G.J. Hart is working to make California Pizza Kitchen the best it’s ever been — for employees and customers alike
G.J. Hart was a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen before he took over as CEO in August 2011. One of the reasons he liked the restaurant chain so much was its willingness to be different from its competitors in the pizza industry. “It was unique, a place that created a special experience for folks […]
Brown Smith Wallace: How states are aggressively pursuing sales and use tax collections
States looking to add revenue to tight budgets are upping efforts to collect sales and use taxes from businesses that may not know they owe money. “Sales tax is one of the largest revenue producers for many states, second only to personal income tax. Since there are so many transactions involving the exchange of property […]
Houston’s economic environment is tops — Real estate, demographic, economic factors combine to make Houston a desirable place to do business
Houston is known for many things: rockets, energy, the Astrodome and Beyoncé. It is also one of the top-performing U.S. metropolitan areas as measured by nearly any business or economic indicator, making it a cost-effective and internationally competitive business environment. Houston is the fourth largest city and fifth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the […]
David Harding: Turning the tide of distrust and noncommittal employees
You’ve probably learned the hard way not to communicate anything emotional in email because the medium tends to be tone deaf. No doubt you’ve also learned to overlook misspellings and shortened words in texts and tweets. We’re certainly connecting more ways and more often. But are we connecting any better? It’s hard to say. The […]
Building marketing strategy based on data and emotion means breaking through the noise
As we head into peak 2014 planning season, numerous digital marketing priorities will emerge. However, there is one that is quickly becoming the most important, as customers continue to drive a transformation across business. The amount of personalization possible is endless, and companies need to change traditional marketing practices to optimize the digital marketing opportunity. […]
Scott Moorehead use culture to drive success at The Cellular Connection to the tune of $600 million in sales
When Scott Moorehead became the CEO of The Cellular Connection in 2008, he thought culture was just what people knew about art. “If you had culture, then you drank your coffee with your pinkie in the air,” he says. “I didn’t know anything about culture. I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t know if […]
How Bill Kitson is changing the United Way of Greater Cleveland
On his first day working at the United Way of Greater Cleveland Bill Kitson sat down for a 6 a.m. interview on WKYC-TV. “It was a great opportunity to say hello to the community first thing in the morning on my first day,” Kitson says. A 25-year United Way veteran, Kitson became the Cleveland chapter’s […]
Sterling Jewelers makes it easy for its employees to give back
PILLAR AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE Mark LightPresident and CEOSterling Jewelers Inc.www.sterlingjewelers.com Akron, Ohio-based Sterling Jewelers is the largest U.S. specialty retail jeweler with more than 1,300 stores in 50 states. The company has stores under the names Kay Jewelers, J.B. Robinson Jewelers and Jared The Galleria of Jewelry. With employees all over the country, Sterling […]
Staffing Solutions Enterprises makes charity a yearlong effort
PILLAR AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE SueAnn NasoPresidentStaffing Solutions Enterpriseswww.staffsol.com Charity is a yearlong commitment for Staffing Solutions Enterprises and its employees, and is embedded into the company’s corporate culture. With the support and input from its team, Staffing Solutions has developed and implemented a 12-month charity campaign called the SSE Monthly Give Back program. The […]
How PPG Industries – Barberton gives the gift of education
PILLAR AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE Theodore LaddPlant managerPPG Industries – Barbertonwww.ppg.com Established in 1899 to manufacture synthetic soda ash for the Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries’ glass-making operations, PPG Industries – Barberton is a producer of quality specialty chemicals and products. Throughout its 113-year history, the one thing PPG has stressed more than its leading innovations is […]