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South Shore Diamond Exchange launches campaign to fight hunger

Food insecurity is quickly becoming a serious problem that more and more families are struggling with on the South Shore. One of the area’s premier jewelers, South Shore Diamond Exchange, Inc of Pembroke, has launched a fundraising campaign to help fight hunger on the local level by raising money for the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse, a program of South Shore Community Action Council.

Now through December 23, 2011, South Shore Diamond Exchange will donate $1 to the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse for every new fan of their Facebook page (up to 1,000 fans). To support this worthy cause and become a fan of South Shore Diamond Exchange, visit www.Facebook.com/SouthShoreDiamond and “like” them.

“The economy has hit everyone hard. There are so many folks suffering from hunger and food insecurity. We’re not talking about people in another country, but those who are right outside our door,” explained Charlie Fierimonte, owner of South Shore Diamond Exchange.

He continued, “We want to give back to the community and we believe our friends, neighbors and customers feel the same way. This is a time of year when so many South Shore families are struggling to put food on the table. The Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse is there to help and we’re supporting them. Now, our Facebook fans can support this very worthy cause as well with just one click. Jenn Anderson of ViaMark Advertising, our advertising agency, suggested this partnership and we agreed that it was timely and well deserved.”

For more information on the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse and the services it provides, visit the South Shore Community Action Council’s website http://www.sscac.org/food_warehouse/index.html.

About the South Shore Diamond Exchange
For more than 15 years, South Shore Diamond Exchange has been providing high quality diamond engagement rings, diamond gifts, gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, bridal sets, watches, anniversary bands, and exquisite pearl and gemstone jewelry to customers on the
South Shore, Cape Cod and beyond. With a staff of experienced and knowledgable sales consultants, South Shore Diamond Exchange are the experts that customers turn to when looking for beautiful jewelry at a price that won’t exceed their budget.

South Shore Diamond Exchange is a 2011 Reader’s Choice Award winner. Their exquisite collections include Gabriel & Co., Bridal Bells, Benchmark and the “I Do” collection. They also have a convenient on-site repair facility and offer a number of attractive financing plans, including “no interest” plans. As one of the South Shore’s premier jewelry retailers, South Shore Diamond Exchange is located at 254 Church Street, Route 139 in Pembroke which is just a 35 minute drive from Boston. Visit their website and check out their informative blog at www.southshorediamond.com. For more information, contact 781-829-0060.

South Shore Diamond Exchange launches campaign to fight hungerRead More

Appreciating depreciation. Cost segregation studies deliver earlier than expected tax breaks for commercial property owners.

Jeff Hiatt
Jeff Hiatt of Performance Business Solutions, LLC

 HAMPTON FALLS, NH…

In today’s economy, commercial property owners face an uphill battle in finding the funds to make the necessary improvements to retain and/or enhance a property’s value.  Cost segregation studies offer some property owners an opportunity to write off depreciation of building assets over a shorter period than the traditional 39-year depreciation period for a real property asset. This can generate funds in the form of a larger tax deduction. The funds that would have been paid in income tax could then be reinvested in renovations for that property or leveraged to help acquire another property.

A cost segregation study itemizes assets in a building into real property assets and personal property assets. Loosely speaking, real property refers to anything connected to the structure of the building (e.g. the foundation), while personal property assets can be items ranging from non-structural items like carpeting or aesthetic improvements like landscaping. By separating personal property assets, which have a shorter life expectancy than real property assets, you claim a greater rate of depreciation over a shorter period of time.

“Let’s say you buy an inn or resort with millwork and IT wiring.  Prior to cost seg studies, owners would have deducted depreciation of these items over 39 years instead of five or seven years,” said Jeff Hiatt, founder and CEO of Performance Business Solutions, LLC, based in Hampton Falls, NH. “For many commercial property owners, the personal asset depreciation deductions can result in a sizable return.”

