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Five Ways to Succeed At Telephone Prospecting

February 19, 2015

To paraphrase Mark Twain, “The rumors of telephone prospecting’s demise are greatly exaggerated.” There’s a reason for that. One of the most marketable things any sales trainer or author can do is tell salespeople, “You don’t have to prospect.” Today’s plethora of social networking tools have fed this fire, telling salespeople that if they only Tweet enough, customers will beat a path to their door. There’s only one problem – it doesn’t work. The average B2B salesperson might pick up one or two new pieces of business here and there, but if growth is needed, a dedicated prospecting effort is the only answer. Still, there are obstacles.

How can you make prospecting a good use of your sales reps’ time?
How can you manage a process that will ensure the results happen?
How do you motivate your salespeople to prospect?
How can your salespeople effectively win appointments?

The answer to all of these questions is, “A quality data-driven ‘teleprospecting’ program.” A data-driven teleprospecting process is far different than what most salespeople do. Most prospecting processes fail because they are based in an obsolete approach (door-to-door prospecting), or because they have inadequate resources or metrics (most telephone prospecting). Without the right process, tools, and metrics, your salespeople won’t get the appointments that they need in order to grow their territories.

The good news is that YOU can put the right tools, metrics, and resources in place to get appointments with new customers efficiently and effectively – whether “YOU” are a salesperson, a sales manager, or a business owner. All you need to do is implement these five keys:

1. Have a good database. For some reason, data acquisition is the most intimidating part of teleprospecting to many people. It shouldn’t be. You can acquire a calling list that costs (from Dun and Bradstreet, Hoover’s, or InfoUSA) or even for free (from ReferenceUSA, an offshoot of InfoUSA that’s available through most public libraries). Start by describing your target customer. Use Geography, Business Type, and Business Size as your primary selectors, and you can branch out from there. Then either buy a database from one of the three companies mentioned above, or get a library card and PIN and access ReferenceUSA from a nearby library. Either way, without a database with a quantity of contacts (500-1000 per territory minimum), you won’t be able to succeed.

A “quality database” includes, at minimum, the following fields for each company record: Contact name and title, company name, phone number, address, website, type of business, and business size (either in employees or revenue). If you have this information, you have everything you need to know in order to make the call – extensive pre-call research is unnecessary and a time waster. Research AFTER getting the appointment.

2. Import the database into a good CRM system. CRM, of course, stands for Customer Relationship Management, and it can be fairly inexpensive and installable on one computer, or it can be an enterprise solution. Are you a salesperson and your company doesn’t have CRM? Spend a hundred bucks or so and buy a one-user copy of ACT. Either way, you need the above database imported into your CRM system so that your salespeople can pull a contact up on the screen, make the call, type a couple of quick notes, and then move on to the next contact. Successful teleprospecting depends on quick repetition.

3. Have the right metrics. Too many salespeople fail at teleprospecting because they don’t know what success looks like. From many studies over the years, a focused B2B salesperson working with the proper database (as above) can typically hit the following metrics in a focused hour of prospecting: 20 Dials, 6-7 Contacts (a voice-to-voice conversation with the target decision maker), and 1-2 Appointments. Keep in mind, these are achievable by a focused salesperson who is equipped to make a call, type a couple of quick notes, tab to the next person, and make another call.

If the numbers sound too high, work backward through time. 13-14 of these dials will not result in a contact, so even leaving a voice mail message will take a minute apiece, maximum. The appointment setting conversations will take the longest, perhaps as much as 10 minutes apiece. That’s 20 minutes, so we now have approximately 25 minutes for five conversations that will not result in appointments, or five minutes each. Give your salespeople the tools, monitor their calling efforts, and you’ll find that the numbers are quite reasonable.

4. Use a quality Infomercial. Your Infomercial is a quick 15- to 20-second introduction and pitch to earn a conversation with your prospect. It’s an expression of confidence and how you help your customers. Basically, the parts are: Introduction (who you are and who you work for), Statement of Help (how your customers benefit from doing business with you), and the Following Question (a question that ties back to the Statement of Help, designed to spot a need). For instance, my own Infomercial might be:

“Hello, Mr. Customer. I’m Troy Harrison, and I help my customers profitably grow their sales and market share by training salespeople and sales managers to perform at a world class level. How do you feel about the effectiveness of your sales force?”

5. Use call blocking to your advantage. Salespeople who succeed at teleprospecting are salespeople who make prospecting a priority. To make prospecting a priority, schedule it on your calendar as you would schedule any other appointment or meeting. “Call blocking” is the process of setting up a time, preparing to make calls, and then using that time ONLY to make prospecting calls. You can do this individually or as a sales team; what’s most important is that you do it.

If you implement these steps, your sales force will win more new business, and that new business will likely be of better quality than you’re getting now. And, like Mark Twain, you’ll discover that teleprospecting is very much alive.

Why Looking Good on Career Path Matters Even More Today

John Burton

February 19, 2015

Back in the late 1970s and through the 80s, aspiring business school graduates were avidly reading John T. Molloy’s “Dress for Success,” a pair of guidebooks for men and women that at the time spelled out in no-nonsense fashion what business professionals should be wearing on their quest toward the corner office.

Fast forward 20 years to the age of “business casual,” inspired by those Silicon Valley whiz kids who brought us the innovations we all enjoy today, but with it a large amount of confusion over what we should be wearing in the office. For many industries, particularly in the financial, legal and professional sales sectors, formality remains a constant. But for the rest of us in business, many struggle to find the right office fashion formula.
Here’s a simple formula; easy to follow, and designed to improve your attitude and prospects for future career success:

Never overlook overdressing. It’s far easier to dress down upon arriving at a meeting or other engagement versus trying to dress up an outfit that comes off as casual or inappropriate. Follow the familiar mantra: Dress for the position to which you aspire. Dress to the highest level of your affordability, and never settle when it comes to quality or value

Fitting first on the list. Getting a proper fit is first and foremost. Pay close attention to all of the details – shoulders, the taper of the suit, trousers, skirt or dress. Even a large person doesn’t have to have a baggy-looking outfit. Many looks today are inspired from the 1920s, with sharply-tailored pieces. We are seeing the next generation aspire to dress much like their grandparents did, and in many places a more formal setting is making a comeback, despite the more casual look concentrated still at many workplaces. Those looking to sharpen their appearance should aim for clean details that will inspire confidence without trying too hard. Always remember: Your tailor is your best friend.

Colors really count. By far, navy blue is the most attractive and effective base color for suits, blazers, and sport coats. Color experts agree that navy brings color back to one’s facial features and provides a healthy and vigorous appearance for 98 percent of men and women. Navy and other blues project energy versus black and shades of grey which sap life from other surrounding colors. It’s important to know how using colors properly can build inner and outer energy and excitement, and with it, confidence.

Your image is your brand. And, that image has to be natural in order to make those around us – employees, co-workers, and clients – feel comfortable. It’s important to learn and follow the art of “impression management” – that is, planning how to look for a specific occasion in order to get a specific reaction. Everything we do in business and elsewhere makes some kind of statement. How we dress tells others how to treat us. Our business associates and coworkers judge whether we want to be treated as number one or number 10 in our area of expertise, and how much respect we want.

Today, more than ever, it’s important that we work hard – by our actions and appearance – to improve and inspire those with whom we work and serve. And for our own careers, paying attention to those traditional but timely “dress for success” details remains important, and will place us in the seat to set higher standards and to raise the bar in our companies.

Well-Balanced Couple Share Their Passion for Water Sports in their Business

Karen Dybis

February 17, 2015

Talk about getting your feet wet – when Jeff and Patti Smith got into business, they truly invested in something that was a lifelong passion.

A For more than 34 years, the husband and wife team of have led Silver Spray Sports, a Fenton-based business that specializes in pretty much anything you can do on the water. The business – which has the motto “Where fun on the water is a lifestyle” – offers equipment in everything from surfing to waterskiing to wakeboarding.

They also are one of the more than 100 exhibitors who are participating this week in the Detroit Boat Show. Their talented daughter, certified PaddleYoga instructor Whitney Burnash, also will be doing demonstrations of her favorite sports throughout the show’s schedule.

At 350,000 square feet, the Detroit Boat Show handily takes over Cobo Center through Feb. 22. The show will be 50,000 square feet larger than in 2014 and a full 150,000 square feet larger than 2012, Polan said. Upscale sailboats have returned, and manufacturers are bringing 35 new models to introduce at the event, said Nicki Polan, the show’s manager and Executive Director of the Michigan Boating Industries Association.

The show’s exhibitors are coming into the event buoyed by several years of healthy sales. The U.S. recreational boating industry is estimating 2014 saw a 7 to 8 percent increase in sales of new powerboats with continued growth of an additional 5 percent in 2015, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association. This is the industry’s third consecutive year of steady growth coming out of the recession.

As a couple, the Smiths and Silver Spray Sports have not only dedicated themselves to the waterskiing industry as a profession, but have played an integral part in the participation of the sport.

