Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Broadway getting back to business after Walmart 'chaos' – Appleton Post Crescent
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Appleton Post Crescent | Broadway getting back to business after Walmart ‘chaos’ Appleton Post Crescent “I think my plan is to get back to our original plan and mission and to focus on small business,” said Tara Gokey, who On Broadway Inc.’s new executive director. “I think everybody was looking forward to moving on and up. I’m seeing a renewed interest … |
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Tuesday, December 30, 2014
INSIGHT: Death doesn't have to claim a business, too – Sioux Falls Argus Leader
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Sioux Falls Argus Leader | INSIGHT: Death doesn’t have to claim a business, too Sioux Falls Argus Leader Often in family business, one or more relatives are actively involved in the operation. At the death of the principal owner, the business is generally the major asset of the estate, and division of an operating business poses a host of issues. If the … |
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Somerset County Library system recommends resources for business … – NJ.com
Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) Adult Services Librarian Cathy DeBerry knows local small business professionals and the challenges they face: “The small business or home-based business often is a one-man show. As a result, the owner wears many hats. He or she is often the CEO, CFO, Network Engineer and VP of Marketing.”
With that in mind, DeBerry created a list of business magazines that she recommends small business owners read. “With limited access to staffing, funding and resources, the small business owner can look to our ’12 Magazines Every Small Business Owner Should Read’ list so that he or she can learn more about marketing, technology, finance, leadership, human resources, management, entrepreneurship and goal setting,” she said.
SCLSNJ’s 12 Business Magazines Every Small Business Owner Should Read
.Net
Entrepreneur
Fast Company
Harvard Business Review
Home Business Magazine
Inc.
MIT Sloan Management Review
New Jersey Business
Small Business Opportunities
Strategy & Business
Success
Wired
“These magazines target small business owners and entrepreneurs,” said DeBerry. “Think of these publications as a free business consultant that is available to the small business owner whenever needed.”
Additionally, DeBerry and Amy Atzert, SCLSNJ Adult Services Librarian, have developed a list of SCLSNJ’s Top 20 Business Books of 2014:
1. Thrive by Arianna Huffington
2. Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
3. Creativity Inc. by Edwin Catmull
4. Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder by Jim Clifton
5. Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo
6. Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek
7. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
8. The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success by Richard Karlgaard
9. How Google Works by Eric Schmidt
10. Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
11. The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson
12. The Gen Z Effect: The Six Forces Shaping the Future of Business by Thomas Koulopoulos and Dan Keldsen
13. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeffrey Sutherland
14. The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All by Jon Gordon
15. Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street by John Brooks
16. Economics: The User’s Guide by Ha-Joon Chang
17. The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership by Richard Branson
18. Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators and Icons Accelerate Success by Shane Snow
19. How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination by Sally Hogshead
20. A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better Than the Competition by Margaret Heffernan
All of these recommended materials can be found at library. For more information about how SCLSNJ can help you and your business, visit SCLSNJ.org or call 908-526-4016.
Somerset County Library System of New Jersey partners with you to connect, to explore, to share and to discover. Together we enrich lives, expand knowledge and strengthen communities. SCLSNJ branches can be found in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung. In addition, there are SCLSNJ Reading Stations in Branchburg and Washington Valley.
Visit SCLSNJ.org for further information about library services offered at SCLSNJ.
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Chicago Bears hire Ernie Accorsi as a consultant – Windy City Gridiron
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
The Chicago Bears have made a move to bolster their credibility as they begin their search for a new head coach and general manager. Long time NFL general manager Ernie Accorsi was hired as a consultant by the Bears.
When the Chicago Bears decided to fire head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery, they knew hey had an ace in the hole in Ernie Accorsi. Before the Bears made the call on Trestman and Emery, Chairman George McCaskey called Accorsi to gauge interest in becoming a consultant for the team’s coaching and GM search. Accorsi agreed and the Bears had peace of mind that Accorsi’s 40 plus years in the NFL would give them.
From Sam’s press conference recap earlier today.
Accorsi has an extensive career as an executive. He was with the Baltimore Colts when they drafted John Elway and wanted to keep him (Check out the ESPN Documentary “From Elway to Marino” for more on that). He also was with the Browns and got them Bernie Kosar. He last worked as a GM with the New York Giants and hired Tom Coughlin and pulled off the Philip Rivers for Eli Manning trade, one of the biggest and most complex trades in recent NFL history.
Accorsi last served as a consultant for the Carolina Panthers when they were looking for a new general manager. The Panthers plucked Dave Gettelman from the Giants’ front office to become their GM. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com believes Accorsi may go back the the Giants well again.
He was brought on by the Panthers in 2012 when they hired Dave Gettleman from the Giants to be the general manager. Connect the dots and it could mean looking within the Giants organization once again.
Vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross is well respected in league circles and has been interviewed for general manager jobs in recent years. Ross is responsible for the drafting of rookie phenom Odell Beckham Jr. this year with the 12th pick in the draft.
Assistant general manager Kevin Abrams is also a candidate to keep in mind. Abrams has been with the Giants since 1999.
At Chicago’s press conference earlier today team president Ted Phillips had this to say.
“I think what we have now with Ernie coming in is someone consistent, who is giving us a voice on a daily basis who’s on our side and doesn’t have any other agenda to try to push their own people,”
The 73 year old Accorsi definitely has the experience to be the lead voice in making the important decisions on head coach and general manager, but the final say so won’t be his. Accorsi will gather a group of candidates and the Chicago brain-trust of McCaskey and Phillips will make the hire.
When consulting for Carolina, Accorsi suggested the following candidates.
Another Giants official was a candidate for the Panthers and could be for the Bears: Marc Ross, their vice president of player evaluation.
Other finalists Accorsi collected for the Panthers job included Carolina interim Brandon Beane; Titans vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson; Vikings assistant GM George Paton; and Montreal Alouettes vice president Jim Popp, Marc Trestman’s old CFL boss.
For those of you hoping for a football czar type to oversee the Bears, that isn’t what Accorsi was brought in for. Once the GM and coaching search is over, so to is his consulting job in Chicago.
What do you guys think about Ernie Accorsi consulting for the Bears?
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Monday, December 29, 2014
Georgia Association of Business Brokers names 11 to Million Dollar Club … – Atlanta Business Chronicle
Dave Chambless and Matt Slappey
- Phil W. Hudson
- Staff Writer- Atlanta Business Chronicle
The Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) added 11 members to its Million Dollar Club in 2014.
According to the GABB, the 11 brokers sold more than $58 million in this year.
“In 2014, not only did the economy continue to strengthen, but business owners became more confident in their optimism about the economy,” said GABB’s 2014 President C. David Chambless, in a statement. “With that increasing optimism, we believe that 2015 will be a banner year in the sale of businesses. Members of the GABB are uniquely positioned to provide professional guidance to business owners and business buyers in successfully transacting the sales of businesses.”
Topping the GABB’s 2014 Million Dollar Club is Matt Slappey, owner of the Decatur branch of Murphy Business & Financial Corp. and past president of the GABB.
Rounding out the top-five producers are Jeff Merry, owner and founder of Gainesville-based the BUSINESS HOUSE Inc.; GABB Treasurer Jon Merry, an associate of the BUSINESS HOUSE Inc.; GABB President C. David Chambless, president of Abraxas Business Services Inc.; and Matt Wochele, president of Preferred Business Brokers Inc.
Multi-Million Dollar Club business brokers include Eric Gagnon, founder of We Sell Restaurants Inc; David Still of Capital Endeavors Inc.; J. Snypp of Preferred Business Brokers Inc.; and Steven Josovitz, vice president of The Shumacher Group.
Rounding out the club are GABB Secretary Kent Reed of Murphy Business & Financial Corporation; and Art Lennig, regional director of Murphy Business & Financial Corporation of Georgia.
Additionally, Wochele was honored with the GABB’s Phoenix Award because he has been a Million Dollar Club member ten times.
The Georgia Association of Business Brokers is the state’s professional organization dedicated to buying and selling businesses and franchises.
Phil W. Hudson is a finance, music and sports reporter.
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A busy year for New Jersey business – MyCentralJersey.com
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MyCentralJersey.com | A busy year for New Jersey business MyCentralJersey.com Just like any other year, a ton of news happened in 2014, especially in terms of business news. Something of note stands out in just about every aspect of the diverse landscape that comprises business news, from the economy to health care, from real … |
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Sunday, December 28, 2014
Wiley Rein Acquires Washington Consulting Firm: Business of Law – Bloomberg
Wiley Rein LLP has acquired McBee Strategic Consulting LLC, a lobbying and communications firm.
McBee, with 40 professionals, will operate independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wiley Rein, which has more than 270 attorneys.
“This transaction is about creating more value for the clients of both firms through an expanded collaborative network of attorneys, public-policy advisers and strategic communications professionals,” Peter D. Shields, Wiley Rein’s managing partner, said in a statement.
Shields and insurance practice partner Kim Melvin —- both members of Wiley Rein’s management committee —- will also serve on McBee Strategic’s executive committee.
Wiley Rein, best known for its telecommunications work, announced in November that it was shedding its eight-person bankruptcy practice.