Hiatt’s company, Performance Business Solution’s, LLC, specializes in expense reduction consulting for all types of business. One area that he has helped thousands of property owners across the US is with cost segregation studies. “Cost seg” studies can be applied to a wide variety of commercial properties, including apartment buildings, restaurants, manufacturing facilities, grocery stores, office buildings, etc. The process requires examination of any available building plans, site surveys, appraisals and/ or invoices. A site visit is also usually involved so project engineers can take photos and get a feel for the building.

After an inventory of assets is taken, a report of the building, per IRS Standard, is then completed. The numbers from the report can then be interpolated into the building owner’s client’s tax forms and filed with the next return.

The entire project can take from three to eight weeks to complete, with minimal disruption to the building’s activities or work flow. The price tag of the cost segregation study can range from $5,000 to $25,000, depending on the building’s size and tenant count.

“Performance Business Solutions conducted a cost segregation study on our property in York Harbor, Maine, the Stageneck Inn. They were extremely thorough and detailed in their study,” said Mark Foster, owner of Mark Foster, who also owns the Days Inn in Dover, New Hampshire. “When we turned the report over to our accountants, they felt very comfortable with the information provided and applied it to our tax returns. That gave us a fairly sizeable return, which we used to convert a house adjacent to the Stageneck Inn into a furnished rental property. Without the cost seg study, that might not have happened as quickly.”

Performance Business Solutions, LLC is located at 87 Lafayette Rd. Suite 11, Hampton Falls, NH 03844. The company helps businesses nationwide reduce expenses in a variety of areas. Performance Business Solutions, LLC, works with accountants, attorneys, and other experts to determine the best way for clients to reduce costs and increase profits. 

For information on arranging a cost segregation study on your commercial property, call (888) 989-0054 or (603) 926-2888. You can also send an e-mail to jdh@revenuebanking.com, or visit www.RevenueBanking.com.

Appreciating depreciation. Cost segregation studies deliver earlier than expected tax breaks for commercial property owners.Read More

HR Knowledge Inc. Shares 7 Key Points for Building A Strong Sales Team

Jeff Garr, CEO
Compensating your sales people correctly can be a great challenge to the average business manager or owner. If you don’t compensate correctly or adequately, sales production may suffer, which will directly affect business growth and profit. If you do incentivize sales staff correctly but pay them too much, it could create future problems related to growth and or profitability of your business.

HR Knowledge, Inc., a leading human resources Business Process Outsourcer (BPO) serving emerging to mid-sized companies throughout the East Coast with offices in Mansfield and Waltham, shares their “7 Key Points for Building a Strong Sales Team”:

1. Consider a Compensation Model prior to targeting and hiring sales people. It helps to have a good understanding of what makes some people “tick”, yet not others. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that there are a number of aspects that generate needs for any person, some of which may be of more interest to one person and less interest to another. Once you understand which aspect(s) motivate people, you can create a better environment to help create greater success.
2. Hire the right team of sales people. Before hiring, understand the type of sales person you need and then target them. Are you looking for an “order taker”? This is a person who can call on existing accounts and build great relationship with the client. Are you looking for a sales person who can “make it rain”? This person has the ability to create and generate business. If they are able to “find” business then they are the “hunter”. Understand what type of sales person you need and then target them in recruiting.
3. Adhere to the “Three A’s” when hiring. Once you understand the type of sales person you are looking for, remember the “Three A’s” when hiring for a sales position in your company. The first and most important “A” is Attitude. The right attitude is everything when hiring people. If they have the right attitude they will go through the wall for you to close business and follow the direction of the company. The second “A” is Aptitude. Ask yourself if s/he has the aptitude for the position of the company. Webster Dictionary defines aptitude as “capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent”. The final “A” is Altitude, meaning, how high can they go? How high do you need them to go? Will they plateau at a certain point and coast?
4. Beware of complacency. The next concern when hiring sales people and thus managing them is complacency. Most sales people will reach a point of complacency and then coast in the job. Less work and more play becomes their mantra. The key challenge for management is to do all you can do to prevent complacency by your sales people. Most people become satisfied (and have obtained fulfillment of Maslow’s higher level emotional needs) once they attain job satisfaction or reach a particular level of income or status. With sales people, the challenge is to prevent this from happening.
5. Utilize your Compensation Model. It is vital to keep sales people motivated and “in the game”. From a managerial standpoint, it is far easier to compensate sales people and steer them in the direction the company wants them to go than it is to create compensation models to drive operations people, where you have to rely on coaching and management techniques. Sales people are experts in understanding compensation models and how they can maximize their income in the quickest time frame. They are usually very highly motivated and understand how the game works. This being the case, it is imperative to find a compensation model to drive the sales team to do what you want them to do.
6. Understand what your company’s objectives are and then create the compensation model to attain those objectives. For example, if your interest is to expand and grow your client base, then the compensation model needs to reward your sales team for new business and retention. You can create additional incentives to ensure that a large portion of their pay will be derived from new business acquisition. If it is imperative that your sales team be involved in the retention of clients, then you need to find a compensation model which will reward them for retaining and maintaining great relationships with clients. If they lose clientele, you must ensure that this will affect their compensation. This is a delicate area because if your operations team is not equally committed to retaining clients and the service or product you are delivering is not up to standard, then the sales team has no chance to retain the business no matter how great their relationship is with that client.
7. Do all that you can to ensure that the product or service you deliver is “remarkable!” Make sure that your company is setting the tone and the barometer in the marketplace for what you do. This will allow your sales people to confidently and comfortably sell your product or service. Without this, no sales person of any quality can survive and thrive in today’s business environment. Make sure that your operations team are as committed and passionate about clients as your sales team.
For more information about compensation, HR and or benefits contact Jeff Garr, CEO at HR Knowledge or 508-339-1300.
About HR Knowledge, Inc.
HR Knowledge, Inc. is a leading Business Process Outsourcer (BPO) serving emerging to mid-sized companies throughout the East Coast. HR Knowledge has the experience and technology to efficiently provide best-in-class integrated HR services at an affordable cost to clients.

HR Knowledge’s leaders have more than 100 years of combined experience and provide expert guidance in Human Resource management, Group Benefits Brokerage, Payroll Processing & Managed Services, Financial Services and Recruiting and Hiring Process Management (HPM).
Through their comprehensive Human Resource Services, HR Knowledge helps organizations minimize operational risks, reduce administrative costs and better serve their people.

HR Knowledge has been recognized as a Gold Level Broker by Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare. The company is headquartered at 905B South Main Street, Suite 203 in Mansfield and their second office is located at 890 Winter Street, Suite 208 in Waltham, MA. For more information, contact (508) 339-1300 or visit their website at www.hrknowledge.com

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A hairy Movember comes to a close. PR Works raises more than $900 for Movember fundraiser for prostate cancer research

Steve Dubin on Nov 30

When business owners say “it’s been a little hairy lately”, typically that’s a reference to workload or the frenetic pace of taking care of business. Things were a little hairy, but it had nothing to do with business as PR Works Principal Steve Dubin and Account Manager Joe D’Eramo grew mustaches and raise money as part of Movember, an international fundraiser for prostate cancer awareness. The duo raised $910 for the cause. 

Movember involves men growing a “mo” or mustache during the month of November as a rallying point for raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer health and other men’s cancer-related issues via Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG. In addition to collecting funds, we also spread the word about this worthy cause by posting regular updates on our blog and Facebook pages.

According to the Movember website:

  • One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
  • A man is diagnosed with prostate cancer every 2.2 minutes.
  • One in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
  • 24 percent of men are less likely to go the doctor compared to women.

In 2010, Movember generated $80.7 million globally, $38.4 million in the US. Eighty three percent of the funds were allocated to programs supporting prostate cancer and other cancers affecting men. Seventy percent of that went to Movember’s men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (35%) and LIVESTRONG (35%) and 13% funded Movember’s awareness and education program. 

