people who work in spurts, sometimes you're better off just giving them the general objective and time frame and letting them use their own waves of energy to tackle this thing. I don't think it's a good idea to try and jam everyone into the same cookie cutter.
You have to observe their behavior. Sometimes they're aware of it themselves, but oftentimes they're not. You might have some person who's in the second category ... and they might not even think of themselves that way.
You have to be conscious of the actual behavior and performance of people, rather than relying on their own self-assessment or presentation of themselves and their work habits. Everybody wants to present themselves as steadily working and never having any down-time, and of course, we know that's not true; only a small number of people are like that.
Create an open atmosphere. If somebody feels they can't get something done by the time they thought they could, they will tell you that well in advance. If you give someone a project and say you'd like to have the project done in two weeks, there's a big difference between them coming to you after the two weeks are up and saying, 'I wasn't able to get it finished, and it's going to take two more weeks,' that's one thing. Another thing is for them to come to you after three days and say, 'I looked at this and scheduled it all out, and there's no way it can be two weeks, I need four.'
You're better off knowing that earlier than later. If people think that they can't honestly tell you about what their capabilities are and what they think they can do, then they won't tell you, and you'll be scrambling at the end.
If people see that's what happens when you honestly say you need an extension on a project, then of course they won't ask for one. You have to refrain from doing those things.
You have to convey the message that if somebody honestly says that they need to change the schedule of something that they're working on, you need to have it be seen and known that they get credit for that.
HOW TO REACH: Franklin University, (614) 797-4700 or www.franklin.edu
The value of hard work
When John S. Yi came to the U.S. from Korea as a teen, no one gave him a free ride, and he had to work hard for everything. Yi even spent 10 weeks while a student at the University of California San Diego living out of his car because he didn't have enough money to pay for both tuition and room and board.
That experience ingrained in Yi the importance of hard work, and he has instilled this value in his nearly 200 employees at Koam Engineering Systems Inc., a defense contractor company that provides information technology and logistics services to government and commercial customers.
"I want to make sure that when people work hard and try to do better, they are rewarded and appreciated," says the founder, president and CEO of KES, an $18 million company.
Smart Business spoke about how to get the right team and provide a good environment that encourages them to work hard.
Q. What are the keys to growing a company?
It's all about people. Making sure that you provide an environment for people to try to reach their best level professionally as well as creating a culture where you are challenging them to reach that highest level of their capabilities and not try to penalize them when they do make mistakes.
When you do that, you attract people who are aligned with what the company feels is absolutely needed to grow the business by growing themselves personally; by doing that, they'll be able to grow the company, as well.
Q. How do you create a good environment for your employees?
It's leading by example. It starts with me and the fact that I always don't do the right things or say the right things. Having enough confidence to recognize that what you're doing may not be the best for the company and trying to listen and be an active listener. By showing that I think they know that I'm not sitting on some kind of pedestal or soapbox and trying to tell them something I won't and can't do for myself.
You need have the patience and always seek the speaker's perspective when you are having a conversation. Demonstrate your appreciation and respect for the speaker's perspective, even if you disagree.
I tell my staff that little disagreements are healthy and productive as long as it allows us to fully understand what we are trying to address.
Your job is to create those environments and make sure that it's OK to make small mistakes as long as it's not catastrophic failures. It's kind of like rearing a kid you would not give a sharp knife to a small child.
As the child grows, you want to constantly challenge them to learn new things. They're going to fall, and you want to make sure to pick them up and say, 'Hey, you tried something; it didn't work, try it again.' The value of having that kind of attitude is that they feel like they can try things and be entrepreneurial, they can think a little bit outside the box and won't be penalized.
Q. How do you lead by example?
Set up an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions. If I don't know the answer, I will tell them I don't.
You can lead by treating people with respect or can look at people as just another resource, and that's the important differentiator. Really looking at people and giving them an understanding that what they're doing is critical to the success of overall company's performance in terms of not just creating opportunities for people and creating value for customers but for the company.
You must talk the talk and walk the walk. Do simple things first, like showing up to work before anyone else. Always be sincere in what you say, and deliver more than what you say. Don't compromise your ethics and value for a quick return.
Q. What qualities do you look for in employees to fit into that culture?
Teamwork, the ability to work in a group. I would rather have above-average individuals working well in a group than one or two prima donnas who could part seas and walk on water. Teamwork is critical because no one can do everything.
More importantly is their attitude toward what their responsibilities would be. They may be incredibly brilliant, but if they have a wrong attitude, if they have a negative attitude toward what they're asked to do, then you're obviously not going to be able to fit.
Q. What are the benefits of having a good team and environment in place?
The fact that you have a good group of people creates a good environment where you want to come to work and you feel important. The importance of having a culture is that people are generally happy to come to work, and happy employees are productive. And happy employees, productive employees are ultimately great for top line and bottom line. ... I want them to have buy-in and to be successful.
HOW TO REACH: Koam Engineering Systems Inc., (858) 292-0922 or www.kes.com
Moving on up
To grow a successful company, you have to take risks, even if they don't always pay off, says Herb Engel.
"Sometimes, you just have to look at it and say, 'Sometimes, they work; sometimes, they don't,'" the president of Marine Group Boat Works says.
The full-service boat and yacht repair facility founded in 1986 as an offshoot of a boat yard business founded by Engel and his brother, Art has grown despite facing several challenges along the way: The company reached 2007 revenue of $13.3 million an increase of 88 percent over 2006 and has 50 employees.
Smart Business spoke with Engel about the keys to growing your business and how to learn from mistakes with growth.
Q. What are the keys to growing a company?
Analyze your market and look at what's out there. Look at what the existing market is. We put together a business plan at the beginning of every year and sit down and look at the markets, what's available in the segments and figure out how much we think we can do. As we go each year, then we get better and better data that we can go back on and track ourselves and see how we're doing.
The biggest thing is to know what your market is. You've got to go ahead and know your market and what you think you can pull out of the market and plan accordingly.
Keep in touch with your industry. You look at trade journals and magazines. You go to trade shows, keep up to date with industry happenings and contribute to organizations that benefit your trade. Networking and keeping in touch with contacts that you have made is also key.
Passive involvement has no advantage, but if you take initiative with the affiliations you make and actively seek to collaborate with these people or businesses, you'll know what's going on, and it'll help make you an expert at what you are doing and what your competitors are doing.
Q. How do you communicate the plan to employees?
We let people know how we're doing, and it's just part of the whole philosophy. They don't have to know numbers; the main thing is, they know the philosophy is we want to grow and move forward.
The people who own it and manage it, it's their mindset. Our plan is built by key people.
We get input from managers and employees on a regular basis. They provide us with insight as to what works and what does-n't, and we take their input and incorporate it into other forms of research, such as examining past experiences, following current and future market trends, and seeing where we can be along those trends.
Feedback helps us find more efficient ways of doing things, and when that happens, everyone is much more motivated to integrate it into their practices.
Q. How do you manage growth?
You've just got to get in there and get it done. You have to staff up and get in and get the work done. It's always a concern to say, 'Let's take as much as we can take,' but a lot of times, that can cause you problems. There are times you have to just come around and say, 'Boy, that would be a nice job, but we can't do it.'
If you're trying to grow a company and grow it quickly, look into different areas such as new or niche markets within an existing market. Spread yourself out. But make sure you look to your goals and resources to determine what is attainable.
At the same time, spreading yourself out doesn't mean spreading yourself too thin. Don't try to bite off more than you can chew.
Q. You said that taking risks can sometimes result in mistakes. How do you overcome those and use them as a lesson for future growth?
Look before you jump, make sure you understand what you're jumping into, and make sure you understand the market. A couple of the businesses that we got into that didn't work out well, I don't think we understood that market.
If you look at what the market is and understand it ... these other businesses we had problems with were not related back to what our key business is ... so we understand that market and that industry.
Sometimes, people think because they do one thing 'I was great at this business; I can do anything' and then they get off and into something that they don't understand the business, and the next thing you know they're in trouble.
