Akron Today Magazine

Akron Lifestyle and Entertainment

Featured Interviews

Hilarious “Will There Be Free Appetizers?” Interview with Don Ake

What is different about being a humor writer in Northeast Ohio?

I am a middle-age guy in the Midwest writing about common subjects from my odd perspective.  My essays reflect Midwest values to which people living here can easily relate to.  There is one titled “The Chicago Cubs Suck” about how I felt right after the Indians lost the World Series. All Cleveland sports fans can relate to that one. There is another about having to walk my dog in sub-zero temperatures. While the book is not about Northeast Ohio, most of the stories happen here and there are numerous local references.

Some of your topics appear fairly mundane, how do they become funny?

I have the ability to find the humor in simple, everyday things. Many people compared my first book to the television show Seinfeld.  The first essay in the book is about rice cakes.  It’s like almost 900 words on just rice cakes. But people love that one, because it’s funny and if you have ever failed at a diet, you know how it feels.

How is this book different from your first one, “Just Make Me A Sammich”?

It is smoother and more consistent. My writing style has evolved over time so what you get is a more cohesive read from beginning to end.  I worked closely with my editor to smooth out the rough edges and make this one more digestible to a wider audience.

Why the change?

As my writing has changed, so has my audience.  My blog probably has more female readers than male readers now.  Also, my readers are very diverse.  I can’t believe how many enjoy my writing.  And I have a world wide audience.

How do you write humor that is not always politically correct to a diverse audience in 2018?

I’m not really sure how I do it. It goes back to those Midwest values. I don’t make fun of people for who they are, only what they do. I am writing from the perspective of a middle-age guy, so not everyone is going to get my humor. And that’s okay, lots of people do, and it’s great that a wide range of people find my stuff hilarious.

Where did the title come from?

From a story about a meeting that advertised free appetizers but didn’t have any and how upset I got because of this. Everyone loves free food, so they can relate.  The quest for my desire of free appetizers is a running theme throughout the book.

You have written two, funny, off-beat books. Not an easy process. What motivates you?

I write to make people laugh and brighten their day. Often people will tell me that they had a tough day at work and they come home and read my stuff and feel so much better.  The best compliment I get is from people who tell me they very rarely laugh out loud, but they did when they read my book.

Being funny comes naturally to me. That’s why I can find humor in almost any appropriate subject.  Writing well enough to do a book and the editing process, that’s what is difficult.

How do get readers to literally laugh out loud at your writing?

I don’t tell jokes. I am like an artist who makes you paint funny pictures in your head. While you are painting you can’t see the final product. When you do, you can’t help but laugh.  Because you have painted the picture, you find it funnier. So instead of my humor going from the outside in, lots of times it comes from the inside out.

How do you want someone to feel when they finish your book?

I want them to have a smile on their face and remember all the times they cracked up reading it.

Which essay is your favorite in Will There Be Free Appetizers?

It was easy for me to answer this question for book one, but I can’t choose a favorite in book two. There were numerous times I had to stop while editing because I was laughing out loud at my own writing. There is an essay that tells what my life would be like if every email in my spam folder was legitimate. Like if you really were going to inherit a million dollars from a lost uncle, and a young, beautiful Russian heiress really wanted to marry you.  That one probably cracks me up the most.

There is also the story of meeting my old flame after 40 years at the high school reunion.  This was the most personal and deep writing I have ever done. But it is still funny and very familiar to a lot of people.

Who will enjoy this book the most?

Middle-aged guys will laugh the most.  A lot of guys haven’t read a book in years, but my book is very easy to read because it’s all short essays that you can read one at a time.  It is a great “bathroom” or beach book. As I mentioned before, women enjoy my writing because I’m open and honest about guy stuff.  There is a chapter in the book titled “Guys Do Stupid Stuff” which is very popular with women.  But the book will be entertaining to most people older than 30.

Why should someone read this book?

This world is so stressful and we just don’t laugh enough. You need to find laughter, or some amusement in something every day.  It’s important for your mental physical health. That’s why I do what I do, and the book provides this to a bigger audience. You will relate, you will be amused and you will laugh.

Your day job is working as an economist-analyst in the trucking industry. How does that have anything to do with humor writing?

It is an odd combination, but I can work with numbers as well as words. Seeing the humor in everything just comes naturally to me. There is even a chapter in the first books with funny essays on economics.