Jeff is a highly experienced skier and a former Sea World show skier. He is best known as a National Ski/Barefoot Champion, winning back-to-back barefoot trick titles in 1990 and 1991 and the top slalom spot at the 2011 US Water Ski Nationals. He also set a new Mid-west regional record in his division, with 2@39 1/2 off. Jeff was the 2012 Michigan Water Ski Hall of Fame inductee, and he brought home a bronze medal for his slalom performance at the 35+ World Water Ski Championships held in Mexico.

Patti holds the prestigious position of being the first woman in the history of the sport to be chosen to drive Regional and National Barefoot Water Ski Championships (1979-1990) and two World Barefoot Championships (1988-1990).

This tradition continues today, as Jeff, daughter Whitney, and son-in-law Kyle Burnash, are all nationally/world ranked slalom and trick skiers. As the saying goes, they don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk.

Burnash will conduct a demonstration of how this waterskiing champ mixes paddle boarding and exercise. Her show at the Rail Jam pool Saturday, Sunday and Monday include headstands, which she says are easier to do on the water.

They also do corporate outings with Burnash leading groups from health-care executives to small-business owners on excursions. These trips can be a simple as a lesson with a short ride to four-hour trips, Burnash said.

One Woman’s Discovery Inspires Business Based on Detroit History

Karen Dybis

February 16, 2015

Patti Kay is a self-professed picker – someone who sees a flea market, junk yard, garage sale or wayward object and has to look further. She was doing just that a couple years ago when she spotted something that would, objectively, change her life.

It was a bus scroll – a destination sign that bus drivers in the 1940s and 1950s would hand crank as they made their stops around Detroit. This worn yet graphically stunning series of scrolls resonated with Kay on multiple levels.

There was the emotional connection – the sight of those familiar street names where so many generations lived, worked and played. The names are epic: Alter. Eight Mile. Grand River. Gratiot. Trumbull. Woodward.

There was the physicality of the signs themselves – the rough texture, the faded lettering, the brass that ran the entire length of the back to provide durability. There was the all-around beauty evoked by the simple lettering. The black on taupe-white background holds your eye. To some degree, it is hard to pull your eyes away at all. It is almost like a newspaper headline – stark, informative and blunt to the point of rudeness.

“They tap into everybody’s emotions,” Kay said. “They harken back to a time when the city was hustling and bustling and everybody was happy.”

Some she sold; others she still holds onto as a memento of that moment when she first unfurled them. With reverence, she created reproductions using similar paper and materials as the originals. The words, the images, the feelings they evoked needed to be shared – and she had an idea that a business could be borne out of this discovery.

T-shirts followed. Not just any shirt, mind you. But one of the softest, heathery cotton. Her company, Detroit Scroll, was her baby (not to replace her three children, but the passion for its future was somewhat similar). She created a tag line: “History Made. Detroit Driven.”

People who pick up her posters, shirts and pint glasses tend to share their stories with her. There’s the family that knew their immigrant mother only made her way round Detroit thanks to the typeface – it got smaller as the stops continued. She couldn’t read the signs, but she knew when to depart based on her internal count and the scroll’s font size.

Part of the reason Kay, who is based in Grosse Pointe, took her signs into commercial territory is her irritation with those mass-produced ones that focus on New York, Chicago and the like – always leaving Detroit off. Those that mention our fair city do so as an add-on or wedged in like book seams – necessary but unnoticed. These bus scrolls were our ticket out of isolation, Kay felt.

You can find Kay’s “Detroit Scroll” at retailers across Metro Detroit. Her line has expanded to include glassware, stationary, scarves and more. Her designs – frequently copied – are distinct and unique with their sophisticated font and rich history. And they are worth searching for if you need a gift or a little reminder of the city.

Gary Marcicano Inspired Colleagues and Community

Richard Blanchard

February 15, 2015

This post honors our friend and colleague here at the offices of Corp! magazine, the Michigan Business and Professional Association and Michigan Food and Beverage Association.

Gary Marcicano, chief operating officer for the MBPA and MFBA, died suddenly Saturday, Feb. 14, from a heart attack. He was 55. Gary was much loved at the office and we will all miss him. He leaves behind a loving family, friends and colleagues. (You’ll find below in this post information about Gary, services and a fund set up to help with the loss.)

While my time knowing Gary is only about three years, I immediately realized that he was a gem to have in the workplace. Through his kind, pleasant and jovial nature, he brought the office together. For him it was a natural ability, but one that required sensitive and deep skills in communication, inclusion, cohesion and community.

He helped to create an inspiring corporate culture. It was a breath of fresh air to be around him in meetings, outings, lunches or events. Gary welcomed your thoughts and ideas. He simply knew how to inspire people to innovate and feel engaged about their work. Gary helped us all move forward.

I’ve collected some thoughts from Gary’s colleagues here at MBPA, MFBA and Corp! in Warren, Mich.

Jennifer Kluge, president and CEO of both Associations, shared her feelings on Gary: “Gary was a close friend and I am grateful to have had him in my life. He will truly be missed and we are sending love and prayers to his family.

“Gary really enjoyed his time with us and our team. We could always count on him to do something fun in the office: he cooked for the team, he wore silly costumes on special occasions, he ensured all team members were treated with respect, and he always had a sense of humor, even in our toughest moments. We all learned from him.

“Gary touched thousands of lives of our members, the business community and local charities.”

Alicia Wilson, executive director of the Best and Brightest Programs, noted Gary’s ability to communicate and help others: “Gary was an innovator and an amazing thought leader. He was someone who you could go to about your problems and always be willing to help. He was well respected in the community and a great people connector. He will be truly missed by us all.”

A Clinton Township resident, Gary had served in his role as COO of the two statewide business associations since 2011. He also played key roles in the many programs and events of the associations, such as the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in Metro Detroit and West Michigan, Health Care Reform symposiums and many other education programs. He created the michbusiness Awards, a premier business event and social media community that celebrates and promotes Michigan businesses, which debuted last year.

Gary’s talents extended far beyond the workplace. He was an active leader and volunteer in the community for more than 20 years, especially with arts organizations. He volunteered his time at the Detroit Institute of Arts, participating with the Friends of Modern Art, Modern Decorative Arts Group, Detroit Film Theatre and Founders Junior Council. He was a board member of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and held board positions with the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce, Macomb Foundation and International Visitors Council.

Before joining the MBPA and MFBA, Marcicano held general manager and COO positions with Long Family Auto Center and Al Long Ford in Warren, where his career spanned more than 30 years.

Kluge, whose office was right next door to Marcicano’s, added this note: “Gary’s genuine and authentic personality was certainly reflected in one of his last Facebook posts, which read, ‘Live every day of your life; you only get one life.'”

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist his family with unexpected expenses at www.gofundme.com/mgabw4. Visitation will be 3-9 p.m. Tues., Feb. 17, with an 11:30 a.m. funeral on Wed., Feb. 18, at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons in Sterling Heights, (586) 826-8550, www.wujekcalcaterra.com.

Detroit Welcomes Batch Brewing Co.

Karen Dybis

February 12, 2015

There’s a new beer hall in town – and they have a great give-back attitude.

In a few hours, Batch Brewery Co. will open its shiny new doors and welcome what is sure to be a huge crowd of friends, Hatch Detroit supporters and Detroit glitterati.

They will raise their glasses and toast Batch’s Corktown location, its suave interior and its impressive list of beers on tap – many with classic names such as Dead Irish Writers, Nearly Noble IPA, Obscure Reference Imperial Stout and Way 2 Biggie.

Co-founder Stephen Roginson said he and the Batch crew — co-owner and co-founder Jason Williams, Head Cellarman Patric Ahrens and Executive Chef Matt Johnson — are celebrating the journey toward entrepreneurship on this big day. They are reveling in the lessons they learned. They are worn out, but that exhaustion is from hard work, banged up shins from construction and the emotional release that comes with doing something worth doing.

It wasn’t easy, Roginson says. But it wasn’t that bad, either.

“It’s incredibly exciting to open a business in the city,” Roginson said. “There are hurdles I imagine no matter where you choose to open your business. I’d believe very few of the hurdles would be unique to opening a business in Detroit.”

Is Roginson saying he actually enjoyed the process of doing inspections, working through municipal paperwork and schmoozing public officials?

Well, in short, yes.

“Right now, the city is going through a pretty incredible transformation to make it easier for businesses to get their doors open,” Roginson said. “Every single person that I worked with seemed to be genuinely interested in opening Batch Brewing Company up.”

More importantly, “We were able to have a front-row seat and even an influence to participate in the conversation to make it easier for businesses to open their doors. We’ve had a lot of luck and built up a lot of great relationships in the city from the zoning offices to building and safety to engineering and design. … That’s no small testament to how willing the city is to help businesses open their doors.”

Roginson is not some New York City hotshot with a dozen restaurants under his belt. He’s not a real-estate magnate with a rich family coming in to help him. This dude WORKED. He and the Batch co-workers had hustle. They had fundraisers. They worked the small-business loans. They won a huge business competition through confidence and moxie. Charm gets you in the door; sweat gets you the money.

“We did run into some challenges but those challenges were clearly surmountable. We were able to make it happen,” Roginson said.

