April 23, 2024 • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
For Human Resources leaders conversations about employee engagement, employee wellbeing and recognition happen every day. Some organizations are looking for a checkbox, others want detailed plans and regular reports. Some spend a ton of money and then never follow through. What makes a plan succeed or fail? And how much of that falls on you?
May 16, 2024 – The Henry, Autograph Collection
The MichBusiness Women Thrive Conference is a day of celebration, informative panel discussions, facilitated networking opportunities, and knowledge-sharing. It is advised by a distinguished board of businesswomen and community leaders.
Apologies to the original author, but to borrow from a cliché — it is true that behind every great worker is a great office.
What makes a great office? There are the intangibles such as considerate co-workers, an interesting assignment or a tough yet fair employer. But the physical parts – whether it is a place to hang pictures, an inspiring view or impressive amenities – also factor into that equation.
There are cool offices, like Microsoft’s Southfield, Mich., location. There’s the sweet location, easily accessible from multiple freeways. There’s the bright and cheerful colors spread throughout the space. And then there are the womb chairs, the epitome of comfort, style and architectural interest. Add the open layout and you’ve got a workplace meant for high-tech progress.
Another recent visit to Dijana Bucalo’s workspace in Detroit also was eye opening. The seamstress, designer and fashionista has an open room with a view of the Detroit Institute of Arts, so that’s a great start. But her small yet functional office was the key element of the space. It seemed cozy yet functional, interesting yet hard working. It made you want to take a seat, design some lovely togs and sew them together right there and then.
Another great spot is that of HARMAN International Industries, a technologies company for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets. It recently announced the official opening of its new North American Automotive Headquarters. Located in Novi, Mich., the 188,000 square-foot building with 1,000 employees focuses on engineering and development of advanced technology solutions for the connected car, automotive audio, and cloud services.
Developed by Northern Equities Group, the HARMAN North American Automotive Headquarters anchors the 400-acre Haggerty Corridor Corporate Park. What makes it such a great space? Well, there is the outdoor areas, allowing workers to refresh their minds with nature. There’s the high-tech amenities throughout. Overall, it’s a functional yet fabulous office. And that’s inspiring for just about anyone.
HARMAN’s new North American Automotive Headquarters includes the following equipment and facilities: Infotainment design studios for HARMAN and customer co-developed advanced software applications; state-of-the-art audio listening room; a full cinema-quality 5.1 surround sound theater showcasing HARMAN’s expertise in professional audio, as well as home and multimedia.
And, just to top it off, employee amenities including a fitness center, locker rooms, cafeteria, collaboration spaces and an outdoor deck and patio space.
Conflict is as normal in interpersonal relationships as sibling rivalry is with the birth of a second child. When you combine those two in a family business, the conflict needs to be addressed and managed before it is allowed to dominate poor governance and ultimately destroy the business.
The nature of conflict
Let’s start by understanding that conflict does not have to be perceived as a bad thing. It is absolutely normal! All relationships deal with conflict to some extent – people don’t agree about everything all the time. Disagreements are conflict and the extent and subject of the disagreement determines how deeply the conflict might divide the parties. But conflict is almost never black and white, right or wrong. If you look at conflict as an opportunity for growth, it can become a welcome chance to enhance your relationship.
Defining the issue
The first step in any conflict’s resolution is to define the conflict. It is so important to be sure that there is really disagreement and not just misunderstanding. One way to do this is for the parties to digest the conflict into a sentence or two where one party agrees with the statement and the other disagrees. During the defining process, it is quite likely that the parties will find that it is really a misunderstanding.
Once the conflict is defined, then the parties need to assess how big it is. Perhaps it’s so small it’s not worth any further effort. But if not, then it requires further attention. If the conflict doesn’t get more consideration, it is likely to grow and become the pink elephant in the room. This is especially true in families where conflict resolution already has an established path…”because we’ve always done it that way,” might not be a valid resolution.
Aging conflicts rolled forward
Families have decades of history of resolving conflicts – big and small. The piling on of small conflicts can create big conflicts. I recall being in a client board meeting watching a younger brother’s face turning crimson until he finally stood up, pointed his finger at his older brother and said, “That’s the same f—— thing you did to me on our paper route.” The brothers were in their 40s.
Unfortunately, pent up conflicts tend to build and explode. Often the explosion isn’t necessarily over the current events, but over past unresolved issues. Sometimes families establish conflict resolution methods that work fine for the family at the time, but those methods don’t always transfer well to the business. While big brother owned the paper route and saw his little brother as an employee, they are now equal shareholders and peers in every way. Furthermore, little brother was really the “rainmaker.” Bringing the old method of big brother being dominant and making decisions without due process to be superimposed on the business system only buried land mines that were likely to find their mark and explode.
Family vs. Business
Family systems develop governance protocols, and those protocols are fine for the family. Deciding who gets the bathroom first, or takes out the trash, or brings what to Thanksgiving dinner fall into a decision making protocol. Sometimes it’s a monarchy where Mom or Dad decides. Maybe it’s first-come, first-served (like the bathroom). Sometimes it’s a family meeting to establish rules or make joint decisions (like Thanksgiving).
Regardless of how the family resolved issues, it is unlikely that those methods will transfer well to the business. However, like family systems, business systems also develop conflict resolution protocols for interpersonal issues. How teams are built and perform lies in large on how the team members deal with conflict. If families transfer the family protocols onto their non-family teammates, dissatisfaction is the probable outcome.
The conflict paradigm
Here is one potential protocol I have experienced that works well.
As always, step one is to define the conflict and determine if it is worthy of any further effort.
Then place your position in one of these five slots on how you’d like to address the conflict:
Avoid – let it go, it requires no further attention.
Abandon – address the issue, but then back out of any further attempts to resolve.
Compete – get “in the ring” and fight it out until there is a winner and loser.
Compromise – split it somehow so both parties can live with it, but don’t fully agree.
Collaborate – keep working on the conflict until all parties can agree on a workable solution.
Each of the five resolution methods has their place. There are times when avoiding a conflict is perfectly appropriate – “pick your battles.” Other times, putting the pink elephant on the table seems like a good idea, but for some reason (perhaps timing) it’s best to drop it. Some feel that any pink elephant left unresolved will remain in the room until it is ultimately addressed.
Competing to win a conflict has its place too. Consider being falsely accused, or having the majority of the investment at stake, as positions where competing for the desired result makes sense.
Compromise often offers the simplest and easiest way to resolve conflict – at least if everyone is comfortable with the outcome. Being comfortable doesn’t necessarily mean 100 percent agreement, only that the resolution can put the conflict to bed.
Collaboration is normally viewed as the preeminent method of conflict resolution and it probably yields the best result where all parties can agree on the outcome. However, it can be a tedious and cumbersome process to get there.
Furthermore, we all have our conflict default position. Some avoid conflict at all cost, while others need to win regardless. Still others see compromise as the best way out of most issues. That being said, not all conflicts fit into a person’s normal default position all the time.
Using the conflict paradigm
Share the conflict paradigm with your work group. Ask everyone what they see their default position to be. That, in itself, is a great beginning to helping resolve future conflicts – being self aware. Next get buy-in to use the paradigm to resolve issues. The next time there is conflict, after definition; ask the parties where they would like to place the conflict in the paradigm. My guess is that by doing that simple step you will be well on your way to resolution. By the way, the paradigm works well in family conflicts too.
Helping Detroit retailers open up their businesses has been one of the most public parts of Hatch Detroit. But helping longtime city-based companies improve their existing storefronts and gain public attention for their goods and services is an important part of Hatch’s work in and around Detroit.
The Hatch Detroit Neighborhood Initiative focuses on improving select streetscapes and retailers around the city. Today, Hatch Detroit with its partners at the Detroit Lions announced they are working with Grandmont Rosedale to boost the appearance and effectiveness of area shopping districts.
The area of Grand River Avenue between Warwick Street and Outer Drive will receive people-friendly infrastructure updates aimed at making the area both look good and easier to shop. The Detroit Lions Charities donated $150,000 toward this effort, which is being done in conjunction with the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation.
“Working with Hatch Detroit on creating sustainable, pedestrian-friendly storefronts in Grandmont Rosedale is another opportunity to build upon our shared progress in neighborhood economic development,” Detroit Lions Senior Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships Elizabeth Parkinson said in a statement. “The Detroit Lions organization is proud to have a direct hand in the resurgence of these significant and historic Detroit neighborhoods.”
Improvements include new landscaping, bike racks, trash cans and signs for four businesses: Always Brewing, Rosedale Pharmacy, Mr. Bernard’s Concept Salon and Beverage One. The idea is to make the street and storefronts more pedestrian and bike friendly, bringing the signs to the forefront and establishing places to sit, park your bike and enjoy the area.
The overall project will highlight these already vibrant businesses, said Tom Goddeeris, Executive Director of the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation. The GRDC is a community-based non-profit organization serving five neighborhoods in northwest Detroit, implementing a “comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, including work in the areas of commercial revitalization, small business development, housing renovation, creative placemaking, public safety and civic engagement.”
Grandmont Rosedale is one of six target neighborhoods identified as an area of focus in the Neighborhood Initiative, which also includes the North End, Corktown, Southwest Detroit, West Village and the Avenue of Fashion.
As background, Hatch Detroit is the only charitable organization in Detroit dedicated exclusively to championing and supporting independent storefront retail in the city. Through funding, exposure, and mentoring, Hatch supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck.
The Hatch Detroit Neighborhood Initiative is an extension of the Detroit Lions’ philanthropic initiative, Living for the City, which supports organizations pursuing integrated approaches to physical fitness, healthy eating, housing, land use and environmental planning, public transportation, community infrastructure, and aligned workforce opportunities.
Hatch Detroit and the Detroit Lions have completed Phases I and II of the project on the Avenue of Fashion and West Village. For the Avenue of Fashion, this included a district-wide cleanup and beautification project and the installation of signage for five businesses located around Livernois Avenue and Outer Drive. In West Village, the team installed signage for four businesses, installed new lighting in alleys and parking lots, refurbished the gas lighting on Agnes Street, repaved the sidewalks and installed six bike racks.
Showing up late for a business lunch reflects poorly on you and can cast a shadow on the future relationship. Being late suggests someone or something else is more important. It’s rude, disrespectful to your host and all those present.
If you are going to be unavoidably late, call your host as soon as you know.
Remember, it’s not about the food… you are never invited because your host thinks you look hungry and need to be fed!
This finite time together away from the office is intended to advance interpersonal relationships. The little things orchestrated pre, during and post business meals are not small at all. These nuances are specific and once deployed, powerful. Preparation is key.
Email or call the day before a business lunch to reconfirm the date!
Exchange cell phone numbers in advance – in event of the unexpected, and leave your phone on until everyone has arrived.
If you are the host, arriving “on time” is actually late. You should be there at least 15 minutes early. You want to be there when your guests arrive and you have much advance work to do!
• Meet wait staff, learn names, use them.
• Review order of seating. The guest of honor is seated to host’s right, or offered the most comfortable seat or best view.
• Review order of ordering. The guest of honor orders first, ladies next, then gentlemen. The host orders last.
• Make arrangements in advance to pay the check – the check should never arrive at the table.
• Familiarize yourself with restaurant features including location of the restroom …you never want to be in a position of anyone asking anything to which you must reply “I don’t know.”
• Select your table.
Do not be seated until your guests arrive. Do not discuss business during lunch unless mutually agreed or guest initiates; wait until after lunch, over coffee and dessert.
Stand – at entrance to greet guests and warmly welcome as if they were guests in your own home. Let maitre d lead them to the table. Permit guests by order of rank/status to directly follow the maitre d; host is last in the procession to the table regardless of gender. (Note: in Europe, gentleman hosts will always lead, to secure restaurant for safety.
Always take advantage of the already limited time away from the office to get to know guests on a personal level and to advance relationships.
She’s a seamstress, a fashion designer, a blooming stylist. But, at her core, Dijana Bucalo is a creative person who uses fabric, embroidery and her imagination to put beauty in the world.
While she also is a businesswoman, Bucalo speaks the language of creativity, inspiration and passion just as well as accounting and the cost of fabric. Bucalo was the guest speaker recently at Creative Mornings in Detroit, talking to a group of interested Metro Detroit residents about the topic “Language” and much more.
Some background: Bucalo came to the United States in 1996 after the horrifying war in her country (born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina) pushed her and her family to escape. Bucalo has her B.A. in Fashion Design in Zagreb, Croatia.
Her first job so to speak was to learn the language here and create a new life. She had a daughter, and Bucalo wanted to help support and inspire her. Bucalo told stories about how she would walk past tailoring businesses and look inside, wishing to have such a space for herself to go back to the business that she loves.
The draw to creating was so strong that Bucalo did everything she could to get her hands back on the fabric and thread. She got a job as a seamstress, working for others in hopes of getting her name out there to the public. Her beautiful costumes for her daughter and dance schools earned her a reputation. Fun projects like helping as a seamstress on Eminem’s local projects, including his famous Chrysler commercial, also built Bucalo’s name.
In 2012, Bucalo opened her own studio within the International Center next door to the Detroit Institute of Arts to create fashion and costumes. In 2014, she won a NEIdeas grant to develop commercial sewing classes. And now Bucalo is working diligently toward her own design collection, making one-of-a-kind couture as well as more readily available clothing to the public.
Her taglines tell you everything you need to know about this dynamic businesswoman: “Detroit made: for the fashion savvy man and woman” and “Simply good design: not disposable, unethical or seasonal.” These are found in what she makes, what she wears and what she believes in as a business owners.
As part of Creative Morning, Bucalo opened her studio for a tour. She took the group of young public-relations workers, artists and filmmakers around her world, filled with color, patterns and style. Her transition is supported not only by her community, but by her daughter, who is now an interior designer of note.
For most newly graduated millennials, college is still fresh in their minds and hearts. They likely enjoyed that environment, mixing their hard work with open spaces, working in open areas and completing projects independently.
However, when this same group of young people enter the typical workplace, they find those habits they developed in college are, for all intents and purposes, useless. The transition from college to work/life can be harsh, notes office-design expert Jonathan Webb of global manufacturer KI Furniture. Webb is an office researcher as well, and his work co-writing a white paper on this topic is intriguing.