Where can I buy your book?

You can get a personalized signed copy for a total price $13.50 (shipping included) at donake.net. It is also available on Amazon and other Internet retailers. There is also a Kindle version.

Find out more about Don Ake at https://www.facebook.com/donakeauthor/ or Twitter @theakeman
 

 

 

Celebrating 200 Homes Built in Akron, Ohio area

Recently Habitat For Humanity Summit County completed their 200th home in the Akron area.  Akron Today Magazine interviewed Habitat For Humanity Summit County CEO and President, Rochelle Sibbio. Here is the Q&A.

1) In 2018, Habitat For Humanity Summit County is building it’s 200th home. How does that feel and what are the goals for the next five years?

It feels amazing to know that we have helped 200 families become homeowners in our community! From the beginnings of the Summit County Habitat affiliate to today I don’t know that the founding board members thought we would get this far in our history. Our very first project was a rehab of a home on Sylvan Avenue and Dorothy Connelly is still the owner of that home today. In the next five years aggressively we would like to build 10 new homes a year, repair 20 homes a year and continue our deconstruction program as a leader in the industry and with Habitat around the US. We are projected to grow our ReStore to $2 million in gross revenue in the next five years and we started that this April by opening an additional day a week.

2) How has your mission changed over the years and what is the primary focus now?

Habitat’s mission has been steadfast for 42 years since it was founded in Americus, GA in 1977; to eliminate substandard housing and a vision where everyone has a decent place to live. While the language and sentencing may have changed over the years the mission and vision remain rooted in homeownership. In the last several years, many affiliates, including ours, began an exterior home repair program. Our goal is to keep families warm, safe, and dry in their homes which many times can lessen the utility bills and maintain the home as an affordable place to live and raise a family. The Summit County affiliate was more of an in-fill builder (one home here one home there) and over the last five years we have focused more on specific neighborhoods where we can do Neighborhood Revitalization which can mean building new construction homes, home repair and deconstruction/demolition work to make way for development once the blight is removed. With the opening of the Summit County ReStore in 2007 the community has supported this venture to provide the necessary funding to continue our mission and expand our mission to do more. But there is always more to do!

3) What does your organization need most? Money? Volunteers? Donated Items?

I would say all of those are highly needed by our affiliate. The funding is needed to build each home, repair each home in advance of the project completion. Habitat is not made whole at the closing of a mortgage since we act as the developer, general contractor, and mortgage holder and servicer. Our families pay us back over the 30 year life of the zero interest mortgage but our building materials have to be paid for as the home is built. Volunteers build nearly 80% of each home from raising walls, hanging siding, installing insulation, putting up drywall – mudding it and finishing it, prime and paint walls, to installing windows and doors and completing the landscaping. It’s a heavy lift! Approximately 2,500 hours to build a home with volunteers and generally over 300 volunteers per project. The donated items that aren’t geared for new construction are placed in our ReStore for sale to the general public. Those dollars fill our gaps in construction and keep the lights on and a roof over the head of the staff that work side by side with families.

4) How do your homes help the greater neighborhoods they are in?

Habitat homes raise property values, especially when we are blessed to build more than one or two homes on a street or in a particular neighborhood. For example, we recently completed two homes side by side in Cuyahoga Falls on Magnolia Street. They were the first two new construction homes on the street since 1987 and prior to that one house built the housing stock on the street dated into the 1940’s and 1950’s. The homes appraised at $145,000 each and will help to increase property values of the neighboring homes. We inspire in neighborhoods as well especially when we do Neighborhood Reborn projects which are our exterior home repair which takes place in specific neighborhoods. We are highly focused with this work in Akron’s Middlebury area and will be doing NRVII in May and moving up to the University Park Neighborhood for the August and October NRVIII and NRIX. While we may be able to complete upwards of 10 home repair projects for homeowners we work with the tenant occupied properties to install solar powered security lights, plant flowers and flower bulbs, and some other general landscape and empower all residents of the street whether homeowners or renters to come together for the betterment of their neighborhood.

5) How can people find out more about you and get involved?