Batch Brewing Co. also is doing the Feel Good tap, a beer-pouring tap that will dedicate its sales to a local charity partner. When it launches, the first recipient will be the National Multiple Scolorious Society because Roginson’s mom is a person living with MS. He’ll also be a part of a Batch team walking in bright orange t-shirts during the May 3 Walk MS event. His goal is to raise more than $5,000.

Batch Brewing Co. will officially open its doors at 4 p.m. On tap will be handcrafted beer, food, and DJ set by “Historic Detroit” founder and DJ Dan Austin. Batch is located at 1400 Porter St.

Will the 21st Century be the African Century?

Lekan Oguntoyinbo

February 12, 2015

Yannick Greiner heads international sales for Rugged Liner, headquartered in Owosso, Mich.

Foreign direct investment in African countries increased by 5 percent to US$50 billion in 2012. In contrast, global foreign direct investment that same year fell by 18 percent. The statistics are according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva.

In recent years, a number of Sub-Saharan African countries have shown significant economic growth. Indeed, eight of the world’s 15 fastest growing economies are in Africa. Many of these countries have made commitments to broad market-based reforms, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. This has, in turn, attracted the attention of businesses from around the world, including China, Europe and, increasingly, the United States.

Many of these American businesses have historically focused their attention on large markets like South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, and Kenya. In recent years, however, more of these American companies are showing interest in other smaller, emerging markets that show great promise, such as Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Mozambique and Ethiopia. The department cites Mozambique, a non-oil-based economy, as an example of a country that has demonstrated significant growth in recent years and has benefited from economic reforms and large foreign investment projects. The southern African country ranks seventh on the International Monetary Fund’s top 10 list of the world’s fastest growing economies in 2014.

Yannick Greiner heads international sales for Rugged Liner, headquartered in Owosso, Mich. — Yannick Greiner heads international sales or Rugged Liner, headquartered in Owosso, Mich.

Mozambique possesses offshore natural gas resources, offering exciting opportunities for businesses in the U.S. energy sector. Mozambique is now building the regulatory framework that would attract foreign investors and offer a stable environment for LNG (liquified natural gas) production, which is expected to begin in less than four years.

The department calls developments in African markets such as Mozambique encouraging.

Although many of the business opportunities are in the natural resources sector, particularly in the petroleum industry, there are increasingly opportunities in transportation, telecommunication, information technology, health care, banking, education, logistics, entertainment and others. Department of Commerce officials say the middle class on this continent of one billion people will grow as the economy grows, creating more markets for the products and services of American companies.

“Africa is the next frontier in terms of exports for (our company),” says Yannick Greiner, international sales director of Rugged Liner, an Owosso, Mich.-based company that makes liners for trucks and trailers, that’s been doing business in Africa since August 2013. Rugger Liner currently sells its products in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Angola. It has done indirect sales in Gabon through a French oil distributor and is working on getting into Ghana.

Greiner says Rugged Liner, which currently exports its products to about 70 countries, expanded into Africa for two reasons other than its enormous growth potential:

“First, there are lots of pickup trucks in Africa,” he says. “The second reason is because Africa is on the radar screen. Some of these African countries have developed very fast in last two years. Africa is also on the radar of U.S. government, which has been encouraging businesses to expand there.”

U.S. Department of Commerce officials say they are doing their part to support the U.S. and African business communities. Late in 2014 the department expanded its number of locations in Sub-Saharan Africa from four countries to eight by adding new posts in Tanzania, Angola, Ethiopia and Mozambique and it already maintains a presence in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.

Education expands
It’s not just businesses that are trying to get in on this African boom. In recent years, several colleges and universities in the United States and Europe have established campuses in Africa. They are hoping to replicate the same kind of success they’ve enjoyed in Europe, Asia and the Middle East in the past few decades.

Within the past two years, Webster University, a 100-year-old St. Louis-based institution with campuses around the world, opened a campus in Accra, the Ghanaian capital. In fall 2012, Carnegie Mellon University, a highly regarded Pittsburgh institution, set up a new campus in Kigali, Rwanda. The campus offers graduate degrees in information technology and computer science and electrical engineering. Milan’s Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore launched an M.B.A. program in Nairobi, Kenya in 2011 and expanded to Accra, Ghana in 2013. Regent University, a Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia has offered a 14-week entrepreneurship training program for small and aspiring business owners for the past four years. Eight years ago, Duke University established Duke Corporate Education, a wholly owned subsidiary, in South Africa to provide corporate and development training for clients. The company now does business in 17 African countries.

Africa does indeed appear to be on the verge of economic prosperity. But this seemingly bright future that looms comes with the promise of opportunities and lots of challenges. Much of the African continent is still weak in infrastructure — bad roads, inadequate electricity and water supply, and health care facilities that are primitive at best.

Still, many businesses around the world recognize that the African market is the great new frontier in commerce and growth opportunities and that by ignoring the continent they do so at their own peril.

“There is great potential and possibility” in Africa, said Kohl Crecelius, founder of Costa Mesa, Calif.-based KK International, a fashion and apparel company that’s been doing business in northern Uganda for seven years. “I would encourage people to go. Too often, Africa has this stigma and perception that people are not capable. I don’t think that’s the issue. The bigger issue is giving it a try. You can’t do it blindly. You have to do it in a smart way.”

A road map for doing business
Here are some tips from experts for doing business on the African continent:

Use the U.S. government as a resource: The Department of Commerce suggested tapping into the resources of the U.S. government to identify opportunities and take advantage of them early. The department also suggests having at least two back-up plans in case your original plan falls through. In addition, invest significantly in building relationships and learning the local culture and etiquette so as to more effectively communicate with indigenous business partners and government officials.

Do your homework on health matters: This may sound mundane, but health care facilities in most parts of Africa are under-equipped and in many cases shabby. Top government officials and the upper middle class often travel to countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Saudi Arabia for even basic medical examinations. Have a plan to manage your health or a strategy to head off any potential problems.

“We had an executive director who went out to install stoves in a refugee camp in South Sudan in schools run by the World Food Program,” said Adam Creighton of Portland, Ore.-based In-Stove, a company that makes stoves for non-governmental agencies that are distributed on the African continent. “He came back from that trip in August 2013 with malaria. Be sure you’ve done homework on vaccines in the region and be sure you have consulted a travel doctor about travel plans to Africa.”

When possible, leverage the credibility of United Nations agencies: The United Nations and its affiliated agencies are held in high regard in many African countries. Many large cities on the continent, such as Abuja, Lagos, Dakar and Nairobi have U.N. agencies located there and they are often great resources.

“The U.N. can be most helpful in these countries,” said Barry Kulick, senior vice president-Africa for Aora-Solar, a multinational company with its head office in Israel. He says these agencies can be great allies for a business that is looking to do business in one of these countries and aligns its interests with that of a credible organization. “If you can get them on the side and have them attend meetings with you that can be very helpful. In many cases in Africa if the government is presented with a project, once they walk in and someone from U.N. is with them they know it’s clean. It gives you tremendous credibility. Find out if the U.N. has a position on what you’re trying to sell. Then approach them and try to get them to walk in with you to the meeting.”

In-Stove’s wood and biomass burning institutional rocket stoves and related technologies are distributed in Africa.

He also suggests trying to develop relationships with organizations such as the African Union, an organization made up of the country’s 55 countries, and the Economic Community of West African States, a regional group of more than a dozen countries, including Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy.

Don’t be so risk averse: “Don’t sit around and worry about their profit projections,” said Kulick. “You shouldn’t worry about profit projections; you should worry about how much you will lose. Tax benefits only relate to business if you make a profit. They don’t relate to business if you lose your money. Focus on benefits that derive from doing business there. If you open a factory, tax benefits don’t apply until you start making money. Look for benefits derived as a result of the fact that you’re spending money there. Some people come in thinking they will make a million dollars by digging a hole in the ground.”

When Krochet Kids International first began operating in Uganda, it faced logistic challenges.

Hire an African: In-Stove’s Creighton suggests tapping into the large pool of highly educated African immigrants here or on the continent and using their services as employees or consultants. “It doesn’t matter if they are here in the United States or abroad. Ideally you want an African from the market you’re looking at to be on your team,” Creighton said. “Otherwise you will be spending a lot trying to figure out what people can bring to your team. They will usually work for a very reasonable rate. At our factory in Nigeria half of our staff at the factory had bachelor’s degrees in engineering. There are lots of Africans in the United States who would be glad to work for your company. If they have been able to get here you want them on your team. They can help navigate the market and leverage contacts.”

Prepare for eventualities: Despite the significant economic progress in recent years, issues of security, political instability, uncertainty and logistics issues still dog the continent. Crecelius of KK International (the “KK” is short for Krochet Kids) says when his company first started operating in Uganda they faced logistical challenges of shipping materials.

Rugged Liner’s products are popular in Africa, where pickup trucks are commonplace.

“We had to figure out how to ship materials out there and ship finished products to the U.S. Originally we were shipping carry-on bags (and) checked luggage with friends back and forth,” he said. “We didn’t set up shop in northern Uganda because it was easy. We set up shop because we wanted to make an impact.”