Millennials are seeking a work space that makes them feel like they did in college, Webb believes. So having an office that reminds these young employees of that campus setting is as essential in grabbing millennials as interviews, hiring them and retaining them, Webb said. Companies such as Quicken Loans in Detroit are doing a good job of appealing to millennials with unique spaces, standing desks and the like, Webb noted.
So how do you create a campus or collegiate-inspired workplace? Workspaces should emphasize sharing ideas, socializing, and treating workers equally. Seventy percent of offices had an open layout in 2015; but having some private or walled spaces also is important, Webb added.
“We interviewed Fortune 100 and smaller organizations from a variety of industries and regions. Our hypothesis was if you want to attract and retain the next generation of worker, perhaps it would be wise to study where they’ve actually been spending the last four to six years of their lives,” Webb said.
That 18-month research project found three primary observations. They are:
• New grads feel “lost in translation,” Webb said. They feel comfortable in that collegiate setting of working anywhere they want, not being chained to a desk. They want a work station where they can hook up three or four of their devices and multitask. But it is rare to find a workplace that is set up that way, Webb said. So as part of their research, Webb said KI took some of its clients on a college-campus tour. The idea is to find ways to balance a campus environment with a corporate setting. So take the time to tour your school and think about how you could adapt that setting into your office.
• There’s not a lot of research being done on the recently graduated workforce and their work style. Take the time to do that deep dive into what your new hires want – what did they experience at school? What are their working preferences? Do they want walls or would they prefer an open environment? Webb believes there is plenty more to learn about how campus settings can positively influence work space design from the walls to the furniture to the way electrical outlets are set up across a room.
• Workplace design needs to add some of these campus-inspired changes to real l ife. Most companies Webb talked with said their newly hired employees like to work in groups, something that they learned to do in college. But finding a way to build that into the workplace design in their office can feel challenging. So Webb noted that a combination of cubicles, couches and offices with walls may be helpful in giving everyone what they want. Collegiate design blends the visual with the audio, for example. Students can hear and see one another at large work spaces or tables. Take that idea one step forward into thinking like a college campus and you realize millennials can scatter about the room and still get their work done without sitting in an assigned seat. So give those new hires space, time and flexibility and you might be surprised at the positive result.
KI, a contract furniture company, manufactures innovative furniture and movable wall system solutions for educational, university, business and government markets. The employee-owned global company is headquartered in Green Bay, Wis.
Everyone knows “The Big Three” automakers that helped build Detroit: Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Corp. and General Motors Corp. But do you know about the hundreds of other car companies that failed?
That is why Alan Naldrett’s new book is so intriguing. “Lost Car Companies of Detroit” tells the stories of the auto companies that just didn’t have the right idea at the right time. If you’re not an auto historian, this book is a revelation of just how many companies started in Detroit. And how many failed in Detroit. There are more than 200 auto-related businesses profiled in Naldrett’s book, all of which tried their luck in the Motor City. But, as he wisely notes, they may have failed but they ultimately helped to shape the industry and the designs that are on the road today.
“Motorcars of all types represent both power and beauty. All around the world people love their cars—Detroit has the addition of the history and the ever-present culture celebrating the automobile,” Naldrett said.
“Lost Car Companies of Detroit,” $21.99, is published by The History Press. As of Monday, it will be available at local retailers, online bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing and The History press at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.
Q: What was your inspiration for this book?
A: Ironically, it’s while I lived in California in the 1980s that I found out about many of the old Detroit brands. I moved into a house in Berkeley, Calif., where there was a three-car garage and I thought I would get a garage for my car. But I soon discovered that the owner used the garage to house his THREE Hudsons, all built in Detroit of course. This was when I realized the reverence with which even non-Detroiters hold the old cars and realized that all the other car companies that I had heard about but were gone by the time I was in elementary school, like Packard and Hudson, were ALL from Detroit!
While I was working on my previous book, The Lost Towns of Eastern Michigan, my fiancé Lynn and I were looking around for signs of the old towns that were annexed by Detroit. While doing that we came across many of the old auto factories, which are mostly still around. This got me interested in the number of old factories still around, and which auto companies had used them. Once I went down that rabbit hole, I started collecting pictures of the old factories. There were a LOT of auto company factory pictures in the old postcard shows we went to. (Evidently, the companies were as proud of their factories as they were of their cars.)
But I discovered that with tons of books about Henry Ford, GM, and even Chrysler, there were very few about the over 200 other car companies. And most of those few were published over 30 years ago. So I realized that although there is still plenty of information about cars in general out there, the stories of the auto companies that came before the Big Three hadn’t been told in a while and weren’t as accessible.
Q: What did you learn from doing this book?
A: I think I have a lot better understanding of how Detroit became the Motor City. Henry Ford and Ransom Olds coming from the area was important, as well as Billy Durant. Detroit had the raw materials, including iron and wood (wood was used for many of the early car frames). It also had water and rail transportation. But I think the main reason was the collusion among the different auto makers. New England, especially Massachusetts, had lots of electric car makers. But they were spread out all over the area, and there was little communication between the different companies, workers, and innovators.
Conversely, the Detroit area had most of the carmakers converge in roughly the same area, the Milwaukee Junction, which was the nexus of two train lines. Many of the chief auto innovators would move from one company to the next, taking their ideas with them and spreading them among the various car companies. Roy Chapin worked for Chalmers Motors and Olds Motor Works before forming Hudson Motor Company. The Dodge Brothers worked for Ford and Olds. If one company came up with a major improvement, because of the companies’ close proximity it wasn’t long before the other companies would know about it.
Q: Any big lessons we can learn from these defunct companies?
A: Looking at the total car market picture through the years, one of the main problems was that there were too many luxury cars and not enough people that could afford to buy them. There was Duesenberg, Cord, and Auburns from the Auburn Motor Co., three different companies that made luxury cars known as the three P’s: Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow. There were Cadillacs, Lincolns, and luxury Chryslers and Oldsmobiles. Also, Ruxton, Wills Ste. Claire, Studebaker, Paige-Graham and Stevens-Duryea luxury cars, and many others! And the mid-range cars weren’t very affordable either for the middle class or lower classes. Henry Ford’s Model T was so successful because it was affordable for everyone.
Motorcars were also the fad of the day. First it was bicycles, then it was motorcars. This led to many people getting into the business that were shysters, like the men who got a loan on an imaginary 200 assembled Dragon motorcars in an imaginary warehouse. There were also incompetents, like the legendary Archie Andrews (not the comic character), whose machinations led to the demise of four different auto companies, including the one that made the legendary Hupmobile.
Increasingly, U.S. employers are recognizing that wellness initiatives can lead to a healthier bottom line.
Proof continues to mount that for virtually all businesses, healthy employees cost less. For example, a study by Drs. Richard Milani and Carl Lavie found that every dollar invested in intervention yielded $6 in health care savings.
Clearly, wellness is good business — in more ways than one.
Beyond the internal benefits of wellness programs, operations that help other organizations keep their employees healthy are also thriving, providing another source of employment for health care experts.
The Best and Brightest in Wellness awards celebrates wellness in all its forms. Sponsored by the National Association for Business Resources, the national 2015 awards recognize nearly four dozen winners from all regions of the country.
The program highlights companies, schools, faith-based groups and organizations that promote a culture of wellness, as well as those that plan, implement and evaluate efforts in employee wellness to make their business and their community a healthier place to live and work.
Following are synopses of your 2015 Best and Brightest in Wellness awards.
Able Engineering & Component Services
Able Engineering & Component Services
Mesa, Ariz. www.ableengineering.com
Since 1982, Able Engineering has helped aircraft operators and fleet owners safely reduce operating costs by providing resourceful solutions. After laying roots as experts in processing turbine engine components for original equipment manufacturers, the company expanded its business in the 1990s to include Federal Aviation Administration-approved parts, along with repairs, overhauls, exchanges and partnerships.
More than 30 years after opening its doors, it continues to extend its capabilities and grow its team. While many things have changed over the decades, the company insists one thing has remained the same: Able’s unrelenting focus on being the best-value alternative around for aircraft parts and maintenance.
Altarum Institute
Altarum Institute
Ann Arbor, Mich. www.altarum.org
Altarum Institute is a nonprofit health systems research and consulting organization. Altarum integrates independent research and client-centered consulting to create comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health.
With the rigor of the finest research institution, consulting skills honed for nearly seven decades and an abiding commitment to the public interest, Altarum Institute says that enables better care and better health for all people.
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics
Elk Grove Village, Ill. www.aap.org
The American Academy of Pediatrics has more than 64,000 members in the United States and over 40 different countries internationally. The mission of the AAP is to attain optimal physical, mental and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults. To accomplish this, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports the professional needs of its members.
Annese & Associates Inc.
Annese & Associates Inc.
Clifton Park, N.Y. www.annese.com
Founded in 1970 in Herkimer, N.Y., by Frank J. Annese, Annese & Associates Inc. is now a women-owned integrated communications systems provider in its second generation of ownership and fourth generation of leadership, serving New York State and New England.
With a full-circle approach to integrating communications systems, Annese wraps professional and managed services around cloud, security, mobility, collaboration and data center virtualization solutions. Guided by its services methodology, it designs an end-to-end IT experience for clients.
BDO USA LLP
BDO USA LLP
Troy, Mich. www.bdo.com
BDO is the brand name for BDO USA LLP, a U.S. professional services firm providing assurance, tax, financial advisory and consulting services to a wide range of publicly traded and privately held companies. For more than 100 years, BDO has provided quality service through the active involvement of experienced and committed professionals.
Butler Snow LLP
Butler Snow LLP
Ridgeland, Miss. www.butlersnow.com
The Butler Snow LLP law firm says that clients’ success is its success. With that guiding principle, Butler Snow has emerged from being primarily a regional firm to one with national scope. It has built a team of talented legal professionals who share a commitment to serve clients — from Fortune 100 companies to emerging-technology startups — in more than 50 practice areas.
Butler Snow has been recognized repeatedly for its teamwork and its clients’ successes, across a variety of service areas. Corporate Counsel also ranked Butler Snow as an Innovation Leader in 14 categories, and ALM named the firm a “Go-To Law Firm of the World’s Leading Companies 2013.” Law360 ranked the firm as “One of the Top Ten Busiest Product Liability Practices” in its Law360 Litigation Almanac. The National Law Journal named Butler Snow to its Midsize Hot List, making the firm one of only 20 nationwide named for demonstrating creative, innovative strategies; developing practice areas; and recruiting and retaining top legal talent.
City of Houston
City of Houston
Houston www.houstontx.gov
Houston is the fourth most populous city in the nation, trailing only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. City leaders proudly proclaim that Houston is alive with energy and rich in diversity. It has one of the youngest populations in the nation, and it has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican population in the United States. Houston touts itself as a dynamic mix of imagination, talent and first-class attractions that make it a world-class city. Its Theater District is second only to New York City with its concentration of seats in one geographic area.
City of Kennesaw
City of Kennesaw
Kennesaw, Ga. www.kennesaw-ga.gov
Kennesaw, Ga., is a premiere destination for families and businesses looking to relocate in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The city of 32,000 takes great pride in protecting and managing its historical and cultural resources for future generations. Attractions include the Smithsonian-affiliated Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, the Smith-Gilbert Gardens and improved public areas and renovated buildings with eclectic shops and restaurants. Kennesaw’s Parks & Recreation programs, special events and facilities, efficient street and sanitation services, and environmental initiatives play central roles in supporting and sustaining the city’s livability and economic vitality.
Crane Worldwide Logistics LLC
Crane Worldwide Logistics LLC
Houston www.craneww.com
Crane Worldwide Logistics opened for business in 2008, with a vision to become a global player in the competitive global freight management and contract logistics services sector. Today, Crane Worldwide has grown to more than $680 million in revenues with 113 locations in 25 countries. From the onset, Crane Worldwide says, it set out to be different from the other players in the market by making clients’ businesses smarter. Crane says that it provides transparency to global supply chains and provides the best service in the industry.
CVS Health
CVS Health
Woonsocket, R.I. www.cvscaremark.com
CVS Health calls itself a pharmacy innovation company with a simple and clear purpose: helping people on their path to better health. For more than 50 years, CVS has offered customers the products and services they need to stay on their path to better health. It is now the largest pharmacy health care company in the United States, with more than 9,500 stores.
Daugherty Business Solutions
Daugherty Business Solutions
Atlanta www.daugherty.com
Daugherty Business Solutions says that it brings a fresh approach to consulting. It rolls up its sleeves and works with clients — collaborating to solve some of their most pressing business challenges. “We’re practical, not pompous,” the company’s website states. “We deliver results, not reports.” Founded by the husband and wife team of Ron and Jan Daugherty, the company is closing in on $200 million in revenue with more than 1,000 employees in seven cities.
FONA International
FONA International
Geneva, Ill. www.fona.com
Founded in 1987 and built on a commitment to excellence, the highest standards of personal integrity, exceptional service and respect, FONA International creates and manufactures flavors for many of the largest food, beverage, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical companies in the world. FONA International is focused on delivering high-value taste, technology and manufacturing solutions that grow consumer acceptance and grow brand preference and loyalty for target customers in the areas of beverage, confection, grain, savory, health care and dairy/dessert.
Fusion OEM
Fusion OEM
Burr Ridge, Ill. www.fusionoem.com
A production floor can be a noisy place, and we all know that too much of the wrong noise causes headaches — production headaches, that is. Fusion OEM takes the extra noise and headaches off the production floor, letting company’s focus on what’s next, instead of worrying about reducing costs for has-been legacy products. As seamless extensions of in-house production departments, its outsourced manufacturing solutions meet any production or engineering service needs. Its product development and turnkey manufacturing solutions help cut costs, reduce time investment and eliminate production headaches.
Gables Residential Services Inc.
Gables Residential Services Inc.
Boca Raton, Fla. www.gables.com
Gables Residential is a vertically integrated real estate company specializing in the development, construction, ownership, acquisition, financing and management of multifamily and mixed-use communities. Gables manages approximately 31,500 apartment homes and 500,000 square feet of retail space and has received national recognition for excellence in development, management, sales, marketing, training, benefits and corporate accommodations.
Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co. LLC
Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co. LLC
Chicago www.hu-friedy.com
Hu-Friedy’s mission is the same today as it has always been — to help dental professionals perform at their best. It concentrates on designing, manufacturing and distributing superior dental instruments and products, which has made it the world’s leading dental manufacturer. Hu-Friedy’s 10,000 dental instruments and product solutions are sold in more than 100 countries, and it has more than 600 employees representing and growing its brand around the world. Headquartered in Chicago, it has offices and distribution centers in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, China and Japan, and a sales force spread over 30 different countries.