HOW TO REACH: Marine Group Boat Works, (619) 427-6767 or www.marinegroupbw.com
Keys to success
Ron Petnuch follows three basic rules that have helped guide his professional career, first in law and now as a president and CEO.
"There are three basic roads you can take in any business," he says. "One, you keep your integrity in place at all times. You have to be committed to what you're doing, and committed to me means being a student of the game. The last big thing is that you have to add value."
Following these three rules has helped Petnuch grow InterTECH Security LLC, an electronic security systems integrator company with 121 employees.
Smart Business spoke with Petnuch about how integrity, commitment and adding value can help you grow your business.
Q. What are the keys to having integrity?
Integrity, the way it was explained to me by one of my mentors was, if you do something wrong, if something doesn't work out, it's like putting a rock in the knapsack on your back. Every time you do something like that, it's like putting another rock in your knapsack, and eventually, that will weigh you down.
If you get a rock in your knapsack, stop and take the rock out. Admit the problem, have the discussion with the client, have the discussion with the person you wronged and then move on. If you allow it to keep building up, it will take you down.
If something goes wrong, you admit it and fix it, but you keep your integrity, which is your trust, in place at all times. If I get something wrong here, as the CEO, I'm going to admit it.
Why would I not tell my employees, 'Hey, that was my mistake.' If I do that, if I have that kind of integrity, don't you think my employees would have that type of integrity with me and their fellow employees?
When you treat your employees that way, they tend to treat you that way.
Q. How do you make sure you are committed to your business?
If you're going to be in business, you have to do it to the best of your abilities — study it, work at it, and practice at it to become good and proficient. Be committed, and commitment's nothing more than a compass; it keeps you pointed in a direction.
That keeps you pointed in a direction of how you handle customers, engineer jobs and perform the work. If you're doing things that aren't consistent to that mission, why are you doing it?
If you're doing something that's taking you in a different direction, then you have to ask yourself, 'Why am I doing something that's not consistent with that?'
Q. How do you add value to an organization?
You have to add value to your client and customers, because if they don't see value being added, you're not going to get far. We also have to take that view with our employees and one another.
Am I adding value to my management team? Am I adding value to my employees? Is my being here making them better, creating more opportunities for the company, etc.?
Each employee has to look at it that way relative to their teammates they're working with and to the company. Am I adding value to the company? If the answer is no, if you're just telling them stuff, then we're not going to get anywhere. You then, at that point, commoditize whatever product or service you're selling.
If the client sees value to what you're doing, you're providing them with solutions and solving problems, whatever it might be, that's a good arrangement. If they just see you as a source to buy widgets and they're looking for the cheapest price for the widget, you're not adding value in that process.
Ultimately, that's what comes back from the client. When your client tells you, 'Good job, you've added value. How do I help get more business? If you ever need a referral, you just call me because I will talk to whoever it is you're selling to; you guys are good.' That is the ultimate reward; that means we're doing what we set out to do. That's a little vicious circle in and of itself, because the more work you do, the more you get referred, and the more you get referred, the more work you get, and you grow your company that way.
Q. What are the benefits of living by these three rules?
The company grows its revenue and maintains its margins and pricings, which makes you profitable. That's the scorecard at the end of the day of running a company. If we're profitable and growing our company, that means we can hire more people, provide a good work environment and be a member of our community in a positive way.
They all link to one another.
HOW TO REACH: InterTECH Security LLC, (724) 742-4900 or www.intertechsecurity.com
An open ear
Several times a year, the employees at Columbus Fair Auto Auction Inc. stop working for a couple of hours to enjoy lunch and each other's company.
These lunches also provide an opportunity for them to share ideas with Keith Whann, CEO and general counsel, and the company's other top management.
Whann says the nearly 700 employees are sometimes surprised that management wants to hear their ideas on how to improve things at the wholesale auto auction company.
"We've had some of the best ideas, including how we park cars to routing traffic in and out of our recon shop, come from employees who say, 'Why do we do it this way?' 'Because we've always done it this way.' 'Because it would work better if you did it this way,'" Whann says.
Listening to and acting on employee ideas has helped the company prosper and grow, and in 2007, it posted revenue of $38.5 million.
Smart Business spoke with Whann about how to really hear employees' ideas and how to get the right people in the right positions to succeed.
Get the right people in the right positions. Experience is not the most important thing; the most important thing is to get a good person. You want someone who is a good person, somebody who wants to treat people right, wants to be nice to their fellow employees and customers and wants the job.
I'd take that any day over somebody who's going to be a problem child and have a load of skills and talent, because you can work with the person who wants to learn more ... where as the other one is going to be destructive.
Make sure you get them into the right job. Give them the training and support on a dayto-day basis to be able to grow in that position and develop within that role. When possible, you promote from within. Then they get the team concept and think they're part of something bigger.
You're more efficient; you're more effective at everything you do. If the right people are in the right positions, they tend to do better at their jobs; therefore, they like their jobs better, and there's more satisfaction.
Remain open to employee ideas. You realize rather quickly that you can't possibly do it all or even most of it. You have to be accessible. You can't just say it. ... You have to actually act that way on a day-to-day basis.
Let them know no matter what job they have that you know they exist and understand their role in the success of the company. You're going to have people with different levels of expertise and responsibility, but no matter what level they're at, you have to trust them to do their job and do that correctly.
That doesn't mean you don't manage them, you don't have oversight, but you have to believe that you've hired the right people and trained them well enough to do their job. If you haven't accomplished that, then as the management team, you've failed. You've got the wrong people for the job, and you're going to have problems regardless.
Recognize employees for their good ideas. The most basic thing is just going up and telling them, individually and in front of their peers, recognizing them for the job they've done.
Everybody wants a pat on the back and to be recognized for what they do. All too often in business, you focus on the problems or the areas you need to improve and don't stop to take the time and recognize the things we do well.
For companies to succeed today, you have to do a lot of things well most of the time. What you have to do is not take that for granted. We've all seen situations in departments where you may have 20 people who work there, and one is the problem, and you're constantly talking about the problem and coming up with rules or situations to deal with the problem, but you've got 19 people who are working hard and doing a great job. Make sure that you stop and recognize a job well done, thank those people and make them feel good about the effort they're putting forth.
When you have the problem, you have to deal with it. It's not fair to the people who show up every day on time and work hard to let people slack within the company and not have to work; that sends the wrong message.
Lead by example. It starts from when you show up to work to when you leave, what you wear, how you act and how you treat fellow employees. You can't expect people to do things that you don't do, and the easiest way to let them know the things you think are important is to do those things.
When you have 700 people, you can't know them all by name, but you know as many as you can you stop and say hello to people. It's not just a perfunctory hello, because that's what you do as you walk by, but you stop and talk, find out about them, what's going on in their life and what's important. If they have a problem, issue or concern, you stop and help with it, even if it's not your responsibility.
If they see the boss is out there helping a customer or taking him to find something ... if it's important to me to do, it's important for them to do. If you start breaking down the barriers between what is and isn't someone's job, and you're leading by example, then everyone realizes that the job is to get the total job done, and we'll succeed or fail as a team.
HOW TO REACH: Columbus Fair Auto Auction Inc., (614) 497-2000 or www.cfaa.com
Fraud prevention
Take a look at your company, and think about the hardworking employees who help your company succeed.
What would you do if you found out that one of them stole from your company, be it supplies or money?
This scenario is one that plays out at businesses across the country. Fraud can happen in thousands of different ways, and experts estimate that companies lose about 5 percent of revenue each year to fraud.
"The typical scenario we see is where the owner or management relies too much on trusting a couple of individuals rather than relying on business controls," says Kevin R. Krencisz, senior manager at Barnes Wendling CPAs Inc. "My usual response is, 'Hopefully, you trust who's working for you, otherwise I would hope you wouldn't keep them on the payroll.' You have to go further than that. People can't feel like they have the opportunity to commit fraud."
You can help prevent fraud at your company by putting some key controls in place. Krencisz says that brainstorming with management and with key employees can help you identify the ways that fraud could happen at your company and then implement controls to prevent it.
Beyond that, Krencisz says that you should pay attention to gut feelings. If something doesn't feel right, follow through with the right people, such as your accountant, to uncover whether something is wrong.