Network with professionals in Africa: “This may sound patronizing to C-suite executives. There are people that have been in that sector longer than you,” Creighton said. “Try to connect with professionals in your sector in Africa. Ask if you can Skype for 10 minutes and if they are willing to share lessons they have learned. Africans can be so warm and so welcoming. The way they do business is so personal. Long before the business plan is brought out, they want to have a conversation first.

Do more listening than talking. Do your homework: At the very least, read the Wikipedia entry on the country. Then go into market sector analysis for your country. And use social networking. “Linkedin is very big,” said Creighton. “You can connect quickly and intimately with very significant players. Newsletters are very important. Get people’s email addresses and keep them informed of what you’re doing.” Creighton mentions a specific example of action he took. “I wanted to connect with someone at the World Health Organization (WHO) who might be interested in technology in East Africa so I used Linkedin to find WHO professionals in Kenya. I found someone in Kenya and contacted him. It moved quickly. I told him what I was trying to do and he shared my information with his colleague. It all happened very quickly. We’re now in discussions to distribute our product through a supplier in East Africa. It all happened as a result of a connection made in Kenya through this WHO individual.”

Be patient: Doing business in Africa is not for the faint of heart.

“The biggest challenge is regulations,” says Greiner. “Algeria is very complicated. You have to produce a lot of documentation up front. You have to do so much paper work. It’s very time consuming and it costs money. There’s not an ease of doing business there. Our distributors are great, but there’s a lot of constraint coming from the government. The second is regulations at customs. The amount of paperwork and red tape you have to overcome is enormous. In Angola, every time you do an order you have to get a certificate from an Angolan government agency and that certificate needs to be provided to the distributor to clear the goods at customs. On top of the regular documentation, you have to provide additional documentation when shipping products to Africa, especially Angola. It’s time consuming and it has costs. These are things you don’t have to worry with when doing business in Europe, Mexico or Brazil. There’s a lot of red tape.”

How You Can Take Your ERP to the Next Level

Benoit Gruber

February 12, 2015

As a mid-sized enterprise, you’ve likely spent the last couple of years making sure your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is properly understood and utilized by your employees. You’ve done the research and have chosen the ERP solution best for you business. You’ve taken the time to train employees new and old about what exactly ERP is and how to use it. You’ve experimented with tools you’ve never used before. And you’ve gained insights from dashboards.

Now that your organization’s ERP solution is up and running, it’s time to up the ERP ante to get results that your corporation can use to assess all parts of your business, forecast trends or demand, exercise control of operations, and best position your company for growth. Here are a few items that can help take your ERP solution to the next level and solidify ERP as the backbone of your IT system:

Utilize your “black box,” ERP assessment tools
As of late, eager, saddened eyes have been focused on the black boxes holding valuable knowledge from the unfortunate loss of the Air Asia and Malaysian Airlines passengers and planes. The black box is the one tool that holds the answers to thousands of questions – how the plane works, what systems went wrong, and what can be learned in order to improve. For a business, ERP should function like their “black box.” ERP is not a rigid system but the backbone of a company’s IT system that services the strategy of the business. Your ERP solution holds your companies’ valuables and secrets – it’s all in ERP dashboards. If you aren’t already, invest more time into reviewing these reports. By doing so, you can stay ahead of trends and turn insight into action. Intuitive ERP solutions provide search capabilities – use them to eliminate clutter and focus on what is most relevant in the task at hand.

Share knowledge across all teams
Insights gleaned from your ERP solution’s extensive reporting shouldn’t be kept hidden from employees. This reporting should be assessed and shared among teams, from new hires to executives. A united organization that is up to date on current processes and long- term goals builds a cohesive team aligned with a common mission. With ERP at their disposal, employees can gain insight into what is going on throughout various sectors of the business. They can monitor orders and stock, allowing them to understand budget and forecast accordingly. By distributing these easy to understand reports, staff can better understand how their efforts are helping the business run. With more eyes assessing such reporting, new ideas are bound to arise that can simplify processes or build a better offering.

Weed out older processes
Even if your ERP solution is up and running, you may have outdated processes in place that are wasting time, resources and money. To holistically assess ERP results, take a step back and look outside the ERP solution. Are there tasks or employees functioning outside of your ERP solution? New processes can take time to perfect, especially after years of fulfilling a task in a different way. Try reaching out to employees in various departments to see how they are adapting to the ERP solution. When possible, evaluate if there are any processes implemented that ERP can simplify or that aren’t being tracked accurately within your ERP solution. As users become more comfortable using the ERP solution, the more they will use it, resulting in greater efficiency for the company.

Make it personalized
Your ERP solution likely has the functionality to offer easy personalization for employees based on their role within the company. Taking the time to organize your ERP in lists or tabs, move pertinent information to the top of the page, hide unused fields, and create shortcuts to most-used sections will result in access to the information that each role requires. This offers users a personalized platform for your employees to easily manipulate and use to their preference. With simple training, executives can share how individuals can make these adjustments to help run a smoother business and obtain desired results. Companies can add supplementary personalization to their ERP solution by looking into what modules and add-ons are available that will provide additional value.

Michigan Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund Signed Into Law

Pete Bosanic

February 12, 2015

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Dec. 30 signed Senate Bill 791, creating Public Act 416 of 2014, authorizing the creation of the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Cleanup Fund. This amends Part 215 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), PA 451 of 1994. The Fund is anticipated to be operating by Oct. 1, the start of Michigan’s 2015 fiscal year.

The objectives of the fund are to reimburse owners or operators for corrective actions that address releases from leaking UST systems, achieve compliance with Part 213 (law that regulates leaking USTs), and assist owners and operators of UST systems in meeting their financial responsibility in accordance with Part 211 (law that regulates UST systems).

The United States Environmental Protection Agency requires owners and operators of UST systems to demonstrate they have the financial resources to clean up a site if a release occurs, correct environmental damage, and compensate third parties for injury to their property or themselves. Required coverage is $1 million per occurrence and $1 million in aggregate coverage for owners of 100 or fewer tanks. For owners of more than 100 tanks, it’s $2 million per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate coverage.

There are a few options for demonstrating financial responsibility, including private insurance, self-insurance using a financial test, corporate guarantees, bonds, and state financial assurance funds.

Thirty-six states have some sort of UST financial assurance fund. Michigan is not one of them. In fact, Michigan has not had a fund since the Michigan UST Financial Assurance (MUSTFA) Fund of 1988. MUSTFA was funded by a 7/8 cent per gallon environmental protection regulatory fee on all refined petroleum sold or imported to the state. Though MUSTFA went insolvent in 1995, collection of the fee continued. In 2004, authority to collect the fee was extended and the fund was renamed the Refined Petroleum Fund (RFP), however, the money has been used for purposes outside the program’s original intent.

Michigan is in the top five states in the U.S. with the most open leaking UST sites, with approximately 8,500. The absence of a cleanup fund is partially to blame.

In 2012, Michigan created a UST System Cleanup Advisory Board (CAB), of which I am currently a member. The purpose of CAB was to evaluate other successful state UST financial assurance funds and private insurance options and make recommendations to the MDEQ and Legislature on the development of an UST Cleanup Fund. Considering the approximately 18,000 registered USTs in Michigan, CAB concluded that the Fund is viable within the RPF revenue levels and based on the significant reduction in the number of USTs, 25 years of experience, improvement in UST system technology, and changes to Part 213, which have resulted in risk-based corrective actions and reduced costs.

The Fund utilizes some private insurance concepts, including having an annual claims period, claim limits and a deductible. The claims period is Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. The claims limit during a claim period is $1 million in aggregate coverage for owners of 100 or fewer tanks and $2 million in aggregate coverage for owners of more than 100 tanks. The deductible is $50,000; however, there is a provision that allows smaller owners or operators of fewer than eight USTs to pay an annual fee of $500 per UST and buy down the deductible amount to $15,000.

The RPF generates over $40 million in annual revenue. The first $20 million must be deposited into the fund. A UST authority will be created to oversee and administer the Fund. The authority would be governed by a board of directors and consists of appointed representatives from the petroleum refiners, independent petroleum marketers, statewide motor fuel retail association, a statewide environmental organization and a member of the general public. The authority will have the power to issue bonds against the revenue stream. It is not known at this point whether bonds will be issued to increase the size of the fund.

There are a variety of eligibility requirements to be qualified to receive money from the fund, including being in compliance with Part 211, reporting the release to the MDEQ within 24 hours after discovery, maintaining financial responsibility for the deductible amount and paying the deductible, among others.

Qualifying expenditures are those for specific activities that do not exceed the allowable payment amount detailed in the schedule of costs, which will be established by the authority. The fund administrator will determine whether the corrective actions performed were reasonable and necessary considering site conditions, consistency with Part 213 requirements as well as with achieving site closure and whether the cost is at or below the allowable amount.

The former MUSTFA fund was set up with a $1 million limit per location. There was a $10,000 deductible. An owner with 20 different release locations was eligible for up to $20 million in reimbursement. As described previously, the new fund has a lower claim limit and period and a higher deductible. Based on the assumption that the average cost of corrective actions to achieve a Part 213 closure is $250,000, an owner or operator with releases at four locations during the annual claim period would max out their available claims limit. This should control the number of new sites applying for the fund.