Human Movement Management
Human Movement Management
Louisville, Colo. www.humanmovement.me
Human Movement Management’s mission is to make your weekends “effing awesome.” HMM is an active entertainment company that for the past decade has been producing some of the world’s largest running races, beer festivals, triathlons, obstacle races and outdoor events in North America.
Inflow
Inflow
Denver www.goinflow.com
The Inflow team is composed of T-shaped marketers with expert-level depth in one or more areas such as conversion optimization, search engine optimization, paid search, email, social, PR, content marketing and more. Its team also has a broad understanding of multiple digital marketing channels. This enables the company to provide high-level e-commerce marketing strategies that integrate each channel, as well as tactical implementation and training for client’s e-commerce marketing teams.
IQ Solutions
IQ Solutions
Rockville, Md. www.iqsolutions.com
Twenty-three years ago, IQ Solutions was built on a vision, a mission, and a framework of values that continue to ignite it daily. IQ Solutions applies strategic communications, science and evidence-based research, public health theory and innovation to its blend of content and technical expertise. It uses this expertise to help share knowledge that empowers audiences to improve their well being.
L&L Products
L&L Products
Romeo, Mich. www.llproducts.com
L&L Products is a technology-driven business-to-business company that has unique expertise in static sealing, acoustics, vibration reduction, structural reinforcements and composite components for automotive, aerospace, commercial vehicle and other industrial applications. Its product and international presence has expanded steadily since it was founded in 1958 by Bob Ligon and Gene Lane.
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
Troy, Mich. www.mma-mi.com
McGraw Wentworth, Cambridge Property & Casualty and Great Lakes Employee Benefit Services have all joined Marsh & McLennan Agency (MMA), the world’s leading insurance broker. As a reflection of its growing team and the expanded scope of services now available to clients, the firms are now operating under one name: Marsh & McLennan LLC, referred to locally as MMA Michigan. Despite the name change, the emphasis remains the same — providing clients with the insight and expertise needed to help them meet their diverse and unique business goals.
McKinley Inc.
McKinley Inc.
Ann Arbor, Mich. www.mckinley.com
McKinley Inc. invests in and manages residential and commercial real estate nationwide. Founded in 1968, it now has annual revenue of $500 million, a portfolio valued at $4.6 billion, 1,600 employees, a presence in 34 states and more than 55 million square feet under management.
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital
Leonardtown, Md. www.medstarstmarys.org
Nestled in the waterside community of Leonardtown, Md., MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital is a 91-bed, full-service hospital delivering state-of-the-art emergency, acute inpatient and outpatient care. With innovative technology and a dedication to excellence, its staff is committed to providing quality medical care with a compassionate touch. Whether patients receive medical care, utilize rehabilitative therapy or participate in a community screening, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital places a priority on delivering a positive health care experience.
Mission Health
Mission Health
Asheville, N.C. www.msj.com
With about 10,700 employees and 2,000 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. Mission Health is North Carolina ‘s sixth-largest health system and the region’s only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in more than 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties.
Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, Fla. www.moffitt.org
Moffitt is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center based in Florida. NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers are recognized for their scientific excellence. They are a major source of discovery and development of more effective approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. They also deliver medical advances to patients and their families, educate health care professionals and the public, and reach out to underserved populations.
Montgomery College
Montgomery College
Rockville, Md. cms.montgomerycollege.edu
Montgomery College’s first classes were held in the evenings at a local high school on Sept. 16, 1946. Its total enrollment was 186 men and women. Today, the college serves nearly 60,000 students a year as they pursue a wide variety of educational goals.
MSU Federal Credit Union
MSU Federal Credit Union
East Lansing, Mich. www.msufcu.org
MSUFCU is owned and operated by members of the Michigan State and Oakland University communities. From its opening in 1937 operating out of a desk drawer in the Michigan State University Administration building to the recent construction of a LEED Gold-certified headquarters at 3777 West Road in East Lansing, MSUFCU has experienced many changes. Over the years it has become the largest university-based credit union in the world. With more than $2.8 billion in assets, a membership exceeding 200,000, and over 640 employees, 15 branches and more ATMs than any other institution in the Greater Lansing area, MSUFCU continues to develop in ways that best benefit members and the community.
NASA Exchange Johnson Space Center
NASA Exchange Johnson Space Center
Houston www.nasa.gov
The Johnson Space Center was established in 1961 as the Manned Spaceflight Center, the home and Mission Control Center for the U.S. human space flight program. In 1973, it was renamed in honor of the late president, and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson. The professionals who work at JSC have made advances in science, technology, engineering and medicine. The Johnson Center’s $1.5 billion complex occupies 1,620 acres southeast of downtown Houston, in the Clear Lake area. As the center has evolved into one of NASA’s largest research and development facilities, the greater Houston area has developed into an aerospace hub with an identity of amazing achievements, hard work and innovation.
National Futures Association
National Futures Association
Chicago www.nfa.futures.org
National Futures Association (NFA) is the self-regulatory organization for the U.S. derivatives industry, including on-exchange traded futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency (forex) and OTC derivatives (swaps). NFA has developed and enforced rules, provided programs and offered services that safeguard market integrity, protect investors and help members meet their regulatory responsibilities for more than 30 years. Membership in NFA is mandatory, ensuring that everyone conducting business with the public on U.S. futures exchanges and in the retail forex marketplace must adhere to the same high standards of professional conduct. NFA membership also is mandatory for swap dealers and major swap participants. NFA’s membership currently numbers approximately 4,100 firms and 57,000 associates.
NYCM Insurance
NYCM Insurance
Edmeston, N.Y. www.nycm.com
NYCM Insurance is a property and casualty insurance company in central New York that employs more than 800 people. The company was founded in 1899 by VanNess DeMar Robinson. NYCM Insurance continues to provide the outstanding service and security it was built on more than 100 years ago.
PBD Worldwide
PBD Worldwide
Alpharetta, Ga. www.pbd.com
PBD Worldwide was founded in 1976 by James E. Dockter in Columbus, Ohio, with the goal to provide the best possible storage, distribution and fulfillment services. After relocating headquarters to the Atlanta area in the late 1980s, PBD has expanded to become a national provider of fulfillment services — customer care, order fulfillment, accounting, technology, promotional products, digital distribution and print and mailing services — to nonprofits, faith-based organizations, educational publishers and corporations.
Peckham Inc.
Peckham Inc.
Lansing, Mich. www.peckham.org
Peckham Inc., a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation organization, provides job training opportunities for people with significant disabilities and other barriers to employment. Peckham provides people with physical, cognitive, behavioral and socio-economic challenges a platform to demonstrate their ability, learn new skills, participate in work and enjoy the rewards of their success. Peckham provides opportunities so clients can experience meaningful employment growth.
Purchasing Power
Purchasing Power
Atlanta www.purchasingpower.com
Purchasing Power is the leading specialty e-retailer offering consumer products, vacations and online education services through an easy and convenient payment plan. It says customers love it because it makes paying for their purchases stress- and hassle-free. The automatic payments help them to avoid penalty fees and ballooning interest associated with other payment options, while the fixed-payment duration options empower them to budget more efficiently.
Quicken Loans
Quicken Loans
Detroit www.quickenloans.com
Quicken Loans is the No. 1 online lender and the second-largest retail home loan lender in America. It is also the nation’s leading Veteran Affairs (VA) lender and the largest FHA lender. Quicken has helped more than 2 million borrowers finance their homes. It also was voted the No. 1 place to work in technology three years in a row by ComputerWorld magazine.
Retrofit
Retrofit
Chicago www.retrofitme.com
Retrofit is a personalized, holistic weight management solution that aims to transform lives and workplaces. Retrofit delivers a unique combination of proactive 1:1 coaching, live interactive classes and expert-led online community groups that help employees achieve sustainable weight loss. A high-tech, high-touch approach offers each participant easy access to comprehensive tools, apps and support that integrate into daily lives and that inspire lasting change. Collectively, Retrofit’s Advisory Board members have worked with more than 40,000 weight loss clients across the country and include two former directors of the National Obesity Society as well as the co-founder of the National Weight Control Registry.
Ryan LLC
Ryan LLC
Dallas www.ryan.com
Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect and property tax practices in North America and the seventh-largest corporate tax practice in the United States. With global headquarters in Dallas, the firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multijurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance and strategic planning.
Secure-24 LLC
Secure-24 LLC
Southfield, Mich. www.secure-24.com
Secure-24’s technologists provide solutions in IT operations, application hosting, cloud infrastructure and managed services, helping clients turn their IT challenges into business opportunities. The company says it stands by a few critical principles: that the right technology can strategically grow a business to become more competitive — and more profitable; that an unwavering dedication to every client’s success is what sets it apart from the rest; and that it provides the innovation that matters in helping companies succeed.
Sikich LLP
Sikich LLP
Naperville, Ill. www.sikich.com
Sikich began as a traditional public accounting firm in 1982, and since then has evolved into a professional services firm that continues to expand services, technical proficiencies and geographic reach. Today, it is a leading accounting, advisory, technology and managed services firm. With more than 600 employees in 11 offices, it ranks as one of the country’s top 35 largest CPA firms — yet it vows clients receive the personalization and attention they need to grow and experience success.
Stanford Health Care & Stanford Children’s Health
Stanford Health Care & Stanford Children’s Health
Stanford, Calif. www.stanford.edu
Stanford University, located between San Francisco and San Jose in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, is one of the world’s leading teaching and research universities. Since its opening in 1891, Stanford has been dedicated to finding solutions to big challenges and to preparing students for leadership in a complex world. Stanford Health Care delivers clinical innovation across its inpatient services, specialty health centers, physician offices, virtual care offerings and health plan programs. Stanford Children’s Health is the only network in the area — and one of the few in the country — exclusively dedicated to pediatric and obstetric care.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Deerfield, Ill. www.takeda.com
Based on the corporate philosophy of “Takeda-ism” (integrity, fairness, honesty and perseverance) developed over its long corporate history of more than 230 years, Takeda conducts activities according to the corporate mission to “strive toward better health for people worldwide through leading innovation in medicine.” Gastrointestinal, oncology, central nervous system, cardiovascular and metabolic medicines are its core products.
The CSI Companies
The CSI Companies
Jacksonville, Fla. www.thecsicompanies.com
From the day they opened their doors in 1994, The CSI Companies have understood that staffing is about much more than simply delivering people to fill positions. It’s about delivering business results. And that means clearly understanding clients’ objectives on the front end and applying comprehensive talent sourcing capabilities on the back end. The company also prides itself on providing exceptional account management and responding quickly to clients’ ever-evolving needs and challenges, which are major reasons for its solid growth.
TriNet Corp.
TriNet Corp.
San Leandro, Calif. www.trinet.com
TriNet is a leading provider of a comprehensive human resources solution for small and midsize businesses or SMBs. It enhances business productivity by enabling clients to outsource their human resources, or HR, function to one strategic partner and allowing them to focus on operating and growing their core businesses. Its HR solution includes services such as payroll processing, human capital consulting, employment law compliance and employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans and workers compensation insurance.
United Way of Southwest Michigan
United Way of Southwest Michigan
St. Joseph, Mich. www.uwsm.org
United Way of Southwest Michigan is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and people’s lives. Building on more than a century of service as the nation’s preeminent community-based fundraiser, United Way engages the community to identify the underlying causes of the most significant local issues, develops strategies and pulls together financial and human resources to address them, and measures the results.
Viverae
Viverae
Dallas www.viverae.com
Viverae is a workplace wellness program provider and an industry thought leader. Its comprehensive wellness solutions help employers build healthy cultures and manage health care costs. Its configurable programs manage engagement and incentives with Viverae’s proprietary application, MyViverae. The app integrates third-party claims and member health data to personalize workplace wellness programs and create an engaging experience.
Walbridge
Walbridge
Detroit www.walbridge.com
Walbridge is an Engineering News-Record “Top 50” U.S. construction company with 15 offices in the United States and international offices in Mexico, South America and the Middle East. Walbridge serves a broad range of markets, including automotive, aviation, commercial, education, government, industrial, industrial process, manufacturing, mission critical, power and energy, and water/waste water. The company is known for managing complex projects with dexterity and offering delivery systems that fit any client’s needs, including: general contracting, design-build, construction management, and engineering, procurement and construction. Walbridge, founded in 1916, employs 1,000 people who are committed to sustainable construction and maintaining an injury-free workplace. The company has been recognized by Environmental Health and Safety as one of “America’s Safest Companies.” Walbridge continues to pioneer advances in the industry with its lean construction practices and continuous improvement techniques.
West Monroe Partners
West Monroe Partners
Chicago www.westmonroepartners.com
West Monroe Partners’ business consultants are driven by opportunities to contribute to clients’ commercial success. The company partners with clients to help generate revenue, reduce costs and transform thinking, operations and capabilities. West Monroe Partners also offers deep technical expertise. It is dedicated to building solutions that address the toughest technology and business challenges.
Wittenstein
Wittenstein
Bartlett, Ill. www.wittenstein-us.com
Wittenstein is pushing the frontiers of mechatronics technology. Products built by Wittenstein North America are found in motion systems that require the utmost precision and system performance. Wittenstein sets benchmarks worldwide in the machine building and drive technology sectors. Wittenstein is constantly creating new motion solutions and services based on the MINI (Miniaturization, Integration, Intelligence) principle.
Anniversaries are something every business should celebrate, sharing their good news of another year, decade or more with their customers. What’s even nicer is when the business shares its good fortunes with those same patrons.
Shield’s Restaurant and Pizzeria is celebrating its 70th anniversary in January, and to thank its customers in grand style will offer a small pizza with one topping for only 70 cents on Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 6 to 9 pm at the Troy (1476 W. Maple Road) and Southfield (25101 Telegraph) locations. To sweeten the night, literally, both Shield’s locations will have a very large sheet cake and pass out free pieces until the cake is gone.
Shield’s is also celebrating by giving away 70 pizzas in 70 days. Customers can fill out a contest entry form at Shield’s in Troy Southfield to be enrolled. Those that fill out an entry form will automatically be enrolled in the Shield’s E-Club. Each location will pick a winner per day for 70 days. Hundreds of entries have already been turned in. Both locations have other great celebration events coming up in the spring and summer.
