”Starting a business is no easy task, and once started the next 3-5 years will test you like you have never been tested in business” – Jeff Garr. Read his interview at MO.com http://www.mo.com/jeffrey-c-garr-hr-knowledge-incJeff Garr, CEO
Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer will be speaking at the Boston Business Boot Camp
New York Times best-selling author of “The Sales Bible” featured speaker on Day 2 of Boston Business Boot Camp, to take place at Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts, March 1-3.
WALTHAM, MA and WESTON, MA…
Early morning sales conferences are renowned for their coffee breaks. Besides being a time to network, it also provides opportunity for attendees to recaffeinate with their hot beverage of choice. With the recent addition of sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, bestselling author of the The Sales Bible and a weekly newsletter Sales Caffeine, a second cup of joe might not be necessary for the Boston Business Boot Camp, a three-day conference designed specifically to help green professionals grow their businesses.
“It’s not every day you can add the author of the Bible to your speaker’s list,” joked Keith Upham, founder of the Boston Business Boot Camp. “Seriously though, Jeffrey is one of the most dynamic sales speakers in the world. He not only takes over a room, but provides more of a jolt to an audience than 10 cups of coffee.”
Adds Upham, “We designed this Boot Camp for green industry professionals but the information Jeffrey will be sharing is stuff every small business owner should know.”
Gitomer’s best-selling titles include: The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Black Book of Connections and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. All of his books have been number one best sellers on Amazon.com, including Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Patterson Principles of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!, The Little Teal Book of Trust, Social BOOM!, and The Little Book of Leadership. His literary efforts also include a weekly syndicated column entitled Sales Moves, with a readership of more than four million.
Gitomer is also a renowned speaker, giving more than 100 presentations per year for corporations like Coca-Cola, D.R. Horton, Caterpillar, BMW, AT&T Wireless, MacGregor Golf, Ferguson Enterprises, Kimpton Hotels, Hilton, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, AmeriPride, NCR, Stewart Title and Comcast Cable. Those presentations include speaking at public and corporate seminars, running annual sales meetings, and conducting live and Internet training programs on selling, customer loyalty, and personal development.
“In creating Boston Business Boot Camp, we wanted to give green industry professionals nationwide a world class event,” said Upham, who is also the owner of Weston, MA-based landscaping/design company The Upham Landscape Company. “With Boston as our location, we were part of the way there. Adding a world class speaker like Jeffrey Gitomer to an already impressive agenda of activities and speakers brings us all the way there.”
Other speakers appearing at the March 1-3 conference to be held at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts, include: Carissa St. Laurent of Constant Contact, Michael Gannon, Esq.; Jeffrey Scott of Jeffrey Scott, Inc.; Bonnie Kirchner of Sea Change Financial Education; Tony Bass of Tony Bass Consulting, Inc.; Frank Crandall of Crandall Consulting and Keith Upham. The range of topics covered will include sales, marketing, financial planning, HR, time management, and more.
The Boston Business Boot Camp anticipates up to 200 attendees from a variety of green industry disciplines, including landscapers, lawn care pros, tree service specialists, pest control business owners, masons, fence companies, nursery/greenhouses, outdoor lighting, and pool installers. The cost to attend is $995 per person. Companies signing up three or more attendees will receive a five percent discount. Companies signing up five or more may deduct 10 percent from the total.
In addition, a variety of sponsorship opportunities are available. Those include the Platinum Sponsorship ($15,000), Silver and Silver Lanyard ($3000) and Bronze ($750).
Interested attendees and sponsors may contact Keith Upham directly at 617-839-1451 or visit http://www.bostonbusinessbootcamp.com for more information.
The key to keeping the slopes in superb condition for skiers and snowboarders is not technique. Nor does Mother Nature help with slope grooming. It’s having the right tools for the job.
Action Bearing of Boston provides the 24 hour service, product knowledge and the right bearing at the right price (whether it be for lifts, groomers, bullwheels or pump and compressor houses) to ski areas, ensuring that all of their maintenance needs are met.