Jackson Lewis Adds Chinese Employment Firm to Its Network
Jackson Lewis PC, which specializes in labor and employment issues on the management side, said that Chinese law firm Zhong Lun has joined L&E Global Employers’ Counsel Worldwide. L&E Global is an alliance of employment law boutique firms and practices in Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific Region. Zhong Lun is the 19th firm to join the alliance since its creation in 2011.
Zhong Lun has more than 200 partners and 900 professionals in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and Hong Kong, plus several international offices, Jackson Lewis said in a statement.
“We cannot overestimate the importance of having a strong and reliable L&E Global affiliate member in China,” John Sander, a Jackson Lewis shareholder, said in the statement.
Day Pitney Adds Litigator Michael K. Furey in New Jersey
Michael K. Furey has joined the Parsippany, New Jersey, office of Day Pitney LLP as a partner in the commercial litigation department. Furey was previously a partner at Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP.
Furey has focused his practice on commercial litigation and employment matters in federal and state courts with both jury trial and appellate experience. He also maintains a commercial-litigation practice specializing partnerships, corporations, the sale of businesses, trade secrets, restrictive covenants and attorneys.
Duane Morris Adds Partner Kristy Wagner to Its Energy Practice
Kristy Wagner has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the energy practice group in New York and Washington. She was previously counsel at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP.
Wagner represents project owners and developers, construction contractors and equipment suppliers, in addition to investors, lenders and borrowers, in domestic and international transactions.
Corporate Attorney Stark Joins Wilmington Office of K&L Gates
Lisa R. Stark has joined the Wilmington, Delaware, office of K&L Gates LLP as a partner in its corporate/M&A practice. She joined the firm from National Corporate Research Ltd., where she served as in-house counsel.
Stark advises boards of directors, board committees and significant stakeholders on their fiduciary and statutory obligations and corporate governance. She has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, structured finance, venture capital investments, debt and equity financings, proxy contests, and initial public offerings.
Katten Muchin Adds Partner to Its Corporate Practice in New York
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has hired S. Ward Atterbury as a partner in the firm’s corporate practice in New York. Atterbury, who represented Visa Inc. in that company’s $17.9 billion initial public offering in 2008, focuses on mergers and acquisitions and related financings representing sellers and buyers in domestic and cross-border transactions.
In addition, he works on spin-offs and dispositions, joint ventures, recapitalizations and restructurings in the financial services, entertainment and telecommunications industries. He also represents private equity firms.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ellen Rosen in New York at erosen14@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net Charles Carter, Peter Blumberg
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Saturday, December 27, 2014
Workshops offered on launching a business – Muncie Star Press
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Muncie Star Press | Workshops offered on launching a business Muncie Star Press Tom Steiner and Scott Underwood, business advisers with the East Central ISBDC, will lead the workshops. Each participant will learn how to identify personal objectives, describe a business idea, develop a sales forecast and estimate an operating budget. |
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Business Press to premiere new look on Jan. 5 – Las Vegas Review-Journal
On Jan. 5, the Las Vegas Business Press will debut a re-engineered weekly print edition.
Through the summer and fall, a readership survey and several focus groups provided insight into what readers in the business community were seeking in a publication serving the business-to-business market.
Starting with the Jan. 5 edition, the Business Press’ glossy cover and the square magazine format will be gone. Instead, the Business Press will be published in a larger tabloid format that looks and feels more like a newspaper.
And, it’ll have new features inside:
■ Each week, the Focus section will look at a specific industry in a combination of stories and columns from guest experts.
■ A page called Learning Curve will help readers get better at what they do. Jim Pawlak’s BizBooks column will be a recurring theme, and it’ll be joined by a mix of stories and columns offering business tips.
■ People are the universal driver of business and the Business Press will add more profiles of businesspeople. Some will be C-suite executives. Some will be startup innovators. Some will be small-business owners and entrepreneurs.
■ The first week of each month, the publication will take a closer look at one of the area’s distinct neighborhoods. First up is a look at hospitality and the Strip. In subsequent months, the focus will be on Summerlin and Henderson, North Las Vegas and downtown.
■ A mix of guest columns will be added as experts from across the valley — and sometimes beyond — will share their thoughts. The Talking Points series will look at broad subjects that cross industry lines. In Expert Corner, columnists will deliver topical information specific to an industry, often in combination with the Focus topic.
■ The publication’s list-gathering processes are getting an upgrade with new software and a renewed emphasis on accuracy, thoroughness and credibility.
■ The redesign adds a commentary page, where staff and guest writers will discuss issues affecting the business community.
■ A number of features, insider columns, 5Q interviews, Snapshot, will continue in the new format.
That first week in January also will see the launch of the website — businesspress.vegas — that separates Business Press content from that of the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s business section.
The Business Press will start producing a daily stream of local news of interest to the business community and will begin daily e-newsletter and Twitter and Facebook postings.