A claim can be assigned or transferred if a property is sold or transferred.

The former MUSTFA fund had several documented instances of fraud. The fund will have significant fines and penalties for fraud. The fraudulent action is a felony punishable by imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to $50,000.

No Degree? No Problem, Says This Entrepreneur and Author

Karen Dybis

February 11, 2015

Ed Basler is a veteran entrepreneur who understands that without a degree, some human-resource managers might pass him over in favor of a more educated competitor. And he thinks that is a mistake for all parties.

“After four weeks of business school I, the son of a businessman, had realized that the professor had no real-life experience running a business and that I wouldn’t learn the practical principles necessary to succeed,” Basler said. “But I stuck with business school for two years until I dropped out, and I haven’t had any regrets 40 years later. Hands-on experience trumps a degree all the time.”

Basler is a longtime entrepreneur and CEO of E.J. Basler Co. in Illinois, which provides precision-machined parts and solutions to companies worldwide. He is a motivational speaker and president of Fresh Eyes Coaching, a firm that helps small businesses identify profit opportunities and obstacles. He is the author of “The Meat & Potatoes Guide to Business Survival: A Handbook for Non-MBA’s & College Dropouts.”

Business owners and hiring managers should see past the college degrees of potential employees, or lack thereof, and focus on the content of an applicant’s skills and character, says Basler, who offers, in his own words, the following tips for hiring.

• Do not accept any bad attitudes. A bad attitude spreads like the flu, and if you don’t stop it, it’ll make your whole team sick. Good attitudes will spread too, so look to hire people with a positive nature. Is the prospective hire full of complaints about previous employers? Don’t be surprised if you become the next target of such whining. No one is indispensable. I have interviewed people who were clearly bright and skilled. Yet, afterward, I felt like telling them not to let the door hit them on the way out. I’ve never regretted my decision to insist on good attitudes.

• Hire friends very cautiously. They can become your best employees. Often, however, they are your worst, and they’re hard to fire. Hire family members even more cautiously. Let them know the ground rules and expectations up front. And treat them like the rest of your employees. I hear horror stories all the time from business people who are suffering because of family involvement. But it can also work very well – it has worked out well for me.

• Hire not only for skills but also for potential. Leaders can be made if trained and motivated properly. I’ve seen many a young person with no previous experience or knowledge of my business learn a trade or skill and prosper and excel. Many times, it’s even an advantage to start from the beginning with someone who does not have the baggage of bad habits or practices from a previous employer.

• Put people in the right positions. Test them for their personality and skill sets. There are many tests – one good one is the Meyers Briggs and the DISC profile. It’s hard, sometimes, to understand where people fit, which is why we try to use testing to learn about their particular skills.

“A college degree is a generic qualification and is by no means the ultimate criteria by which you should hire talent,” Basler says.

Board Games in an ‘Electronic Free Space’ are a Winning Combo for This Couple

Karen Dybis

February 10, 2015

It’s the perfect business story – Christopher Erwin and his wife and business partner Angela Space saw a huge hole within the Metro Detroit marketplace to open a different kind of family-play space.

The idea for 3&UP Board Game Lounge in Plymouth, Mich., began with a trip to a cafe with an extensive collection of games in Toronto, Canada, Erwin said. After that visit, Erwin and Space considered the idea of opening a similar business with a new twist: A focus on communication and social interaction.

The couple created 3&UP as an “electronic free space” dedicated to connecting people face-to-face with board games as the “medium for social interaction,” Erwin said.

The husband-and-wife team opened 3&UP this past July in downtown Plymouth, and it has been a whirlwind of long hours ever since. But the fun has been worth it. They also have two kids, so having a place to hang out together meant something to them.

Erwin formerly worked for Penske in its rental truck division and other areas. Most recently, Erwin served as District Rental Manager for more than three, where he covered business development, marketing and staff management success for Detroit and Toledo markets, which encompassed 67 locations, 850 vehicles and $55 million in assets.

These days, he’s working full time at 3&UP, and it’s been a pretty fun “Pay Day” since then.

“When a family or friends visits 3&UP Board Game Lounge, they are fully engaged with each other. Children’s eyes light up with excitement as their parents spend time with them and only them,” Erwin said.

Its collection of more than 1,000 board games ensures there is truly something for everyone. 3&UP Board Game Lounge also hosts private events, offers programs and events such as themed gaming nights, D&D groups, chess lessons for adults and children, field trip packages and preschool play groups. During open gaming hours, individuals pay a $5 admission fee for 90 minutes of play (additional time is available along with memberships and day passes).

They also have two party rooms that can be rented for birthday parties, girls’ night out, gamer nights or any special function where privacy is requested. Many couples also enjoy hanging out on date night to spend some quiet time together, Erwin added.

“It was becoming more and more difficult to go out to dinner without having their cell phones on the table, to go to a party without updating social media and to spend time with their children without a request for a tablet, video game console or television program,” Erwin said.

“From the observation that electronics were interfering with their ability to look at each other, speak uninterrupted, share time together, laugh and learn without distraction the concept for 3&UP Board Game Lounge was born.”

Retailers Roundup: Valentine’s Day is a Sweet Time to Offer Deals, Specials

Karen Dybis

February 9, 2015

Holidays are always opportunities to find new customers, remind long-standing patrons that you’re around and up your marketing game.

And when that holiday is the Valentine’s Day, it’s an even better chance to woo people with deals, specials and the like. It helps that Feb. 14 falls on a Saturday this year, encouraging people to prepare weekend plans with romance and gift-giving in mind.

According to the National Retail Federation’s Valentine’s Day Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, the average American celebrating Valentine’s Day will spend $142.31 on candy, flowers, apparel and more, up from $133.91 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $18.9 billion, a survey high, the Washington-based industry group said.

Here are some ideas of how local retailers and businesses are prepping for Cupid’s visit:

• Every business person wants to look great in the office – and with spring right around the corner, getting a fresh is an ideal Valentine’s Day gift. For a man who wants to dress to impress, the textile experts at the Twillory have a full line of dress shirts that are sharp and well priced. You can give any suit a new look for about $75. Plus, ordering online is fast and easy. And those old shirts that have seen better days? Twillory has a charity called Re:Purpose. Every purchase arrives with a pre-paid mailer bag for the buyer to send any old dress shirts they no longer way to Career Gear, a non-profit group that provides dress clothing to men looking for a second chance and to work their way out of poverty.

• Accents Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa in Sterling Heights is offering the “Pamper Package,” which includes a Signature Facial, Skin care analysis, make-up application and Obagi Skin Care for $200 (its normal value is $400. Dr. Mark Berkowitz said gift cards for treatments like these are ideal for the professional looking to freshen their look or to improve their health. Accents also is offering special packages, like anyone who purchase a package of medical facials will receive a complementary skin care anaylsis using its Emage system and $200 of skin care products.

• The Shirt Box in Farmington Hills is selling many of its hand-made boutonnieres to both men and women in time for the Valentine’s Day holiday, said co-owner Rod Brown. He noted that some female executives will purchase them to give as gifts to their male co-workers or business partners. Men are starting to wear boutonnieres again as a way to step up their look and add a unique accessory to their lapel. Plus, when you shop on Feb. 14, you can try some strawberries, Champagne and sweets such as the brownies by Elwin and Company of Berkley. It’s the shop’s way of saying “thanks” for the business, Brown said.

• Want to try something new to mix up your routine? Neighboring establishments in Royal Oak, including Belgian beer mainstays Bastone Brewery and Monk Beer Abbey and wine-focused Vinotecca, are all set to host special menus for that very romantic day Saturday. When it comes to dessert, Executive Chef Robert Young’s hazelnut infused fresh strawberry and Nutella stuffed strawberry dessert Belgian waffle topped with mint and with vanilla crème fraiche will keep any Valentine’s cooing.

City Pride: 313DLove Event Aims to Share Detroit’s Good News with the World

Karen Dybis

February 6, 2015

Few Michigan cities have changed as much as Detroit has in the past five years — the amount of new energy and businesses is impressive. But not everyone knows about it, and Terry Bean is doing his best to change that.

That is why an event like Bean’s 313DLove is needed. It feels like the March 13 event (get it? 313?) always arrives at the right time – it comes just as we’re all feeling like making a change and shouting some positive words from the rooftop.

According to its organizers, including the energetic and motivating Bean, 313Dlove is “a movement aimed toward bringing worldwide positive attention and focus to Detroit and its community.”

“We like to tell people If TEDx is all about ‘Ideas worth spreading,’ #313DLove is all about ‘actions worth emulating,’” Bean said.

Since the first #313Dlove hashtag was tweeted in 2012, 313Dlove has been an outlet for people to share their stories and love for the City of Detroit year-round online and during a once a year event every March 13, said Bean, founder of cool community-based organizations such as Motor City Connect.