“It really has been a great run,” says Paul Andoni of Shield’s in Troy. “We have had so many loyal customers over the years dating back to the original Davison location, we want to do something really special to say thank you. Our customers once again voted us the number one pizza for 2015 in Metro Detroit in the annual WDIV Click On Detroit contest. Throughout the year we will have other special things, but those are being kept secret for now. Suffice to say, it’s going to be a fun year!”
Shield’s has been part of Metro Detroit’s history since 1937. Its story began when Shield’s Bar opened at the corner of Davison and Shields Street in Detroit. Shield’s later began serving award-winning pizzas and salads and featured the ever-popular square, deep-dish pizza. Shield’s quickly became a landmark and a favorite gathering spot for families, politicians, athletes and public figures alike- and established a tradition of offering high quality foods at reasonable prices.
Shield’s was purchased in early 1992 by brothers Paul Andoni and Peter Andoni. The Andoni’s changed the name to Shield’s Franchise Restaurants, LLC and plan on expanding to new locations and offering franchises throughout Southeast Michigan and beyond. The company currently has 120 dedicated employees and locations in Southfield, Troy and Macomb Township. Today Shield’s is improving and expanding to serve more customers better than ever before.
Paul Andoni brings more than 25 years of restaurant experience to Shield’s Franchise Restaurants LLC. He began working for family-owned restaurants while a young boy and progressed to become the operator for the restaurants. Andoni earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan. He became the General Manager and Director of Operations of Shield’s of Troy in 1988.
Peter Andoni brings more than 21 years of restaurant experience to Shield’s Franchise Restaurants, LLC. He, also worked in family-owned restaurants while a young boy and progressed to become the operator of those restaurants. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Marketing from Michigan State University and was the General Manager and Director of Operations for Andoni’s Family Restaurant in Dearborn from 1993 through 1998. In January, 1999, he took on the same title with Shield’s of Dearborn. In early 1992, he and his brother Paul purchased Shield’s.
How do you evaluate your salespeople? You should be looking at your salespeople as profit generators instead of revenue generators. The number one measure of a saleperson’s effectiveness (or a sales force’s effectiveness) is year-over-year profit dollar gain. This is the result you should be seeking. However, you can’t hold someone accountable for achieving a set of results without letting them know how to achieve them.
Many businesspeople (maybe you?) do just that every day; that is, they send their salespeople into battle with little or no idea of how to sell to generate the desired long-term results of the company. That’s because the corporate sales culture is very restrictive in terms of information given to salespeople. Too many business owners think that the way to make sure that their salespeople hold price and profit is to just not tell them what things cost, how profit is generated, and what prices generate the desired profit.
That’s a philosophy borne out of fear and distrust of salespeople in general, and their own salespeople in specific. It’s counterproductive. If salespeople don’t know what goods cost, and what profit needs to be generated, they don’t know specifically what constitutes a “good” or “bad” deal. They spend all their time returning to the “bat-cave” for the next price or proposal offer. Then they get disgusted with the process and move on to a new company. Or, they simply shoot to the bottom in terms of price.
The old saying, “knowledge is power,” applies here. Salespeople that know their own cost structures and profit structures are salespeople who are able to negotiate from a position of strength with the customer. They’re also salespeople who won’t be coming to your desk with deals that you know you can’t accept. If that sounds appealing, let’s talk about how to equip your salespeople to generate profit.
Teach your salespeople how your company makes money. I’m not talking about platitudes like, “We make money by selling our products.” I’m talking about getting out the old Profit/Loss, and showing them the cost of goods, ancillary costs, overhead, and yes, sales expenses. Give your salespeople enough information to understand how their actions, decisions, and proposals affect the company’s overall profit picture. I’ve managed numerous sales forces, and every time that I shared P&L information with them, our average price and profits went up. Salespeople are smart, and they are able to understand and buy into this type of information.
Simplify your pricing structure. Nothing leads to downward price pressure like a complicated pricing structure. Here’s a general rule: The more complicated your pricing, the more your customers fear getting taken – and want to negotiate price and profit. Equip your salespeople with the knowledge and tools to price in front of customers, on-site, when the iron is hot, and they will find it much easier to hold price. What your salespeople really want is to have the tools and ability to close business on-site. Give them that, and they’ll use it.
Pricing stability is a good thing. That doesn’t mean that you can’t raise or lower prices; what it does mean is that you shouldn’t do so like a hyperactive child playing Tiddlywinks. I once worked for a business owner who was constantly after the sales team to “get our price.” The trouble was that we didn’t really know what “our price” was on any given day or week. We gradually became less invested in our profit picture, because we never got a true feeling for what our profit picture was at any time – the owner reserved that knowledge for himself.
Don’t get weak, and live by your own rules. If you want to know the Numero Uno way to frustrate your salespeople, this is it: Demand that your salespeople hold a particular price. Then, when the customer comes directly to you, give the customer a price you told your salesman that you “couldn’t accept.” This is guaranteed – NOTHING will upset your sales team and de-motivate them quite like this. Don’t be that guy.
Compensate and reward based on profit. This sounds intuitive, but actually, it’s not. At least, it’s not practiced very often. If your salespeople are to be profit generators, but you compensate and reward them based on revenue, they’ll always be after gross revenue. Instead, align all your measurements (compensation, bonus, stack rankings, and evaluations) based on gross profit generated during a given period.
Banish certain money-losing terms from the vocabulary. I’m not a big “word guy,” but there are some things that salespeople say that are automatic money losers:
“I can save you money on…”
“I’ll give you the best deal around…”
“Can I bid on your business?”
“I want the last shot at the price…”
“If you find a lower price, call me…”
If your salespeople are saying these things, they’re costing you money – guaranteed.
Ultimately, the way that you treat your salespeople will be reflected in the way that they treat their customers. Treat them with fear and distrust, and you’ll see that in the treatment of customers. Treat them with respect and consideration, and you’ll see that reflected in better, stronger customer relationships, and more longevity in both your sales staff and your customer base.
If you’ve read about cars for any length of time, chances are you’ve read an article in a magazine or newspaper penned by Julie Candler. In Corp! magazine and other publications, in the Detroit area and nationwide, her stories covered the many facets of the auto industry. In fact, Julie was the first woman to write an automotive column for a major woman’s magazine; her “Woman at the Wheel” column ran for 18 years in Woman’s Day (1964 to 1982).
Julie passed away on Jan. 9, a little over a week after her 96th birthday.
On Jan. 16, family, friends and colleagues joined to celebrate the life of a woman who always had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. It was a standing-room only affair.
I met Julie 26 years ago when I joined the Detroit chapter of Women in Communications, an organization she was a member of and regularly attending meetings up until her death. By then, she was already known as a trailblazer who covered the automotive industry during a time when women journalists were a rarity – and rarely found on the automotive beat, an industry that was considered the domain of men.
It was fitting that she was an automotive writer. Her father ran a Ford dealership in Springfield, Ill., where she was born. She remembered seeing the new Model A there – she was 7 years old at the time.
Julie was writing for Corp! from its beginning in 1998. Looking at the first issues, many articles were by her. Fellow Corp! writer J.D. Booth worked with her in those early days.
“Julie was what I would call a consummate writer/journalist who not only was very good at her craft, but clearly enjoyed the process in every way,” said Booth. “Julie and I both were involved in the very early days of Corp! magazine and while we had limited interactions, the ones we had were always memorable. Julie’s infectious smile and obvious dedication to the stories she would write were something another writer would naturally want to emulate. For Julie, it was always about the ‘next one’ and she carried with her one of the most important characteristics a writer can possibly have—curiosity. To ‘be like Julie’ would be a goal for any writer to have.”
When I came onboard Corp! in 2006, I immediately tapped Julie to write for the magazine. It was a delight to work with her and yes, as J.D. Booth puts it, for Julie it was always about the next assignment. Something remarkable, considering that she was well into her 80s at that time. She had a zest for life and a nose for news.
That zest was demonstrated by her active lifestyle, which included playing golf and tennis – and even running for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2008 and 2010. Her nose for news was still in full force when, at age 71, she went on a media familiarization tour sponsored by the state of Wyoming and hiked a 12,000-foot mountain range with other journalists. Her later career also included running a public relations firm, where she was best remembered in many local newsrooms for her annual holiday visit to hand out fresh apples to the press.
Besides writing for Michigan-based media including Corp!, Birmingham Eccentric, Detroit Free Press, Michigan Living and Detroit News, she also was a writer for magazines such as Redbook, McCall’s and Nation’s Business.
Her accolades are many: New York Auto Show: Automotive Woman of the Year in 1975, inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 1999, and recognized in the 2002 Congressional Record.
“Julie will be tremendously missed by the team members at Corp! She was a true gem, with her ability to tell a story and inspire readers,” says Publisher Jennifer Kluge. “We admired her dedication to the field; her impact on the profession is a wonderful legacy.”
Woman sketching a social network on virtual screen
We live in an amazing time. The entrepreneurial spirit of the startup culture is everywhere. However, not all businesses are celebrating. Some established companies feel left behind, with new companies taking market share and, sometimes, making their product or service obsolete. Fortunately, it’s not too late for these companies to take action, and reignite their business in the digital age.
“Market Hacking,” a process of developing new markets for established businesses that uses creativity, digital marketing techniques and analysis, is derived from a method referred to as “Growth Hacking,” which many startup companies use to grow their business quickly.
Digital companies and new startups must grow their client base, subscriptions and sales—and do so quickly.
A combination of limited resources and the need to reach specific revenue levels before they run out of money are the reasons.
They do so by employing fast-paced Growth Hacking by testing new ways to spread their offering in a viral manner, using e-mail, pay-per-click campaigns, and social media to test different concepts, analyzing what does (and doesn’t) work.
Market Hacking uses many of the same methods as Growth Hacking. However, the latter process has the luxury of being able to take a longer-term view toward opening new markets.
Established companies have something new companies often do not: customers, revenue, and experience. Company and team experience are used in the Market Hacking process to determine which tactics and new markets to pursue. The customer base and revenue help to fund the expansion, when possible. Both processes focus on company growth, and require an entrepreneurial, startup state-of-mind.
Discovering New Markets
Larger companies with extra cash have the option of acquisition as a practical expansion method to establish a foothold in new markets. Unfortunately, most businesses are not able to consider this option. For the average business, a Market Hacking approach makes much more sense.
The first step in the Market Hacking process is to find a new market for expansion. There are many ways to approach this first step. For some companies the answer is geography. If you are a Michigan company, expanding into Ohio might be a good move.
But expansion to new locations sometimes fails because the company approaches their new target community with the same old approach and attitude established by management years ago. So, before you dive in, research your new area, test your message, and get to know the community.
A good approach to develop new markets is to take a hard look at your business and industry. What complaints do you hear about your industry? What negative statements do customers say about your company?
Often, fixing the status quo creates new opportunities. With that in mind, consider your current customers. How do they use your product or service? Does your clientele make adjustments, combine your offerings with other services, or build add-ons to make your product better?
Maybe your product or service, in its current form, is likely to become irrelevant in the current market. If this is the case, take time for some deep soul-searching. Your company has experience solving problems, so what problems can you solve with your knowledge base and resources?
What can you combine with your product or service to create something new? How can you separate your company from the competition? Look at fashion, design, and technology for ways that may help make your offerings more desirable. In some cases, the answer is to find the solution that makes your product obsolete before your competition does.
This exercise can help to generate new energy in an established company. Even if the adjustments are small, a new approach and attitude are necessary to kick off a Market Hacking campaign.
The Process
To establish a new market, it’s important to know where to focus your energy. Experience tells us that successful digital marketing campaigns require creativity, product development, brand awareness, tools to increase website traffic and analytics to determine which messages and strategies are working. Lastly, it’s important to create a retention program, to keep your new, hard-won customers.
Market Hacking uses what I like to refer to as combination marketing: combining multiple marketing techniques to create a better result. For example, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a powerful long-term digital marketing strategy. Fixing poor SEO will help increase traffic to a company website. Generally, when people visit a web page for the first time, they do research, gather information, and leave. If they don’t fill out a form, or send a request, you have no way to follow up with them.
If you combine retargeting (also known as remarketing) with your SEO campaign, you have an opportunity to follow-up with more messages relevant to your visitors’ needs. Retargeting is the ads that follow people around the Internet after they visit a company page. Now, when your visitor is ready to make a buying decision a few weeks or months later, they are still familiar with your company.
Awareness
Before you begin developing an awareness campaign (a program designed to make your name, people, product, service or logo more recognizable), you have a little homework to do.
First, ask yourself what is your story. A good story is sharable and quickly spreads. How are you introducing your offerings to your new market heroes? Does your story make your prospects the hero? Consider asking the following question as it relates to your marketing approach and materials: Who cares?
While it’s true that being in business for 20 years may add credibility, few people are likely to share such information.
You may have a great warranty, but it’s not the foundation of a story that spreads.
Excellent service is important, but it’s something that’s expected, and everyone makes those same claims.
The only people who can make believable statements about your great service are your customers.
Now that we have dismantled about 90 percent of small business marketing strategies, let’s look at what works.
What is the persona of your new target market? How will your new target customer look good by purchasing your product or service? Why do they need your product or service? Dig deep and keep asking. Create a simple story that makes your prospect the hero and answers the question: why would they want your product?
Once you establish your message, it’s time to consider the tools that can deliver it. Establishing your message to begin your campaign doesn’t mean it’s final. It may be only your first attempt at crafting an effective message. As you begin testing, you will make adjustments and tweak your story along the way, based on results.
There are many digital marketing tools you can use for branding, one being various social media outlets. You can develop your reputation as an expert with a blog or Twitter feed. Engage with online organizations and media to earn interviews, mentions or opportunities to write on their blog.
Purchasing targeted display ads is another excellent branding play. The reason is you can earn a lot of impressions for relatively little cost. For example, you can target a message to a specific town or ZIP code, earning a million impressions for only a few hundred dollars. A side benefit is you may earn some direct sales in the process.
Branding is not about direct sales, so use this approach to soften the ground for other direct sales and marketing activities. The more familiar people are with your name, message and good reputation, the more likely they are to buy from you.
Traffic
Driving traffic to your website is an excellent way to generate leads and sell more product.
But before you begin the process of earning new traffic, take a good look at your website. Are you impressed? You can spend serious money on tools and marketing platforms to drive qualified traffic to your website, but if the website lacks a modern design, easy navigation, or a relevant message, opportunities are lost.
