Advertising Through Eco-Friendly Products

Many companies are shifting their focus from traditional promotional products to recyclable promotional products. It is a great way to show customers that the company cares about the environment and supports the use of Biodegradable Plastic Cups. Plastic cups cannot be used as giveaways at trade shows they are ideal for company parties and product launch events where you expect a huge turnout of people.

Caterers, coffee shops and fast food restaurants have opted to use plastic cutlery as it saves time and money on washing plates and cups. Packing food in plastic containers for take away orders makes it easier for the customers to carry the food in a hygienic way. Once the food has consumed the plastic in disposed off. Plastic products produced using environmentally friendly methods are much cheaper and are gaining popularity in the market, as they do not produce greenhouse gases, which are harmful for the environment during manufacturing.

To create awareness in the market for your product and company, you can easily brand the plastic cups and tins so make them look more attractive. Event organizers too are using these products to create hype about an event. Having custom-made plates and cups at your Christmas party is a good way to differentiate you from competitors.

Marketing your products through Biodegradable Paper Cups is also a good way to encourage your customers to buy products made in a similar way. Creating awareness in the market through your products shows customers that you take the environment and issued related its preservation very seriously.

Both plastic and paper biodegradable cups can hold hot as well as cold liquids. The inner lining of the cups made from petroleum which makes them stronger compared to normal plastic cups and paper cups, which break easily and cannot hold hot liquids.

Thanks to governments campaign that educate the public about the use of recyclable material. Many people have started using plastic and paper plates, cups and bowls when hosting parties. In fact many households today are using these items to save money on electricity and water. Dishwashers use a lot of water and run on electricity. The price of both has increased over the years in many countries around the globe and so to cut expenses people today are using throw away cutlery. Do your homework and search online for affordable prices and learn how to dispose the items in a proper way.

Source: http://cupjunction.com/

Twin Cities awakens to heavy rains, flash flood warnings

Booming thunder awakened many residents before 4 a.m. Thursday as heavy rainfall pounded the Twin Cities metro, flooding roadways and prompting the issuance of flash flood warnings for several metro counties.

The National Weather Service warned of rainfall totals of an inch or two an hour, which could lead to flooding in ponds and streams, and affect roadways.

A flash flood warning for Hennepin County is in place until 1 p.m., while Ramsey and Dakota counties are under a flash flood warning until Friday morning.

Early this morning, standing water already was causing problems:

-Standing water blocked the right lane on Hwy. 280 at Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

-Cedar Avenue was covered in water in both directions near the Mall of America.

-Traffic was slogging its way along westbound 494 at Pilot Knob Road and ahead at Portland Avenue.

Hwy. 169 in the Belle Plaine area was also under water.

By 6 a.m, the weather service based in La Crosse, Wis., was warning of 40-50 mph winds and torrential rainfall in Rochester, Minn., from 6:15 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Dakota Electric reported that 1,300 customers were without power as of 6 a.m. in the Lakeville area. "We don't [know] the cause yet, but personnel are working on it," the company's Twitter feed said.

Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a blaze at a Lakeville home near Foilage Avenue and Frazer Path, police confirmed.

The potential for flooding remains high in much of southern Minnesota through tonight.

“Much of the Minnesota River and the Mississippi River from St. Paul down toward Red Wing could reach flood stage by the weekend,” said a statement issued by the weather service’s Chanhassen office.

The weather service said Minnehaha Creek was rising quickly, threatening to overflow its banks in Edina, Minnetonka and south Minneapolis.

Elsewhere, flood advisories issued after 2 a.m. Thursday for Clay and Redwood counties remain active until 9 a.m.

In northeastern Minnesota, the Duluth Fire Department issued a red flag warning for Park Point beaches yesterday that continues until 10 a.m. Thursday. The warning means wind and wave conditions support deadly rip currents.

The heavy rainfall in the Upper Midwest this week has caused devastating losses and led to dramatic rescues.