The vision, Bean notes, of #313Dlove is a Detroit whose self-worth is high, unemployment is low and education is second to none. I’d like to add a few more of my own creation: Where every small business is encouraged, where every person is seen as valuable to the overall mission of success and where people stop focusing on the small stuff and get going with the big stuff.

The day has is comprised of three events: A march, an event and an online outpouring of love for the city using the hashtag #313DLove.

The march, sponsored by United Way for Southeastern Michigan, is the newest part of the annual event. It will start at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum at 10 a.m. There will be music. There will be reveling. Rumor is that the Slow Roll (that amazing bicycle event started by Jason Hall) will be on board as well.

Then at 1 p.m., some of Detroit’s most innovative and passionate minds will take the stage at the Wright Museum to share their best wishes and inspiration. More on those speakers in a moment – but it is a must-see event.

The most important moment of the day takes place at 3:13 p.m. and everyone in the world is invited to participate. The organizers of 313Dlove are asking all supporters of Detroit to log on to Twitter and share what they love about Detroit using the hashtag #313Dlove, in hopes of the hashtag trending globally once again, bringing worldwide attention to the positivity in Detroit, and ultimately changing the perception of Detroit around the world, Bean said.

The afternoon event is one of my favorites. Bean won’t be alone on that stage, preaching the good news about Detroit. Scheduled speakers include Master of Ceremonies David Farbman, Satori Shakoor of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers, filmmaker of “The Great Detroit” Anthony Brogdon and Dr. Partha Nandi of the “Ask Dr. Nandi” show.

There also will be 12-year old Robby Eimers and his 9-year old sister, Emma, of The Eimers Foundation, an organization aiming to help, and hopefully end, homelessness.

Robby was inspired to start the Eimers Foundation after a ride to Detroit with his grandma and her friend to drop off some blankets and coats at a warming center in Detroit. Saddened by seeing how many people were homeless, standing in the cold, he told his grandma he had to help. So he did. Robby went home and took his own money and bought hats, gloves and socks to take back to the center and continued to do so, once a month. Before long he was going there every other week and then every single week. Now, four years later, they serve over 200 people every week.

Inspiring, yes? That is one reason Allyson Jones, Early Literacy Manager for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, also will be there. I can’t wait to hear her story and every other story I see, hear and read that day. Because they’re all inspiring. And they keep me believing in Detroit and its people.

“Detroit is where I grew up. Very early in my life I became aware of differences between the suburban middle class and the urban poor. I learned about resourcefulness and caring for others. I learned to never lose hope, and to strive for success no matter what the odds,” Jones said. “I learned all of that in Detroit, which is why I reside and plan to continue my career here. Why invest in another city when this is the one that’s invested in me?”

CBS Radio has Personality and Then Some in its Clever Offices

Karen Dybis

February 5, 2015

An office space should accomplish the basics – give you the tools and area you need to do your job. But it should also serve to inspire, invigorate and intrigue you and your guests.

CBS Radio in Southfield does the job. This space looks like an ordinary single-story building from the outside; in fact, you’d be hard pressed to know that it houses radio stations including WWJ News Radio 950 AM, WOMC 104.3 Detroit’s Greatest Hits, 97.1 The Ticket sports radio, 99.5 WYCD Detroit’s Best Country as well as 98.7 AMP radio.

So how do you put all of those stations together in a collective area? How do you give each station its own personality within that sizable office? It is an impressive sight, a recent tour revealed. There are so many ideas here for how to personalize your space and give your employees the kind of environment they need to thrive.

First, there are the great conference-room names that really ground you as to where you are. For example, who wouldn’t want to have a meeting in the Eminem room? Everyone would want to cheer for your ideas inside the Gordie Howe room. And people of many generations would feel creative and well spoken in the Sonny Eliot room, where pictures of the weatherman grace the walls. Plus, the office’s portrait of famed Detroit Tigers sportcaster Ernie Harwell makes you feel right at home and ready for the Boys of Summer.

Every station has its own broadcast room and working area with decorations. There is 97.1, which has big leather recliners and a foosball table. The hip kids over at 98.7, which plays pop-music hits, has sleek white couches with neon green walls and hot pink rugs.

WOMC has a chill vibe with its game table, where the chairs are on rollers for quick movement to and fro. There also are classic video games in its play space. WYCD takes its country vibe seriously with its denim couches and wall of hit records as well as some great guitars on the wall.

Everything is very high tech and it is clear that the staff is there to work. The professionalism is obvious from the entryway with the station’s top-notch ratings on the wall to the awards in the clear case. And there are windows everywhere, which makes the space bright and cheery. It’s a great way to ground the stations and their talent in Metro Detroit and keep them feeling energetic.

Have a great office? Share your photos with Corp! magazine’s Digital Editor Karen Dybis. Email her at kdybis at corpmagazine dot com.

Authentic, Motivating Women Inspire Businesses, Communities

Richard Blanchard

February 5, 2015

Motivating. Inspiring. Authentic. These are the words that repeatedly surface when describing and learning from the state’s leading women in businesses and public service.

Women have made great strides in the workforce, but there is more to be done and Michigan women are making their mark. To celebrate these achievements, the Michigan Business and Professional Association presented the 19th annual “Women and Leadership in the Workplace” Conference and Awards Luncheon Feb. 3 at The Henry in Dearborn.

The program is a joint venture of the Michigan Business and Professional Association and a distinguished advisory committee of leading businesswomen and community leaders. This year’s theme was “Own your Path” and featured Rhonda Walker from WDIV Channel 4 as the Award’s mistress of ceremonies. Featured speakers at the event included Margery Krevsky from Productions Plus – The Talent Shop; Juliette Okotie-Eboh from MGM Grand Detroit; Vivian Pickard from General Motors Foundation; Teresa Lucido from Comcast Spotlight; Christina Lovio-George from lovio George; Linda Forte from Comerica Bank; and Amanda Richie from Plymouth Technologies. More than 700 women attended the event.

The event honored 10 exceptional women leaders from throughout southeastern Michigan.

This year’s honorees represent extraordinary professionals who have accomplished much in their careers. The women honored at this event are raising the bar in Michigan as we know it. Please join us in honoring them.

Distinguished Leadership Award
Annette Aronson
Garden Fresh Gourmet
Born and raised in Ferndale, Annette Aronson learned early on that strength and courage are imperatives to success in life. She met her husband Jack while playing on a women’s league basketball team. He was her coach and soon after, they got married. Through the lean years, Aronson was always by Jack’s side, working interminable hours at their legendary Clubhouse BBQ restaurant. The two barely made ends meet. In 1997 when her husband got the crazy idea to make and sell fresh salsa, Aronson’s commitment to her life partner was unwavering. Working 12 and 16-hour days, she was the spark that made the impossible possible: shipping fresh, all-natural salsa to the four corners of the continent, establishing a beloved national brand in the process. Today, Aronson is CEO of Garden Fresh Gourmet, makers of North America’s top selling fresh salsa. She and Jack remain committed to Ferndale, and their selfless support of numerous causes is legendary. Their thriving company is a pillar of the community, supporting more than 425 employees and their families. Aronson loves making a difference in the lives of those around her and beyond.

Shooting Star Award
Jessica Daniel
FoodLab Detroit
Humility, chutzpah and compassion are just a few of the traits that Jessica Daniel says are important qualities of business leaders. Daniel is the Greater Detroit area – ‎director and chief enabler at FoodLab Detroit and says community outreach is at the heart of what she does. “Because FoodLab is a non-profit with a broad and ambitious mission, “community outreach” isn’t part of what we do, it IS what we do and why we exist. We are a growing community in service of a food system that is better for people and better for the planet than the one we have now. That’s a tall order, and a long, long, long-term mission, so engaging a diverse group of good food businesses, and allies and partners is central to continuing the good work over the long term. Taking inspiration from women leaders that have come before her, Daniel has observed that “many female community leaders I work with are often down in the weeds thinking through the details of how to get things done and spending a lot of time implementing and testing and building relationships… whereas I see many more male leaders in roles as ‘visionary’ or ‘spokesman’ or ‘big picture thought leader.’ Often this also translates to who’s able to corral more significant financial resources and other support for a project, program or organization. I think this has to do with cultural expectations for women to be more humble, as well as higher levels of scrutiny—both by women who are hard on themselves, and by external parties.” Her hope is that more strong women articulate their visions for a better organization, community, or world and have the courage, confidence, and support to request the resources they need to make these visions realities.

Shooting Star Award
Lindsey Evert
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Being a leader can sometimes be a challenge, but it is something that Lindsey Evert from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra takes in stride. “Women face struggles to be heard and honestly to support one another. I see too often a woman tear another woman down based on something personal and it can be so toxic. It’s crucial to seek out mentors and positive role models. It’s also imperative to build other women up,” she said. Evert says communication is also the key to presenting ideas and leading an organization to success “bringing people into the conversation is a huge part of any successful project. I really enjoy engaging local partners and businesses that can bring things to the table that I lack, or that our institution lacks. We really focus on doing that with our committees and volunteer groups as well.” Evert believes that it takes, “Patience, empathy and a thick skin,” to be a good leader. “Understanding where people come from and how their situation or life experiences can add value to a team has been incredibly valuable to me. It is also important to have patience not only with people but with situations. There have hardly ever been any new projects that are fully supported by everyone right away. Good things really do sometimes take time.” Her success and inspiration can be attributed to her parents. Evert said, “My parents have always inspired me and now I notice how much they have influenced my career. My Dad ran a very successful business for 30 years and my mom is an extremely creative person. I’m lucky to be a mixture of both of them and I think that really translates into my work. Also, the city and people of Detroit inspire me every day to build something that has an impact on the future.”