Search engine marketing (SEM) ads, like Google AdWords; social media marketing (SMM) such as Facebook ads; and SEO, are all good digital marketing methods for driving new traffic to your website. Both SEM and SMM are beneficial because you can track the sales process from the top of the sales funnel to the bottom.
Digital advertising allows for quick adjustments. Unlike placing an ad in the newspaper you can change a headline on the fly, and test new ideas as new data are received. Digital advertising isn’t necessarily cheap advertising, but it is efficient advertising.
SEO (search engine optimization) gets a bad rap. It’s an important part of being found online. I find it amazing how many meetings I attend in which business owners explain that SEO isn’t right for their product or service. The reason is they are looking for the C-suite executives or affluent buyers, and they believe that these same educated, successful, wealthy people don’t try to find solutions by using the latest technology.
The more obscure your market, the more important it is for you to be found via search tools. People who really don’t know what or where to find an answer to their problem look online, typing in various search words and phrases.
To be fair, the case is made every year that SEO is dead. However, until people stop using Google, and search engines discontinue ranking results in order of best to worst results, SEO will be alive and well. There are always reasons why one website listing is higher than another. It is up to the SEO practitioner to understand why, and help their client rank better and drive more traffic to the website.
Conversions The goal of every company is to increase revenue. Tracking conversions is how we know marketing efforts are working. A conversion is the action you want your visitor to take. This could include signing up for an e-mail, calling the company, or purchasing a product online. Results indicate the success and influence the future actions of a Market Hacking team. It’s important to give a marketing plan time to take root and provide the rewards promised. However, some marketing ideas and tactics will not convert and adjustments must be made.
Not all digital marketing tactics work for every company. Some companies benefit from a more social approach. Others require hard data and a solid sales funnel. Which is right for your company?
This is where an established business must return to a startup mindset. The management or board must be willing to set aside the old process of marketing and advertising by committee. Willingness to take risks and allowing room for failure are mandatory, so your Market Hacking team must have the latitude to find the best platforms and message to open or expand markets. The answer is often not what we think it will be.
Using the data provided by analytics tools such as Google Analytics helps a marketing team make better decisions. Facebook ads may drive more traffic, but Twitter promotions may convert more people into customers. You don’t know until you test.
Once you find profitable combinations of branding, traffic development, and conversion tactics, you can take your message to larger and more expensive media with confidence. Still, it’s important to continue to test because messages don’t always transfer well to different media.
Market Hacking requires regular examination of the data and a continuing effort to pull creative ideas and opportunities out of the data provided by online tracking tools. The beginning of a Market Hacking strategy often looks very different at the end. This is in contrast to a marketing strategy that does not change or adjust through the campaign process. Market Hacking is designed to improve the chances of success through a process of developing a winning strategy.
After The Sale
The creativity and analysis doesn’t end when the sale is complete.
It’s worth noting that you should have a process in place to qualify new leads before begining your Market Hacking campaign. Make sure everyone on the team knows what to actually do with the leads, and the process they’ll use to close online leads and sales effectively. This includes fulfillment, if applicable.
Once you’ve earned your new customers, it’s important to have a plan to keep them buying. We all know it’s more cost-effective to keep a current client happy than to find a new one. E-mail and social media are good digital communication tools to use after the sale. Both help you keep in touch and stay top-of-mind with your customer.
Market Hacking is an organized process of digital marketing. It’s a mindset that seems risky to many established businesses. However, it’s also the very mindset that drives the innovation and success of companies that are taking your market share. It’s time to get back in the game. And today your best defense may indeed be a good Market Hacking offense.
Score another victory for those businesses wanting to locate in Michigan, but now won’t consider it. The reason this time is not labor or the climate. This time it’s the water. Yes, Flint’s crisis of tainted water would turn businesses away from locating here.
It exemplifies on a national and global scale lack of respect for our citizens, the denial of information and inability of state agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality and the Governor’s Office to respond, disrespect for our precious water resources and a lack of transparency in government. Would a potential employer like to engage in this mix and do business in Michigan?
While we could go on about how deplorable this is, we have to move it forward. We—the citizens-—are in charge, not the state agencies or public officials. As voters and taxpayers, we hire and elect them, pay them and fire them. They serve us—let’s not forget that.
This is how we move this forward. Here are three points to seize an opportunity to change for the better:
Fix the aging public utility infrastructure. We should not have to worry about our drinking water. Period. Our region of freshwater abundance is a drawing point for businesses, tourism, sports and far-reaching economic growth – and should remain so. (Living in Detroit, I am one of those people getting water from lead supply pipes. Now I want my water tested and really enjoy those chemicals that keep the lead out.)
Our water is our most precious resource. As noted in earlier Corp! editorials and stories, the Great Lakes region holds 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. So while the citizens of Flint have become the poster child for polluted drinking water, it makes me increasingly disgusted that we continue to drain pollutants into our rivers and Great Lakes. Our not-so-pure water will be in demand more and more in decades to come. Count on it. We have a responsibility to preserve and improve it and develop water technologies that can help the world. We should make this a No. 1 priority.
This fiasco with Flint just illustrates again our lack of transparency in government. It is no wonder public officials and state and city agencies are distrusted. Fox News reported that Michigan ranked last in a study this past November from the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative organization that measured governmental transparency. Why? One reason may be that Michigan is one of only three in the nation that exempts the governor, lieutenant governor and their offices, and state legislators from the Freedom of Information Act. The Michigan Freedom of Information Act, enacted in 1977, is designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Michigan. I guess this is not the case. We need to change this.
So let’s grab the spotlight while we have it — again — and show how a reinvented Michigan can make the right changes and show the nation how to get it done. We want to continue to have a “Pure Michigan”—not an “Impure Michigan.”
Here’s a basic yet important piece of business advice: Just smile.
When someone gets your goat…or you’re feeling frustrated…or you need a break. Give yourself or the situation at hand a big grin. Then, walk away. Having a few minutes to process can make all the difference, according to reader Gary Zandstra.
As he submitted to the Break Room, Zandstra has worked in church production and as an AV systems integrator for more than 35 years. He currently works in Business Development for Dan Vos Construction Co. Inc. in Ada, Mich.
“I’m not really a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, primarily because when I make them they tend to last about one-to-two weeks. However I do like to take the opportunity at this time of year to re-evaluate, re-focus and re-energize what I’m doing in anticipation of the coming New Year,” Zandstra said.
“As I do this and reflect upon over a quarter of a century of experience of doing live production in some fashion or another, I find a desire to return to the absolute basics.”
To that end, here’s Zandstra’s thoughts on the New Year and beyond.
1. Just smile: No matter how frustrating, how intense or how upset I am at the time, just smile and walk away. Every time I don’t do this I end up regretting how I act and what I say in the heat of the moment. If I smile, listen and then walk away, I have the opportunity and time to process the information and take some of the emotion out of the situation.
2. Admit my mistakes: Every time that something goes wrong and I try to pass the blame on to someone or something else I end up asking myself “Why didn’t I just own up to it?” It can be difficult, because on one hand I want to be the leader, in charge, the one who makes thing happen. However, when things don’t go as planned, I don’t always want to be the leader and accept the responsibility. I want to blame someone or something. In the end, it’s always best to admit our mistakes.
3. Build others up…all of the time: I have this habit of avoiding confrontation. In doing this, I will sometimes not mention to a person that I am bothered by what they have done. That alone isn’t good, but it’s even worse if I were to go around and complain to someone else about what the person did to bother me. I see this happen very often, and regrettably, have participated in it many times.
4. Improve my craft: Musicians rehearse, they practice at home and then with others they are playing with in advance of a Sunday morning service. What do I do to practice at my craft? I do participate in some rehearsals but they are usually sound checks for the sound team and a quick run through for the band. One thing I can do is to get the music in advance, and actually listen to it, critically. I can listen and then plan and prepare as to how I can best reproduce what I’m hearing.
5. Further embrace digital: OK, I admit it, until fairly recently, I was a little intimidated by some of the digital consoles out there. Part of the reason is that I had long used a premium analog console, so I didn’t have to mix on a ton of digital boards. I liked where I was and didn’t want to “embrace the change.” Who would have thought that the kid, of so many years ago, that fanatically embraced digital processing would have been intimidated by a little ol’ digital console? Eventually, I came around—in part, and perhaps a bit ironically—because of a New Year’s resolution a couple of years ago. If you’re in the same boat, perhaps this is the year.
Keasha Rigsby is a bridal expert, having helped thousands of women find that one perfect dress to get them down the aisle.
Now, Rigsby is bringing that expertise to Detroit where she will open her first U.S. flagship store, Beautiful Bridal, with her co-founder Vallery Hyduk. The full-service boutique, which opens next month, will be housed in a converted 20th century mansion at 2921 East Jefferson Avenue near downtown.
Most people will recognize Rigsby from her roles in the TLC channel’s hit reality show “Say Yes to the Dress” and her own show, “Keasha’s Perfect Dress” on TV One in Canada.
Rigsby got started in bridal wear when she was helping a family member find the right dress. That brought her to Manhattan’s prestigious Kleinfeld boutique, the largest and most revered salon in the world. After meeting the boss, RIgsby got a job here and spent nine years honing her consulting skills. Over time, Rigsby became one of the highest grossing Bridal Consultants on staff, and a member of the company’s outstanding Two Million Dollar Club.
As part of her time at Kleinfeld, she became one of the most endearing characters on “Say Yes To The Dress,” building on her dedicated fan base around the world. In 2015, Keasha starred in her own spin-off reality series entitled “Keasha’s Perfect Dress,” which aired on TV One and Canada’s Slice Network.
Her return to Detroit was inspired in part to help revive the city’s retail scene. Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby is Detroit’s only bridal boutique.
“Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby is so much more than a bridal boutique. We are among the pioneers reviving Detroit’s retail market,” said Beautiful Bridal co-founder Hyduk. “We want to make a difference in Detroit by showing the world that retail here is a profitable venture, hoping others will follow suit. It’s time retail returned to Detroit.”
With over 8,500 square feet and spacious dressing rooms, Beautiful Bridal with Keasha Rigsby is the first of its kind in the motor city. Offering brides a glamorous and elegant shopping experience, the upscale store showcases a custom collection of designer gowns and bridal wear through appointment-only one-on-one consultations with Rigsby’s personal expertise.
With easy access and a sophisticated and elegant décor, Rigsby’s flagship store will serve as Detroit’s premiere location for luxurious bridal service and preparations, setting a standard of excellence for Detroit’s bridal gown and retail industries. All appointments will be in a spacious fitting rooms with a hand-carved fire place. Facade and stain glass windows are by famous turn-of-the-century American sculptor Julius Melchers.
“I feel so blessed to be able to continue to follow my passion and open this new bridal boutique in Detroit with my business partner Vallery Hyduk. This boutique is a very special place. It is grand and romantic and filled with love and purpose. The stars have truly aligned to make this endeavor a reality,” Rigsby said.
“I look forward to helping brides-to-be from Michigan and all over the world who want to come to Detroit to experience Beautiful Bridal,” she added.
Everyone in January shares a common resolution or two: Get to the gym more often, watch your weight and eat a healthy diet.
But for area chef, Salvatore Monteleone, eating and preparing healthy food is a way of life. He chooses fresh ingredients daily and they inspire his Chef’s Selections menus at Sapori Italian Restaurant in Washington Township.
He understands that some guests have allergies to gluten, which means that some dishes, and fresh pastas can be made gluten-free, too. Eating out is still an option according to the owners of this restaurant – all you have to do is opt for the Mediterranean diet and choose wisely.
Monteleone believes people don’t have to give up flavor in 2016 – indulge in new experiences and dishes like Octopus Salad, Beet Salad or Shrimp Saute. The Zuppa di Pesce (pictured) is a best-seller year-round for those who love seafood, and it fits the Mediterranean diet, too.
The Mediterranean diet promotes foods like fresh fruits, leafy greens and avoiding starchy vegetables. It reinforces replacing butter with olive oil, incorporating whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans, and flavoring dishes with herbs and spices like oregano, rosemary and parsley over salt. Eating fish and seafood and consuming red meat in moderation and the occasional glass of red wine is encouraged.
Sapori’s menu offers many dishes consistent with this long-term way of eating. Sapori’s food is made from scratch, soups are made from real stock and handpicked produce, ingredients and fish are found daily at local metro Detroit farmer’s markets.
Consider appetizers like the popular octopus salad featuring tender octopus, capers, bell peppers, red onion, olive, celery and parsley tossed in the chef’s marinade or the beet salad made with beets, Greek yogurt, arugula, goat cheese and walnuts. Both of these are examples suitable for those following a Mediterranean diet. Sapori’s salad dressings are made with simple ingredients like extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon.
To help all of us get started, try this Beet Salad recipe provided by Co-Owner Brian Maiorana of Sapori Italian Restaurant: Beet Salad
3.5 oz beets
1 tsp of Greek yogurt
1 oz goat cheese
A dozen crushed pecans
3 oz Arugula
1 oz Sicilian Dressing (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, freshly squeezed lemon, salt & pepper)
Puree the beets in a mixer. Once pureed, mix the pureed beets with 1 teaspoon of Greek yogurt. In a separate bowl mix the arugula with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. To begin plating, place the beet/yogurt combination in the middle of a plate. Add the dressed arugula on each side of the beets. Lastly, top the arugula with a scoop of goat cheese rolled in crushed pecan. To get the correct shape we recommend using a small melon scooper to form goat cheese.
The National Association of Business Resources (NABR) annually identifies and honors companies that strive for a high level of employee satisfaction. NABR’s competition, Best and Brightest Companies to Work For In The Nation, lauds businesses displaying a commitment of excellence in areas of human resource practices and employee enrichment.
These trend-setting businesses, selected from across the country and regionally, are independently assessed based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more.
Many of the winners of 2015’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in The Nation have done so multiple times. While we can’t highlight all of them, here is a snapshot of some of the 2015 national winners.
Metro Detroit: Sachse Construction
If a sense of humor was one of the categories in NABR’s competition, Sachse Construction would receive high marks. Headquartered in Detroit, Sachse addresses on its engaging website the obvious question—–how in the heck do you pronounce Sachse? Remember Sachse rhymes with the word taxi.
Formed in 1991, Sachse has built commercial, retail, multi-family and institutional space throughout North America. It offers premium commercial construction services including construction management, general contracting, and design-build, to tenant coordination, program management and several LEED initiatives.