Our website is a wealth of information on being a volunteer on the job site or in the ReStore. We also have a weekly electronic newsletter that is pushed out to our subscribers every Tuesday afternoon that is filled with information about what’s coming up and items that are new in the ReStore. We are also happy to come to workplace, church, service club or community meeting and tell our story and offer ways that people can sign up to join our efforts in making sure that everyone has a decent place to live.

Heritage Ohio With Joyce Barrett

We interviewed Joyce Barrett, executive director at Heritage Ohio to find out more about how the organization she leads is helping preserve Ohio heritage and maintain a sense of place in downtown areas around Ohio

Why did you get involved in Heritage Ohio and what is your main goal?

I started working for Heritage Ohio in 2004 because I have a passion for how historic buildings make a stronger community, both visually appealing but also the connection to people of the past. If you do not value the environment –the town- you inherited, will the people in the future care for the mark you leave?

Why are you passionate about saving historical building instead of developing new, modern buildings to revitalize a town?

I actually really like good modern architecture too, I think all historic preservationists agree, architecture and buildings are meant to have an impact on people. This is why in the middle ages people built cathedrals, they are inspirational architecture,  churches transport you to be nearer to God.  Historic Theaters the same, the fanciful or grand interiors transport your imagination to new possibilities.  Schools have left that behind, unfortunately, they should be a physical presence, which inspires. I heard Garrison Keillor speak about the old train terminal in St. Paul, because of the grandeur, “You knew you were going someplace.”

Most contemporary buildings have become so utilitarian, they no longer add to a person’s experience. However, modern buildings can and do serve that purpose.  In revitalization connecting the past to the present is important that each generation has a presence. Communities do not have the financial resources to tear everything down and start over. Would you want that if you could? Ick.  The environmental concerns come into play also. It is disingenuous when schools teach kids to recycle paper and pop cans, but do not repurpose school buildings. What a waste,

How do you know when an older property is worth revitalizing?

You do not always know, but the trained eye has a good idea.  Many people equate old with bad or obsolete. Many find treasure in antiques and design.  In our profession, there is a difference between historic and old.  A historic building has been documented and we know its story.

Many old buildings are waiting to tell their story; we just do not know much about them….yet.  Some older buildings were built cheaply, but most were not, they have the advantage of having been built with old growth wood, and materials and artisanship that today we might consider cost prohibitive.  Older school buildings had terrazzo and wood floors, which would last for centuries. Now they use carpet (ugh) and tile that has higher maintenance and replacement costs.

We have seen tons of older buildings where the roof has been missing for decades…yet still has good bones & integrity. Communities need people who know HOW TO DO preservation to evaluate the possible rehabilitation. Many uninformed officials have passed judgement on buildings that “must be demolished” and are frequently been proven wrong.

How do older buildings contribute to a better community?

As I mentioned before people interact with the architecture in their environment. Architecture should enhance the human experience, not dull our senses, nor be invisible. “Sense of Place” is a very popular catch phrase….but it is ultimately about living in a place that provides a better life for everyone…green spaces, trees, public art, walkable/bikeable streets, sidewalk cafes, local businesses, events and activities where you congregate to meet your neighbors. The decades of architectural styles – big windows, interesting details help make our lives worth living.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5-10 years?

At Heritage Ohio, I hope more communities get involved in the Ohio Main Street Program. This gives everyone in their town the opportunity to become engaged in big ways, opening a business, or small ways, like participating in clean-up days.

We want to see more financial tools available to help people help themselves, through policies like historic tax credits.

Heritage Ohio is also developing a revolving loan fund, to make money accessible to building owners. Commercial banking continues to have more constraints; we think a Saving Ohio Revolving Loan Fund could enhance traditional commercial lending to see more projects happen.

I want Ohio’s cities to have the “cool” factor associated with them, such that people, young and old want to move to Ohio, because they know Ohio communities are focused on a high quality of life for all residents

How can people get involved more in their community?

If you have an Ohio Main Street Program, or a Downtown Affiliate program in your community, send an email, give a call. I think people can band together informally, just ask one or two people to do a project with you. People do not often think of volunteering for their “city” but Chambers and Visitors Bureaus.

How can people find out more about Heritage Ohio and you?

Become a member of Heritage Ohio, follow us on Facebook. Attend one of our trainings or events, which take place around the state. We also do monthly webinars to bring more information to Ohioans.  We have a YouTube channel where people can watch past webinars. Call us, we’re happy to talk to people out there interested in historic preservation and community revitalization.