“It’s an exciting new beginning for our staff, our readers and the business community,” Business Press Editor Norman Bell said. “While the publication has been serving the community for more than 30 years, it feels more than a little like a startup opportunity.”
Both the Review-Journal and the Business Press are part of Stephens Media.
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Friday, December 26, 2014
Top Business Stories of 2014: US Grows, World Slows – ABC News
This year showed how sheltered the U.S. economy is from geopolitical and health crises around the world. The global economy sputtered, but the U.S. powered ahead. Employers are finally hiring enough to lower unemployment. A plunge in gas prices and a rising stock market has Americans feeling richer and spending a bit more.
Those are some of the top business stories of 2014, as chosen by business editors at The Associated Press. Others include massive product disasters: A string of auto recalls after faulty ignition switches from General Motors Corp. and air bags in many car models caused injuries and deaths. Hackers stole personal information from millions of people in a wave of breaches at stores, banks, a movie studio and other organizations.
We’re also becoming increasingly dependent on our phones and tablets, using them to communicate, play and pay.
Janet Yellen became the first woman to head the Federal Reserve and U.S. workers won higher pay as cities and states across the country raise the minimum hourly wage.
Corporate deal-making was also in the spotlight. Companies acquired each other at a level not seen since 2007, the year the Great Recession began, while a burst of businesses went public.
The top 10 business stories of 2014:
1. U.S. GROWS AS WORLD SLOWS: After a freezing winter put a chill on buying and selling, the U.S. economy has posted its best six months since 2003. But the rest of the world hasn’t been as lucky. Japan has fallen back into recession. The 18 countries that make up the eurozone are barely growing and fear a dangerous drop in prices. Major developing nations aren’t faring much better. China’s growth has dropped to a five-year low of 7.3 percent. Western sanctions and dropping oil prices have decimated Russia’s currency. Brazil just edged out of recession. What’s helped the U.S. is its relative insulation. American consumers, not exports, are the main drivers of the world’s largest economy.
2. JOBS ARE BACK: Millions of Americans still struggle with low pay and fewer hours of work than they want, and millions have given up looking for a job entirely. But five years after the recession ended, the U.S. job market is looking healthy. The unemployment rate is below 6 percent. Employers added nearly 3 million jobs, the most since 1999, as shoppers and businesses spend more. As a result, the Federal Reserve ended its recession-era stimulus program in October and is edging closer to lifting interest rates. The Fed has kept rates near zero since 2008 to spur lending and investment.
3. SECURITY BREACHES: The theft of 40 million credit and debit cards and 70 million personal records from Target last fall turned out to be just the beginning. Home Depot Inc. hackers nabbed 56 million cards and 53 million email addresses. There were breaches at Kmart, Dairy Queen, and Albertsons. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said hackers stole information covering 76 million households and 7 million small businesses. Sony employees’ private information and emails were posted online. The consequences? Sony Pictures Entertainment canceled the mass release of “The Interview,” a comedy about assassinating the North Korean leader, after hackers threatened to attack movie theaters. Target Corp. replaced top executives. Shops, card companies and banks sped up card security improvements.
4. OIL PLUNGE: Global crude prices have fallen to around $56 per barrel from this year’s high of $115 because of more production, especially in the U.S., while slowing economies in Europe and Asia crimp demand. A rapid decline in the second half of the year pushed gasoline to about $2.30 a gallon in the U.S., the lowest price in nearly five years. Americans are pocketing $15.4 billion more a month than when gas was at its 2014 high of $3.70. Cheaper crude is also pumping up auto sales and saving airlines money on jet fuel. But drilling could slow in North Dakota’s new boomtowns and other regions, hurting businesses that have cropped up. And governments in energy producers Russia, Venezuela and Iran are being squeezed, increasing the likelihood of political upheaval.
5. AUTO RECALLS: In the U.S. alone, automakers recalled more than 60 million cars and trucks. That far surpasses the previous record of 30.8 million in 2004. The bulk of those come from two problems that have led to nearly 50 deaths and dozens of injuries. Japanese air bag supplier Takata, whose air bags can inflate too fast and spew shrapnel, has fought regulators’ demands to expand recalls. And GM was fined the maximum $35 million by U.S. safety regulators for dragging its feet ? for a decade ? over replacing faulty switches that can shut down car engines. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating both companies.
6. MOBILE MOMENTUM: PC sales are slumping, but mobile phone subscriptions are expected to reach 7 billion this year ? the same as the world’s population. Phone makers are launching cheaper smartphones aimed at developing countries, which could get billions more people online. Already, more than a billion people check Facebook on their phones and tablets. The social media giant spent $22 billion on a phone messaging app, WhatsApp. Uber, a hail-a-cab app, is valued at $40 billion. Apple Inc., the iPhone and iPad maker, launched a payment system that sidesteps cash and plastic.
