SHIFT Freight seeks to make customer service the priority at every turn
It would not be right to say that Tommy Skinner gets excited when his employees at SHIFT Freight are sad. But he does take a certain level of satisfaction when he witnesses how much his people care about their customers. And when the occasional problem occurs with moving a product from point A to point […]
Editor's Note: Once you call someplace home, there’s no place like it
For many folks, there’s something about Northeast Ohio that can’t be replicated by any other place in the U.S. Northeast Ohio is home. That makes the area unique to so many who have left to explore opportunities elsewhere only to return, and for those who go to great lengths to make their hometown a wonderful […]
How to protect data security and customers’ trust
Recent media attention, including ubiquitous coverage of the Target Corp. security breach over the holidays, has highlighted the increase in security intrusions affecting organizations across industries. As technology moves forward exponentially, security threats and leaks continue to emerge. “In the digital age, nearly every company holds personally identifiable information of its employees or customers in […]
Generational shifts are impacting demand for commercial real estate
When the winds of change come, you can’t hide your head in the sand. The business landscape is scattered with former companies that didn’t keep up with the times, favoring to keep running their operations as they always have — because it was working and there was no need to change. Technology and e-commerce trends […]
Stay ahead of the competition with creative problem solving
In today’s fast-paced world of business, it is critical to make choices and execute on decisions quickly to remain competitive. However, at some point, innovation has to be a part of the plan or the result is a very well built, highly engineered . . . typewriter. Whether it is new products or other difficult […]
Alan J. Fuerstman asked a lot of his team during the recession and got back even more at Montage Hotels & Resorts
It seemed as if Alan J. Fuerstman could not have picked a worse time to open two new hotels. In late 2008, the economy was in free fall as the global recession took hold. Leaders everywhere found themselves scrambling to see how deeply they would have to cut their expenses. And in the midst of […]
How to successfully implement new software systems in your company
Companies update their systems to replace outdated software and to modernize or streamline supporting IT resources. The problem is most companies that implement a new system do not achieve all of their objectives, and many fail miserably.
A passion for movies helps Moctesuma Esparza give back to his community through Maya Cinemas
Interviewed by Dustin S. Klein Moctesuma Esparza grew up in movie theaters. As a chef, his father was off on Mondays and so that would be the day he and his son would take in a movie. Growing up in Los Angeles, there were plenty of beautiful theaters for Esparza and his father to visit. […]
Your business could be at risk without an executive retention strategy
Some 45 percent of executives are on the move these days, actively looking for new job opportunities, a trend that should concern employers, says Joe Crea, president of Benefits Resource Group. “Often an executive is just not engaged, he or she has decided there’s more money to be made elsewhere, or they’re dissatisfied with the […]
Mezzanine financing helps companies expand or transition ownership
“Mezzanine financing is a creative option that can help companies transition or expand their businesses,” says Kevin Vonderau, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Westfield Bank. “It’s a good choice for companies with positive cash flow that lack the collateral to cover their expansion.” Suppose a business with $18 million in sales, $2 […]