Heritage Ohio’s mission is: helping people to save the places that matter | build community | live better.

 

Helping Your Student With His Writing

Writing, for many students is a painstaking chore that they would rather not do.  Many teachers complain that students do not even know how to write an introduction, let alone a whole essay.

For many students writing a term paper, the complications begin with vocabulary they need to use to convey their thoughts and ideas. Using adjectives, adverbs and pronouns become a problem if the student doesn’t know the definition nor their usage.

A student that needs to write a descriptive and coherent paper, should be able to use an array of words that are not repetitive, or boring.

How can you help?

Working with your student, try to use synonyms that will make the writing easier to read and will expand the student’s vocabulary. Choose words that are synonyms but are not as widely used. For example, the list below shows an abridged list of some adjectives that will make your student’s writing more mature without making it too difficult for him/her to write.  Start with these simple changes, and your student will begin writing a better paper in the future with little difficulty.

Use This

 Instead of this
Dreadful, rough bad
Pleasant nice
Extreme real
Worthwhile good
Vicious mean
Raging Very strong
Spacious large
Tiny Very little
strenuous hard
Courteous

nice

What if the vocabulary is not the problem? Writing can become a habit and you can make it happen.  Setting a specific time to do writing every day can start the change and become an enjoyable subject for your student.  Writing essays, letters and short stories can give your student the needed practice he needs.  Choose topics that seem to trigger a positive response from your student, then you can change those topics to more complex ones.  Begin slowly, with perseverance you and your student will achieve your goals.

How Shoplifting Damages Local Economy

Many people believe that shoplifting is a victim-less crime.  No one usually gets hurt and stores know that they will have a certain amount of loss.  However, a smaller, local store can feel an especially hard hit with even minor shoplifting loss.

Lets look at how shoplifting impacts a local business.

  1. Even small loss have a big impact.  If a $10 item is stolen it might first be assumed that the store lost $10.  However, this could not be further from the truth.  A local store that does not have lots of chains often may have a small profit margin – lets say it is 5%.  To generate $10 of profit to pay for the loss, the store needs to sell nearly $200 dollars of additional products.
  2. Stores can close – with a low profit margin and steady loss, even casual, small time shoplifters can cause the failure of local businesses and the loss of local jobs.
  3. These small businesses are frequent targets of shoplifters if the stores have not invested in shoplifting prevention tools.  They know to look for easy targets to avoid getting caught.

So what can a local store do if they have a limited budget and are experiencing even minor loss?  Store managers can go over to the Loss Prevention Systems Shoplifting Calculator to see the ROI and payoff of investing in shoplifting prevention technology.  Then give them a call and discuss what systems are best for your type of retail location.

Creating Bridges for Ohio Residents to Escape Poverty

Bridges Out Of Poverty is an organization that is creating a common understanding of poverty and addressing people’s needs. We had a chance to interview two leaders with Bridges in Ohio, Eugene Krebs and Philip DeVol, authors of “Bridges Across Every Divide.”

1) What should ordinary people know about poverty?

In order to understand poverty, we feel that you need to read and understand the common language and various lens or ways of looking at our situations. (a)Bridges Out of Poverty gives people working in the institutions a new way to look at poverty and class issues. (b) Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’-By World offers that same language to people in poverty. (c) Bridges to Sustainable Communities is for legislators, CEOs, Eds. This gives everyone a common language and understand of what to do about poverty. The latest book builds on 20 years of growth; it’s time to address poverty at the policy level. (d) Bridges Across Every Divide does that.

2) Is poverty in the US getting worse or are people’s lives getting better?

The answer is both. Economic development, wages, and opportunity are wrongly imagined to be like soft butter spread on fresh toast; evenly. Instead, it is more like cold butter on Wonder bread; kinda lumpy. For some people their lives are getting better, because they have post-graduate education. Others who lack education or are a prisoner of geography find it harder to break out, often due to transportation issues, along with the benefit cliff. Sometimes they need to realize they can have “agency”.

3) Besides job skills, what other skills do people need to escape poverty?

Go back one square; how do you get job skills? By having “agency”, which is a fancy word for feeling like you can be in charge of your own life. If you have agency, you understand why are in the situation you are in now, and you build your own ladder up. After you get agency, you seek job skills. Bridges and Getting Ahead graduates have agency and it is the core job skill.