"You don't want the people you suspect to know you suspect something, because they could start getting rid of documents or covering their tracks," he says. "The worst thing is, whether it's a couple months or years down the road, you say, 'Something didn't seem right, and I should have checked up on it.' A lot of times, the hunch can go a long way."
Knowing how fraud occurs can also help you detect and prevent it, and your accountant can educate you about fraud that has occurred at other companies and what to look for to keep it from happening to you.
Defining fraud and setting up a comprehensive code of ethics and conduct for employees to follow will make it clear to them that theft is unacceptable. Krencisz says that because fraud can be defined many different ways, you need to create a definition that both fits your company and that is easy for employees to understand.
Despite taking all these precautions, you may still find yourself a victim of fraud. Once discovered, you need to deal with it swiftly and explain to other employees what has happened so that they understand you are serious about it not happening again.
"If I knew a colleague who stole from the company or lied and they weren't terminated, I might say, 'Well, maybe I can do the same thing and get away with it," Krencisz says. "I encourage people to be vigilant and have a no-tolerance policy, and when it's caught, it needs to be dealt with."
And by being upfront with employees about the situation, you are also giving them the opportunity to share information they may have about suspicious activity.
Krencisz says that employers might take fraud more seriously if they took a hard look at the numbers involved.
"I sort of imagine if there was a line on the income statement that said 'fraud expense,' and it totaled 5 percent of revenues, that would be eye-opening to someone to say, 'Can't we control that somehow?'" Krencisz says. "Ultimately, it could take a few changes within the internal structure to get that 5 percent back. Companies sit back and think of ways to cut costs ... and here some of that is right at their doorstep and can be done easily." <<
How to prevent fraud
Fraud can happen in thousands of ways, says Kevin R. Krencisz, senior manager at Barnes Wendling CPAs Inc. Here, he offers tips on how to prevent it from happening at your company.
- Have the bank statement
sent to someone off-site. That
person is then looking at the
cancelled items and statement
independent of the cash
- Limit access to company
credit cards. Krencisz says providing access to company credit
cards can be like giving employees approval to make unauthorized transactions. Make sure
those who do have access provide reconciliation within a week
of a transaction.
- Prepare a budget for actual expense items. Krencisz says
you can see a lot through this,
especially if there are fluctuations from one period to another. And be sure to get explanations for these fluctuations.
- Examine journal entries
and adjustments made to the
accounting. Krencisz says that
those in accounting who want to
bury something can cover up a
- Give employees a forum to bring information to you. Krencisz says a lot of fraud cases are uncovered by employees, so you need to have a way for them to anonymously communicate these issues to you in a way where they know they are not going to be punished. Follow up on this information and make sure it's not just a case of an employee making a false claim against an employee he or she does not like.
HOW TO REACH: Barnes Wendling CPAs Inc., (216) 566-9000 or www.barneswendling.com
All about the people
Building and maintaining relationships is an important element at S&V Industries Inc. and has also been a key to its growth during the past several years. CEO Senthil Kumar, who started the company in 1993, wants customers for the long term and works hard on creating solid customer relationships.
Kumar has placed a focus on customers throughout the company by including it in the company's core values. He encourages employees at all levels to build and maintain relationships with customers. Kumar strengthens those relationships by identifying and anticipating customer needs and addressing those effectively and efficiently.
Kumar has designed the company to be a one-stop shop for customers, offering a full range of products and services.
Employees are equipped with the latest hardware and software to provide the best solutions to customers.
The Akron-based company is a market agent and logistics solutions provider to major U.S. original equipment manufacturers that provide manufacturing parts produced by global suppliers. The company has more than 50 OEM customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and partners with numerous manufacturing facilities in India and China.
The focus on relationships has resulted in substantial growth for the company. Revenue has risen throughout the years, from $9,205 in 1995 to nearly $25 million in 2007, with revenue expected to be between $28 million and $29 million in 2008. The company has already seen a 36 percent revenue increase in the first half of this year compared to the first half of '07.
The employee force has also grown, from five in 2003 to 23 today, spread between the United States, India and China. The growing number of employees has resulted in the need for the company to move into a larger location in the Akron area later this year.
Kumar has built an open culture where employees are empowered to make their own decisions. He is always open to new ideas as well as learning and implementing best practices for the company.
Kumar hopes to continue the growth and success at S&V Industries and hopes to reach revenue of $200 million by 2017.
HOW TO REACH: S&V Industries Inc., (330) 253-1986 or www.svindustries.com


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Club Registration Deadline: November 15
This PID activity is exclusively for Creative Photography. The PSA definition of Creative is "Altered Reality." More specifically, the image must obviously display a change in natural color, form, shape, or any combination of three. High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without further changes are not considered "altered reality."
There are three competitions per competition year. The participating clubs are organized into three groups (A through C) and the competitions (Rounds) are held in December, February, April, and June. Each club is allowed to enter a maximum of six images per competition, with no more than two from any individual club member. Each club will be allowed to submit a makeup entry for one competition throughout the year.
For each competition, up to six images from each group are selected to receive Awards and between six and eight images from each group receive Honorable Mentions. A slide show of the Award and HM images from each Round is prepared and linked from this webpage.
At the end of the year, a Best of the Best competition is held that includes all images that received an Award of Merit. Six images are selected from each group; a Best of the Best image is then selected from those eighteen images. All Award of Merit and Honorable Mention images are combined into a digital show, complete with music, and presented at the PSA Annual Conference.
These competitions are open to all current PSA-member clubs. Each club is encouraged to give serious consideration to participating as a means of demonstrating their inherent skills and talents, in addition to earning well-deserved recognition. The primary club PID Creative Interclub representative/coordinator must provide an email address; an alternate club representative may also be submitted. Please consult the Creative Interclub Competition Rules.
To register for a PSA Division Interclub Competition, please contact the Interclub Competition Director listed at the top of this page.
Digital entries must be submitted at the Competition web site. This web site will also display the club scores and award-winning images.
Basic Guidelines for Operating PSA Division Competitions - Contains information for Directors of PSA Individual and Interclub Competitions.
2013-2014 - Results | Round 1 Slide Show | Round 2 Slide Show
2012-2013 - Results | Round 1 Slide Show
The Interclub Comparison Chart is a quick reference to all eight of the PSA Interclub Competitions and is designed to help clubs select the Interclub Competition(s) that the club wishes to enter. The chart contains a link to the webpage for each PSA Interclub Competition and a link to each Interclub Director's email.
A Consultant is available to help PSA-member clubs enter the Interclub Competitions. This service can be found in the Clubs/Councils area, which is available through login.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Discussion about math, puzzles, games and fun. Useful symbols: ÷ × ½ √ ∞ ≠ ≤ ≥ ≈ ⇒ ± ∈ Δ θ ∴ ∑ ∫ π -¹ ² ³ °
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#1 2008-08-29 20:40:01
Axiom of choice
This result could not be intuitively simpler, yet it depends on the axiom of choice for its truth!
Let be the set of all equivalence classes under the relation ~ on A defined by . Without the axiom of choice, we would not be able to take from each member of one and only one element to form our subset C.
(More precisely, it is the axiom of choice that guarantees the existence of an injective function , from which we set .)
Q: Who wrote the novels Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse?
A: Click here for answer.
#2 2008-08-30 09:47:33
Re: Axiom of choice
Zorn's lemma is obviously true, the Well-ordering principle is obviously false, and who knows about the Axiom of Choice.
"In the real world, this would be a problem. But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist. So we'll go ahead and do that now..."


text:
Freedom's Choice
Anne McCaffrey - Author
ePub eBook | $7.99 | add to cart | view cart
ISBN 9780698143821 | 336 pages | 25 Jun 2013 | Ace | 18 - AND UP
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Summary of Freedom's Choice Summary of Freedom's Choice Reviews for Freedom's Choice An Excerpt from Freedom's Choice
Abducted by the alien Catteni, Kristin Bjornsen was one of many humans brought to the planet Botany as part of an experiment to see if it could support life. Enslaved and forced to colonize a world not their own, the settlers have accepted Botany as their home—a home worth fighting for…
Kristin's people have learned that the aliens responsible for their imprisonment are merely mercenaries, subjugated by the parasitic Eosi Race, and that Botany is being farmed remotely by some unknown species—a species that may be sympathetic to the colonists' struggle for freedom.