Action Bearing are providers of bearings and related products for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) global markets. They have recently established a dedicated Recreation Division, which primarily focuses on Ski Area Maintenance.
The company offers special solutions and carries a full line of bearings for Riblet, Yan, Hall and other manufacturers. They also offer related products such as Lubricants, Oil Seals, Linear Motion, Ball and Roller Bearings.
Action Bearing is a member of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). Among their esteemed ski area clients, Action Bearing provides bearings and more to Cochran’s Ski Area, the nation’s first non-profit, IRS 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt ski area in Richmond, VT. Since the 1960s, many of the Cochran family members have followed in World Cup winner Marilyn Cochran’s footsteps and been on the U.S. and Olympic Ski Teams. Cochran’s Ski provides affordable skiing and snowboarding, lessons and race training, in the Cochran tradition.
According to Steve Katz, Action Bearing Boston’s president, “Weekends and holidays are the busiest and most lucrative days for ski areas. To not have a working lift due to a bearing failure or to be unable to efficiently groom the slopes because a part is needed, affects operations and is costly. We have a vast warehouse of bearings, with same day shipping and even same day delivery as needed, to ensure the smooth, continuous operation of all equipment.”
For more information, contact Rick Piracini, Marketing Specialist and industry expert at Action Bearing Boston at 866-995-8760 or email rickp@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. 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 is the leading provider of bearings to OEM and MRO markets in New England. 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.
Advocates for elders and families scored a major victory this week when the State Legislature added $21.2 million in state funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Mass Home Care initiated this effort back in November by approaching the National Consumer Law Center to work with us to set up meetings with key state lawmakers. From there, the support of local Community Action Programs (CAPs) was sought, and the advocacy effort began.
A meeting was held with State Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) on November 22nd, and a second meeting took place with Rep. Paul Donato (D-Medford) on December 1st. Mass Home Care and advocates asked lawmakers to consider a fund of $30 million in fuel aid. The language had a provision that if federal funding exceeded $150 million, the state funding would begin to revert back to the state coffers.
On January 11th, the House Ways and Means committee, led by Rep. Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill) reported out a supplemental budget for FY 2012 that included $21.2 million in new state funding for the fuel aid program. The House budget was adopted on January 18th, and the Senate concurred the following day, on January 19th. In all, it took nearly two months for advocates to achieve the added state fuel funding – but as a result, as many as 21,000 new households will be able to get fuel assistance this year. Last winter 250,000 Massachusetts residents received fuel assistance. This state funding represents the 15th time that state funds have been added to the federal program to help low-income elders and families cope with winter heating expenses.
Last year Massachusetts received approximately $182 million in LIHEAP funding from the federal government. This year the state is slated to receive $132 million ($50 million less than last year). The state supplement of $21.2 M brings the available funds to the level of $153.2 M, or about 84% of what was available last year. Based on language in the House budget, if the federal funding exceeds $163.77 million, funds would begin to revert back to the state; federal funding is not expected to change at this point.
The Commonwealth’s highest heating oil benefit for the poorest families is currently $1,025 compared to $1,240 in 2009. Compounding the pain is the rising cost of oil, up from about $3 a gallon last year to $4 a gallon today. At this price, the highest fuel assistance benefit will provide only one tank of oil. The average household needs three to four tank refills to get through the winter. This means many households will run out of oil sometime in January.
In some parts of the state, elderly households comprise as much as 20% or more of the applicants. Elders are particularly at risk for heating problems because they are more susceptible to hypothermia, live in homes that are poorly insulated, and go out less often than younger people, thus spending more time in a cold home.
“This state supplement for fuel aid is a great victory for seniors and advocates,” said Diana DiGiorgi, Executive Director of Old Colony Elder Services. “The classic dilemma facing seniors is a ‘heat or eat’ choice,” DiGiorgi explained. “We know that the total fuel aid this year will not be enough to protect all seniors who need this help—but it’s definitely going to warm up the homes of many of our frail elderly population.”