4) Tell me about Bridges and how it helps people

In the US we have approached poverty the way the blind men in the fable approached an elephant. As they touched the elephant the man who touched its trunk thought it was a snake, the man to touched the tail thought it was a rope, one thought it was a wall and another a tree. Bridges/GA give a community a comprehensive understanding of poverty and class issues. They have a common language. We understand that we are all problems solvers. People in poverty are needed at the planning and decision making table because they know what poverty is like. People in wealth are needed at the table because they have the long view, resources, and connections. People in middle class because they love to attend meetings; they have to-do lists. Every sector that is impacted by poverty (almost all of them) can get better outcomes by using Bridges concepts to plan and operate their systems. People in poverty are helped by the changes they make themselves, the changes made by the institutions and the changes made at the community level.

5) How does mental health and addiction make the issues more difficult?

Mental health and addiction issues are part of just one cause of poverty: individual circumstances, choices, and behavior. This cluster of research is the default mode of conservatives. It has to be addressed. Phil came from the addiction field, 19 years as ED of an addiction treatment center. He used Bridges ideas and their clients did better. But there are three other clusters of research on the causes of poverty: political and economic structures (the default mode for liberals); community conditions (where you live determines how difficult or easy it will be to get out of poverty) and exploitation of people in poverty (private and public ways of taking the last dime from the pockets of the poorest people.)

So – the causes of poverty are not the either/or given to us by the left and right. Bridges sees that poverty is both/and. Poverty is caused BOTH by the choices of the poor AND by political economic structures…..AND community conditions and exploitation.
In Bridges communities we address all four causes of poverty.

6) What can someone who wants to help do to make a difference?

It is a cliché but getting involved in a local Bridges initiative. Read the books and go through the training. Talk to your church, synagogue, or mosque, Salvation Army and United Way. Use the Bridges concepts to improve the outcomes where you work. Offer Getting Ahead classes to engage people in poverty in the work. Build a Bridges collaborative that operates above the silos. Plus ask Andre how to get involved in this region.

7) How did you both get involved with this effort?

Gene: At my last think tank one of my tasks was to interview the 5,000 people who make Ohio work. So during one of my bi-monthly bipartisan coffees with Jennifer Brunner, former D Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate, I asked her who I should interview about poverty, and she replied instantly “Phil DeVol”. If you watch that video on the Center for Community Solutions website you can see the gears in my head all stripping out as he explains his approach.

Phil: As mentioned above, I used it where I worked, spread it to the community and (after co-authoring Bridges Out of Poverty) watched as other communities went through the same organic, locally relevant process. Now many sectors are using Bridges/GA concepts: employers, banks, healthcare, post-secondary, criminal justice, faith-based, education and so on. Bridges/GA is now in 47 states, 6 other countries and GA has been translated into Spanish, Slovak, and Czech.

7) Tell us about your book, “Bridges Across Every Divide” and how to find out more.

We explain how the Bridges model works but we also push back against Henry Adams, grandson and great-grandson of U.S. Presidents who famously wrote that “politics is how we organize our hatreds”. We believe him to be wrong because in Bridges communities we have seen people from all political persuasions working together on poverty issues. In our book we lay out another path to politics and policy development, one based on relationships. After leaving the Ohio House, Gene convinced the legislature to pass ten suggested bills into law, all without a PAC in a state like Ohio which is “pay to play”. We outline how to develop sound policy, pass it, defend it, but even more importantly, using the Bridges model as the framework, a new method of developing a process to determine how we govern ourselves. To order go to https://www.ahaprocess.com/store/bridges-across-every-divide-book/

Why should we hurry to solve this issue of poverty? Because we have always used unskilled and low skilled manufacturing jobs to help the poor and working poor move up to the middle class, if not for them, at least for their children. However, estimates are that about half of all jobs in the near future will be replaced by automation and artificial intelligence. We need to act now to move people out of poverty as the traditional means are evaporating.