Last year was busy for Sachse, which began work in August as a construction manager for The Scott, a $60 million ground-up, mixed-use development in Detroit’s historic Brush Park. The development will include 199 luxury apartments and 15,000 square feet of retail. Other projects include renovations at the Detroit Athletic Club and Greektown Casino. Sachse was also involved in the nonprofit Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program move to a new home in July. The programs’ new site is a 27,500-square-foot building on East Vernor Highway. Sachse Construction also promotes philanthropy, sponsoring numerous golf outings that raised more than $600,000 to benefit charities such as Kids Without Cancer.org, The Michigan Humane Society and Make A Wish Foundation.
West Michigan Region: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
With nearly $3 billion in assets and more than 640 employees, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, (MSUFCU) began humbly out of desk drawer at a college administration building 78 years ago.
Its LEED Gold-certified headquarters in East Lansing is far from its modest beginnings, when it was founded in 1937 by a few MSU professors seeking to create a credit union to help campus employees during the Great Depression, according its website.
MSUFCU provides financial services to more than 200,000 members, consisting of Michigan State and Oakland universities’ faculty, staff, students, alumni association members and their families worldwide, according to its website.
The website also touts that it is the world’s largest university-based credit union, with 15 branches and more ATMs than any other institution in the greater Lansing area.
To mark its nearly 80 years in business, MSUFCU’s employees last November put on a week’s worth of “Pay it Forward” events that benefited greater Lansing and Auburn Hills communities. Employees visited local coffee shops to pay for customers’ orders, gave away gift cards at restaurants and more.
MSUFCU has a long history of community involvement, raising money for various organizations. Last year through a six-month fundraising effort, employees raised more than $60,000 for the Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative, which provides Ingham County foster youth with mentoring and life skills training.
Chicago Region: Takeda Pharmaceutical U.S.A Inc.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan, according to its website. It also has a strong presence in North America with its subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceutical U.S.A. Inc., in Deerfield, Ill.
Starting with three employees in 1998, it now boasts 2,700. Deerfield is Takeda’s U.S. headquarters.
In 2015, Takeda gifted more than $250,000 to Chicago nonprofit and education recipients. One of the recipients, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Lake County, is an advocacy group for abused and neglected children within the juvenile court system.
Takeda has a long history of creating medicine. More than two centuries ago, a small medicine shop was opened in Doshomachi, Osaka, Japan to provide medicines to local merchants and doctors. This was the beginning of the present-day Takeda family of pharmaceutical companies.
Ron and Jan Daugherty founded Daugherty Business Solutions 30 years ago.
Daugherty Business Solutions, an IT consulting firm, was founded 30 years ago by husband and wife Ron and Jan Daugherty. According to the company’s website, the couple decided to start their company with only enough savings for up to three months until they needed to profit. Their gamble paid off and now Daugherty Business Solutions’ clients are some of the world’s largest companies.
It provides management consulting, information management, software architecture and engineering, and managed services solutions. It is nearing $200 million in revenue with more than 1,000 employees in seven cities, including Atlanta, Minneapolis, Dallas, Chicago, and St. Louis, home of its corporate headquarters, according to its website.
Ron Daugherty is the public face of the company, driving sales and the strategic vision while Jan Daugherty focuses on the operational aspects of the firm, managing the directors who lead each business unit. Daugherty also strives to be leaders in corporate philanthropy and citizenship helping a long list of organizations such as Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in St. Louis, Atlanta Food Bank in Atlanta and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
San Francisco Region: Commune Hotels and Resorts
Commune Hotels and Resorts is an international hotel management company with a roster of boutique hotel and resort brands that range from eclectic to luxurious.
The hotels and resorts are stylish, distinct lifestyle brands such as Alila, Joie de Vivre, Thompson Hotels and the Tommie, according its website.
The Tommie’s demographic is a youthful micro-lifestyle hotel. Slated to open this year in Manhattan, Tommie’s rooms are up to 200 square feet, but the hotel offers stylized interior design and amenities and conveniences such as a rooftop lounge.
Commune is owned by Geolo Capital, a private equity firm. With 25 years of experience, Commune manages more than 40 hotels and resorts with 7,000 rooms in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Milwaukee Region: HNI HNI is a non-traditional insurance and business advisory firm, with clients that include established and emerging companies throughout the U.S. of industries including, transportation, construction, food processing, manufacturing, real estate and retail, according to its website. Its services include insurance, benefits and business advisory.
In 2015, the Milwaukee Business Journal selected HNI as one the 31 winners of the Fastest Growing Firms awards. The awards recognize companies with significant growth over the past three years.
Also last year, HN launched the Transportation DART system, a performance management platform that captures metrics on productivity, safety and fuel efficiency for truck drivers and driver managers. Founded in 1963 HNI has locations in Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan.
Dallas/Fort Worth Region: NovaCopy
NovaCopy is a full-service provider of 3D printer technology, copiers and innovative document solutions. With Texas headquarters in Dallas, the company also provides on-site services and customizable workflow solutions to more than 15,000 businesses throughout the United States.
According to its website, NovaCopy is Konica Minolta’s largest single-line dealer in America and the top dealer of the brand in the South. In 2014, NovaCopy grossed more than $65 million and was recognized as one of the 500 fastest growing companies by Inc. Magazine.
Founded in 1988, it also has headquarters in Nashville with branch offices in Memphis, Jackson, Chattanooga and Knoxville and Missouri offices in Malden and Cape Girardeau.
Houston Region: Assets Plus Companies
Asset Plus Companies is a Houston-based real estate management firm with a portfolio of more than 120 student housing and more than 100 multi-family properties in more than 31 states.
Founded in 1986, the company provides services that include, property management, asset management, leasing, marketing, financial analysis, construction supervision and accounting, according to its website. Its clients include Mutual of Omaha, Cargill and Mitsubishi.
In December, 100 Asset Plus employees put in a day of service for KIPP Third Ward (Knowledge is Power Program). KIPP is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory charter schools dedicated to preparing students in under-resourced communities throughout the United States.
This is the second consecutive year that Asset Plus has been a National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For winner.
Maine: GiftCard Partners
In the estimated $45 billion B2B gift card marketplace, GiftCard Partners is a standout, selling and marketing gift cards from leading national retailers and merchants.
GiftCard Partners, based in Wellesley, Maine, builds retailers’ and merchants’ B2B gift card business through marketing and technology, therefore increasing top line revenue, strengthening brand awareness and driving customer acquisition for such clients such as CVS/Pharmacy, Whole Foods Market, and The Cheesecake Factory according to its website.
It places its client’s gift cards in such programs as employee recognition, and health and wellness. Unlike some companies, GiftCard Partners is and has been a virtual company since its inception.
“In my prior career it was difficult for me to create a proper work-life balance between my job and my family,” states Deb Merkin, Co-CEO of GiftCard Partners. “Our underlying philosophy at GiftCard Partners is to give employees that balance. I’ve seen this create a team that is both dedicated to their job and loyal to the company.”
Colorado: Zen Planner LLC
Zen Planner LLC whips fitness businesses such as martial arts schools, CrossFit boxes and gyms into shape with its all-in-one easy to use software.
With integrated payment processing, scheduling, membership management, skills tracking, email automation and website templates, Zen’s software allows business owners to spend more time addressing the needs of and increasing interaction with their customers.
Zen, based in Highlands Ranch, Colo., also makes staying fit easier. According to its website, its Workout Tracking provides a business’ customers with the ability to track their own fitness performance. It debuted at 2014’s CrossFit Games.
Last year Zen created a Kiosk iPad App that allows for self check-in to classes and purchase membership. One element of the app lets students buy items from a fitness company’s retail shop such as a bottle of water. The app is fully integrated into Zen’s software solution.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is home to innovative and forward-thinking businesses that provide a great place to work and services that guide clients toward growth and satisfaction. Those attributes rose to the top Jan. 11 at Dallas/Fort Worth’s 2016 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition at the Marriott Quorum.
The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition identifies and honors companies that deliver exceptional human resource practices and an impressive commitment to their employees. Organizations are assessed based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more. Participating companies have the opportunity to benchmark results with other cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Chicago and more.
This year’s overall elite winners in Dallas/Fort Worth were Axxess as the Overall Best of the Best and MDI Group, the Best of the Best Small Business winner. What sets these companies apart from the rest is their dedication to serving their teams with the highest regard through a variety of innovative human resources practices and perspectives.
IT staffing company MDI offers monthly, quarterly and yearly recognition to top performers as well as those employees who exhibit the company’s core values and provide exceptional attention to customers. But even before that can happen, MDI takes a targeted approach to finding the right talent for the company. Its director of Talent Development oversees training and goal-setting for employee education, while MDI’s director of Talent Acquisition and Development implements new hire orientation.
At MDI, work-life balance is essential. The staffing company promotes creativity and innovation by offering telecommuting, flexible scheduling, summer hours and personal days off for all staff. After all, if you don’t take care of your staff, they don’t take care of you.
Axxess follows the same philosophy, using a “concierge” approach to serving their staff so their team members will be happy to work at Axxess. The health care support and software company enforces an open-door policy and collaborative work environment, where they maintain a motto of “may the best idea win.”
Leaders say they believe in taking care of their employees, asking for feedback via third party surveys, employee focus groups and reviews of benefits and perks. Every Axxess team member has one-on-one guidance toward career development, with encouragement to set individual goals as well as company goals so everyone is aligned.
Some of the best steps in HR best practices including building a strategic plan year to year, acquiring the right talent, avoiding layoffs, adequate and inspired compensation planning and creating a great culture. These five keys in the human resources philosophy are prevalent at the winning companies, where the employee experience matters almost more than anything else. Studies show that the more satisfied employees are, the more satisfied customers will be. Congratulations to these exemplary businesses!
Alsbridge Inc.
Alsbridge Inc.
Addison, Texas www.alsbridge.com
Alsbridge Inc. helps clients use cost-effective, value-added sources for IT infrastructure, network carrier, hardware, software, application support and development, cloud services and business processes. The company helps clients manage IT assets and networks as well as access and understand emerging technologies as they apply them to their businesses.
Amnet Group
Amnet Group
Fort Worth, Texas www.amnetgroup.com Amnet Group leverages data to create meaningful and personalized messaging for clients, using the Dentsu Aegis Network. The company specializes in driving online traffic, and using audience data to plan, analyze and activate brand building campaigns.
Anistar Technologies
Anistar Technologies
Plano, Texas www.anistar.comAnistar Technologies is a staffing solutions provider that works with companies under Federal and Department of Defense contracts as well as those specializing in networking, structured cabling, installations, cable and satellite television and fiber optics. Anistar staff find the right IT talent for their clients, believing the right person is out there, even for “hard to fill” positions.
Axxess
Axxess
Dallas www.axxess.com What began as a consulting firm specializing in the home health care industry grew quickly into a support organization providing home health organizations with software to support their unique needs. Axxess provides integrated software and mobile apps for these agencies nationwide.
BDO USA LLP
BDO USA LLP
Dallas, Fort Worth www.bdo.com
For more than a century, BDO has built a global network of accountants who provide services in assurance, advisory, consulting and tax support. BDO professionals serve an array of industries including financial, gaming, hospitality and leisure, government, health care, manufacturing and nonprofit, among others. Today, it employs more than 4,000 people in the United States alone among 63 offices.
Benchmark Mortgage
Benchmark Mortgage
Plano, Texas www.benchmark.us For more than 15 years, Benchmark Mortgage has served clients by building long-term relationships toward servicing the same clients again and again as they move from starter home up to dream home. The company is guided by a mission to provide personal service, competitive rates and efficient loan processing.
Camden Kelly Corp.
Camden Kelly Corp.
Dallas/Fort Worth camdenkelly.com A staffing services company, Camden Kelly Corporation helps companies find qualified IT professionals for their teams. Its all-female team specializes in guiding individuals to find a fit among corporate teams and helping companies find the talent they need to grow.
Capital Title of Texas LLC
Capital Title of Texas LLC
Plano, Texas www.ctot.com
Capital Title of Texas is the largest independently owned title company in Texas, serving 32 counties. The company operates more than 65 branch offices, employing some of the most experienced escrow officers in both residential and commercial real estate.
Carlton Staffing
Carlton Staffing
Dallas www.carltonstaffing.com
Since 1979, Carlton Staffing has helped Texas companies find the right talent for office, light industrial, technical, skilled trade, accounting and finance positions. With eight branch offices, Carlton Staffing is known as a leading firm to find talent for several of its focus industries.
Christus Physician Group
Christus Physician Group
Irving, Texas www.christushealth.org Christus Health is a Catholic health ministry providing wellness solutions through more than 40 hospitals and facilities in seven states, Chile and six Mexican states, with assets of more than $4.6 billion. It is ranked among the top 10 Catholic health systems in the United States.
Collin College
Collin College
McKinney, Texas www.collin.edu Since offering its first classes at area high schools in 1985, Collin College has grown to serve 53,000 credit and continuing education students every year. The only public college in the county, Collin College offers more than 100 degrees and certificates in a wide range of disciplines.
Conway MacKenzie Inc.
Conway MacKenzie Inc.
Dallas www.conwaymackenzie.com Conway MacKenzie helps troubled companies get back on track, through financial, operational and other strategic services in offices throughout the country. Founded in 1987 as a debtor-oriented consulting firm, Conway MacKenzie offers turnaround consulting and litigation support services in addition to transaction services, investment banking, performance improvement counseling and more.
Crane Worldwide Logistics
Crane Worldwide Logistics
Houston www.craneww.com
Founded in 2008, Crane Worldwide Logistics serves the global freight management and contract logistics services sector, with revenues in excess of $680 million, generated by 113 locations in 25 countries. Its full-service operations serve air, ocean, trucking, customs brokerage and logistics clients.
Crest Cadillac
Crest Cadillac
Plano, Texas www.crestcadillactx.com For three decades, Crest Cadillac has been a leading car dealership in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with sales, financing and auto repair on-site. Crest sells and services new, used and certified pre-owned Cadillacs.
Eastfield College
Eastfield College
Mesquite, Texas www.eastfieldcollege.edu Part of the Dallas County Community College District, Eastfield College offers academic, technical, occupational and continuing education opportunities. Students aim for associate degrees or to transfer to four-year institutions along with completing technical and workforce programs with certifications that serve the needs of the local and state workforce.
Eduphoria! Inc.
Eduphoria! Inc.