Joe D'Eramo on Nov 30

“It’s been a fun fundraiser and besides increasing my awareness of prostate cancer and other male-related cancers, it increased my awareness of the number of friends and colleagues who have had prostate cancer and beat it,” said D’Eramo.

In addition to Wendy Dubin and Karin D’Eramo, the significant others who had to tolerate the mustaches, we would like to thank everyone who donated to this very worthy cause, including: Jan Veyt and Els Goeman; Dr. Richard Wolfert, Domenic D’Eramo, Maria Russo, Gordon Whitten,  Phillip Henault, Greg Malerbi, Michael Roussos, Jon Richmond, Doug Adams, Joseph Cummings, Coralie Kraetzer, David Soper, Kevin Cully, Marilyn Gilchrist and Jerry Levine, Barbara Arena, Murray Vetstein, Pam and David Snell, Brad and Julie White, Jim Farrell and Irwin Abrams.

There’s still time to donate to Movember. You can find out more about the type of work you’d be helping to fund by visiting the Movember website: http://us.movember.com/about. Movember is a registered 501 (c)(3) charity; donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

For a final look at the mustache efforts of PR Works, you can visit www.facebook.com/PRWorkZone.

A hairy Movember comes to a close. PR Works raises more than $900 for Movember fundraiser for prostate cancer researchRead More

Men’s Shopping Night at South Shore Skin Center and Spa on December 21st

Men, there’s no need to rush around December 24th trying to complete your holiday shopping. South Shore Skin Center and Spa is holding their first annual “Men’s Shopping Night” on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 from 4 to 7 p.m. at their Spa located at One Scobee Circle in Plymouth.

Men will be able to purchase gift cards and/or products for their wives, girlfriends, bosses, or family members in a one-stop-shopping night experience at South Shore Skin Center and Spa.

“Our Men’s Shopping Night is a holiday shopping bash that caters to the men who want one-stop-shopping for family members and friends in a non-stressful atmosphere with plenty of refreshments and free parking,” noted Richard Eisen, M.D., dermatologist and founding physician of South Shore Skin Center and Spa.

Women are welcome to attend. Guests will enjoy complimentary chili, cookies and beverages. South Shore Skin Center and Spa guests who purchase a $100 or more gift card will receive a 20 percent off product coupon.

South Shore Skin Center and Spa is conveniently located right off Route 44, across from Colony Place in Plymouth. Ample free parking is available. For more information contact the office at 508-747-0711.

About South Shore Skin Center and Spa
South Shore Skin Center and Spa is one of Massachusetts’ most progressive dermatology practices offering a wide range of medical, surgical and cosmetic services. South Shore Skin Center and Spa is a 2011 Best of South Shore Living Winner.

Founded in 1984, South Shore Skin Center and Spa is a unique team of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, medical assistants, surgical assistants, and licensed estheticians who are all specialists in dermatology and share a passion for excellence and a commitment to providing the highest level of care to both children and adults in the greater Boston area. In addition to the medical dermatology office and Mohs Surgical Unit for skin cancer, South Shore Skin Center and Spa offers cosmetic dermatology treatments for wrinkles, age spots, acne scarring, birthmarks, hair removal, tattoos and more using the Fraxel re:store DUAL and Fraxel re:pair lasers, ePrime, Candela VBeam, Gentlelase, Gentle YAG, and Alex lasers. The practice also offers a full range of affordable anti-aging services including Botox, Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm and other wrinkle fillers; volumizers such as Radiesse and Sculptra; microdermabrasion; medical grade facials, micropeels and chemical peels.

South Shore Skin Center and Spa is located at One Scobee Circle, Unit 3, in Plymouth, Mass. (508) 747-0711 and at 223 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Suite 202, in Cohasset, Mass. (781) 383-3340. For more information, visit the website at www.southshoreskincenter.com.