To see videos about the book please go to Columbus on the Record https://video.wosu.org/video/the-complex-problem-of-poverty-xynpzr/

The State of Ohio. Begin near the 5 minute mark: http://www.ideastream.org/programs/state-of-ohio/more-info-on-the-fbis-raid-on-rosenberger-and-an-anti-poverty-program-still-working-in-ohio

A CEO’s Survival Guide to Information Technology by Bob Coppedge

Bob Coppedge is a long time business owner in the greater Akron area and his IT company has helped many businesses with their tech needs. He just wrote a book and we wanted to find out more about it and who should be buying it.

Bob, please tell our readers why you wrote this book.

I wrote A CEO’s Survival Guide to Information Technology out of the frustration I’d experienced when we talk about the challenges and the problems that business owners have with their IT. We IT folks have a reputation of being condescendingly arrogant, overbearing, and aloof with understanding the full atmosphere of the business, and an aspect of that it is absolutely deserved. If you disagree, you must be stupid. We’re much more concerned with being accurate than being understood. Part of it is also because CEO’s don’t feel they need (or in many cases want) to take the time to understand. These are conversations I’ve had over and over again (sometimes with the same CEO, oddly enough). I’ve never known of anybody who actually wrote from the perspective of the CEO trying to manage their IT problems, except to teach the CEO about IT.

What kinds of issues does this book help a small to mid-sized business deal with?

I tried to focus on the issues most frequently ignored by CEO’s, and explain first why the issues are important, and then some (hopefully) straightforward strategies to deal with them.  I do this without going deep into the technobabble.

How was the experience of writing a book?

Hoo-boy.  I’ve spoken on these very topics so many times through the many webinars and seminars that Simplex-IT gives.  And I’ve had so many conversations with our customers and others.  Soooo…writing the book should be easy, right?  But it took a lot longer than I thought it would (about 9 months).  My hats off to people who churn out one book after another.

What are some problems you see that are common with business IT?

One of the biggest is the issue of abdication.  You’ve got IT support (whether employees or 3rd party), and leave some critical business-facing decisions to them.  I’m not talking about the technical decision…what tools and/or strategies to use to implement a certain need (like backups or security).  I’m talking about the business side of the decisions.  Backup Frequencies.  Bring Your Own Devices.  Defining the balance between Cyber Security, Costs and Productivity.  The second biggest problem we frequently see are companies that have backups and other security processes in place, but not monitored or tested.  We’ve estimated that about 30% of our new customers have had either failing backups or critical data that wasn’t being backed up.

Would an IT person enjoy this book?  How about a manager who is not up on IT?

If an IT person is looking for specific technical strategies for small to medium businesses, I can’t think of a worse book<g>.  But if they’re looking to improve their understanding of IT from a CEO’s perspective, then I think this would be worthwhile.  For a manager who wants to bridge the gap between IT and their business without becoming a geek, then that’s specifically who the book is aimed at.

Please tell readers where they can get the book and where they can find out more about you.

The book is available in both paperback and kindle through Amazon (what a shock, right).  Here’s a link: http://a.co/bLd9GTI.  You can follow me through Simplex-IT’s twitter Simplex_IT, our blog at http://Simplex-IT.com/blog.  And our YouTube channel has over 180 videos at: https://youtube.com/user/SimplexITBob

Akron Assisted Living – How to Spot the Best Service – Bob Pacanovsky

Recently I met Bob Pacanovsky and talked about his training business.  Initially I thought we would do an article about planning events, which is a nice topic.  But after talking to him I uncovered an expertise he has that is interesting and very valuable for people dealing with aging issues, specifically helping their parents find an assisted living location in Akron or the surrounding area.  Bob specializes in helping these places have superior customer service and making people’s lives better.  He agreed to answer the questions below so that if you are looking for an assisted living location you are armed with information on what to look for.

  1. Bob, tell me about what you do and what you have seen change in Assisted Living locations.

I speak and train companies on creating a consistent Customer Experience, or in this case the consistent Patient Experience.  The experience differs from your typical customer service mentality because it focuses on doing those things that will help create a customer who can become a loyal and raving fan of your business.  It is creating a long term customer and relationship versus a short term or one and done transaction.

When it comes to Assisted Living Facilities, you are not only wanting to make sure that the residents are taken care of from just a medical standpoint, (although this is very important), but that they are made to feel like where they are living is truly their home.  One of the ideas we talk about in my seminars is that “We work in their homes, they don’t live in ours”.   What that means is that the staffs that work in these facilities need to understand that they are not just working in an assisted living facility, but they are truly working now in someone’s home.