7. STOCK MARKETS SOAR: Another year, another record. The end of the Federal Reserve’s bond-buying stimulus program stressed investors this fall, but U.S. stocks kept rising, extending the bull market run to nearly six years. More companies acquired each other and big companies bought up more than $400 billion of their own stock, helping to put the Standard & Poor’s 500 index on pace for a 13 percent gain in 2014. And despite the end of the Fed’s bond purchases, which was expected to weigh on markets, bond prices rallied and rates dropped.
8. MINIMUM WAGE GROWTH: Inequality has been rising, and median household incomes have fallen since the recession began in late 2007. But the federal minimum hourly wage has remained at $7.25 since 2009. Labor organizers, fast-food workers and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. employees have campaigned for higher pay across the country. Congress hasn’t acted, but cities and states ? and President Barack Obama ? have. Obama raised pay by executive order for government contractors, to $10.10 an hour. By Jan. 1, 29 states and Washington, D.C. will have a higher minimum wage than $7.25. Seattle approved an increase to $15 an hour, the highest rate in the country.
9. JANET YELLEN: The Federal Reserve had been led exclusively by men for a century. Then Janet Yellen, a 68-year-old former economics professor and the No. 2 at the Fed, became the first woman to lead the central bank. Plainspoken, with a trace of her native Brooklyn in her speech, Yellen criticizes inequality, focuses on jobs growth and has tried to demystify the moves of the notoriously opaque Fed. She has also tied the failure of most economists to predict the damages wrought by the financial crisis to a lack of diversity in the field. She says that increasing diversity is a priority at the central bank.
10. LET’S MAKE A DEAL: Higher stocks and confidence lifted global mergers and acquisitions volume to highest level since 2007. With a few days to go, global deal volume has risen 20 percent to $3.41 trillion, including debt. Climbing markets make it easier to do stock deals, and borrowing is cheap. Meanwhile, initial public offerings had their biggest year since 2000. Health care companies made up 37 percent of all IPOs in the U.S., nearly double the level in 2013. And the biggest IPO ever, that of China’s e-commerce behemoth Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., raised $25 billion in September.
———
Autos Writers Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin, Economics Writer Chris Rugaber, Energy Writer Jon Fahey and Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report.
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Thursday, December 25, 2014
Sterling Heights council approves economic development consulting services … – Shelby Township Source Newspapers
By SEAN DELANEY
Source Staff Writer
“I am pleased to partner with Sterling Heights on this new endeavor,” said founder Luke Bonner, a former economic development manager with the city. “Sterling Heights is on the cutting edge of economic development activity and the city’s accomplishments speak volumes. I look forward to working with the Sterling Heights Economic Development Team to position the city for continued economic development investments.”
Since leaving Sterling Heights, Bonner served as vice president of business development for Ann Arbor SPARK, an industry leader in the field of economic development. While with SPARK, Bonner spearheaded the redevelopment of the former Willow Run Powertrain Facility into a connected and autonomous vehicle test center.
Bonner also established critical partnerships with the University of Michigan, Center for Automotive Research and Walbridge to develop and market the Willow Run project to a global audience.
“He’s had a lot of additional experience since he left the city of Sterling Heights,” said City Manager Mark Vanderpool. “He has been a major player – not just in southeast Michigan, but also at the state level by working very closely the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.”
In his role as economic development consultant, Bonner will be responsible for performing the following services on behalf of the city:
* Engage and work collaboratively with city administrators and city council to develop and implement a long-term strategy for the city’s economic development initiatives and programs;
* Provide an annual tactical plan that defined the key components to ensure that the long-term strategy and overall economic development objectives are achieved;
* Develop performance indicators that measure the success of the tactical plan in achieving the overall economic development objectives;
* Develop, implement and manage a comprehensive and successful economic development recruitment program for the defense, manufacturing, high-tech and emerging industries; Continued…
* Find new development opportunities critical to the continued growth of the city tax base;
* Identify marketing opportunities that will enhance the city’s long-term strategy for economic development initiatives and programs.
“I’m extremely excited to have Luke Bonner back and involved with the city’s economic development team,” said Mayor Michael Taylor. “As a former employee, Luke already knows the business landscape and I expect him to hit the ground running. I can’t think of a better person for this strategic position and we’re very fortunate to have him back.”
Vanderpool echoed Taylor’s comments.
“We have had tremendous success in the area of economic development and Luke was an integral part of it,” he said. “We have many initiatives and programs that will greatly benefit from Luke’s unique skillset.”
According to the agreement, the city will pay an annual flat fee of $150,000 (payable in monthly installments of $12,500) for the services provided by the Bonner Advisory Group.