Men’s Shopping Night at South Shore Skin Center and Spa on December 21stRead More

OCES Receives Donation from Rockland Trust for Money Management Program but also Needs Volunteers

Old Colony Elder Services (OCES) the Brockton based regional elder services agency serving seniors, their families and caregivers throughout greater Brockton and Plymouth county, has recently received a generous donation to their Money Management Program from the Rockland Trust Company. Money Management volunteers who can help seniors manage their household finances are needed to keep this essential program operating.

Rockland Trust recently donated $1,000 to OCES specifically for the Money Management Program. Yet, Money Management volunteers are needed in all 23 towns that OCES serves, particularly in the towns of Plymouth, Carver, Abington, Whitman and Brockton. Money Management volunteers help seniors balance their checkbooks, develop budgets and pay bills. They also make home visits at least once a month to help keep track of an elder’s income and expenses.

According to Amy Diman, Money Management Program Coordinator at OCES, “We are very grateful for the donation from Rockland Trust. We have a number of seniors who have been waiting for financial management assistance for a while now. We are in desperate need of Money Management volunteers.”

Ms. Diman trains all the money management volunteers in how to assist elders with personalized money management services and provides on-going support to volunteers.

For more information or to become a Massachusetts Money Management Program volunteer, contact Brenda Carrens, OCES’ Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator at (508) 584-1561 extension 252.

OCES sponsors the Massachusetts Money Management Program to the local service area. The program is jointly sponsored by AARP’s Legal Counsel for the Elderly, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs and Mass Home Care.

About OCES
Incorporated in 1974, Old Colony Elder Services is a private, non-profit corporation designated as one of 27 Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. OCES offers a number of programs to serve seniors, individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers such as Family Caregiver Support; Adult Family Care; Supportive Housing; Nutrition; Money Management; Protective Services and Home Care.

OCES serves elders, their families and caregivers in 23 towns in Southeastern Massachusetts:

Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marshfield, Middleboro, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Stoughton, Wareham, West Bridgewater and Whitman.

The organization’s mission is to provide services that support the dignity and independence of elders by helping them maximize their quality of life; live safely and in good health; and, prevent unnecessary or premature institutionalization.

In 2009, OCES was honored with the Metro-South Chamber of Commerce’s “Economic Impact Award”. The agency has 157 employees. For more information call (508) 584-1561 or visit the website at www.oldcolonyelderservices.org

OCES Receives Donation from Rockland Trust for Money Management Program but also Needs VolunteersRead More

Action Bearing Announces New Transportation Division, Falvey to Oversee it

Joe Falvey
Action Bearing, providers of bearings and related products to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) markets in New England, has recently announced a new Transportation Division. Joe Falvey, Marketing Specialist at Action Bearing will oversee the division, which is heavily focused on accommodating the unique bearing and related product needs of the Rail industry.

Falvey, who has been with the company for 28 years, will assist clients in determining which bearing technologies would be most suitable by taking into consideration the specifications, recommendations, maintenance strategies, fatigue life and wear resistance of the bearing in relation to the application.

Falvey also oversees the Material Handling Division and previously held the position of Sales Representative. He attended Salem State College in Salem, MA and is a resident of Lancaster, MA.

Bearing requirements for the Transportation industry, in particular the Rail industry, fall into three major groups: Bearings for Drive Systems (transmission, traction drive, axle suspension); Bearings for the Chassis (wheel sets, brakes) and Bearings for Vehicle bodies (connectors, door systems). The product range includes high capacity ball and roller bearings for the transmission and drives as well as rod ends and control bearings for the chassis and door systems.

Action Bearing is the prime supplier to the largest rebuilder of major traction motor drives for transit authorities in the Northeast. There are many different bearings used on trains and the bearings themselves have very special requirements. Action Bearing specializes in traction motor bearings, which are the size of a desk and fit on each train wheel.

According to Steve Katz, Action Bearing’s president, “Getting from point A to B is something we often take for granted. The bearings designed for the rail industry provide the reliability and safety we have come to expect. We do a tremendous amount of business in traction motor drives. Last year, this Northeast rebuilder purchased more than $150K of these monstrous bearings from us. They are absolutely essential for traction in the rain and snow and we are one of the only providers of traction motor bearings.”