I think one of the biggest changes that I have seen in Assisted Living locations is the push for better quality in everything they do.  From the food service, to activities, to the grounds and the rooms or apartments.  People are living longer and they would like the comforts of home, without all the challenges and upkeep of it.

  1. Does improving service improve the happiness of the residents?  Examples?

I believe that it does.  Who wouldn’t want to be treated in a special way, where we not only know who you are, but a lot of things about you.  In a training seminar recently, I was telling one of the staffs that they maybe didn’t realize how lucky they were to be working there.  As they looked at me somewhat quizzically, I mentioned to them that they had the opportunity to get to know their “customers” (residents) more than most businesses because they were with them each day (or numerous times throughout the week). I told them that they had the opportunity to get to know so much more about their clients than most other companies and to use this information to make these residents happy.

  1. How can improving service in an assisted living location improve occupancy and retention?

This would probably be a better question for a director, but here is my short answer…

Just like any other business or industry, word of mouth is still “king”.  If I am having a wonderful experience at the facility that I am now living in, I will also tell my friends and/or family about it.  Referrals are still the best form of marketing in any business and I have to believe that this industry is no exception.    If I am happy, why not tell others about this place?

  1. Do visiting families see a difference when they come into a facility with better service?

Sure!  I think you can tell by a number of things- how the place looks, how friendly the staff is to you, how good the food tastes and most importantly- what you are hearing from the person that is living there!  I call all of these items “Impact Points”, because they make a subconscious impact on you and your experience.  Think about it, if you are greeted not only with a friendly smile and welcome, but that staff person knows who you are, or even better knows a lot about the family member you are coming to see and talks lovingly about them, doesn’t that make an impact on you and your experience?

  1. Does it cost a lot more for a facility to offer superior service?

Absolutely not!  In fact, I tell the staffs that I work with that to give superior service (we call it “Black Tie” service) doesn’t cost any extra.  You don’t need any fancy videos or expensive gifts to deliver it, you need to treat everyone with class, prestige and importance- every day.  You never know who that next resident will be and the impression that you leave with that person or their family could be a deciding factor. It is also about doing the “little things” when it comes to delivering that Black Tie service.  It is about exceeding the expectations of your customers and looking for ways to “wow” them.

  1. How can I spot superior service if I visit an assisted living location I am considering for a parent?

Start by doing your research.  Look online and don’t necessarily just look at the company’s website.  The pictures and quotes on their site should be outstanding.  Also look at the reviews they have online to get a feel for what others are saying.

Check with your friends.  If you have a parent that is in need of an assisted living facility, chances are pretty good that one or two of your friends are in a similar situation (or have been).  Again, word of mouth is king.

There are also state licensing agencies that you can contact to see if the facility is meeting all the codes and regulations.  You should also be able to check with the local Better Business Bureau to make sure there are not major issues to contend with.

I highly recommend scheduling a tour. This is the easiest way to see a lot about the facility.  While you are on the tour, see how the staff is treating the current residents too.  If you see a lot of happy faces, from both the staff and the residents, it may a facility to take a closer look at.

And make sure to try the food.  The food needs to be good since your parent will be eating 2 or 3 meals a day, every day.

  1. How can people find out more about you if they need to improve service in their organization?

They can contact me via email- [email protected] or phone (330) 352-6084.  All of my seminars and trainings are customized to fit the needs of my clients.  There are no “canned” presentations here.

Blake Babcock on How To Land an IT Healthcare Job

We had the opportunity to ask Blake Babcock some questions on IT jobs in Healthcare.  This is a topic our readers should care about because the jobs pay very well and there is a shortage of talented IT people who have specialized skills related to healthcare.  With Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Akron Children’s Hospital and Summa there are plenty of big healthcare job opportunities.  But what do you need to do to increase your chance of getting one of these jobs?

Question: Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you have been in the business of helping people find jobs.

Appropriately Disruptive | Mindset over Everything | Speaker | Essentialist | Anti Dad Bod | Husband | Father to Triplets

I’ve been in the staffing industry since I graduated college in 2008.

Question:  How has getting a job changed over the years?

There was a time when your resume was essentially your first impression.  Now with social media and google, people can find out much more about you than before.  I research everyone I meet with and speak to.

