Conduct an audit to ensure effectiveness AT ONE TIME, Kodak was the dominant provider of picture-taking technology in the United States and the world. Everybody knew what it was to have a “Kodak moment.” Those days are long gone. What happened? In the late 1980s, the CEO had dedicated an entire day-long meeting to take…
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How companies can find the smart, creative employees they need MANY AMERICANS KNOW from watching the 1995 movie about Apollo 13, featuring Tom Hanks, the story of how that space mission averted disaster for the astronauts. But what most Americans don’t know is that the real reason they made it back to Earth safely was…
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Sendik’s game plan to compete with larger grocers WHAT DO YOU DO if you’re in a highly competitive industry and you are taking on giants who have the advantage of pricing because of their size? Sendik’s Food Market, since its inception in 1926, has competed with giants in the local grocery industry including: Kohl’s, Roundy’s,…
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COULD YOU HAVE EVER GUESSED that when you are using a Bravo kitchen paper towel or Toolbox shop towels that they were manufactured right here in Milwaukee by Sellars Absorbent Materials Inc.? Sellars was started in 1985 by its president and founder, John Sellars, in his Milwaukee home. John was soon joined by his brother Bill as vice president of technology and manufacturing and…
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Foster an innovative culture in your company. CAN A JOURNALIST BY TRAINING ever lead an advertising company that prides itself on creative solutions for clients? Remember journalists uncover objective facts and report them; hardly an exercise in creativity. But Jeff Young, the chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based marketing firm Bader Rutter, who has a background…
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Innovate or Die: Design Thinking Works One of the most dramatic developments in the creation of a new product or a new service to customers is to begin with the customer and build innovation around “design thinking”. Jeanne Liedtka, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, wrote in an article in…
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We all know the importance of the work that police officers do to protect us and keep us safe. And we would probably think it somewhat unusual that the police officer who can take on hardened criminals is also the person who could launch a very successful financial services group that would advise us on…
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We have all heard the old refrain: “You can’t sell ice cream to Eskimos.” Don’t tell Todd DeMonte, because he currently sells dehumidifiers in the arid state of New Mexico to solve greenhouse operators’ mold problems growing medicinal marijuana plants. The company he heads, Therma-Stor LLC, has grown under his leadership to become the largest…
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In 1961 Roger Maris was chasing Babe Ruth’s single season home run record of 60, which stood since 1927. You would think as he got close to the record he would be the most popular man in America. Just the opposite happened. His own New York Yankees fans booed him. The media characterized him as…
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