End of the Season and End of an Era

Well, it is over, the Osbourn Park High School football team played its last game a week ago.  No more cold nights watching a football game. Of course I went to watch the cheerleaders, since my daughter is on the varsity squad. 

I will miss it. 

It is like any sport my kids took part in. I loved going to the event. My son's cross country and track meets and my daughter's cheering.  It is rewarding as a parent to see a child take an interest in a sport. Cheering at my son's events and participating in my daughter's cheers was just a lot of fun. We cheered for our son and his teammates.  Of course we all took pride when a team member won.  

When I did occasionally cheer for my daughter's cheer squad, she would remind me no one cheers for the cheer team. Watching them as part of a team was also rewarding.  

Early morning or late nights, it did not matter. The entire experience was a real treat. The food was okay.  Gatorade was always on sale. The prices quite reasonable. However, the hot chocolate and coffee were, well let me just say, I could use more flavor.  And this applied to all venues I ever attended. 

One fond memory of my son's track meets were the way fellow athletes would cheer when he ran.  The female members were especially vocal, one used to really call out the boys. She would yell comments like speed it up, a Marshall high school runner is coming up fast and you cannot let him ahead of you. You have to love those female runners.  What great spirit. 

The other part of this is my fellow parents who also took an interest in these activities.  You form a unique bond. You cheer for their kids and they cheer for yours. When you see these parents at other places, you immediately feel a connection and always start with a comment or question about their child. 

For parents that choose not to be involved in their kids activities, I think they miss a very special part of their life. 

A final note.  Frankly when I was selecting a photo to include, I was shocked at how many pics I took. It is in the hundreds.  

This is James at the state competition. He is running in the 4x400 relay.

Peggy on her cheer box.

On a positive side, high school basketball season will soon start. However, as a West Texan, it is not football. 

Manufacturing in the U.S. - Points to Consider

Economic development is a rewarding and exciting profession.  It offers unique challenges in a unique and dynamic environment.  Most importantly, it continually gives opportunities to help entrepreneurs, emerging businesses and citizens.  We like to help solve problems. Sometimes our company executives face issues we are not immediately aware of.  This post highlights one.

This article appeared in Fortune Magazine by freelance writer Ms. Jennifer Alsever.  If you do not follow her twitter feed, I highly recommend it. The title of the article is “Smaller Businesses Struggle to Make It in the U.S.” Since it is about small manufacturers in the U.S., it is a clever play on words.  Ms. Alsever looks at the manufacturing renaissance in the country.  Her main point is numerous small manufacturers want to produce more in the U.S. but have trouble sourcing key parts.

This is indicative of the decline of manufacturing in the U.S. over the past decade and half. Just consider this, since 2014, over 63,000 factories have closed.  The impact is far reaching.  Consider the skill sets lost and reduction in manufacturing oriented training courses. 

What can we do?  First, identify these firms.  Second, try to access databases that might help emerging manufacturers find sources of product. Third, work with technical and/or community colleges to offer training relevant to these firms.  An additional part of the third recommendation is to work with the emerging manufacturers in the area to build a critical mass of needed skill sets.

The link to Ms. Alsever’s article follows.

http://fortune.com/2014/10/30/small-business-manufacturing-usa

Labor Day - A Different Perspective

Most stories look at Labor Day from the perspective of the factory worker.  That is important, but today I offer a different perspective.

On this day I am reading my Kindle with cooking shows in the background. Now why am I listening to cooking shows?  A major surprise to my friends - I gave my wife control of the remote.  Before you ask, yes I really did. 

So today I am listening to Tricia Yearwood's cooking show, Tricia's Southern Kitchen, and Pioneer Woman. 

On one of Yearwood's episodes she talked about her grandmother and how she cooked a lunch and dinner every day. That made me think about this perspective on Labor Day.  It is the labor of mothers and grandmothers cooking meals every day.

My friends all know this about me, I am half Lebanese. My mother is a full blooded Lebanese lady. My friends also know I was raised in Midland, Texas.  My mother and Sitie (Lebanese for grandmother) cooked hearty, healthy meals. However, even though I was raised in the South/Southwest, my mother and Sitie did not cook much Southern food.  Most of the food had an Arabic flavor to it. In fact, in my parents' home, if you had half a gallon of virgin olive oil and/or 10 cloves of garlic, you were running dangerously low on absolutely key ingredients. 

My wife is the Southern cook. You name any Southern dish and the chances are she cooked it.

All three take great pride in their meals and signature dishes.  All three are meticulous cooks.  For the family, they use the best ingredients, spend considerable time on prepping and seasoning, and when appropriate, presentation. 

This is labor and one of love. It takes time to go to the store or stores for the right ingredients, washing and prepping food, seasoning, cooking, serving and you get the idea.  The family sits down at the dinner table, enjoys food and conversation and then their goes separate ways. Perhaps to study or a school related activity.  To get to that point, it takes labor. However, the benefits are immense (as I suspect all three ladies realized that years ago).  A meal can bind a family for a short time, it feeds hungers (appetite and togetherness) and encourages discussions. 

So as you think of Labor Day, remember the mothers, grandmothers and wives who labor in a kitchen every night so a family can bond.  What a great gift.

The Importance of Passion

First, congratulations to my daughter for earning a spot on the Osbourn Park High School Varsity Cheer squad.  She will be a Yellow Jacket cheerleader for another season and during her senior year. The first home game is this Friday.

All parents want to see their children succeed.  We want them to find their passion. Often times a parent's interests and passions are far different than our children.  It certainly is in my case.  Since I was uncoordinated as a teenager, my interest was more cerebral. That interest was debate. 

My son was interested in forensics and track. My daughter in dance and cheer. Both lettered in high school, my son in track and my daughter in cheer.  For that I am pleased and for several reasons. 