About Old Colony Elder Services
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.
The agency has 157 employees. For more information call (508) 584-1561 or visit the website at www.oldcolonyelderservices.org
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First annual conference to take place at Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts, March 1-3.
WESTON, MA…
The Boston Business Boot Camp, a three-day conference designed specifically to help green professionals grow their respective businesses, recently added Carissa St. Laurent of Constant Contact and Jeffrey Scott of Jeffrey Scott, Inc. to its roster of speakers.
St. Laurent’s segment, entitled “Growing your Business Using Email & Social Marketing” will focus on how business owners can utilize the Internet and social media to grow their business. Scott will speak on two topics, entitled “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Green Industry CEO’s” and “Growing Your Landscape Business by Referral”.
“We have some incredibly talented people in the green profession that can literally turn a backyard into a work of art. When it comes to turning leads into customers, branding or marketing their business, let’s just say they’re green in another way,” said Keith Upham, founder of Boston Business Boot Camp and owner of The Upham Landscape Company. “We designed the Boston Business Boot Camp help those folks raise their business acumen to the level of their skill as green professionals. Having speakers the caliber of Carissa and Jeffrey only sweetens the pot.”
Other speakers appearing at the March 1-3 conference to be held at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts, include: Michael Gannon, Esq.; Bonnie Kirchner of Sea Change Financial Education; Frank Crandall of Crandall Consulting and Keith Upham. The range of topics covered will include sales, marketing, financial planning, HR, time management, and more.
“It’s ironic that we refer to this as a boot camp, because we’re not focusing on any activity that requires boots. It’s all about running your green industry business better,” said Upham. “Beyond speakers with a variety of different specialties—sales, marketing, financial planning, HR, time management—we have an abundance of networking opportunities with fellow green business owners.”
The Boston Business Boot Camp anticipates up to 200 attendees from a variety of green industry disciplines, including landscapers, lawn care pros, tree service specialists, pest control business owners, masons, fence companies, nursery/greenhouses, outdoor lighting, and pool installers. The cost to attend is $995 per person. Companies signing up three or more attendees will receive a five percent discount. Companies signing up five or more may deduct 10 percent from the total.
“This is a $15 billion a year industry that’s been growing at 12-15% annually,” Upham says. “We (business owners) need every bit of business education there is available to help us manage our businesses better and be more competitive with the large franchises. As a whole, we’re great at landscaping, but our business skills need constant sharpening.”
In addition, a variety of sponsorship opportunities are available. Those include the Platinum Sponsorship ($15,000), Silver and Silver Lanyard ($3000) and Bronze ($750).
Interested attendees and sponsors may contact Keith Upham directly at 617-839-1451 or visit http://www.bostonbusinessbootcamp.com for more information.
Smiles by the Toothboss, located in South Weymouth, MA, performs dental implants
SOUTH WEYMOUTH, MA
As a child, a missing tooth is a rite of passage and cause for children to celebrate an anticipated visit from the Tooth Fairy. As adults, a missing tooth or tooth that might need to be replaced is cause for discomfort on many levels, most notably emotional and financial. Unfortunately, many people opt for a quick fix or least costly fix and that can lead to more problems.
“The emotional impact of losing one of your teeth combined with the financial cost associated with repairing it leads people to some rather hasty decisions without considering all the factors,” said Dr. Richard Wolfert, DMD and owner of Smiles by the Toothboss in South Weymouth. “We recommend dental implants because it offers a permanent solution without altering any teeth besides the missing one.”
Treatments for missing teeth or teeth that need replacing include:
Transitional replacement – Merely an aesthetic solution that offers limited functionality.
Bridge – This involves a tooth replacement and trimming adjacent teeth to transition smoothly with the false tooth. Trimming teeth can increase risk of the tooth abscessing or gum disease.
