William Holdipp: Five best practices to help you develop a quality supplier diversity program
Supplier diversity is a proactive business process that seeks to provide historically disadvantaged suppliers equal access to purchasing opportunities. It promotes supplier participation reflective of a company’s diverse customer base and the diverse business community. The business case for a company to have a quality supplier diversity program includes the following: ■ Any company that […]
How businesses can accelerate depreciation for tax purposes
The Internal Revenue Service defines the depreciable life of a building as 27.5 to 39 years. But that doesn’t mean that all assets grouped with the building have to be on the same depreciation schedule. A cost segregation study can identify personal property assets that can be reclassified to allow for a shorter depreciable life. […]
How to use self-guided development as an approach to talent management
Developing and retaining talent is one of the most pressing challenges for middle-market companies. Estimates suggest that comprehensive training programs are the second most costly human resource initiative, costing U.S. companies $150 billion in 2012. A key problem for midsize firms with limited resources is how to advance employees quickly and efficiently when development programs […]
2014 Evolution of Manufacturing Honorable Mentions
American Roll Form ProductsPhil Misch, president(440) 352-0753 | www.arfpcorp.com Lower labor costs elsewhere has made it difficult for companies with domestic manufacturing operations to compete on price. In order to remain competitive, American Roll Form Products President Phil Misch and his team decided to focus on value and find ways to cut costs along the […]
Michael Feuer: Close counts in more than horseshoes, hand grenades and slow dancing
Maybe you’ve seen the popular AT&T television commercials promoting the theme, “It’s not complicated,” for high-speed Internet services. In these vignettes, a moderator sits at a child’s table in a playroom with some of the cutest kids on the planet and poses an innocent question, such as, “How high is up?” And then, out of […]
2014 Evolution of Manufacturing
2014 Evolution of Manufacturing The ever-changing field of manufacturing The manufacturing industry is changing fast. As the pace of evolution quickens, it is creating new demands for improved operations, new technologies, products or services. As Craig McAtee, executive director at the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers, says, “Technology and innovation runs through all […]
2014 Evolution of Manufacturing Winners
Air Enterprises LLCMartin Ellis, CEO(330) 794-9770 | www.airenterprises.com An enterprising solution Air Enterprises meets the challenges of climate control as demands increase The climate in the company data center needs to be controlled for optimum performance of computer servers. More heat is generated all the time and rack density keeps increasing over the years. That’s just one […]
Tron Jordheim: Is all advertising and marketing local?
This may be the most unglamorous and simplistic business in the world, but like every other business, it has developed a complicated and multifaceted advertising and marketing ecosystem. I am making plans and preparations to present some of StorageMart’s marketing practices at PubCon, which Forbes magazine has called a must-attend event for online and social […]
What companies can do to pave the way for future generations
George Lenyo is optimistic about the future of Detroit, even as others dwell on the financial challenges that led to the city filing for bankruptcy in July 2013. “I’ve lived in Detroit since 2004,” says Lenyo, managing partner for EY’s Detroit office. “One thing I will tell you is whether it’s the sports teams or […]
Mal Mixon: Become a capitalist — no matter what its size, it’ll be your business
Few Americans really understand capitalism. They think mostly about getting a job someday and think capitalists are the rich guys who live in New York City. When I was growing up, my teachers would ask me what I aspired to be — perhaps a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher — but never once did […]