Question: You work specifically in IT and Healthcare – what are the hot skills in that area that everyone wants?

If you’re Epic certified you’re going to be in high demand.  There’s also a number of business applications such as: qlik, tablo, and cognos that are highly sought after.

Question: What is the benefit of working with someone like yourself to find a job?

Hospital systems hire us specifically to staff a projects so often times we are your only way in if you’re interested in contract work.  In regards to the permanent placements that we do, we work with hospital systems across the country so we have our hand on the pulse of the market.  It’s incredibly difficult as an individual to apply online and make it through the black hole of applying that way.  We are in direct contact with the hiring manager.  We also help people craft their resume or provide guidance on changes that would benefit them as they search or suggest possible roles based on their background that they hadn’t considered previously.

Question: If your triplets were in high school right now, what skills would you be making them focus on to be more employable?

The ability to effectively communicate, work harder than everyone else, and be kind.  Simple but effective list.

Question: What kinds of people do you hope read this article and contact you?

Individuals that need our assistance hiring for their team and or people looking for the next move in there career.

Question: What are some mistakes people make when interviewing for these kinds of jobs?

Not asking questions.  If you’ve done your homework on the position and organization you should have at least a few questions.  It shows your interested and provide another opportunity to keep the conversation going.

Question: How do people find out more about you?

Reach out to me on LinkedIn and or check out my website www.blakebabcock.com – or www.babcocksupplyco.com if you’re a bad ass with class.

 

Should You Buy A Franchise To Be Your Own Boss?

If you’re looking to be your own boss, there are several ways to do it. You can:

  1. Come up with an idea for a product or service
  2. Buy an existing business
  3. Become a business consultant
  4. Buy a franchise

I this article, I’m going to show you some of the advantages of becoming your own boss via the franchise model.

Are You Right For Franchising?

Before you start hitting the franchise opportunity websites, you must determine if franchise ownership is right for you. But, don’t worry; it’s not difficult. Just give an honest answer to the following question:

Are you a rule-follower?

If you answered yes, franchising could be right for you.

That’s because franchise businesses are highly structured.

As a franchisee, you’re required to follow the system. You’re also required to use the franchise logo, signage, software, and only their products/services.

The bottom line: In franchising, rules is rules. There’s not much wiggle-room. Make sure you’re someone who will follow them.

Franchise Advantages

There are lots of advantages to franchise ownership. Like:

  1. The franchise business system

In a nutshell, part of what you’re paying for when you buy a franchise is their system. Their proven system.

  1. Training

When you buy a franchise, you’ll receive formal training at headquarters.

This training will teach you exactly how to use their business system for maximum benefit, along with several other crucial things like sales, marketing, customer service and more.

  1. Technology

Today’s franchisors have terrific technology at their disposal. As a franchisee, you’ll have total access to it.

Whether it’s a state-of-the-art POS (Point of Sale) system, or a proven email marketing system, you’ll be able to leverage their technology to help your business grow.

  1. Purchasing power

As a rule, franchisees have immense purchasing power.

As an example, let’s say you own an ice cream franchise.

All ice cream shops, whether they’re franchises or independent stores, buy their milk in bulk. Except that franchisees-because they’re part of a group (of other franchisees) have the ability to negotiate a great deal with their milk supplier.

So instead of paying $45 for a case of milk like an independent ice cream store does, you, as franchisee, might pay $30. That’s a big deal. A profitable one, too!

  1. Branding

When you own a franchise, you own a brand. And consumers like brands.

For example, if you’re taking a family vacation by car, aren’t you more apt to stop to eat in a roadside restaurant with a familiar name like McDonald’s® then say, “Randy’s Freeway Diner?”

Owning A Franchise Is Worth A Look

If you’ve decided that it’s time for you to be your own boss, franchise ownership is worth a look.

However, you should only look at franchises if you have a history of following rules and you’re committed to doing so in a business.

Best of luck on becoming your own boss!

(The Franchise King®, Joel Libava, is a resident of Northeast Ohio, and the author of Become A Franchise Owner! The Startup Guide to Lowering Risk, Making Money, And Owning What You Do.”  Joel works 1-on-1 with would-be franchise owners, teaching them how to choose, research, and buy a franchise they can be successful owning. Check out his award-winning website, https://www.thefranchiseking.com.)