The "Farmers" refuse to join the humans in their rebellion against the Catteni, but they agree to use their technological skills to shield Botany and hide it from its enemies—buying Kristin and the settlers time to build up their forces and liberate their world…
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This article describes options for measuring cellular fate by using reagents and systems developed to detect specific cellular markers and events. Here we show that a combination of Promega cell-based assays provides cytotoxicity researchers the tools needed to differentiate cell fates such as apoptosis and necrosis.
Promega Notes 82, 19–22.
Randy Hoffman
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text:
NEIU Alumni Class Notes by Decade
Keep up with your former classmates with Alumni Class Notes! Did you find a job or earn a promotion? Win an award? Get married? Tell us about it!
Patricia A. Wyman (B.Ed. '65 General Education, Elementary Education)Wyman is a psychotherapist and has published a book, "Three Keys to Self-Understanding." She has two children and five grandchildren. She recently wrote to the Northeastern Illinois University Alumni Association and stated "I'm very appreciative of my time at what is now Northeastern."
Frank P. Sesko (B.A. '66 Education - Speech)Sesko co-authored a children's book "Santa and Sam's Big Secret" with his wife Mary Ann.
Patrick G. Patt (B.A. '67 Elementary Education: Math)Patt is running as an independent candidate for the District 67 School Board. Patt is an adjunct professor of educational leadership at Concordia University, where he teaches graduate classes in ethics. He has served as president and state board member for Illinois Common Cause; board member for Family Services of South Lake County; volunteer academic tutor for Nuestro Center of Highland Park; volunteer for Big Brother/ Big Sister of Lake County; and volunteer for PADS program of Lake County.
Joanne Kitsos (B.S. '68 Elementary Education)Kitsos was awarded the newly created Karen Utterback Award for Volunteerism by the the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Board of Directors, recognizing her contributions to the growth and success of the organization.
Lois R. Kurowski (B.A. '68 Elementary Education, Mathematics)Kurowski went from working in the accounts receivable department to customer profile administrator for ACCO Brands, an office products leader.
David Helfand (B.A. '72 Mathematics, Secondary Education and Psychology)After two years volunteering with Orphans of the Storm animal shelter in Deerfield, Helfand is now an Adoption Counselor with PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) of Chicago. He also enjoys taking his dogs, Roxy and Bounce, to visit with the seniors at the Lieberman Center in Skokie. Helfand retired as coordinator of career counseling at Northeastern Illinois University.
Maria F. Martinez (B.A. '72 Spanish)Martinez published "Cuban Stories about People, Terraces, Food, Revolution and Good-bye's," a memoir of her childhood in Cuba before and during the communist revolution. Martinez retired from Citigroup after a career of 25 years and is now an independent specialist in integrated marketing.
Charles A. Towsley (B.S. '72 Biology)Towsley is currently founding president of Sante Shipping Lines, Miami, Fla. He was the former port director of the Port of Miami (1998-2006).
Anita R. Brook-Dupree (B.S. '73 Biology)Brook-Dupree recently retired from the School District of Philadelphia, after a 30 year career as a science teacher and curriculum specialist. After attending a conference in Chicago called "So You Want To Be An Educational Consultant?" Brooke-Dupree launched her own consulting firm called Science is My Specialty.
George W. Kerscher(B.A. '74 Secondary Education: English)Kerscher is one of President Obama's appointees for the National Museum and Library Services Board. Kerscher is secretary general of the DAISY Consortium; president of the International Digital Publishing Forum; senior officer of accessible technology at Learning Ally; and serves on the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard Board.
Robert Bluestone (B.A. '75 Political Science)Bluestone is running for City Council in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He was also former city commissioner of Ft. Pierce, Fla. and retired as senior vice president of Harbor Federal Savings Bank.
RoBert V. Cunningham (M.A. '75 Inner City Studies) Cunningham has served as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the Retired Teachers Association of Chicago since the year 2009.
Clifford R. Wagner (B.A. '75 Secondary Education, Physical Education; M.A. '01, Grad-Ed Lead: School Lead)Wagner is a teacher at Bogan H.S in Chicago. He is also vice president for teenage youth at the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD) and president-elect for the Illinois High School Association and the College Driver Education Association.
Darlene J. Ruscitti (B.A. '75 Secondary Education: History; M.A. '86 History)Ruscitti was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn to serve on the NEIU Board of Trustees. Ruscitti has been in the education profession in various capacities over the last 30 years, and serves as the first woman regional superintendent of the DuPage County School District.
Mary Zentmyer (B.A. '75 Speech)Zentmyer is currently touring in the show "Late Nite Catechism." The show has toured in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and is currently playing in Easton, Pa. Funds from the play benefit nuns in need.
Luis V. Gutierrez (B.A., '76 English)Congressman Gutierrez was named Hispanic of the Year by Panorama Hispano, a New York based paper dedicated to exposing news to the Hispanic community.
Charlene M. Jett (M.S. '80 Biology)Jett is president of 3R's Management Consulting and Therapeutics, Inc. Jett presents quality clinical trial presentations such as, "An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure," which she presented in December 2012 at OMICS Publishing Company held in Philadelphia, Pa.
Mona Noriega (B.A. '81 Social Work and Criminal Justice)Noriega lead an evening discussion with the University community on Wednesday, April 6 at the NEIU Angelina Pedroso Center's LGTBQ Resource Center. She focused on how to make a career of social work. Noriega serves as the chairperson for the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations.
Thomas B. Perski (B.A. '81 Board of Governors)Perski, senior vice president/rehabilitation services, The Chicago Lighthouse, oversees several programs including the VA Program and the Consumer Products Store. He will lead an expansion of services and sales through a new catalog and e-commerce web site of technology and independent living aids and other programs that will integrate with the Low Vision Rehabilitation Service and the Adaptive Technology Department.
Gardenia C. Hung (B.A. '82 Spanish and Secondary Education: French)Hung had an article featured in CNN I Report called "How I Became a Community Interpreter?"
James H. Lawlor, III (B.A. '83 Business and Management)Lawlor is a partner of Shea Law Group. He was recently named an Illinois Superlawyer by his peers, an honor bestowed on the top five percent of attorneys in his field of personal injury trial litigation.
Andrew H. Stein (B.A. '83 Speech and Performing Arts)Stein was featured in the Buffalo Grove Patch as a candidate for the Buffalo Grove Village Board.
Toni L. Armstrong, Jr. (MA.S. '84 Teaching Children with Learning Disabilities)Armstrong recently launched BLAST, a website powered by Meetup.com where "lesbians, bi women, transwomen, and our straight female allies have opportunities to socialize and network around their interests, to develop leadership skills, and to gain more LGBT and feminist cultural literacy."
Paul M. Nordhaus (B.A. '84 Political Science)Nordhaus has been appointed Chair of the International Advisory Board for the National Science Teachers Association for 2012-12.
Daniel J. Yee (B.S. '88 Computer Science)Yee passed the MCSE in September 2009 which included certification in Comptia A+ (2005), Network+ (2006), PDI+ (2011), Microsoft's MCP (2006), and MCSA (2008). He currently works for the Chicago Police Department IT division as a Microsoft systems engineer.
Jeffrey W. Miller (B.A. '89 Secondary Education: English)Miller was recently appointed account manager for Quality Catering. "Jeff's 20 plus years in education show his dedication to wanting to make a positive difference in the world," said James Scharnell, president, Quality Catering.
John Byrne (B.A. '90 Criminal Justice)Byrne was promoted from deputy to lieutenant by the Lake County Sheriff's Office in April. He has served in court security, work release, jail, highway patrol, criminal investigations, the emergency management agency, and was director of training. He has been a member of the Metropolitan Enforcement Group and is the field operations commander of the tactical response team. Byrne attended the Northwestern University Supervision of Police Personnel and Staff and Command School and will be in charge of the court security division.