Dental implant – A Titanium based cylinder that replaces the missing tooth root. After a period of time and when the implant has integrated other parts will be placed on the implant, enabling your dentist to eventually place a crown (cap) on the implant.
The process of replacing a tooth via dental implant takes three to six months. An oral surgeon performs the initial phase, which involves replacing the root. Typically, your regular dentist will complete the remainder of the procedure, placing the crown/cap on the implant.
The cost of a dental implant can vary depending on the extent of the repair. Most dental plans will not cover the surgery portion of the procedure. Most plans will cover the crown portion of the procedure up to a certain amount (for most plans, it’s around $1500). You should check with your dental plan provider before committing to a dental implant to be certain of exactly how much is covered.
“A dental implant is certainly a conservative approach,” said Wolfert. “More and more dentists are recommending dental implants as the preferred method of tooth replacement because of its durability and the lack of potential side effects.”
In addition to crowns for dental implants, Dr. Wolfert offers a wide range of dental services, including comprehensive examinations, cosmetics, tooth-colored restorations, partial and full dentures; periodontics (early cases treated) and emergency services (24-hour emergency phone number available).
Dr. Wolfert’s practice, Smiles by the Toothboss, is located at 1121 Main Street in South Weymouth, Massachusetts. For more information, you can visit Dr. Wolfert’s website at www.toothboss.com or call 781-335-0604 to schedule a consultation.
About Smiles by the Toothboss
Smiles by the Toothboss offers: comprehensive examinations (written treatment and treatment plan provided); cosmetics; crowns, bridges and tooth-colored restorations; partial and full dentures; periodontics (early cases treated); oral surgery; restoration of conventional and small diameter implants; and emergency services (24-hour emergency phone number available).
Smiles by the Toothboss accepts most insurance plans. They also accept payment from most PPO and indemnity plans, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Delta Dental. They also accept all major credit cards and have arranged payment plans through CareCredit.
To schedule an initial consultation, please call 781-335-0604. For more information, visit www.toothboss.com.
Randolph, Massachusetts-based International Marketing and Administration Company (IMAC) recently purchased Specialty Service Solutions, LLC, a Chicago-based insurance brokerage firm.
“This acquisition increases the scale of our brokerage business and provides us a proven distribution track for newly written P&C business for our clients,” said Edward Klayman, president of IMAC.
Specialty Service Solutions provides its brokers and producers access to hard-to-find insurance products. Schools, Camps, Pro Sports, Amateur Sports, Travel Medical coverage in-bound and out-bound, as well as assorted P&C programs such as E&O and Roadside Assist Packages are just some the of standard products Specialty Service Solutions has developed and distributed through its agent base.
Under the new arrangement, current staff and management for Specialty Service Solutions will continue to work out of the Chicago, Illinois office as an official subsidy of IMAC.
“We’re very excited about 2012 and the main reason is our integration with IMAC,” said
Steven J. Ferguson, president of Specialty Service Solutions. “Providing Accident, Health and Sickness solutions as well as the new P&C options we can offer to the IMAC client base should help us create a one-stop shop for the clients we now service on a combined effort.”
IMAC creates direct response marketing programs for banks, insurance brokers and financial institutions and associations looking to reward customers, clients and members with discounted insurance products as a benefit. IMAC works with a number of top rated, A or better AM Best insurance carriers as well as non- insurance service providers to deliver an outstanding experience for the client.
Outside of the financial institution marketplace, IMAC also offers programs for associations, non-profit and otherwise. A sampling of those programs includes “US Advantage Plans”, “Yo Fi Wellness”, “InsurIQ” and the “COOL LTC” plan.
For complete information on IMAC and their marketing programs, visit www.imaco.com.
