Donna Rae Smith: Combatting fear of change can benefit you and your business
Fear. We all know what it feels like: The rising sensation that you might not be strong enough for what you’re about to face. Unlike in nature, where animals can quickly size up their likelihood of survival, our ability to recognize a threat and weigh our chances isn’t always so refined. In the business world, […]
Rod Covey: Are you prepared to communicate in a crisis?
Still fresh in our minds is Paula Deen’s fall from grace, Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction (whether intentional or accidental), News Corp.’s O.J. Simpson book deal, KFC’s Oprah Winfrey chicken coupon debacle, and of course, the Carnival Cruise disasters. All were major crises in the past decade that prompted a “we better be prepared” attitude among […]
Building Stronger Communities: Coleman Professional Services Inc.
Having a job or a career can be central to a person’s self-confidence. Coleman Professional Services Inc., a nonprofit provider of behavioral health and rehabilitation programs, works to find jobs for those who may have more trouble finding a job than most — those who are mentally challenged or physically disabled. CPS offers job placement, […]
Michael Feuer: Why every company needs an additional type of COO — They march to a different drummer
We all know what traditional chief operating officers do and what characteristics typically make them tick. There is another type of COO that every company needs — whether they admit it or not — who shares the same initials as the former, but who has diametric responsibilities. This person is a chief opportunity officer, although […]
Creating objects from design software crosses from polymers to metals
What’s become one of the most discussed trends in technology and manufacturing may sound more like something from a futuristic movie rather than something that is taking off in the here and now — 3-D printing. It may even sound expensive. In reality, 3-D printing is becoming increasingly accessible and can help companies improve manufacturing […]
Lighthouse Insurance Group’s unique application helps visitors find a plan
While it wasn’t literally a light bulb going off above his head, the idea that came to Jason Farro formed when President Barack Obama announced his prescription for health care reform in 2009. Farro could see that with the federal reform, health care plans that were offered by small businesses to their employees would be […]
Lee Ellis: The paradox of faith vs. reality / What’s your leadership vision for the year?
This can be a time of mixed emotions. I know because I greeted six consecutive New Year’s sitting in North Vietnam prisoner of war camps. Fear was the foremost emotion in those first three years, and the others were somewhat daunting, too. Yet, we always kept hope that the new year would bring an honorable […]
Gordy Opitz had to find a way to keep ComDoc’s employees focused after they lost what took 21 years to accomplish
When Gordy Opitz talks about ComDoc Inc., he starts at the beginning, explaining matter-of-factly that Walter G. Griffith founded the business equipment sales and service company in Akron in 1955. He traces its financial growth into the millions of dollars and outlines its industry’s evolution. But the part of the story that elicits the most […]
New Avenues to Independence thinks out of the box to further its mission
“Building Stronger Communities” The story of New Avenues to Independence Inc. is not only about how the organization addresses the needs of the developmentally disabled and the disadvantaged. It’s also about how New Avenues blends a business model with a not-for-profit mission. When it was founded 62 years ago, the group consisted of parent volunteers […]
Mark Scott: Why greatness is never achieved without a little fear
It’s been 34 years since the United States shocked the world and beat the Soviet Union in ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. The “Miracle on Ice,” as it came to be known around the world, was completed two days later when Team USA beat Finland and captured the gold […]