Kenneth A. Bouche (B.A. '91 Board of Govenors)Bouche, a retired Illinois State Police colonel , will serve as the Schaumburg Police Department's interim chief of police. "The appointment of Ken Bouche to interim chief allows us to ensure that we can continue to deliver public safety services to village residents and businesses," said Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz.
Gabriella Filippi (M.S. '91 Exercise Science)Filippi recently wrote "Celebrate Your Seasons," an inspirational book on love and god, published by Rowman and Littlefield.
Jeffrey Halen (B.S. '91 Business and Management)Halen was featured in the Lake Zurich Patch as a candidate for trustee on the Lake Zurich Village Board.
Rae Lewis-Thornton (B.A. '91 Political Science)Lewis-Thronton recently published "The Politics of Respectability" which is a memoir of her life and her personal journey living with HIV and AIDS. She is an Emmy Award-winning AIDS activist and educational speaker who has appeared on the cover of Essence Magazine, Ebony, Jet, Emerge, O (The Oprah Magazine), The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dateline, CNN, Black Entertainment Television, and the Montel Williams Show. In May 2011, Lewis-Thornton received the NEIU Distinguished Alumna Award.
Basia Emano (B.A. '93 Education, Leisure Studies) Emano is an independent casting director who has served on independent films including "Dog Jack," "Batman Begins," "Spiderman II," "Drunkboat," "What Women Want" and "A League of Their Own." She has also worked on several television series such as "Judge Alex," "Cristina's Court," "Texas Justice" and "Rozmowy w Toku." She is currently working as marketing director for the Lira Ensemble (a not-for-profit professional performing arts company comprised of a Symphony, female vocal ensemble, a chamber chorus, a children's chorus and a dance company) and will contribute to the upcoming feature film "Jerzy," to be produced by the famed and multi-talented Paul Hensler ("Star Wars").
Kevin R. McCormack (B.A. '93 Board of Governors)McCormick relocated to Nashville, Tennessee from Atlanta, Georgia after accepting a position as a senior financial analyst with Hospital Corp of America.
Neil Slater (B.A. '93 Speech)Slater is pursuing a second bachelor's degree in mathematics at Saginaw Valley State University.
Sasha Gerritson(B.A. '94 Vocal Performance; M.A. '96 Vocal Pedagogy)Gerritson serves as a conductor of the Park Ridge Civic Symphony Choir. She recently led the concert to performances for Mozart "Requiem," the Brahms "Requiem," "The Creation" by Haydn, "Carmina Burana" by Orff, and the majestic "Symphony No. 9" in D Minor by Beethoven. She is also the director of opera studies at NEIU as well as a full-time instructor teaching music theory and sight-singing. At Northeastern, Gerritson also serves as the department's recruitment and scholarship coordinator and as is faculty advisor for the local NAfME chapter.
Ivan S. Muslin (B.A. '94 Political Science)Muslin earned a Ph.D. in business administration at the University of Memphis in 2011. He is an assistant professor of management at Lewis College of Business at Marshall University.
Gwen Zimmermann (B.A. '94 Mathematics)Zimmermann was recently named assistant principal for teaching and learning at Stevenson High School. She previously served as the director of mathematics. She has also served as chairwoman of the mathematics department at Hinsdale Central High School, taught at Glenbrook South High School, and West Chicago High School. Zimmermann was awarded the 2001 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching for the State of Illinois.
Carlo P. Basile (B.A. '96 Music; M.A. '96 Classical Guitar Performance and Pedagogy)Basile is the founder of "Flamenco Nights" which laid the foundation for Las Guitarras de Espana. Basile continues to study Flamenco guitar in Cordoba and Seville, Spain.
Asif Anwar (M.A. '97 Excercise Science/Cardio Rehab)Anwar authored "The Concise Review of Care, Trauma and Emergency Medicine: A Quick Reference Guide of ICU and ER."
Enrique R. Gallego (M.A. '97 Political Science)Gallego recently completed a three-year assignment as the political-military affairs/ counterterrorism officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh. Among his achievements were organizing the first bilateral security dialogue between the United States and Bangladesh and working with Bangladesh's primary counterterrorism unit to reform its procedures to conform with international human rights standards. Gallego recently received the U.S. State Department's Superior Honor Award.
Juliana Taimoorazy (B.A. '98 Board of Governors)Taimoorazy is founder and president of The Iraqi Christian Relief Council. This nonprofit organization educates young Christian women arriving in Chicago from refugee camps in Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
Torrey A. Rinaldo (B.A. '97 Management and Marketing; M.S.A. '06, Accounting)In addition to double degrees from NEIU, Rinaldo received a master's degree from Loyola University of Chicago 2003 and Ph.D. Madison University 2010.
Robert F. Tredray (B.A. '98 Non-Traditional Degree Program; M.A. '03 English)Tredray recently received the President's Volunteer Service Award. A letter from the White House was presented to him at the annual Awards Dinner of the Potawatomi District of the Boy Scouts of America, in recognition of his more than 500 hours of service in 2011. An independent scholar, Tredray presented papers to the International Congress on Medieval Studies in 2009 and the Mythopoeic Society in 2010.
Dean J. Young (M.S. '98 Exercise Science/Cardio Rehabilitation)Young was recently hired by SPRI, a leading manufacturer and distributor of resistance exercise products for the health and fitness industry, as National Account Manager.
Felix B. Carter (B.A. '99 Non-Traditional Degree Program; M.A. '05 Political Science)Carter earned an M.S. in Education with a concentration in Elementary-Studies from Quincy University (Quincy, Ill.). While studying he held two part-time jobs--one with the Chicago Public Schools as a special education teachers assistant, and with the Transportation Security Officers for Homeland Security. Currently he is pursuing a part-time career position as an academic advisor, career coach or admissions counselor at the middle school, high school or beginning college levels.
Kyla Darling (B.A. '99 Speech and Performing Arts)Darling served for 14 years as a producer, director and videographer for KRD Productions. She has produced more than 60programs for local cable stations. In 2000, she received a video award (Cammy) from Naperville community television in the performance category.
Gregory G. Jackson (B.A. '99 Political Science)Jackson was recently installed as President of the Chicago Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. He currently works as the principal for PPA International and serves as a member of the NEIU Alumni Advisory Board.
Jose Rico (B.A., '99 University without Walls)Rico was appointed by President Obama as the director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2011. The Initiative is in charge of expanding academic excellence and improving educational opportunities for Hispanics for President Obama and Secretary Duncan. Rico received the Northeastern Illinois University Distinguished Alumnus Award at the December 2010 commencement ceremony.
Francine L. Sheppard (B.A. '99 Teacher Education)Sheppard is an MBA student at Kaplan University and expects to complete her degree in 2013. She earned a master's degree in educational administration leadership from Grand Canyon University in March 2011, and graduated from Joseph Business School with a certificate of completion in June 2007.
Julio J. Valle (B.A. '99 Mathematics, Secondary Education Certification: Mathematics)Valle was recognized by the Latino American Who's Who, a New York based publication, for his accomplishments in the field of education. Currently, Valle is principal of Sawgrass Bay Elementary in Sunrise, Fla.
Michael G. Wall (B.S. '99 Business Accounting)Wall was appointed by BENNU Legal Services as a member of the board of directors and also as co-chair of the finance committee serving Lake County.
Luke N. Bobek (B.A. '01 Speech)Bobek is the director of sales for industrial and institutional at Earth Friendly Products, an environmental cleaning products provider. Previously, he was the Midwest sales and marketing manager of Chase Products Company and the regional sales manager of Claire-Sprayway Inc. Bobek recently purchased a home in Sugar Grove, Ill.
Christine A. Matta (M.A. '01 Linguistics)Matta (pen name Krystiana Stacy Kelly) authored earthquake survivor's stories in Never Shaken: Tales of Survival. The Shattered Swan, the first of the Tamara series, is a fictional account of the August 15, 2007 earthquake in Ica/Pisco, Peru.2012.
Lisa M. Stevenson (M.A. '01 Linguistics)Stevenson was recently appointed principal of Neil Armstron Elementary in Hoffman Estates, Ill. She will begin in July 2012.