On Wednesday, coaches and rowers from the University of Minnesota rescued an injured woman from the Mississippi River who’d become tangled in trees. In southeastern Wisconsin, firefighters rescued two men after their truck rolled into a flooded ditch.

Residents of Mankato were coping with flooded roads and basements on Wednesday, while bracing for more downpours on Thursday. And farmers in central Minnesota and elsewhere were counting their losses from flooded fields.

The rain is expected to continue off and on in the Twin Cities through the evening, with the possibility of damaging winds and hail. Friday promises to be mostly cloudy with the possibility of scattered showers

Source: http://www.startribune.com

Eureka! winner: Bryant Lake Restaurant Group

When it comes to innovation, Kim Bartmann’s philosophy is: “The sun will come out tomorrow.”

Tiny Diner, the soon-to-open seventh eatery from her Bryant Lake Bowl Restaurant Group, will sport a 22-kilowatt solar array that doubles as a patio roof.

“Our reflectors are translucent, so you can see the sky above them,” Bartmann said. “They reflect the hot light into the solar panel and let the cool air come through. We designed it that way, specifically. We have gutters underneath so people can sit under there in the rain.”

Though the Tiny Diner building is minuscule, Bartmann believes the solar array may be one of the largest visible in the metro. The array measures almost 60 feet by 60 feet and weighs nearly 30,000 pounds.

“It’s creating a lot of excitement. It’s a really cool, big, shiny object,” she said. “It’s also one of the very first and largest dedicated-structure solar arrays.”

Most solar installations are on the ground or on top of a roof, but Tiny Diner’s is built on a custom steel framework. In December, a crane was used to place the largest single photovoltaic array ever lifted in one piece in Minnesota, possibly in all of North America, said Tom Reinke, director of Sundial Solar Consultants, who installed the system.

Bartmann believes that the building’s visibility is a powerful endorsement of solar power, but she also sees the tangible benefits of going solar.

“It does ‘spin our meter backwards,’ ” she said. “The energy it produces comes off our bill. Restaurants use a lot of energy, and energy efficiency is one of the most significant steps a restaurant can take. To engage in energy production and efficient technology helps my bottom line.”

Tiny Diner’s system produces enough energy to power from four to six average residential homes.

Bartmann also is working to convince others of the business case for alternative-energy sources.

“Regardless of whether you believe in climate change or are a friend of the environment, if you own a business, it is costing you money to not engage in energy and water efficiency and produce less waste. When you do those things, you discover other things in your business that are of an operational benefit.”

Bartmann’s use of energy-efficient technologies carries across all her restaurants. The Red Stag Supperclub opened in 2007 with a LEED-CI Silver Certification, the first in Minnesota. Pat’s Tap has a 10-kilowatt solar array on its roof, and Bartmann anticipates a LEED Retail Platinum certification.

“We have more work to do with energy efficiency, and there’s always new technology,” Bartmann said.

Bryant Lake Bowl Restaurant Group
Owner: Kim Bartmann
Headquarters: Minneapolis (above Barbette)
Revenue:$12.5 million
Employees: More than 300
Year founded: First restaurant opened in 1991
Web: TinyDiner.com

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com

Who Is Responsible For Bad Debts: Collection Department or Management?

Bad debt is truly bad to bear for a company. In fact, it is quite dirty one as well. But, the questions arise here, why does this happen and how does this happen? If a company or a financial institution could able to find out the right answers of these two important questions, then probably no more bad debt would happen. Let’s try to solve it out.
Generally, when debts or credits are not recovered then it is known as the bad debt. It is said that the credit department is liable for that. It means if a company is suffering with high bad debts then the collection department is not doing its work properly. However, the question is how far it is correct. Is it truly the responsibility of collection department? Does not the management have any role there in bad debts? These are very debatable questions, but important too. Here, the solution of the problem is hidden.

