When was the last time you evaluated your marketing budget and scope? If it was more than 5 years ago you are likely missing out on some of the latest methods for getting your companies name out in the market. The internet of course is the biggest driver of much of this, but there is…
Entrepreneurial America
Small business is the backbone of America. Economic growth depends on new businesses and small businesses. Sometimes it can be scary to hear the success rate statistics or about the flash in the pan businesses. A lot of people that would like to break away from the corporate world decide not to because they hear…
Warehouse Design
When it comes to product storage in a warehouse there are all kinds of choices. Knowing which one you should use in your operation becomes a little trickier. A lot of people cut out the hassle and simply install pallet rack everywhere and use it to suit whatever needs they happen to have. Need to…
Employee Driven Change
Where does your company stand in the business pecking order? Businesses know their competition within their industry inside and out. They know who they compete with for customers and who they are consistently bidding with or against. An overlooked aspect of business is who the labor competition is or brand competition. Small businesses aren’t just…
HR Departments and Business Growth
Having a structure relevant to your company’s culture is an important requirement to running a healthy business. Putting the correct people and departments in charge of appropriate tasks is a critical decision. Unfortunately, many HR departments have become the owners of job descriptions, workplace setup, technology rules, job interviews, on and on. Departments need to…
Supply Chain Importance
Do you have someone that keeps their finger on every layer of your supply chain? A Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) so to speak. If your business involves moving a product(s) to an end user there should be someone in charge of supply chain health. Ignoring the supply chain is quite possibly the number 1…
Environmental Marketing Gone Crazy
This is a follow up to our LEED posting with an article from Environmental Leader. Apparently Sun Microsystems is of the opinion that “Double Carbon Neutral” companies are on the horizon. Companies so “dedicated” to helping the environment that not only do they completely offset their footprint, but they offset it a second time as…
Strategic Facilities and Operations Assessment
Aging infrastructure and stale business practices can weigh down a company’s operating flexibility. More than just a tactile look at what is going on, a company needs to look at the way they are doing business and validate that the core assumptions they are operating under still apply. A building built in 1920 could be…
Site Selection (How It Should Be Done)
One of the most important decisions that a business needs to make is where they will locate their facilities. Traditional Site Selection firms take a limited cross-section of markets into consideration that varies from industry to industry. Call Centers can only go to these markets, Technology companies can only go to these, and Transportation companies…
What is Knapsack and Why We Use It
Knapsack problems are a type of problem that involves deciding which of a number of items should be placed into a limited amount of space. The problem type gets its name from trying to fill a backpack (knapsack) with items needed to go camping. In the classic scenario the items are a compass, matches, map,…