Camille R. Caldwell (B.S. '02 Biology)Caldwell is a criminal investigator for the U.S. Airforce and recently married Kenneth Wayne Caldwell, aircraft mechanic for the U.S. Army.
Sean P. Fleming (B.A. '02 Criminal Justice)Fleming recently announced his engagement to Christina Nerbonne.
Maria Luna-Duarte (B.A. '02 Sociology)Luna-Duarte, acting director, El Centro, received the 2012 E. Kika de la Garza Fellowship. This USDA award annually recognizes 27 fellows from Hispanic-Serving Institutions from across the country, based on their efforts within the USDA mission areas, as well as the impact their experiences will have on their institutions' educational abilities.
Paul A. O'Malley (M.A. '02 Learning Disabilities; M.A. '04 Educational Leadership)O'Malley, who currently serves the Niles School District 219 as assistant superintendent of business services, has accepted the position of assistant superintendent of business at Oswego Community School District 308.
Valerie A. Betts (B.A. '03 Board of Governors)Betts received a National Board Certification in 2011 as an early/middle childhood music mission trip leader and organizer to Kenya and Ghana.
Gregory Bublitz (M.A. '03 Special Education)Bublitz was promoted from current special education facilitator to interim director of special events at Park Ridge School District 63.
Paul Clermont and Fred Clermont (B.A. '03 Speech and Performing Arts)The Clermont's are both assistant principals in Florida who started an organization that takes teachers and other professionals to Haiti every four to five months.
John Kretsos (M.S. '03 Chemistry)Kretsos is the recipient of a 2013 Golden Apple award. He is a chemistry teacher at Niles North high school.
Carmen I. Lebron (B.A. '03 Speech)Lebron earned a master's degree from Benedictine University in 2010.
Charles Good and Eric Rojas (B.A. '04 Economics / B.A. '05 Nontradtional Degree Program)Good and Rojas, members of the NEIU Alumni Advisory Board, attended NEIUs May 2013 Commencement Ceremony to distribute gifts to the new graduates on behalf of the Alumni Association. Good also provided greetings during the ceremony, welcoming the Class of 2013 into the over 70,000 member NEIU alumni community.
Maximo J. Marin (B.A. '04 Psychology)Marin graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and is a physician resident at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Louis E. Martinez (B.A. '04 Board of Governors)Martinez currently works for the Chicago Police Department and is the president of the Illinois Academy of Criminology.
John J. Ross (B.A. '04 Board of Governors)Ross, a North Dakota State assistant soccer coach, was named head coach at Northern Illinois University. He was previously the director for the North Dakota Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program.
Andrea V. Belard (B.S. '05 Business Administration)Belard graduated from DePaul College of Law in May 2010. She is currently practicing as a licensed attorney in family law in Chicago.
Katie Muhtaris (B.A. '05 Teacher Education)Muhtaris earned a master's degree in teacher leadership from Roosevelt University and achieved National Board Certification as a middle childhood generalist. She was recently featured in the Comprehension and Collaboration DVD by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels and will be featured in the upcoming new edition of Best Practice by Harvey Daniels, Steve Zemelman, and Art Hyde. She also works as an education consultant for Stephanie Harvey, with schools and districts across the nation to implement balanced literacy, comprehension instruction, and meaningful technology integration. Muhtaris has presented at the International Reading Association Conference, The National Council of Teachers of English, and The Illinois Computing Educators Conference. She also founded a blog called "Inquiry Live in the Classroom" that talks about her teaching career; using inquiry based teaching methods, implementing reading and writing workshop, and meaningful uses of technology as a tool for learning.
Aida L. Perez (B.A. '05 Early Childhood Education) Perez is currently working for the Head Start Program across the city of Chicago managing the day to day operations, budget, and monitoring compliance. She is involved with Imagine Learning English; a literacy program used in classrooms. She completed a degree in educational leadership and administration from NEIU.
Gregory R. Regalado (M.A. '05 Educational Leadership)Regalado is the recipient of a 2013 Golden Apple award. He is a teacher at Main West high school.
Christina Henza (B.S. '='06 Biology)Henza was featured by the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry as a top 40 medtech professional under 40 for her work interfacing with regulatory authorities for domestic and international companies. She has also written papers in leading journals and lectured at important conferences.
Betty J. Howard (B.A. '06 Board of Governors)Howard recently retired as a community supervisor at a Senior Volunteer Program of the Jane Addams Hull House Association (JAHHA) in Chicago.
Sofia Huitron (B.A. '06 Bilingual, Bicultural Education)Huitron works for the Addison School District as a bilingual third grade teacher and recently was granted tenure. She is pursuing a master's degree in educational technology and is expected to graduate in December 2012.
Rodrigo Garcia (B.S. '07 Finance)Garcia was appointed assistant director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs by Governor Pat Quinn in 2011. Garcia serves as the second-in-command over an agency with 1,300 employees, numerous veteran homes throughout the state including one under design and development, various programs and services divisions, and supports Illinois' 1.3 million veterans.
Laura A. Hoeflich (B.S. '07 Biology)Hoeflich recently announced her engagement to Robert Kalas.
Daniel T. Kamka (B.A. '07 Mathematics)Kamka was promoted from a position as a Network Operations Center Support Engineer to an Operations Center Administrator I at Classified Ventures LLC. He graduated with a master's degree in science from Roosevelt University in 2010.
Diana M. Lanza (B.A. '08 Mathematics)Lanza earned a master's degree in information systems from DePaul University.
Cicely (Virginia) Teal (B.A. '08 Communication, Media and Theatre)Teal (pen name Virginia) is a journalist and editor who worked as a writer and floor director for the national children's literacy television program "Green Screen Adventures." She has also written for print and online publications, including N'Digo, GlossMagazineOnline, The DePaulia, The Independent, Café Magazine Online, Breaking Tweets and the ONE Organization. She worked for Central City Productions and WTTW channel 11.
Jacqueline Cunningham (M.A. '09 Linguistics)Cunningham is co-chair of the English language learning and world languages department at Harold Washington College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago.
Alicja Haptas (M.A. '09 Linguistics)Haptas is a reading instructor at Richard J. Daley College and is currently earning a graduate teaching certificate from Roosevelt University.
Corrina J. Nemec (B.A. '09 Elementary Education, Teacher Education)Nemec received the prestigious ISTA New Teacher of the Year Award for 2010-2011 for outstanding achievements in science education. She is currently the eighth grade science teacher at Monroe Elementary School (CPS), and also the science department chair. She participated in the MSI 2010-11 workshops for teachers, and is fruitfully organizing and tending the school garden. Nemec is planning an after-school science club, and is the school's science fair coordinator.
Dale Rivera (B.A. '09 Communication, Media and Theatre; M.A. 12 Communication, Media and Theatre)Rivera published the article "A Mother's Son," in the peer-reviewed journal Cultural Studies Methodologies.
Winifred O. Whelan (M.A. '09 Linguistics)Whelan translated Mary García's "The Sufferings, Assassinations, and Martyrdom of the Missionary Church in Olancho Honduras (1963-1982): The History of a Church that Lived Its Commitment to the Poor," which was published by Mellen Press in 2011, from the original Spanish into English.
Milton C. Zhinin (B.S. '09 Accounting)Zhinin earned an MBA from the Liautaud Graduate School of Business at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has accepted a position in the audit enterprise and risk services division at the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. Zhinin plans on being a licensed CPA by February 2013.
Aissatou Diallo (B.A. '10 Psychology)Diallo recently presented a paper titled "Robust training attenuates TBI-induced deficits in reference and working memory on the radial 8-arm maze," which was published online by Frontier in Behavioral Neuroscience.
Tiffany M. Doan (B.A., '10 Psychology)Doan is currently pursuing her master's program at the University of Limerick, Ireland studying applied social research.
Jose Fulgencio (B.A. '10 Political Science)Fulgencio recently earned an M.A. in Political Science from Oklahoma State University and will pursue an M.S. in Entrepreneurship this fall at Oklahoma State. He will travel to Cape Town, South Africa, this summer to work as a consultant with Oklahoma State's School of Entrepreneurship to help disadvantaged entrepreneurs with their businesses.