Plano, Texas www.eduphoria.net Eduphoria! Inc. offers software applications for educators to reinforce classroom success. From curriculum development, to institution management and beyond, Eduphoria!’s software solutions empower educators with additional classroom capabilities toward helping all educators foster a love of learning.
EPITEC Inc.
EPITEC Inc.
Addison, Texas www.epitec.com EPITEC Inc. is a staffing solutions company that focuses on reducing costs, increasing efficiency, adding resources and simplifying management for its clients. Its goal is to be a premier IT, engineering and professional staffing organization that focuses on employee satisfaction and technological edginess.
Fairway Mortgage
Fairway Mortgage
Plano, Texas www.fairwayindependentmc.com Founded in 1996, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. employs more than 3,000 people and was voted the best company to work for by Mortgage Executive Magazine last year. With more than 300 branch offices nationwide, Fairway focuses strongly on purchase business as a way to grow revenues every year.
Frontline Source Group Inc.
Frontline Source Group Inc.
Dallas www.frontlinesourcegroup.com For more than a decade, Frontline Source Group has provided staffing services to businesses across the country, finding direct hire, temporary, and temp-to-hire employees for companies in these industries: technology/IT, human resources, oil and gas, engineering, administrative, accounting and finance, customer service and clerical. Established in 2004, Frontline is one of the fastest growing placement firms in the nation, operating as an extension of its clients’ internal hiring team.
Gables Residential
Gables Residential
Dallas www.gables.com Gables Residential is a real estate company and privately held REIT specializing in the development, construction, ownership, acquisition, financing and management of multifamily and mixed-use communities. Gables manages 31,500 apartment homes and 500,000 square feet of retail space nationwide in high-growth U.S. markets such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, South Florida, Southern California and metropolitan Washington, D.C., while providing third party management services in a variety of markets.
Grand Hyatt DFW
Grand Hyatt DFW
DFW Airport www.granddfw.hyatt.com
Inside Terminal D at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the Grand Hyatt DFW offers 298 guest rooms with 39 suites, serving primarily business travelers. The hotel also provides ballroom, banquet and meeting spaces, a restaurant lounge and more.
GuideIT
GuideIT
Plano, Texas www.guideit.com GuideIT is a provider of technology optimization services rooted in EDS and Perot Systems. With expertise developed in the current technology market, GuideIT helps clients align their technology strategy and execution with their broader business strategy.
Healthcare Payment Specialists LLC
Healthcare Payment Specialists LLC
Fort Worth, Texas www.healthcarepayment.com
Founded in 2002, Healthcare Payment Specialists, LLC (HPS) provides health care eligibility, government reimbursement and compliance reporting solutions for hospitals and health care systems using its proprietary STINGRAY software platform. Using cutting-edge technology and a deep expertise of government reimbursement processes, Healthcare Payment Specialists has recovered more than $600 million in reimbursement on behalf of more than 500 active hospital clients.
Homecity
Homecity
Dallas www.homecity.com HomeCity.com is an online search site providing access to the best real estate in Texas. The company provides specific and easy search access to homes on the market, with prospective buyers looking by school district, neighborhood, zip code or subdivision. Visitors can also find out the worth of their home and find real estate agents in their area.
hrQ Inc.
hrQ Inc.
Dallas www.hrQinc.com Founded in 1998, hrQ, formerly HR Search Firm, helps organizations find human resources talent on a national basis through HR search, interim HR staffing and HR consulting. Its leaders speak widely on building the DNA of an organization, what hiring managers wish everyone knew and how to use social media to recruit and retain talent.
Jackson & Cooksey
Jackson & Cooksey
Dallas www.jacksoncooksey.com Established in 1981, Jackson & Cooksey provides real estate representation (tenant representation) including consulting, construction coordination and monitoring, real estate investment and lease administration. Jackson & Cooksey serves a global client base with a dedication to maximizing value and reducing risk.
JHP Architecture/Urban Design
JHP Architecture/Urban Design
Dallas www.jhparch.com JHP is an award-winning architecture, planning and urban design firm with a national clientele. Founded in 1979, the firm’s primary practice areas include such specialty markets as: Transit Oriented Development (TOD), high-density urban infill communities, mixed-use, sustainable development, and market-rate, senior, student and affordable housing. The firm embraces the tenets of Whole Community Design, which seeks to create memorable environments for people that are rich in diversity, unique to the place, and sustainable over time.
Kent Companies
Kent Companies
Dallas www.kentcompanies.com
Kent Companies Inc. is a full-service concrete construction firm with 55 years of experience in all aspects of commercial concrete applications. As a third generation family-owned business that began as a residential concrete company, Kent has grown to diversify its services to include concrete pumping, floor underlayments, concrete polishing and staining, facility services, mudjacking, foundation restoration, excavation and masonry.
Lennox International Inc.
Lennox International Inc.
Richardson, Texas www.lennoxinternational.com Lennox International Inc. (LII) is a global leader in the heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets, designing, manufacturing and marketing climate control products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration markets. The company operates in three segments: Residential Heating & Cooling, Commercial Heating & Cooling, and Refrigeration, selling products and services directly as well as through distributors.
LGI Homes
LGI Homes
Dallas, Fort Worth www.lgihomes.com LGI Homes is a builder of housing developments in the southern region of the United States. The 21st largest home builder in the nation, LGI was founded in 2002 and by 2008, was named the fastest growing private building company in the nation.
Lone Star Analysis
Lone Star Analysis
Addison, Texas www.lone-star.com Lone Star Analysis provides Enhanced Decision Analysis, multi-discipline modeling and simulation, and executive advisory support to clients in the military and intelligence sector, as well as aerospace and defense, energy, and communications and technology industries. Lone Star uses leading software tools, delivery processes, data sets and expertise to solve challenges for clients.
MDI Group
MDI Group
Dallas www.mdigroup.com Founded in 1988, MDI Group is an IT staffing and recruiting agency, providing IT workforce solutions to help in-house teams achieve their goals. The company has placed more than 10,000 technology consultants with organizations nationwide.
Milestone Electric, Air & Security
Milestone Electric, Air & Security
Dallas, Fort Worth www.milestoneelectricdfw.com Milestone Electric, Air & Security helps residential and commercial customers with electrical, heating, air conditioning and home security needs. Milestone helps customers with a variety of electrical support services.
NovaCopy Inc.
NovaCopy Inc.
Dallas, Fort Worth www.novacopy.com NovaCopy is a full-service provider of 3D printer technology, copiers and innovative document solutions. A leader in its industry, NovaCopy provides state-of-the-art office technology, on-site services and customizable workflow solutions to more than 15,000 businesses throughout the United States.
Optomi
Optomi
Plano, Texas www.optomi.com
An IT Staffing company, Optomi has more than four decades of experience finding the right talent for its clients. Optomi specializes in finding business analysts, project managers, application development, cloud, mobile, network design and quality assurance personnel.
Protiviti
Protiviti
Dallas www.protiviti.com Protiviti is a global business consulting and internal audit firm composed of experts specializing in risk, advisory and transaction services. Serving clients through a network of more than 70 locations in more than 20 countries, Protiviti employs more than 3,700 professionals who partner and advise clients in business performance improvement, data management and advanced analytics, IT consulting, risk and compliance, internal audit and financial advisory, transaction services and restructuring and litigation.
Safeguard
Safeguard
Dallas www.gosafeguard.com Safeguard started as a small check-printing business and grew into a fully diversified business solutions enterprise. For six decades, Safeguard has provided more than 500,000 small business customers with office products and services through 270+ independent distributors.
Saville Dodgen & Company PLLC
Saville Dodgen & Company PLLC
Dallas www.savillecpa.com Since 1965, Saville Dodgen & Company has provided faith-based accounting services for companies and corporations around the world. Saville is a member of Allinial Global, a network of recognized accounting firms, and Saville has been named to Dallas’ lists of best accounting firms for seven years.
Savills Studley
Savills Studley
Dallas www.studley.com Founded in 1954, Savills Studley is a leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation. It is part of Savills plc, a premier global real estate service provider with more than 30,000 professionals more than 600 locations worldwide.
Stryker Communications
Stryker Communications
Flower Mound, Texas www.stryker.com One of the world’s leading medical technology companies, Stryker offers an array of products and services in Orthopaedics, Medical, Surgical, Neurotechnology and Spine to help improve patient and hospital outcomes, with a presence in more than 100 countries. Stryker Communications is a subsidiary of the Stryker brand, offering communications products to support medical technology.
Sun Coast Resources Inc.
Sun Coast Resources Inc.
Grand Prairie, Texas www.suncoastresources.com In 1985, Sun Coast Resources was founded on the concept of purchasing premium petroleum products from refiners and providing products to end-users, including high quality fuels, lubricants, chemicals, tanks, transport services and operational solutions. A woman-owned business and one of the nation’s largest wholesale petroleum marketers, Sun Coast is licensed in 39 states with 17 offices.
Superiorhire
Superiorhire
Dallas www.superiorhire.com Superiorhire is a staffing and executive recruitment firm specializing in finding high quality employees for companies in commercial real estate, retail and direct selling, financial services, health care services, hospitality, education, insurance, manufacturing and not-for-profit. Staffing searches are less technology-driven than hands-on, so company leaders can determine the fit between a candidate and the company.
Systemware
Systemware
Addison, Texas www.systemware.com Systemware develops industry-leading enterprise content management software solutions. The company offers a complete suite of enterprise content management solutions, from a suite of ECM software to industry and business-specific applications that can be implemented traditionally or delivered through Cloud or SaaS models.
TCD Consulting Inc.
TCD Consulting Inc.
Dallas www.tcd-inc.om A direct sales and marketing company, TCD Consulting Inc. offers a management training program to groom leaders. It seeks to be the top outsourced sales and marketing firm worldwide.
The Intersect Group
The Intersect Group
Dallas www.theintersectgroup.com Founded in 2006, The Intersect Group provides staffing and consulting services with expertise in finance, accounting and information technology. With more than 1,000 employees between offices in Atlanta and Dallas, The Intersect Group serves clients nationwide.
Total Quality Logistics
Total Quality Logistics
Dallas www.tql.com Total Quality Logistics is one of the largest freight brokerage firms in North America, with more than 3,200 employees. Founded in 1997, TQL serves such industries as produce, food, manufacturing, retail, energy and more, working with more than 50,000 carriers and providing 24/7 live support.
Transplace
Transplace
Frisco, Texas www.transplace.com Transplace is a North American provider of logistics technology and transportation management services working with manufacturers, retailers, chemical and consumer packaged goods companies. The company’s services and capabilities include Transportation Management Services, Intermodal, Brokerage and SaaS transportation management (TMS) solutions supplemented by consulting services, supply chain network planning and design, and transportation procurement.
Weaver
Weaver
Dallas, Fort Worth www.weaver.com An accounting firm that provides assurance, tax and advisory services nationwide, Weaver works with clients in such industries as construction, financial, government, health care, higher education, insurance, manufacturing, nonprofit and more. It specializes in guiding clients through market cycles and regulatory compliance.
WRH Realty Services Inc.
WRH Realty Services Inc.
Dallas, Fort Worth www.wrhrealty.com A leading multifamily property real estate management company, WRH Realty Services Inc. is one of the largest full-service property management firms in the southern United States. Specializing in multifamily apartment homes, WRH manages a portfolio of communities of more than 16,000 units, the company provides services in property management, construction, advisory, real estate investment and mortgage banking.
Money with financial graph - Money and markets concept - Blue version with large arrow
The past few years have seen big changes in Michigan and federal corporate tax codes that affect almost all firms doing business in the state. Here are four vital issues that should be on every Michigan business’ radar and what they could mean for your company.
Michigan state and local taxes
One of the biggest tax issues in every state is the idea of nexus. If a business has a “sufficient physical presence” in a state, it has established nexus and must collect and pay state taxes. Multiple levels of nexus exist, including income, sales and business tax.
While it seems relatively simple to determine, the Internet is changing things. Many states feel they’re missing out on taxing Web sales, often citing figures like the $450 billion spent on Cyber Monday. Because of this, these states are expanding the idea of nexus.
The concept isn’t new. The proposed federal Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 seeks to level the playing field between brick-and-mortar companies and online businesses by enabling states to collect taxes from businesses with no physical presence in their state. Even though the act isn’t a law yet, states are expanding nexus and their tax rolls.
In California, a business has “factor” nexus if more than 25 percent of their total sales or more than $500,000 in sales are earned in that state. If either of those milestones is met, it must pay taxes even if the business has no physical presence there whatsoever. In New York, the state government says Amazon has nexus there because of its affiliate network.
The Michigan nexus interpretation is pretty straightforward. If a corporation (S or C) has been transacting business within the state for more than one day, it has established nexus and must pay state taxes at the corporate level for C-corps and shareholder level for S-corps.
This is a national issue because, more often than not, companies transact business across state lines. It’s also a potential land mine of confusion, given different and constantly changing state nexus interpretations. The Supreme Court must address this issue because some states’ actions contradict the Court’s previous rulings that establishing nexus requires a physical presence. Until then, companies must be diligent about understanding state tax liabilities everywhere they do business.
Consider the tax “trap.”
An Illinois-based law firm is using the state’s False Claims Act to “trap” Michigan businesses, entangling them in costly lawsuits.
The firm, Schad, Diamond & Shedden PC (previously Beeler, Schad & Diamond PC), buys something online or via phone from a company and has it shipped to Illinois. If the seller doesn’t include sales tax on the freight, the firm uses a whistleblower act to sue the seller.
It’s already happened to companies as large as Amway and Audiovox and as small as local wine merchants. If the state of Illinois picks up the lawsuit, the firm receives a portion of whatever monies the state collects … but if the law firm picks up the case, it receives every dollar that is collected. So far, estimates put the firm’s collections near the millions.
Many businesses would rather settle than go to trial, and several already have. But settling isn’t usually an option for smaller businesses with limited resources.
To avoid this scenario, consult your tax professional to make sure your business is fulfilling its state tax liability.
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act requires employers to report on the value and adoption of health coverage provided to employees. Reporting was supposed to start in 2014, but after a year delay, 2015 becomes the first filing year.
Any employer providing “minimal essential coverage” or self-insured health coverage must file an informational return on all covered employees by February 28, 2016 (March 31 if completed electronically). Your business size determines what information to provide.