About IMAC
Founded in 1994, IMAC was the brain trust of insurance company executives with many years of experience in mass marketed coverage. IMAC specializes in mass marketed insurance products, through traditional enrollment channels as well as alternative methods such as web and phone. IMAC provides brokers, financial institutions and associations with effective insurance programs to offer their clients, customers and members. For more information on IMAC and its programs, visit www.imaco.com or call 781-963-2269.
Some dream of living within steps of a nature preserve. Others yearn for the convenience of a quaint town center. Kallio Path, a new subdivision in Pembroke just off Monroe Street, offers both amenities.
Kallio Path abuts the Tubbs Meadow Preserve which includes numerous walking paths and is a quiet highlight on the Bay Circuit Trail, a 200-mile footpath around suburban Boston that was first imagined nearly 80 years ago.
Most people have heard of the Appalachian Trail, and serious hikers are acquainted with the Long Trail in Vermont and the Pacific Crest. But after two decades of nudging, begging, and lobbying by trail advocates and volunteers, the lesser-known Bay Circuit Trail is nearly complete, providing people in eastern Massachusetts an opportunity for long hikes, without a long drive.
The modest cul-de-sac neighborhood is also only one mile from Pembroke Center and shopping convenience.
Infrastructure, including roads, water and electrical for Kallio Path have been completed and the first model home has been sold. There are a total of 10 treed and private lots and each is approximately 1 acre. A second model home is about to be built.
K&G Development, a Kingston-based custom home building company which is owned and operated by long-term South Shore resident Bob Gosselin, will be working with families to build custom homes that suit their needs. Gosselin has been building a wide range of homes and neighborhoods for more than three decades. Averaging as many as 50 homes per year, Bob figures he’s built well over 1,500 homes throughout the South Shore.
Working from one of the many stock plans that Bob Gosselin has archived over the years, or collaborating with your architect or one of K & G Development’s preferred architects, you can create the home you always wanted.
Rodman & Rodman, P.C. , a CPA firm providing tax advisory services and business strategies for small and mid-size companies throughout New England, is pleased to announce that Thomas H. Astore has been promoted to Partner.
Astore brings over 20 years of experience to Rodman & Rodman’s Tax Department. He joined Rodman & Rodman in July of 2008 as Tax Manager and was promoted to Tax Director in April of 2009.
Astore graduated from Hofstra University, cum laude, and Fordham Law School, cum laude, where he was a member of the Law Review. He has extensive experience in many areas of taxation. Most recently, he has focused on business structuring for medium-sized clients; individual and entity tax planning as well as estate planning.
He also oversees the Rodman & Rodman Green Team, the firm’s specialty practice dedicated to providing alternative energy producers and other businesses that pursue energy efficiency initiatives with expert counsel and services in green energy tax accounting and business strategy.
A native of Long Island, Astore resides in Burlington, MA.
About Rodman & Rodman P.C.
Founded in 1961, Rodman & Rodman, P.C. provides accounting, tax and business services to small and medium-sized companies throughout New England. With a focus on strategic planning, Rodman & Rodman goes beyond traditional accounting services and takes a proactive approach when serving clients to increase, preserve and sustain clients’ financial net worth. The company is Green Business Certified and in 2010 and 2011 was named one of the “Best Accounting Firms to Work For” in Accounting Today. Rodman & Rodman is listed in the Boston Business Journal’s “Top 50 Firms”.
From business valuations, taxation, audits, fraud detection and prevention services and succession planning to a variety of accounting IT services including software selection, implementation and training, the team at Rodman & Rodman serves as comprehensive advisors to clients. For individual clients, the company offers personal advisory services such as planning for real estate transactions, obtaining financing, estate planning and retirement planning as well as planning for college education. The Rodman & Rodman Green Team is a specialized green energy and clean technology accounting and tax services practice within Rodman & Rodman, P.C.
Rodman & Rodman, P.C. are located at 3 Newton Executive Park in Newton and 25 Braintree Hill Office Park in Braintree, MA. For more information, email info@rodmancpa.com, visit their website at www.rodmancpa.com or contact (617) 965-5959.
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