Ronald I. Hale (M.A. '10 Political Science)Hale recently married Elizabeth Moody in a ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio.
Steven V. Jerome (B.A., '10 Mathematics)Jerome recently started a Ph.D. program at Columbia University in theoretical biophysics and chemistry. He was also awarded a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship which led him to presenting research at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Joanna P. Kowal (B.S., '10 Biology)Kowal is a certified pharmacy technician at Walgreens. She is completing her master's degree at Saint Joseph's College.
Alexandra Maragha (B.A. '10 Communication, Media and Theatre)Maragha is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Today's BoomeR Digital Magazine, a bi-monthly publication of The American BoomerR.com.
Linda L. Stovall-Suazo (M.A., '10 Inner City Studies)Stovall-Suazo is an MIT special education high school teacher. She recently received a LBS1 certification and is currently working on an ESL certification. This upcoming summer she will begin a Ph.D program at Capella University.
Silvana K. Torres (M.A. '10 Linguistics)Torres presented a paper entitled "Reanalysis of the Mandan Verbal Suffix Complex through the Complementizer Phrase" at the Linguistic Society of America and the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas Annual Conference in Portland, Ore., in January.
Melinda Vazquez (B.A., '10 Social Work)Vazquez earned a master's degree in social work from UIC in 2011. She currently works as a Behavior Health Clinician for high intensive adolescent services at Resurrection Health Care in Chicago, Ill.
Melinda Vazquez
(B.A., '10 Social Work)
Vazquez earned a master's degree in social work from UIC in
2011. She currently works as a Behavior Health Clinician
for high intensive adolescent services at Resurrection
Health Care in Chicago, Ill.
Angel L. Velez (B.A., '10 Justice Studies) Velez received an ENLACE Leadership Institute Fellowship and is currently working as a Graduate Assistant with Proyecto Pa'Lante at NEIU.
Angel L. Velez
(B.A., '10 Justice Studies)
Velez received an ENLACE Leadership Institute Fellowship
and is currently working as a Graduate Assistant with
Proyecto Pa'Lante at NEIU.
Elizabeth Y. Webb (M.A. '10 Linguistics)Webb is working as an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructor in Izmir, Turkey.
George Wilmes (M.A. '10 Linguistics)Wilmes presented a paper entitled "Interrogative content words in Mandan and other Siouan languages" at the Linguistic Society of America and the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas Annual Conference in Portland, Ore., in January. He also presented a paper entitled "Past applications of optimality theory to Siouan language data and phenomena: A review of the literature" at the Siouan and Caddoan Languages Conference in Lawrence, Kan. in June.
Theodore J. Birren (B.A. '11 Interdisciplinary Studies)Birren was recently promoted to director of operations for the Northwestern Suburb High School District 214. Birren perviously served as maintenance supervisor for the same district.
Susana Luna (B.A. '11 Communication, Media and Theatre)Luna is a student advocate in West 40's Project TAPESTRY, one of 29 agencies in the nation to receive a five-year federal High School Graduation Initiative Grant designed to aid local high schools in drop-out prevention. Luna is also completing the Improv Program at the Second City.
Rand Ringgenberg (B.A. '11 Communication, Media and Theatre)Ringgenberg recently produced a show at Stage 773 and a Studio Theatre series at NEIU. Rand is currently working on Primrose, a play that started in a class at the Chicago Dramatists.
Daniella Bajtner (B.A. '12 Communication, Media and Theatre)Bajtner was accepted into the Master of Arts in Organizational and Multicultural Communication program at Depaul University.
Eduardo Bocanegra (B.A. '12 Interdisciplinary Studies and Social Work)Bocanegra was featured in an LISC Chicago article titled "Panel Traces Path from Childhood Trauma to Youth Violence." He has worked with the University of Illinois and CeaseFire to mediate conflicts and stop violence in Chicago communities, and he was featured in the 2011 film, "The Interrupters," for his work. Now a congregational organizer at the Community Renewal Society, Bocanegra raises awareness of a number of programs that attempt to address the causes and/or effects of violence.
Daniel M. Fink (M.A. '12 Geography and Environmental Studies)Fink was featured in a MEDILL Reports Chicago article titled "What bites Chicago? Spring awakens carnivorous plants." Fink traveled to sphagnum bogs and sandy swales to perform research on these rare botanical species.
Galini Gkartzonika (M.A. '12 Linguistics)Gkartzonika is currently teaching Greek as a Second Language at the ATHENA Hellenic School in Morton Grove, Ill.
Diana Juarez (M.A. '12 Linguistics)Juarez was hired as director of the Niles Township Schools English Language Learner Parent Center. She will lead the organization as it establishes English classes, access to community services, workshops and other programs for immigrant parents.
Jasmin Bleu Pellegrino (B.A. '12 Communication, Media and Theatre)Pellegrino, a photojournalist, received first place for a photo essay about the current state of Gary, Ind., from the Illinois College Press Association. After graduation, Pellegrino worked for Boston University (BU) News Service covering the Obama/Romney campaign. She is currently a currently a BU International Ambassador and graduate teaching assistant.
Julie Wight (M.A. '12 Communication, Media and Theatre)Wight was selected by the White House to participate on a social media panel for President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. She will present her research at the 2013 Gender Matters conference and at the 2013 Central States Communication Association conference.
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© 2012 Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625-4699, 773/583-4050


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Recommendations for the Adaptive Reuse Areas within Laurel Hill
The Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Citizens Advisory Committee presented its "Recommendations for the Adaptive Reuse Areas within Laurel Hill" to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on December 6, 2004. At that time the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept the recommendations as presented.
The following documents are in portable document format (PDF). You will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view or print these documents.
Additional links:
The Appendices are not available online. For additional
information contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at


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Nutritious and High Quality Meals
Please check your school's web site or the printed menu for what is being offered daily. We strive to offer the published each day but sometimes changes must be made so menus are subject to change without notice.
Special Dietary Concerns
Meals served in Loudoun County Public Schools meet the requirements established by USDA. If a child has been determined by a doctor to have a disability that prevents the child from eating the meals at school, the school can make substitutions prescribed by the doctor at no extra charge. If your child needs such a substitution, please get in touch with the cafeteria manager at your child's school. The Physician's Statement for Special Dietary Needs must be completed and returned to the Health Assistant or Nurse at your child's school before any substitutions are made. No milk substitutions will be made for students who are lactose intolerant, or do not consume milk because of a religious preference.
Non-discrimination Statement: "In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."


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For more information go here
I herd that arc fault requirements are going to be expanded soon.
Also, some AHJs are adopting the '08 and are modifying it so AFCIs are not required.
Just my 2¢ worth.
Note that garages, laundry rooms, kitchens, baths, basements, crawlspaces, and exterior outlets are missing from that list.
Just my 2¢ worth.
Since hard wired smoke detectors and lights are in bedrooms, will they also need ARC fault protection?
When (if they do) are they going to adopt the '08 in your area?.... that's the critical point you need to find out. Many places don't adopt the '08 automatically on Jan. 1, 2008. Some places may take two or three years to begin enforcing it.
Just my 2¢ worth.


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Alicia and Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) make an unexpected connection when a personal crisis interrupts a routine arbitration.
And a little more direct from CBS:
CHEAT TWEET: #MichaelJFox returns! Louis Canning makes Alicia an offer, but is it another manipulation? #GoodWife 12/4 9pm ET/PT Link
Parenting Made Easy A routine arbitration turns into a battle of wills between Alicia and Louis Canning, but the pair makes an unexpected connection when a personal crisis interrupts the proceedings, on THE GOOD WIFE, Sunday, Dec. 4 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Michael J. Fox returns as Louis Canning, and SAG Award nominee Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) guest stars as Alicias latest client.
Edited by TWoP Howard, Dec 4, 2011 @ 5:30 PM.