Large companies
Employers with 50 or more full-time employees (known as Applicable Large Employers or ALEs) file Form 1095-C, reporting on what health coverage, if any, was offered. Large firms not offering health insurance must pay the IRS under the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions.
Small businesses
If companies with less than 50 full-time employees are self-insured, they file Form 1095-B. And no matter how their health plans are structured, small businesses may have to report the value of the coverage on employee W-2 forms.
Grey area
For many businesses, determining their filing requirement is cut and dried. But for some, it’s not as simple. Companies with several part-time or seasonal employees, for example, may need assistance to learn if their full-time employee count rises to the ALE level.
Reporting and associated costs
The filing expense can be big in dollars and time.
Employers must report the minimum value insurance offered, whether it was affordable and whether they covered eligible full-time employees. They must also indicate whether employees accepted the coverage, declined it or are on COBRA.
The IRS needs this information for every month and requires forms be sent to employees by January 31, 2016. However, a 30-day extension is available.
Small companies may simply collect this information themselves. But it’s time consuming to contact several vendors and complete, file and send the forms to employees. Even for the smallest companies, reporting can require a good deal of effort.
Companies with many employees often hire outside help because they’re unable to complete this task internally. Even with assistance, it takes resources to file correctly and on time.
Non-compliance penalties
Employers not offering affordable coverage incur penalties of $3,000 per employee. Those offering no coverage pay $2,000 per employee. In addition, reporting mistakes like incorrect, incomplete or late returns incur penalties of about $200 per employee.
Exemptions
The IRS exempts the first 80 employees when calculating penalties. So if a company has 90 employees eligible for health coverage and didn’t offer any, the first 80 employees wouldn’t count toward penalties and the company would only pay on the remaining 10.
In 2016, the exemption will reduce to 30 employees.
Jump on 2016
While it’s late in the game for 2015 reporting, companies can get a head start on 2016 by seeking assistance, especially in determining filing eligibility status. Companies can also establish data collection systems and policies so future filings go smoothly.
Federal ‘tax extender’ legislation
So-called “tax extender” legislation – aimed at generating business investment – has been an annual cycle of uncertainty for some time. The bill package contains several valuable items for businesses, including research and employment tax credits, faster equipment depreciation and more.
The breaks are already in place but require annual renewal from Congress. During the past two years, renewals have been passed in December, making for nightmarish end-of-year tax planning.
This year, Congress renewed the provisions again, but with a twist: some of the provisions were made permanent, while others were placed into effect for several years. Thanks to these changes, businesses will now know their tax costs with certainty. Here are some highlights of the 2015 tax extenders:
Permanent extensions
The Code Section 179 expense election allows businesses to expense up to $500,000 of qualifying fixed asset additions like equipment, furniture and more. It’s not new, but upon expiration in 2015, the threshold decreased to just $25,000. Now permanent, businesses can expense equipment immediately and receive a write-off, saving one-third on taxes. For Michigan manufacturers and tool makers buying expensive machines, this means they don’t have to delay decisions like many did for most of 2015.
Similarly, the permanent extension of the research and development (R&D) credit enables technology, pharmaceutical and other companies to invest in R&D with certainty. Absent this 20 percent credit, many firms scaled back or postponed investments, but they can now move forward knowing the credits are there.
Several other extensions were made permanent as well, chief among them being the credit for employing active-duty members of the uniformed services.
Five-year extensions
As an alternative to the Section 179 provision, the bonus depreciation credit allows businesses to deduct half of the cost of new property and equipment in the first year and the rest over its useful life. It’s a 50 percent credit from 2015 to 2017, 40 percent in 2018 and 30 percent in 2019, with the credit expiring in 2020. The five-year lifespan means Michigan manufacturers, farmers and other large equipment buyers can now make more well-informed business decisions.
Other five-year extensions include the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for hiring long-term unemployed individuals and $3.5 billion of new markets credits annually.
Two-year extensions
Several credits were extended for two years, including delays on taxing high-end “Cadillac” health care plans and medical devices. Others include credits for railroad track maintenance, expensing mine safety equipment and more.
Long-sought tax certainty
Our tax policies drive our economy, so when companies don’t know the rules, they can’t really play the game.
The annual renewal cycle for these credits made business planning difficult. With limited cash, would it go toward taxes or new equipment?
But these extensions provide more certainty over time, allowing businesses to better operate. It’s the best business tax credit scenario in the past 10 to 15 years and, hopefully, will spur growth.
Tangible property regulations and property capitalization
Tangible property regulations, commonly referred to as “repair regulations,” impact virtually all taxpayers that acquire, produce or improve tangible property.
But what is tangible property?
Anything you can touch, feel or see. A pencil is “tangible property” — and so are parking lot light poles, new windows, even fuel. As you can imagine, then, these regulations impact nearly every business.
During the past couple of years, big changes have prompted businesses to re-examine whether an expenditure should be deducted or capitalized – a decision that can heavily impact a company’s bottom line. The items a business purchases to support its operations – as well as how and when these items are used – are the key drivers behind this decision.
Considering the enormous variability of expenses across many businesses, things can get tricky quickly. And the ripple effect can be widespread.
For example, the deduct/capitalize decision could reduce net income if a company has a policy to write off the maximum amount possible for tax purposes. A lack of net income would be concerning for a firm’s lenders, insurers and such. So the decisions companies make about their policies and expense thresholds affect more than taxes – they can extend to insurance, bonding, investment and more.
Michigan businesses owners can prepare for this by spending time with advisers discussing what they buy most, how they use it and when. While the regulations are generally found to be taxpayer friendly, taking advantage of them can require significant internal changes to business practices and purchase decisions.
For instance, capitalization policies may need to be put in place. Landlord/tenant leases could require modifications. And tax depreciation schedules may require review and alterations to verify asset class lives and determine if past capitalized items must be written off.
Compliance often means filing at least one change in accounting method. In addition, companies have to determine and file annual new elections, like the “de minimis” safe harbor election to write off items costing a certain amount or less (i.e., qualified items $5,000 or less).
These regulations are comprehensive and present a significant planning opportunity. Determining the right elections to match business goals and making the needed internal changes is no small undertaking. Additionally, there’s still ambiguity around these regulations that will only become clearer through audits and court cases, which is why it’s best to consult tangible property regulations professionals.
2016 and beyond
Even with additional clarity around some issues, the U.S. tax environment remains complex. As a result of the new laws discussed here, companies operating in Michigan may make some big changes in the near future. Accounting practices, benefit offerings, purchase decisions and more could be affected.
Today more than ever, it’s smart business to seek professional guidance in navigating the evolving tax landscape. Be sure to work with your advisers to help prepare your business for 2016 and beyond.
Sam Hodges is a tax principal with Rehmann, www.rehmann.com, focusing on state and local tax issues. He advises clients domestically and abroad on multistate tax issues including tax planning and tax dispute resolution and represents clients in the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
There’s nothing more common than the handshake. It’s the universal form of greeting and a great way to make a strong first impression, but not too strong.
As for its origin, think – kings and castles. Whenever two knights would approach each other on horseback they would hold up their right arm as a gesture of peace and thus evolved the art of handshaking as we know it today.
How someone shakes hands speaks volumes. Here are some common handshakes and their conventional significance:
Fingertip Holder – prefers to keep others at a distance.
Bone-Crusher – betrays anxiety.
Political Handshake – (Hand over forearm) – not considered the most professional handshake; used with those you know well.
Sympathy Shake – “I am sorry for your loss.”
On-and-On – “Help!… where do I go from here?”
Dominant – (Do not enable this handshake!) Swing their right hand upright to the vertical position and with a gentle, yet firm squeeze, make good eye contact to be “well met.”
Clammy Hand –the “kiss of death!” that betrays anxiety.
Here is some advice on how to correctly shake hands:
Shake hands like you mean it, like you want to be positively remembered.
Connect “V” to “V” (thumb and index fingers) of our right hand with the “V” of the other person’s right hand. Pump one to two times; make eye contact.
The No. 1 Rule regarding shaking hands: Whenever you shake hands, always stand as a sign of respect.
In different parts of the world there are different types of handshakes. It is appropriate and gracious to greet others in the form of cultural greeting to which they are accustomed.
Don’t shake hands with sunglasses or gloves on. You want nothing to interfere with forging the relationship. A disabled individual will usually offer you their left hand in reverse.
As for eye-contact, consider looking at the other person for one to two extra seconds (not 8 or 10!) as you shake hands. Former President Clinton is renowned for this and in so doing, makes others feel acknowledged, special.
Be at the ready for whatever type of handshake is offered. Keep a sparkle in your eye and make those you meet feel acknowledged and you will be remembered and stand apart in all positive ways.
No one is ever too old or too young to start shaking hands, and fabulous professionals should lead by example.
What makes a great office? There are the intangibles such as considerate co-workers, an interesting assignment or a tough yet fair employer. But the physical parts – whether it is a place to hang pictures, an inspiring view or impressive amenities – also factor into that equation.
Another recent visit to Dijana Bucalo’s workspace in Detroit also was eye opening. The seamstress, designer and fashionista has an open room with a view of the Detroit Institute of Arts, so that’s a great start. But her small yet functional office was the key element of the space. It seemed cozy yet functional, interesting yet hard working. It made you want to take a seat, design some lovely togs and sew them together right there and then.
HARMAN’s new North American Automotive Headquarters includes the following equipment and facilities: Infotainment design studios for HARMAN and customer co-developed advanced software applications; state-of-the-art audio listening room; a full cinema-quality 5.1 surround sound theater showcasing HARMAN’s expertise in professional audio, as well as home and multimedia.
Helping Detroit retailers open up their businesses has been one of the most public parts of Hatch Detroit. But helping longtime city-based companies improve their existing storefronts and gain public attention for their goods and services is an important part of Hatch’s work in and around Detroit.
Improvements include new landscaping, bike racks, trash cans and signs for four businesses: Always Brewing, Rosedale Pharmacy, Mr. Bernard’s Concept Salon and Beverage One. The idea is to make the street and storefronts more pedestrian and bike friendly, bringing the signs to the forefront and establishing places to sit, park your bike and enjoy the area.
As background, Hatch Detroit is the only charitable organization in Detroit dedicated exclusively to championing and supporting independent storefront retail in the city. Through funding, exposure, and mentoring, Hatch supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck.
She’s a seamstress, a fashion designer, a blooming stylist. But, at her core, Dijana Bucalo is a creative person who uses fabric, embroidery and her imagination to put beauty in the world.
Her first job so to speak was to learn the language here and create a new life. She had a daughter, and Bucalo wanted to help support and inspire her. Bucalo told stories about how she would walk past tailoring businesses and look inside, wishing to have such a space for herself to go back to the business that she loves.
In 2012, Bucalo opened her own studio within the International Center next door to the Detroit Institute of Arts to create fashion and costumes. In 2014, she won a NEIdeas grant to develop commercial sewing classes. And now Bucalo is working diligently toward her own design collection, making one-of-a-kind couture as well as more readily available clothing to the public.
For most newly graduated millennials, college is still fresh in their minds and hearts. They likely enjoyed that environment, mixing their hard work with open spaces, working in open areas and completing projects independently.
Millennials are seeking a work space that makes them feel like they did in college, Webb believes. So having an office that reminds these young employees of that campus setting is as essential in grabbing millennials as interviews, hiring them and retaining them, Webb said. Companies such as 
“We interviewed Fortune 100 and smaller organizations from a variety of industries and regions. Our hypothesis was if you want to attract and retain the next generation of worker, perhaps it would be wise to study where they’ve actually been spending the last four to six years of their lives,” Webb said.
• Workplace design needs to add some of these campus-inspired changes to real l ife. Most companies Webb talked with said their newly hired employees like to work in groups, something that they learned to do in college. But finding a way to build that into the workplace design in their office can feel challenging. So Webb noted that a combination of cubicles, couches and offices with walls may be helpful in giving everyone what they want. Collegiate design blends the visual with the audio, for example. Students can hear and see one another at large work spaces or tables. Take that idea one step forward into thinking like a college campus and you realize millennials can scatter about the room and still get their work done without sitting in an assigned seat. So give those new hires space, time and flexibility and you might be surprised at the positive result.
“Motorcars of all types represent both power and beauty. All around the world people love their cars—Detroit has the addition of the history and the ever-present culture celebrating the automobile,” Naldrett said.
But I discovered that with tons of books about Henry Ford, GM, and even Chrysler, there were very few about the over 200 other car companies. And most of those few were published over 30 years ago. So I realized that although there is still plenty of information about cars in general out there, the stories of the auto companies that came before the Big Three hadn’t been told in a while and weren’t as accessible.
Conversely, the Detroit area had most of the carmakers converge in roughly the same area, the Milwaukee Junction, which was the nexus of two train lines. Many of the chief auto innovators would move from one company to the next, taking their ideas with them and spreading them among the various car companies. Roy Chapin worked for Chalmers Motors and Olds Motor Works before forming Hudson Motor Company. The Dodge Brothers worked for Ford and Olds. If one company came up with a major improvement, because of the companies’ close proximity it wasn’t long before the other companies would know about it.
Increasingly, U.S. employers are recognizing that wellness initiatives can lead to a healthier bottom line.
Anniversaries are something every business should celebrate, sharing their good news of another year, decade or more with their customers. What’s even nicer is when the business shares its good fortunes with those same patrons.
Shield’s has been part of Metro Detroit’s history since 1937. Its story began when Shield’s Bar opened at the corner of Davison and Shields Street in Detroit. Shield’s later began serving award-winning pizzas and salads and featured the ever-popular square, deep-dish pizza. Shield’s quickly became a landmark and a favorite gathering spot for families, politicians, athletes and public figures alike- and established a tradition of offering high quality foods at reasonable prices.
Keasha Rigsby is a bridal expert, having helped thousands of women find that one perfect dress to get them down the aisle.
As part of her time at Kleinfeld, she became one of the most endearing characters on “Say Yes To The Dress,” building on her dedicated fan base around the world. In 2015, Keasha starred in her own spin-off reality series entitled “Keasha’s Perfect Dress,” which aired on TV One and Canada’s Slice Network.
With easy access and a sophisticated and elegant décor, Rigsby’s flagship store will serve as Detroit’s premiere location for luxurious bridal service and preparations, setting a standard of excellence for Detroit’s bridal gown and retail industries. All appointments will be in a spacious fitting rooms with a hand-carved fire place. Facade and stain glass windows are by famous turn-of-the-century American sculptor Julius Melchers.
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