Distinguished Leadership Award
Linglong He
Quicken Loans
Serving as chief information officer of Quicken Loans Inc., Linglong He oversees more than 1,100 team members. With more than 20 years of experience within technology, She is responsible for the overall vision and leadership for technology initiatives across the organization. He takes her inspiration from others, “I always want to make the best effort in my role, and I love to help others when there is a need. Early in my career, I enjoyed helping my teammates to solve specific technical challenges, but as I continued to grow, I learned that strong leadership influences the team. The people around you are much more impactful, beyond just fixing the code. If you are always willing to help and you are the best you can be each day, you make yourself the obvious choice. As CIO, I focus on both my team members’ personal development and in ensuring they feel fulfilled in their careers and daily work.” Since joining the company in 1996, Linglong has faced many successes and some challenges, “In a growing company, staying connected with your team members and sustaining our culture is one of the biggest challenges a leader can face. To achieve this, we have created an atmosphere where participation and innovation are not only welcomed, but encouraged and expected,” she said. Volunteering is important to He as well as the company she works for. “Quicken Loans believes in doing well by doing good. In the past year, we spent more than 75,000 volunteer hours and gave back $10 million in helping the community. Our IT team, through its “IT Gives Back” program, spent 9,000 hours volunteering in the community. This is something we’re very proud of and something that leadership encourages,” she said. She has a strong passion for developing leaders and is actively involved with the Michigan Council of Women in Technology and the We Build Character organizations.

Distinguished Leadership Award
Beth Morrison
HAVEN
HAVEN’s Beth Morrison inspiration for success comes from the many survivors of domestic and sexual violence who she has been honored to work with over the years. Hearing their stories and witnessing injustice fuels her passion to keep moving forward. She also credits the people she works with, “I get to spend my days with an amazing team of people, employees and volunteers, who are just as passionate and dedicated as I am to the goal of making our world equal and safe for all. Social justice around violence against women and girls is what pushed me into this movement and sadly there is still so much work to be done that I continue to feel the same push to keep going.” Serving the organization as president and CEO, she believes one of the most important traits of a leader is the quality of authenticity. “Being authentic is probably the most valued trait for me. Sure you have to be competent, motivating, have vision, be a strong communicator, have ethical values, and so on but if you don’t start from a place of being authentic, who will want to be led by you and work with you? The lack of authenticity is where so many leaders fail,” she said. Even though there are a lot of successful women working in metro Detroit and throughout the country, Morrison believes there is still more advancement for women to go, “women are still paid less than their male counterparts, and many women leaders are still faced with being the primary caregiver of their children or later in life their parents. We need to continue to work toward pay equality and creating other resources for women so they can succeed in both business and within their personal life as well.”

Distinguished Leadership Award
Kelly Rossman-McKinney
Truscott Rossman
One thing can be said for Kelly Rossman-McKinney, no matter what anyone says to her, she moves forward toward success in everything she does. “The best motivation I ever received has been from those who said I couldn’t or wouldn’t: I wouldn’t get that contract, they’ll only hire a man; I couldn’t make that happen because … I didn’t have the right credentials, access, contacts, etc. Every one of those negative, cautionary comments—the “you need to stay in your place” may have been well-intended but they only served as a motivator. I have always been compelled to prove folks like that wrong,” she said. Serving as CEO and principal of Truscott Rossman, a full-service public relations agency representing local, statewide and nationwide clients, Rossman-McKinney says, “I have an absolute passion (some might say obsession!) for my work and I can’t wait to tackle the next big challenge. Making sure I do that in a way that makes my kids proud is an added incentive.” Honesty, integrity, candor, passion, courage are the traits that she finds essential for good leadership. “When you try to work harder and smarter than anyone else in the room, respect comes despite your gender. If anything, my experience is that being a woman is an advantage, not a disadvantage,” she said. Besides providing the best quality work and services to their clients, Rossman-McKinney also encourages her employees to go above and beyond in the community as well, “I encourage every one of our team members to get engaged in outside activities, on their own or as a team. We take on a variety of pro bono clients and unleash our team on them. It’s especially heartening to see our interns recognize that good business is doing more than just the “business” but expanding above and beyond the office.”

Shooting Star Award
Veronika Scott
The Empowerment Plan
Veronika Scott, CEO and founder of The Empowerment Plan, started the non-profit organization when she was a 20-year-old design student in Detroit. She was told over and over that it would fail because the homeless people she wanted to work with would be worthless. “Every day I enjoy proving all those people wrong. Everyone I hire is powerful, driven and I am lucky to be a part of their lives,” said Scott. The Empowerment Plan is a humanitarian organization based in the city of Detroit. The plan centers on construction of a coat that transforms into a sleeping bag at night, and a bag when not in use. The coat is made by a team of mostly homeless single parents who have been paid to learn and to produce the coats for those living on the streets. The Empowerment Plan aims to help build a better life for those that have become trapped in the cycle of homelessness. They give homeless individuals jobs while in the shelter so that they can earn money, find a place to live, and gain back their independence for themselves and for their families. For all of her accomplishments, Scott has received many accolades. She is the youngest recipient of the John F Kennedy New Frontier Award from the JFK Library Foundation and Harvard University. She has received an IDEA Gold Award from the Industrial Design Society of America and has an honorary PhD from Johnson State College. Scott has been named one of CNN’s Ten Visionary Women in the World and is the winner of the 2014 DVF People’s Voice Award. The Empowerment Plan story has been told across the world and shared at events such as the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Forbes 400 Philanthropy Summit with Oprah, Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Distinguished Leadership Award
Ruth Spencer
WDIV Channel 4
Ruth Spencer, anchor and consumer reporter for WDIV Channel 4 has a reputation for being an advocate for the community she serves. Spencer has been with the station for 24 years. She is best known for her role as WDIV’s “Ruth to the Rescue,” the station’s Emmy award winning consumer investigator. Along with Ruth’s Rescue Squad she helps viewers resolve their consumer complaints about a business, product or service. A California native, Spencer earned her BA with high honors in Broadcast Journalism from San Francisco State University. According to the WDIV website Spencer says that she “has a feeling for spiritual things and believes we’re here to discover our talents, then use them to serve God, by serving others with love.” Spencer is a true believer in that and in serving others. She supports several charities including Penrickton Center for Blind Children; American Heart Association; Grace Centers of Hope; Salvation Army; Stratford Music Festival; University of Michigan; Academy of the Sacred Heart; and Berklee College of Music.

Distinguished Leadership Award
Kathleen Straus
Michigan State Board of Education
Michigan State Board of Education Member Kathleen Straus has committed the majority of her life to the furthering of public education and community services in Michigan. According to the Michigan Department of Education website, Straus has a strong interest in curriculum, assessment, and raising achievement for all students across the state. A frequent visitor to schools and classrooms, Straus often spends time with parents, educators and others discussing educational policy and reform efforts to keep in touch with what’s going on in the field. Until her retirement in 1991, she was president of the Center for Creative Studies, a nationally recognized arts education institution in Detroit. Prior to that, she was director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards, and served as staff director of the Education Committee of the Michigan Senate. An active community leader, Straus currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion and on the Advisory Board of the American Jewish Committee. She is also a past president of the League of Women Voters of Detroit. She was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in October, 2000. In these capacities she has fought discrimination and worked to build bridges between races, religious and ethnic groups, and to promote social justice and education.

Distinguished Leadership Award
Kym Worthy
Wayne County Prosecutor
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy began her legal career at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, according the Wayne County website. In 1989, she became the first African-American selected as a Special Assignment Prosecutor specializing in high profile murder cases. She left Wayne County in 1994, serving in numerous court appointments and roles. In 2004, Worthy came full circle in her career and returned to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, this time as the Wayne County Prosecutor, the first African American and the first female to hold the position. Worthy has been a persistent advocate for witnesses who risk their lives to come to court and testify. Due to her tireless advocacy the Wayne County Commission awarded funds solely to be used to protect witnesses for the first time in 2007 and this important allotment continues still today. Worthy has used her prosecutorial experience to greatly enhance the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. She created the first Elder Abuse Unit. This unit handles all cases involving elderly and vulnerable adults, and focuses on the needs of senior citizens when they are victims of crime. Worthy received her undergraduate degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan, and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law. Recognizing that “service is the rent we pay for living,” Worthy is active in The United Way, The Lead Poisoning Task Force of Michigan, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and many others. She created the Alexandra Simone Fund for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Henry Ford Hospital in memory of her deceased daughter. The fund provides services to the parents of prematurely born infants. An advocate for all children, she frequently speaks out about the need for fostering and adoption of children.