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We brought you a highlight yesterday of what's probably the best goal scored in European soccer this season, and it was almost as if a reply that Major League Soccer brought its own "you can only do that in a video game" highlight stateside last evening. Fitting, then, that it was Fredy Montero of the Xbox-sponsored Seattle Sounders who landed the 35-yard strike, a blistering and perfectly-aimed shot to the corner of the goal that gave Seattle a 2-0 lead over L.A. Galaxy and secured their first win over MLS's Tiffany squad in two years—as well as proving that golazos can be found here in the States, too.
- Related blogs
- Blogs you may like


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The International Baccalaureate consists of three programs that encompass ages 3-19.
All three programmes require study in a broad range of subjects including content in cultural education. Special emphasis in language acquisition and language development, the development in the skills of learning, opportunities for individual and collaborative planning as well as a community service component requiring action and reflection, complement the course of study in the IB programmes.
Information about IB Schools of Utah
The Utah State Office of Education (USOE) IB Test Fee Program (IB) is offering financial assistance for all eligible low-income students taking IB tests. Ultimately, the IB Program will maximize opportunities for all eligible low-income Utah students to experience academic and personal success. Individuals who are members of special populations will be provided full access to USOE's IB Test Fee Program services and activities. Appropriate district and school personnel will identify participants with special needs who may require instructional and other accommodations to benefit from project services and activities.
In accord with the Utah Special Education Rules, USOE's IB Test Fee Program will provide reasonable accommodations to currently meet or exceed requirements of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As needed, qualified paraprofessionals will be hired to assist in providing services to students with Special Education needs.
Eligibility requirements for students requesting AP Test Fee Waivers are based on the following criteria:
For more information about income guidelines visit: schools.Utah.gov/law/School-Fee-Forms.aspx
If you have questions, please contact: Moya Kessig, 801-538-7742 or email@example.com
Assurance Form
IB Test Fee Waiver Form
International Baccalaureate Organization
The Primary Years Program
The Middle Years Program
The Diploma Program
250 East 500 South | PO Box 144200
Salt Lake City, UT | 84114-4200
Monday - Friday | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(801) 538 7500
Copyright © 2010 State of Utah Office of Education


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Everett "Ebby" Novak, an owner and breeder for more than 25
years, was named the 2013 recipient of the Virgil "Buddy" Raines Distinguished
Achievement Award.
The Raines Award, instituted at Monmouth Park
in 1996, honors men and women who have demonstrated a continuing commitment to
the sport of Thoroughbred racing as an owner or trainer, and whose conduct has
been exemplary for professionalism, integrity and service to the sport.
Mr. Novak, who purchased New Farm in Marlton, N.J.
in 1988, was the 18th recipient of the Raines Award. To date, top runners carrying the New Farm's
purple and black colors have included Conveyor, Appealing Skier, Sacred Honour,
Meadow Monster, Phone The Doctor, Forest Heiress, Wild Snitch and Wildcat Heir,
who sired Rainbow Heir, winner of this year's Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes.
The award is named for the late Virgil "Buddy" Raines,
one of racing's most venerable figures, who was a regular at Monmouth Park
before his retirement. Mr. Raines
trained horses for 65 years and won the Preakness Stakes in 1962 with Greek
Each recipient of the Raines Award receives a special
trophy emblematic of the honor. All
winners of the award have their names placed on a special plaque that is
displayed in the Monmouth Park Clubhouse.
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There is a below ground sewage ejector pump in our basement that appears to be failing. Sewage backed up into the bathtub and the pump appears to run and run until it is unplugged.
Do I need both a new sewage pump and a control valve? I am trying to remove the top cover to determine the pump type and size and I am having a hard time. I remove the four bolts and unscrewed the couplings on one of the PVC pipes. The PVC piple is hitting a joist in the ceiling and I am unable to uncouple. Do you have any advice for removing the cover?
If I am unable to replace the pump and/or control valve myself, what is a resonable labor only costs to pay a plumber? Please let me know.
Thank you in advance for your heelp.


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LG claims world's thinnest LCD TV crown with 2.6mm thin 42-inch panel
By Darren Quick
December 21, 2009
LG has just fired off another salvo in the ongoing battle between Japanese and Korean LCD manufacturers to claim the title of world's thinnest LCD TV panel. The Korean company has managed to break the 3mm barrier to produce an LCD TV panel measuring just 2.6mm (0.1-inch) thin. The 42-inch panel weighs less than 4kg (8.8lb), boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution.
The company says it was able to produce the world's thinnest LCD TV panel through the use of multiple "slimming" technologies, including an ultra-slim, edge-lit LED backlight system and proprietary optical film technology. The new panel's 2.6mm depth almost halves LG's previous record of 5.9mm featured on 42- and 47-inch LCD panels unveiled in May, that were themselves the world's thinnest panels at that time.
No other details on the ultra-thin panel is available as yet, but all will be revealed when LG showcases the new TVs at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010 in Las Vegas, starting on January 5.... we'll be there to get a closer look.
This is awesome! The new LG is ultra slim- breaks even last years record...
You could hang this like a picture on the wall.Facebook User
22nd December, 2009 @ 10:02 am PST
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Day care goes to the dogs on 14th Street
Dogs by Day, Wagtime
Published on April 7, 2005, 12:00am | Comments
Anyone who's ever had a dog knows that a canine is more than just a pet. Man's (and woman's) best friend is also one of the nearest and dearest members of the family. For gays and lesbians, in particular, dogs (and cats as well) can be just as valued and important as any human family member.
There's plenty to get excited about for dogs who spend their time at Dogs by Day.
Walking in and around the 14th Street corridor, it's easy to see the close bond many residents have with their four-legged friends, as neighbors of all backgrounds walk dogs of all sizes on their daily rounds.
As with any family, juggling the needs of career with the special needs of family members at home can present a challenge. While you're out winning the bread, Fido's at home languishing in bed.
What's a beloved pooch to do?
On 14th Street, the answer is doggy day care. While you're off at work, your dog can spend the day with a room full of canine pals. Two specialty stores in the neighborhood offer 24-hour day and night care, as well as other pet services: Dogs by Day (1724 14th Street NW; 202-986-6301; www.dogsbyday.com) and Wagtime (1412 Q Street NW; 202-234-8825; www.wagtimepetspa.com). And the neighborly atmosphere makes both places a prime destination.
"I love the neighborhood," says Wagtime owner Lisa Irene Schreiber. "I just love the people. I've created such a really great relationship with so many people over here.
"It's a friendship," she says of the relationship between Wagtime and their clients.
Scipio Garling, the manager of Dogs by Day, says that their services are there to help people balance those stressful work lives with the needs of their pets, and that the growth in the industry is a result of the growing role of dogs in families.
"People realize that dogs don't like sitting at home by themselves all day," Garling says.
It's a pleasure to arrive in style for Wagtime's doggy day care.
That's where cageless day care and boarding comes in. Instead of dogs staying home alone for the day where boredom can lead to anxiety and chewed furniture, they can spend the day (or night) socializing, playing and napping with other dogs. All this takes place under the watchful eyes of their human pals.
"We have a hands-on experience," says Schreiber. "We're always here."
Among the amenities offered by Wagtime are pick-up and drop-off service, dog walking, cat-sitting, and an outdoor area that the dogs socialize in during the day. Wagtime also offers a state-of-the-art grooming facility where owners can stay with their pets throughout the process.
"We do whatever you need," she says.
Scipio says that owners use Dogs by Day's day care, dog walking and grooming services (provided next door at its sister store, Pet Essentials) in a variety of ways tailored to their own needs. Some bring their dogs daily, others for once or twice weekly social interaction.
Scipio says that just as people need to spend time with their own species, dogs have social needs as well.
"As much as you love your dog, you need time with other people," he says. "Your dog needs time with other dogs."
Wagtime also works with a number of hotels as an official provider of pet services and, says Schreiber, they are the only provider used by the FBI -- employees of the agency get a discount. The store will soon expand, with an additional location on 9th Street to provide larger day care facilities.
And don't worry that your dog will miss you too much during the day, Scipio says.
"When the parents drop them off, the dogs have the sad face. Then the door closes and it's like, 'Let's go!" he laughs. "It's hilarious to see. It makes the parents happy."