Contact Sean Delaney at 586-323-8127 or sean.delaney@advisorsource.com. Follow him on Twitter @sdelaney81 or on Facebook at Sean Delaney. Subscribe to his Tout feed at http://ift.tt/1zD1Ydi
“I am pleased to partner with Sterling Heights on this new endeavor,” said founder Luke Bonner, a former economic development manager with the city. “Sterling Heights is on the cutting edge of economic development activity and the city’s accomplishments speak volumes. I look forward to working with the Sterling Heights Economic Development Team to position the city for continued economic development investments.”
Since leaving Sterling Heights, Bonner served as vice president of business development for Ann Arbor SPARK, an industry leader in the field of economic development. While with SPARK, Bonner spearheaded the redevelopment of the former Willow Run Powertrain Facility into a connected and autonomous vehicle test center.
Bonner also established critical partnerships with the University of Michigan, Center for Automotive Research and Walbridge to develop and market the Willow Run project to a global audience.
“He’s had a lot of additional experience since he left the city of Sterling Heights,” said City Manager Mark Vanderpool. “He has been a major player – not just in southeast Michigan, but also at the state level by working very closely the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.”
In his role as economic development consultant, Bonner will be responsible for performing the following services on behalf of the city:
* Engage and work collaboratively with city administrators and city council to develop and implement a long-term strategy for the city’s economic development initiatives and programs;
* Provide an annual tactical plan that defined the key components to ensure that the long-term strategy and overall economic development objectives are achieved;
* Develop performance indicators that measure the success of the tactical plan in achieving the overall economic development objectives;
* Develop, implement and manage a comprehensive and successful economic development recruitment program for the defense, manufacturing, high-tech and emerging industries;
* Identify programs and initiatives that enhance the Velocity Collaborative Center as a center for entrepreneurship and defense-related initiatives;
* Find new development opportunities critical to the continued growth of the city tax base;
* Identify marketing opportunities that will enhance the city’s long-term strategy for economic development initiatives and programs.
“I’m extremely excited to have Luke Bonner back and involved with the city’s economic development team,” said Mayor Michael Taylor. “As a former employee, Luke already knows the business landscape and I expect him to hit the ground running. I can’t think of a better person for this strategic position and we’re very fortunate to have him back.”
Vanderpool echoed Taylor’s comments.
“We have had tremendous success in the area of economic development and Luke was an integral part of it,” he said. “We have many initiatives and programs that will greatly benefit from Luke’s unique skillset.”
According to the agreement, the city will pay an annual flat fee of $150,000 (payable in monthly installments of $12,500) for the services provided by the Bonner Advisory Group.
Contact Sean Delaney at 586-323-8127 or sean.delaney@advisorsource.com. Follow him on Twitter @sdelaney81 or on Facebook at Sean Delaney. Subscribe to his Tout feed at http://ift.tt/1zD1Ydi
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Making Business School Research More Relevant – blogs.hbr.org (blog)
In a landmark 2005 Harvard Business Review article, USC business professors Warren Bennis and James O’Toole argued that the skills imparted by most business schools were not relevant to students and their eventual employers. The authors blamed business schools’ scientifically rigorous research into arcane areas – studies whose theories didn’t have to be proved to work in the real world, only to the academic journals in which they hoped to get published (and, they maintained, on which tenure depended). Do management professors “believe that the regard of their peers is more important than studying what really matters to executives who can put their ideas into practice?” Bennis and O’Toole wrote. “Apparently so.”
Nearly 10 years after the article was published, we believe this problem is even more acute, and that as such business schools need to get serious about making research more relevant to business. The best way do that is to emulate the world of medical research: conduct research and then put it into practice with real companies.
The rise of rigorous research in business schools has fostered an unfortunate paradox: business schools have become increasingly disconnected from practice. The reason is that business school faculty are almost exclusively rewarded on two metrics. First, they are rewarded for the number of scientific papers that they write that are published in prestigious journals that are exclusively controlled by, and read by, other academics. Second, they are rewarded by their citation count—the number of times their articles are cited by articles from other professors.
These incentives play a powerful role in how business schools are ranked. In fact, professors are often terminated during tenure evaluation if they do not perform well on these two dimensions. These incentives mean business professors spend most of their time searching for research topics they think will interest other business professors, conducting that research, and attending academic conferences to promote their work to other professors and increase citation counts. Professors who attend industry conferences or immerse themselves in the practice of business decrease the chances of performing well on publication and cite counts.
The result of this scholarly activity is a closed system. Business faculty create a body of knowledge that is scientifically novel, interesting, and important. But far too often, the research doesn’t address the real problems of entrepreneurs, managers, investors, marketers, and business leaders.