Let’s move to the very first question why does this happen. The reasons mainly include more extended credit period and more flexible eligibility criteria for credit. If a person gets more than enough credit period, then there is a possibility that he or she may not be quite concerned to repay the credit during the middle or last phase of the payment period.  Extending the credit period is just like extending the duration of a baby’s diaper. It becomes too much dirty and it happens in credit too. Similarly, if a person gets easily credit approval even if he or she does not have the eligibility for the same, then also it becomes a great risk for the company.

Hence, those are the source of bad debts, in which collection department does not play any role. Who takes those decisions? It is none other than the management. They do such things to achieve the targets or capture more market or to increase its clients or sales. Thus, targets get achieved and sales go marvelous and finally, bad debts occur. So, where the collection department is responsible now? Collections department is like the doctor of the sick accounts of a company. If some of those or most of those are out of treatment procedure, then what could collection department do? 

Source: http://www.leanworkingcapital.com

Failure Teaches You About Leadership

Here are (5) things failure can teach you about leadership that can make you a better person too:

1.      Confront Your Failure and Learn from It

Instead of running away from or masking the failure you experienced, take the time to reflect upon the situation.  Confront the issue head-on and evaluate what you could have done better and identify the lessons learned.

If other people were involved (directly or indirectly), ask them to provide you feedback and identity the opportunities that can be seized from this learning moment.   Quickly create a plan of action while the pain you experienced is fresh and begin to outline how the key learnings from the failure can be used in different situations.

2.      Build Your Team and Make the Business Better
Early on in my corporate career, I was responsible for losing a business relationship that cost the company $5 million dollars in annual revenue.       At the time, my leadership style was too relaxed and I trusted the management system that I had inherited – from production, inventory, and quality control to marketing and customer service, etc. – rather than being proactive about making the system better.

This failed relationship forced me to find ways to make the system more effective and interdependent upon the decisions made by each departmental leader.  In the process of reinventing the system, it made our team stronger and more united. We all matured   and designed an entirely new set of best practices that renewed our entire business model; this allowed us to acquire new business relationships and become a much more innovative company.

Failure teaches you about who you can trust and depend upon.  It gives you real perspective about who really has your back.

3.      Trust Your Gut and Make More Decisions

Allow failure to make you stronger and wiser.  With this attitude you must become fearless when embarking upon new ventures.   As such, failure should empower you to trust your gut and thus enable you to make better decisions; based on your failed experiences,  you will be better equipped to navigate new situations.

This may sound counter-intuitive, but once you understand why you failed you may realize that you weren’t that far away from success.  In other words, now that you have taken the time to reflect upon what you could have done to avoid failure, it puts you in a position of strength that allows you to trust your instincts.  This also allows you to be more resourceful with your relationships.  It enables your entrepreneurial spirit as a leader –  and you can begin to see opportunities with greater clarity and focus.

Many people have the tendency to quit when faced with the disruption that failure can bring.  I have learned that failure gives you hope if you allow yourself to manage through the adversity rightly.  I encourage you to read this poem written by former College Football Head Coach, Terry Hoeppner, “Don’t Quit.”

4.      Second Chances are All Around You

Failure is not fatal.   It is a wake-up call for the next opportunity.   Remember, opportunity is the true mother of success.  As such, you must never forget that second chances are all around you.  With this lens, failure allows you to see opportunities with broader observation.   You can now identity the opportunities that lie around, beneath and beyond what you seek – thus widening your field of opportunity.

I have always found that with failure comes opportunity. Never forget this. How you go about seizing the next opportunity gets you closer to learning how to overcome adversity. Each encounter with failure makes you understand why the following quote has become so popular:  “If I only knew then what I know now.”

5.      Appreciate Your Leadership Responsibilities

Failure has always opened my eyes to appreciate my responsibilities as a leader.  It’s made me think about my duty, its impact on others and the business at-large.   It has made me want to become a more effective leader by finding innovative ways to improve my skills.  In fact, I am a student of leadership.   I practice what I teach (as a consultant) by studying how great leaders have overcome adversity.

Source: http://www.forbes.com