How Timothy Yager led a strategy to get Revol Wireless winning again in the prepaid provider space
When Timothy Yager started at Revol Wireless in the fall of 2011, the company had been losing customers every month for an extended period of time. Late 2009 through the first half of 2011 were tough years for the organization — rumors of bankruptcy and new ownership were being floated around and the wireless communications […]
Huntington-CSU partnership to provide $1.2 million to Cleveland State
An exclusive partnership between Huntington Bank and Cleveland State University will bring new customers to the bank — and $1.2 million to CSU for scholarships and academic programming over a 10-year period. “It is hugely significant for Huntington in that we partnered with one of the most important institutions in Cleveland,” says Dan Walsh, Huntington […]
How Michael Catanzarite combines competitiveness and a family atmosphere to keep Darice atop the craft industry
“A Pat Catan’s Company” reads the sign in the lobby of Darice Inc. where Michael Catanzarite greets his guests. Catanzarite, or Catan for short, is the son of Pat Catan and is CEO of Darice Inc., a premier wholesale distributor in the craft industry. That lobby sign is a symbol of the company Catanzarite’s father […]
How to monetize your trademark cease and desist letters
Cease and desist letters can be used for more than stopping trademark infringements — they can be invaluable marketing opportunities. “There are a lot of ways to turn a possible negative into a real business positive,” says Tom Speiss, shareholder and trademark attorney at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth. The letter could be used to […]
How to build a corporate strategy by answering tough questions
“There’s been a lot of speculation as to when I’m going to deliver a vision of IBM, and what I’d like to say to all of you is that the last thing IBM needs right now is a vision.” — Lou Gerstner, CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002 My experience has led me to […]
Joe Kuklis: Lobbying for your business
Many CEOs, CFOs, investors and executives do not realize the impact federal, state and local government have on their organization, or the importance of maintaining a comprehensive government affairs strategy as part of their annual business planning process. As a lobbyist, I act as a professional guide for my clients to a variety of federal, […]
Five proven habits to take control of stress
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James, American philosopher and psychologist In an increasingly stressful world, William James’ remarks are just as accurate and relevant today as they were when he said them more than a century ago. We face countless stressful forces, most of them […]
Paul Witkay: How 10 types of strategic innovation can create pioneering discoveries
When thinking about innovation, most people immediately think about new products like the next iPhone or electric vehicle. I, however, have always believed that business innovation comes in many different flavors. For example, Dell re-engineered the way we buy computers, Apple revolutionized the way we buy music and Zappos.com provided a service never before seen […]
How to weigh your options for cutting back or restructuring benefits
No matter what type or size of a business, health care tends to be one of the leading employer costs. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was intended to reduce costs, businesses are finding themselves on the receiving end of double-digit rate increases each year. “Because of these hefty increases, employers are searching for more […]
The value of being the man or woman behind the curtain
One of my favorite business books, which also made it as a Broadway play and a big-screen movie, is “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. My hero in this story is not the young orphaned Dorothy, nor the Cowardly Lion, the desperately in-need-of-some WD-40 Tin Man, nor even the […]