While many business professors view putting research into practice as incompatible with modern research universities, they only need to look across their campuses to academic medical centers to see that this view is outdated. Medical schools understand that patients are not well served by research driven solely by biologists, chemists, psychologists, and other research faculty who never treat patients.
Academic medical centers integrate research with practice through what the medical community refers to as “translational research.” Translational research takes scientific research conducted in the lab and makes it useful to people. Fully integrated translational research faculty are tenured professors who practice medicine and use the latest scientific techniques to answer questions about those techniques from practicing physicians. In addition, they often coauthor research papers with basic scientists and collaborate on clinical initiatives with clinical faculty.
The work of translational medical scientists means the knowledge production engines of medical schools advance basic science, applied science, and the practice of medicine. Why should business research and business professors be any different?
Five changes would initiate a new era of highly relevant business school research:
- Create translational business faculty appointments for professors who are trained in scientific research techniques and also want to be involved in business practice.
- Create and treat as prestigious translational business journals. Then make sure business school “scientists,” translational scientists, and practitioners jointly make publication decisions.
- Create translational business doctoral programs to build a cadre of future faculty who integrate research on business with practice by doing both.
- Actively seek out businesses to fund studies, and reward faculty who obtain corporate-funded research and thus reduce the reliance on university funding.
- In evaluating faculty performance, include business consulting activity (that comes out of research) and its impact on businesses.
To be sure, corporate funding of medical research for some time has been accused of biasing findings in favor of for-profit interests. Corporate-funded business school research has the potential for conflicts of interest as well. But the way to resolve them is through full disclosure of funding sources and high research standards. The academic journal referrees of any business study should look closely at whether its findings and research methodology could have been biased. For their part, researchers must specifically explain how their methodology eliminated such bias.
Getting business professors to change their research agenda requires deans who embrace fundamental institutional change. While such change is never easy, the good news is that business schools have a strong scientific capability to build upon. They only need to apply that capability to issues that are much more relevant to the organizations that will employ their graduates.
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Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Getting the most value from AWS Partner Network consultants – TechTarget
Although thousands of consultancies and systems integrators promise to be able to support Amazon Web Services (AWS) projects, AWS Partner Network (APN) consulting partners have gone through a vetting process to demonstrate their ability to successfully deliver solutions. “Hiring a consultant from the [APN] network ensures that they’ve invested in their AWS expertise and implies that AWS agrees,” said Max Oglesbee, associate partner,…
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head of client strategy at Control Group.
Many experts believe that Amazon has done a good job of demonstrating and improving the value of the APN to meet enterprise needs and consultant providers that can demonstrate business value. The AWS Partner Network has continued to evolve with additional proficiencies and certifications such as life sciences, big data, storage, Oracle, Microsoft and SAP that help ensure subject matter expertise in various domains. APN consulting partners are also able to leverage their insights into AWS use and billing so that enterprises end up with a well architected solution optimized for cost.
Chris Bunch, head of Cloudreach, U.K. & Ireland, explained, “From a client end user perspective, the search functionality is more effective, the competencies more numerous, the partner tiers more detailed and the overall experience slicker. This reflects AWS’ continual investment in the [APN] program, along with their general flair for continued innovation across their business.”
Solving real problems
Munjeet Singh, principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, said, “In a lot of these partner networks, it is hard to tell if it is just marketing fodder and if there is something behind it.” He argues that Amazon has done a good job because of the rigorous certification process. APN providers have to show how they migrated a business to solve real problems. The focus is not just in migrating a partner over but in also transforming a business. This process required significant effort in order to quantify things that had not been captured before, Singh said.
For example, Booz Allen worked with a pharmaceutical company to completely transform the vaccine yield process. Booz Allen was able to stand up the data science architecture inside of Amazon to analyze years of lab results in a way that had not been previously possible. Other pharmaceutical companies are now able to identify not only that a particular vendor has competency, but that it can also evaluate the kinds of transformations a partner has enabled for similar types of businesses.
APN consulting partners also help guide organizations to rethink their business processes in ways an enterprise might not have expected, Singh said. “As enterprises migrate applications to the cloud, they are entering a whole new world in which you can extract insights from the applications that had not been possible before. So securing a consulting partner that doesn’t just migrate applications, but understands data science, is critical.”
Network consultants have demonstrated they can address the human side of business transformation as well as the technology. This involves ensuring that people within government or an enterprise know how to manage the transformation. A good consulting partner can work with staff to ensure that the transformation focuses on enabling the organization to be competitive in the marketplace rather than eliminating staff, Singh said.