Action Bearing also provides special solutions that include cylindrical roller bearings that meet the higher F1 tolerances for extended running life and reliability which are also available with current insulation. Other related products supplied by Action for rail systems include Ball Bearings, Taper Roller Bearings, Spherical Roller Bearings, Oil Seals, Hydraulic Cylinders And Pumps, Miniature / Instrumentation Bearings, Oil Seals, Ball Bearings and Linear Motion.

For more information, contact Joe Falvey in the Transportation division at 866-995-8760 or email jfalvey@Actionbearing.com.

The Action Bearing Difference
In a proud tradition, the same families that started the company in 1957 keep Action Bearing rolling by specializing in bearings for OEM and MRO markets across the country. Action Bearing’s highly knowledgeable staff housed in their 23,000 square foot facility provide bearings ranging in size from 3mm to tunnel-boring 15-foot-diameter giants.

Action Bearing provides solutions to a variety of industries including: aggregate, concrete, mining, machine tools, electric motor repair, marine, material handling, metal processing, packaging, food processing, paper converting, printing, wind/power generation, recreation, heavy construction, robotics, automation, transportation, wood products, wastewater treatment, pump, compressor and oil field.

Action Bearing offers customers a one-stop shopping experience. With an online product catalog with over 3 million bearings; a vast inventory of bearings; worldwide sourcing; a fixed price program; a knowledgeable staff dedicated to delivering; same day shipping and 24/7 service, Action Bearing has become the leading provider of bearings to OEM and MRO markets in the U.S. Action Bearing maintains headquarters at 201 Brighton Ave. Boston, MA. For more information, contact 617-782-1400 or toll free, 800-225-4587, email info@Actionbearing.com or visit www.Actionbearing.com.
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Social media tops agenda at first-ever Franchise Operational Performance Summit (OPS) on December 6 & 7, in Atlanta, GA.

Evan Hackel
Evan Hackel

WOBURN, MA and ATLANTA, GEORGIA…

There’s a social element to every conference, usually involving structured or informal networking. At the first-ever Franchise Operational Performance Summit (OPS), to be held on December 6 and 7 in Atlanta, Georgia, the “social“ part of the agenda involves how franchises can use social media to improve operations.

“For a while now, Fortune 500 companies have been incorporated private social media tools into their operations to share knowledge, promote innovation and improve operational efficiencies, but franchises, for the most part, have not used social media, except for creating Facebook or Twitter pages for their customers“ said Evan Hackel, principal of Ingage Consulting and featured speaker at Franchise OPS.  “We will cover, as part of OPS, how there are a number of ways franchises can utilize social media to improve operations efficiency and improve communications throughout an organization overall.“

Franchise OPS will cover how to use social media to create:

  • Collaboration and engagement within a franchisee council and with the franchisor.
  • Think tanks for franchises to privately brainstorm new ideas among franchisees.
  • Training teams for new product launches.
  • Vehicles to find appropriate personnel with a certain skill set within a franchise organization.

“We’ve billed this as a one-of-a-kind event because very few, if any, franchise conferences are dedicated to franchise operations, particularly for C-level executives,“ said Hackel. “The added element of how social media can improve franchise operations gives Franchise OPS even more cache.“

In addition to the nuances of how social media and franchise operations, a sampling of workshops to be held includes: 

  • Real World Franchise Compliance
  • Turning a Survey into a Powerful Management Tool
  • Supercharge Operational Excellence with Web 2.0 Technology
  • Making the Most of Franchise System Buying Services

Beyond the educational benefits, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities with C-level franchise executives, Franchise OPS offers the added bonus of being approved for 300 CFE credits by the International Franchise Association.