I always enjoyed attending a track meet where my son ran the 400, 4 x 4, or cross country and cheering him and the team.  My daughter's dance competitions and cheering at games were a thrill.  I tried to go to as many competitions and parent events as possible through the years. One benefit is watching my kids and their friends improve every year. That is a real reward. 

Their dedication to sports forced me to take an interest in several activities I would have not given much thought to. Now, I look for track meets and cheer competitions on the various sports channels.  Of course I follow with great interest the Summer Olympic track competitions. For that I am grateful.

Passion drives you to excel. For example, my daughter's tumbling, gymnastics and dance all helped her earn a position on the varsity cheer squad. She worked hard for several weeks.  And not only in school, but also at home.  

Equally, passion from one can also be instilled in others. Back in college I ran. I would not win any competitions, but I enjoyed it. For some reason I stopped.  After I dropped some weight and watched my son run in track meets, I decided to take up running again. A big benefit to living in Northern VA and Prince William County is the abundance of outstanding trails. At one point I was running 5 times a week.  After an injury I am working my way back. 

However, the most important point is my love of running was rekindled by my son's track experiences.  When we are all together, my son, my daughter and I start a run together, but never end together.  That is the power of passion.

hhttp://www.yellowjacketathletics.org/index.cfm?action=main.teamroster&id=27198ttp://www.yellowjacketathletics.org/index.cfm?action=main.teamheadline&id=27198&headlineid=20293213

Not Getting It

I read the Politico every day. It is an excellent political journal with outstanding writers.

One story posted a while ago caught my interest. It was about Michelle Kwan and controversy she encountered when she did a commercial for Coke and the hypocrisy of her serving on President Obama’s Council on Fitness, Nutrition and Sports.

Ms. Kwan was harshly criticized by some association I have never heard of and does not deserve a mention in this piece. Yes, this sounds cynical, but sometimes I think third tier no name associations make such ridiculous charges against a celebrity to gain their (undeserved) 15 minutes of fame.  And by raising the organization’s profile, also raise funds. 

Now I do not get it.  Ms. Kwan is a talented athlete and intelligent lady. For her to endorse Coca-Cola and also serve on a fitness and nutrition council does not raise any red flags to me.  Ms. Kwan is not saying drink a 12 pack of Coke every day. 

Have we become so inflexible that you must agree entirely with an organization?  Not getting it. I cannot get my family to agree with me on 100 percent of everything I know is right, so why would I expect it from anyone else.  And yes, I do know what is right.

Frankly, in debate we called this a red herring. You have nothing else to say, so attack something so insignificant and try to blow it out of proportion. Put the other side on the defensive.  Or in this case, put Ms. Kwan on the defensive. 

My suggested response for Ms. Kwan, “I apologize, now who did you say is criticizing me for my commercial and public service activities?”  She is told the name of the organization. And her response is “Never heard of it.”

From the Politico

MICHELLE KWAN SKATES INTO HEALTH CARE CONTROVERSY — The former figure-skating champion is being criticized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for promoting Coca-Cola for the Sochi Olympics while at the same time serving on the President’s Council on Fitness, Nutrition and Sports. Kwan is pictured on Coca-Cola’s website holding a bottle of non-diet Coke. It’s “unacceptable” to allow makers of junk foods to “rent Michelle Kwan or other council members,” according to CSPI. But the National Center for Public Policy Research quickly defended Kwan, calling CSPI the “food police.” “This absolutist view is not only absurd, it undermines public health by suggesting that people who enjoy an occasional sugary beverage cannot be active, athletic and healthy,” NCPPR said. CSPI’s release

The Customer is (Usually) Always Right

I really enjoyed a recent AP news story, but not for the problems the owners of Amy’s Baking Co. experienced.  Rather, this story crystallizes the ever increasing power of social media and the rising demand for customer service.  It offers all of us an excellent learning experience.

The article highlighted a business owner (Amy’s Baking Co.) struggling with constant negative social media posts.  You may recall the name from the series “Kitchen Nightmares.” The reaction by the owners to these critiques was highly combative.  The owners basically called the people posting negative comments stupid, etc. As my mentor used to tell me, do not argue with a company that buys ink by the barrel. He was referring to a newspaper.  We also hear for every bad experience, the person wronged will tell 10 people.  Today, a person wronged will tell thousands of people.  In short, is it unwise to provoke a person highly skilled in the application of social media.

The owners’ reaction was so harsh and so negative it inspired several articles on what not to do on social media.  This one from Forbes is one of the best.  It is by Ms. Kelly Clay.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/05/14/lessons-from-amys-baking-company-six-things-you-should-never-do-on-social-media/

Years ago when I lived in Columbia, SC, I drove by a new car dealership. Across the street was a car apparently purchased from the dealership.  A large painted yellow sign claimed that the dealership sold him a “lemon” and you do not want to buy a car from the dealership because it might be a lemon too.  I think we do not take these activities seriously, because it is one man making a claim. Now, take that same man and put him on Twitter and Facebook. Others will read it and they may add a gripe they have. If the message is written in an intelligent manner, it may lead to more critical comments.  For a business, that is a real danger, especially if you throw lighting fuel on the flames.

This brings me to the second part - customer service.  Experience tells us to admit to a problem, show a solution and offer something of value to the dissatisfied customer.  Telling a customer that they are stupid or just plain insulting them will never get you very far (recall the previous paragraph).  As a business owner, you may disagree with a customer, but remember, social media is about words used to generate emotional responses.  How do you show humor or irony in 140 characters?  It is very difficult. Equally important, it is easier and probably the right approach for a business to admit the customer may have a point or politely correct a misconception. And, be sure to read the Forbes article, the link is in the article.