Overcome the Five Innovation Killers That Lurk Within Businesses

Ronnie Blair

February 5, 2015

The work of innovative thinkers is why the world has smartphones, laptop computers, toaster ovens and numerous other gadgets and creative approaches to problem solving. Yet groundbreaking ideas aren’t always welcome in the corporate world or within other institutions.

Instead, those who suggest a different approach often find their ideas shot down by co-workers or blocked by an organizational system that is unwelcoming to change, says international speaker and innovation consultant Dr. Neal Thornberry.

That doesn’t mean innovation can’t happen, though.

“The innovator needs to know how to operate in these less than friendly cultures without waiting for some miraculous transformation in corporate policy,” says Thornberry, author of the book “Innovation Judo: Disarming Roadblocks and Blockheads on the Way to Creativity.”

He says there are five innovation “killers” within organizations that people with inspired ideas can expect to confront.

People. Sometime it’s an individual, sometimes it’s a group. Regardless, people often resist innovation, and many times for illogical reasons. “The more rigid people reject innovation simply because they are uncomfortable with the new or don’t want to spend the energy to try something different,” Thornberry says. They may be quick to point out flaws in your ideas.

One way to counteract that, Thornberry says, is to be your own worst critic. Discover those flaws first and highlight them yourself. Then you can address how you plan to mitigate them, thus stealing the critics’ thunder, he says.

Politics. You can usually get around one or two individuals who try to block your idea, but it’s more challenging when the organization is rife with politics. “I hate working in highly politicized organizations,” Thornberry says. “They make work a lot harder and make you spend considerable time on non-value-adding activities.” In fact, Thornberry devotes an entire chapter in his book to “Right Mindedness” so that innovators practicing his seven secret judo skills are not seen as innovating for personal gain or exploitation, but as enablers of company success.

Organizational design. An out-of-whack organizational design usually is not generated on purpose or with malice, Thornberry says. Instead it develops over time, with one well-intentioned move after another leading to unintended consequences. Often the result is a proliferation of controls, along with structures and processes that create barriers to innovation.

When an idea is blocked by layers of decision-making, one solution is to use leverage, Thornberry says. Enlist the aid of a customer who would benefit from the innovation, he says, because paying customers have huge leverage.

Company values. Here the innovator has both a challenge and an opportunity. Many companies articulate their values, but don’t always live by them. “The upside for innovators is that values can be used as leverage for innovation even if they aren’t true,” Thornberry says. For example, if the company declares, “The customer is No. 1,” then it becomes difficult to ignore an innovation that is positioned as being for the customer.

Corporate culture. The corporate culture essentially is how the people, politics, organizational design and values interact. “The greatest challenge to any innovator, and to embedding and sustaining innovation over the long term, is culture,” Thornberry says. To make it even more challenging, often organizations have micro-cultures within the culture. That means, he says, you will need to adapt the use of innovation judo principles depending on which micro-culture you are dealing with at any given moment.

“Innovators throughout history have faced both roadblocks and blockheads on their path to creativity,” Thornberry says. “And so will you.”
But with a little courage and some counterbalancing skills, he says, these challenges can be overcome.

About Neal Thornberry: Neal Thornberry, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of IMSTRAT LLC a consulting firm that specializes in helping private and public sector organizations develop innovation strategies. A respected thought leader in innovation, Thornberry is a highly sought-after international speaker and consultant. He also serves as the faculty director for innovation initiatives at the Center for Executive Education at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. He can be reached at www.NealThornberry.com.

Get to Know Detroit’s Hard-Working Ambassadors at Build Institute and Detroit Experience Factory

Karen Dybis

February 4, 2015

Business owners understand big transitions – everything from executive changes to name changes to rebranding.

Right now, one of Detroit’s most successful entrepreneur programs is making big changes. D:hive has evolved into two organizations: Detroit Experience Factory (DXF) and the Build Institute.

The Build Institute, which is now located at 2701 Bagley, is a program under the Downtown Detroit Partnership. Its 2015 mission is to “advance minority ownership and community entrepreneurship in the city of Detroit and beyond,” according to April Jones-Boyle, the longtime architect of D:hive and Build’s programs, events and workshops.

Some background: Build Institute is a network of grassroots programs that assist people in turning their project or business ideas into reality by providing the necessary tools, education and support to get started. To date, Build program have graduated almost 400 aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs from both its eight-week small business and project planning class and its social entrepreneurship class, with many starting successful businesses in the city.

Many of Detroit’s most recognizable newcomers have started their hard climb toward business ownership via Build programs. They include: Sister Pie (which is holding a Dance-a-thon this weekend to complete its funding on a new building in the Villages area of Detroit), Good Cakes and Bakes on Livernois in the Avenue of Fashion, Fresh Cut farm, Beau Bien Fine Foods and Detroit Vegan Soul.

Build offers networking events, mentorship opportunities, connections to resources, and a nurturing community that allows ideas to develop and flourish over time, Jones-Boyle said. Some of its other offerings include:

• Classes and public forums on small business for current and aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Business networking opportunities and variety of alumni support resources.
• Build Bazaar, a rotating pop-up marketplace that supports Detroit entrepreneurs.

Detroit Experience Factory has set up shop at 123 Monroe Street. Its story is tied directly to the uber-energetic and enthusiastic Jeanette Pierce, a lifelong Detroiter and advocate for the city. After moving downtown in 2003, Pierce wanted to find a way to help others see the vibrant, beautiful Detroit she knew and loved. In 2006 she and a friend founded Inside Detroit, a nonprofit with a mission to give an insider’s perspective of the city to anyone and everyone who was curious about what was really happening in Detroit.

A few years after Inside Detroit opened, the Hudson Webber Foundation started a new project called D:hive, with a mission to encourage talent attraction and retention in the city. In 2012, Inside Detroit and D:hive joined forces for a 3-year period. Pierce and her crew of tour guides continued to lead tours with D:hive, and in 2013 they have helped over 10,000 people experience Detroit. In February 2014, almost exactly 8 years after Inside Detroit was started, D:hive Tours became the Detroit Experience Factory.

DXF offers:
• Public and private tours, special-event coordination and Detroit orientation experiences.
• A welcome center for visitors and guests, helpful Detroit ambassadors, maps and more.
• Live and work resources for new or existing residents and developing professionals.

Want to learn more? Attend one of these events.

Feb. 12: Build Open House. Join Detroit Entrepreneur Week for a Build Institute Open House + Happy Hour from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Build HQ (2701 Bagley Avenue). Check out the new space in Southwest Detroit and learn more about the programs in store for 2015. Build will also feature a Mentor Matchmaking between professionals and entrepreneurs. Light refreshments will be served.

Feb. 14: Build Bazaar. Build Institute will hold its Valentine’s Day Build Bazaar with more than 10 diverse Detroit-area vendors. The romantic event aimed at helping people buy a locally sourced holiday gift will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Café Con Leche Nord (2990 W. Grand).

Feb. 16: Open City. Open City is a forum for Detroit’s aspiring and established small business owners to learn, network and exchange information in a fun and lively atmosphere. Panels meet monthly at Cliff Bell’s, where speakers discuss topics specific to doing business in Detroit, followed by casual networking. Events take place on the third Monday of every month, 6-8pm, from October to April, and are FREE and open to all. No RSVP required.

All Sewn Up: One Woman’s Drive for Perfection Leads Her to Custom Corsets

Karen Dybis

February 3, 2015

Robin Richardson began sewing as a teen, and it blossomed into a career as she became everything from a tailor for men’s clothing to a bridal seamstress.

Every time she gained a new skill, the Sterling Heights, Mich., resident looked for something new and more challenging. That is when she discovered corsets, that dramatic piece of apparel that requires both time and talent to create.

Richardson is now owner of Ivy’s Custom Corsetry, a business that makes high-end corsets for men and women. These hand-made objects blend beauty and style, allowing the wearer to add a custom shape to anything they are wearing.

“You don’t have to be a certain size to wear a corset. It could be for any occasion from a birthday party to a wedding to your own personal satisfaction,” Richardson said.

Every corset is made to fit that person’s measurements, detailed specifications and purpose. Many of her customers are brides, who add a corset to the top of their dress for flair and a unique look. She also has had clients wear her corsets to the Kentucky Derby, Presidential inaugurations and other high-end parties.

Corsets are made with three layers of fabric, steel busk and steel bones – both spiral and flat — two piece grommets and tubular corset lacing. Detailing sets each corset apart from one another and can range from lace trim, fan lacing and more. Richardson said she takes 12 to 15 different measurements of her clients to get the best fit.

“Designing is the fun part – I love working with a client to come up with something special and to find the right decorations,” Richardson said. “Most people want to have a hand in it and make it their own.”

Lately, Richardson said she has received calls for people interested in “waist training,” or wearing a corset or corset-like piece of equipment to whittle their waist to a smaller size. While some people use corsets for this purpose, Richardson said she does not make her corsets specifically to do this kind of training, made popular through celebrities including Kim Kardashian.

“Corsets are high fashion. Most (clothing) designers have one in their lines,” Richardson said. “I’ve had orders from across the globe – Canada, France, Italy and beyond.”

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