Franchise OPS will be held on December 6 and 7 at the Twelve Hotel – Centenniel Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Interested parties can register for the Franchise OPS for $599 if you take the Franchise OPS survey within five days of registering, $699 if you do not. Five spots are still available. You can register online at http://www.franchiseoperationssummit.com. 

Franchise OPS is sponsored by Franchise Business Review, Kilpatrick Townsend, Actio Marketing, BizUnite, FranConnect and Ingage Consulting. For complete information on Franchise OPS, please visit http://www.franchiseoperationssummit.com. 

About Ingage Consulting

Ingage Consulting is a management consulting firm that works with cooperatives and cooperative councils and leadership to improve the organization’s culture which in turn increases sales and satisfaction; improves growth and retention and boosts loyalty and profits. 

Ingage Consulting provides solutions that drive the cooperation, commitment, passion and loyalty of cooperative members.  They offer unique services that help solve the problems of cooperatives in a number of ways.  Working closely with clients, the Ingage Consulting team quickly and thoughtfully assesses, understands and devises solutions to a cooperative organization’s challenges.  Leaders come away with ideas for improvement, including methods for maximizing collaboration among co-op members and a clear strategy and execution plan for change, customized to meet organizational objectives.  Ingage Consulting’s proven techniques to increase collaboration brings about greater productivity and success on many levels. In short, Ingage Consulting makes cooperatives more successful.

Ingage Consulting is located at 400 Trade Center, Suite 5900 in Woburn, MA.  For more information, contact (781) 569-5900 or visit the website www.ingage.net.

Social media tops agenda at first-ever Franchise Operational Performance Summit (OPS) on December 6 & 7, in Atlanta, GA.Read More

240K HUD Grant Awarded to Old Colony Elder Services

Old Colony Elder Services (OCES) the Brockton based regional elder services agency serving seniors, their families and caregivers throughout greater Brockton and Plymouth county, is one of five agencies that has been awarded the Resident Opportunities and Supportive Services (ROSS) federal grant.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development has developed the ROSS program to link public housing residents who are elderly or who have disabilities with supportive services and education designed to ensure self-sufficiency needed for independent living. The $240,000 ROSS grant will be disbursed to OCES over the next three years.

“We’re very pleased to receive the ROSS grant. OCES is one of only three non-profit agencies nationally to receive this special grant that links elderly and disabled public housing residents with supportive services they need to maintain independent living,” said Diana DiGiorgi, OCES’ Executive Director.

The ROSS grant will allow for full time OCES staff coverage at Northfield and Highcliff housing sites in Plymouth. Supportive Housing Programs exist at each of the Plymouth Housing Authority’s five housing sites: Northfield, Cherry Hill, Southfield, High Cliffs and Castle Court. Each site serves more than 100 elders.

The additional staff at Northfield and Highcliff will further increase collaboration among service providers and ensure that residents’ needs are met. The goal of Supportive Housing is to meet individual needs by providing services that are aimed at educating and empowering residents which will ultimately support the prevention of premature institutionalization. Some of the educational programs that will be offered focus on financial literacy, credit counseling, chronic disease self management and emergency preparedness training.

For more information, contact Nicole Welch, Program Development Manager at OCES
(508) 584-1561 extension 249.

About OCES
Incorporated in 1974, Old Colony Elder Services is a private, non-profit corporation designated as one of 27 Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. OCES offers a number of programs to serve seniors, individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers such as Family Caregiver Support; Adult Family Care; Supportive Housing; Nutrition; Money Management; Protective Services and Home Care.

OCES serves elders, their families and caregivers in 23 towns in Southeastern Massachusetts:
Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marshfield, Middleboro, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Stoughton, Wareham, West Bridgewater and Whitman.

The organization’s mission is to provide services that support the dignity and independence of elders by helping them maximize their quality of life; live safely and in good health; and, prevent unnecessary or premature institutionalization.

In 2009, OCES was honored with the Metro-South Chamber of Commerce’s “Economic Impact Award”. The agency has 157 employees. For more information call (508) 584-1561 or visit the website at www.oldcolonyelderservices.org

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