Working through the details
AWS is a relatively new technology that provides freedom for an enterprise to build its infrastructure as it sees fit. Because of this variability, it can be difficult for a nonexpert to tell the difference between a good AWS setup and a bad one since the devil is in the details, said Aater Suleman CEO at Flux7. A good consulting partner provides more information than what can be learned reading the AWS website, and organizations need it provided in a condensed form. APN consulting partners are able to help distill information about the best fit into meaningful guidance for the enterprise. “They need a fire hose of best practices that can only come with experience,” Suleman said.
Some consulting partners find that they can provide better outcomes by focusing their solution on the AWS cloud platform. Suleman explained, “Previously we supported a variety of clouds but found that we were not always able to provide as high-quality outcomes as we’d like to because the platforms were unstable or unpredictable in various ways that only architects would notice. By working closely with AWS and AWS technology providers, we are better able to deliver automated, self-healing environments that meet the needs of enterprises.”
Narrowing the field
The APN guide can also help an enterprise narrow down the field of consultants with specific skills and experience. Top tier partners can be sorted as well as partners with specific competencies, such as managed service providers, an IT services provider that assumes responsibility for a specific set of services or functions for the enterprise. Cloudreach’s Bunch expects Amazon to add to the list of competencies over time. He added, “The assurance is that AWS has verified the skills and experience of the organization, which for consultancy organizations includes checks on customer satisfaction and individual training and certification efforts amongst other items.”
The partner program can also make it easier to incorporate services from multiple providers to meet an enterprise’s desired goals by making it easier to identify potential providers. Consulting partners help enterprises navigate the complex landscape of solutions available through the AWS Marketplace, which includes over 1,900 options in 23 categories. For instance, an enterprise might procure consultancy, migration and operational services from a consulting partner and, at the same time, search the market for software vendors providing services around enterprise backup, business intelligence and database services.
Considerations for selecting a consulting partner
Cloudreach’s Bunch recommends enterprises ask the following questions in order to narrow down a short list of potential partners:
What is the APN partner tier? (Bunch suggests only considering Premier (top tier) partners in their region with a global reach.)
How many certifications does the partner have and what grade have they achieved?
What is the coverage of certifications across teams?
Do they have experienced, certified engineers, architects, project managers and operations engineers?
Do they have an established methodology relevant to the work being undertaken?
Can they explain it clearly?
Does it fit with how your organization would like to approach the opportunity?
It’s also vital to talk to the implementation team, which can help assess the cultural fit with the enterprise. “Never underestimate the importance of this, as the teams will need to work closely together on any project,” Bunch advised.
When considering how the service is priced, don’t get hung up on the lowest prices. “In consulting environments especially,” Bunch warned, “be wary of the cheapest provider. It’s likely that their staff doesn’t cost very much to retain (likely a concern in this strong cloud market), they’re not very busy as an organization (a worry in itself) or they want to ‘buy’ your business in order to learn the skills they need for future clients (clearly disastrous).”
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Share “7 Signs Your Business Is About to Fail” – NewsOK.com
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, around 50 percent of new businesses fail in the first five years. Bloomberg Businessweek paints an even gloomier picture, declaring that eight in ten businesses don’t make it past the first 18 months. Neither figure is particularly inspiring.
Here are seven signs that your business is about to join the thousands of ventures that barely make it past the starting blocks:
You Can’t Pay Your Bills on Time
While it’s natural for startups to run for several months with a negative cash flow and it’s okay for established businesses to experience slow seasons, a growing stack of unpaid bills is a clear warning sign that your business is on the rocks. If those bills include your employees’ paychecks, don’t try to kid yourself that your situation is not as dire as it seems and it’s just a temporary cash flow problem. Failing to pay wages and other bills is a slippery slope to failure.
Your Talent Is Walking out the Door
Losing the odd member of your team to a better deal is normal, but if you notice your staff are flocking toward new pastures, you have a serious problem on your hands. According to Inc., a business that continually hemorrhages employees is probably suffering from mismanagement. That’s a problem in itself, but your misery won’t end there. Replacing a staff member can cost your business between 30 and 400 percent of their annual salary. Ouch.
All Your Income Comes from a Handful of Customers
The world seems like a better place when your business is doing well, but is it doing as well as you think? The Pareto principle tells you that 80 percent of your sales will come from 20 percent of your customers. If you find that figure is less than the accepted 20, it could be time to jump on your cell phone to talk to customers who don’t contribute to your takings as much as they should.
You Realize Your Business Is No Different than Your Competitors
Unless you’ve struck gold and discovered an untapped niche, the chances are you’re offering exactly the same product or service as a competitor or two. Differentiating your business from others in the same market is key to your success, and contrary to what you may believe, it doesn’t come down to price and price alone. Standing out from your competitors might take the form of great customer service or unbeatable after sales support. If you aren’t doing things differently, your business could be in trouble.
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