The NEW Adventures of Nicolet

Absolutely Free?

2012-01-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

"Oh YES!" Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., (WEDC) gave us its blessing to gather business info from Business Owners, CEOs, GMs and Entrepreneurs throughout WiSCONSIN...

'Wi will: 1.) Gather quarterly business info from Wi Biz Owners;
2.) Analyze the data and; 3.) Share it with you!

Oh Yes it's FREE! FREE info about issues important to you, and your fellow CEOs. (Not just YES, HELLYES!)

FULL DISCLOSURE:
The data we share is indeed FREE, but here's the Catch: YOU first.
YOU answer a short questionnaire at the end of each Quarter - just 6 minutes of your time - and we'll share the results:
Quid Pro Quo / Win Win Win.

BONUS: NO Sales Pitches AND, the info you share is Confidential.

We've been doing this w/CEOs for 50 consecutive quarters. In 12 years, we've developed an outstanding reputation and unearthed a LOT of interesting, proprietary, actionable business data -
stuff you can't get anywhere else for free!

To provide quantifiable info, we need a representative sample of Wisconsin Business Owners, CEOs & Entrepreneurs (this means YOU). Without YOU, 'Wi will not move Forward.

REGISTER HERE/LINK NOW! (It takes 30 seconds to register.)

1.) Register today; help us build a credible sample of CEOs;

2.) PLEASE, consider sharing this link with a fellow CEO in Wi.
'Wi need YOU;

3.) Thank YOU.

PS: This is about Wisconsin Business/for Wisconsin Business!
It's good for you and, absolutely free: Win/Win.

Monday Morning QB: Aaron Rodgers' Passing DIDN'T matter; Michael Philbin's did...

2012-01-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Aaron Rodgers' passing didn't cost the Packers the game.
I'm not a player; just a pretty good Monday Morning Quarterback. I've spent a fair amount of time coaching boys and young men but, I'm no Knute Rockne.

As a coach, I could tell when my guys were ON - and not ON. I had a strong sense this week that - no matter who the Packers played on Sunday - they were NOT going to be ON. The Little Sisters of the Poor would have beaten the snot out of them.

When preparing for the game, it was clear to me that Aaron Rodgers' passing would not be a factor at all - Eli's, either. . . Michael Philbin's passing would.

The Packers are a tight team. The players; the coaches; the management = I may be wrong, but when word of Michael Philbin's passing came to light in the locker room, the lights went out on Lambeau; the air went out of our football. The Game was OVER a week before it was played.

You could see it in the news conferences all week - and we watched it play out on the field. Coaches always yell, "You play how you practice," and the Packers' hearts weren't in it. Football is an emotional game and, emotion ruled. Emotion won - again -
on Sunday.

Coach McCarthy said the team had contingency plans to deal with the loss of their teammate but, really? Coach McCarthy could have brought back Lambeau, Lombardi - even Lindy Infante for crying out loud - but no contingency could fill the hole left by
Michael's Passing.

You can try to put on a happy face but, you can't out coach it; you can't out play it; you can't out-emote it. Athletes and coaches don't say "can't" but, it can show up on the field. When it does,
you can't control it.

I think The Packer Family will struggle with this for a long time. Just the look on Mike McCarthy's face during his news conferences this week or, when he was on the field on Sunday = You could see it in his eyes; his body language. As a father, you could clearly see that: Mike just wasn't that into it. As hard as he tried to do his job, he didn't have a plan for Michael Philbin's passing.

We've lost 5 babies to miscarriage. Painful...still. But my son?

Years ago, a co-worker lost his 6 year old - the little fella just dropped over at his little desk in school one day (genetic heart problem). I never was a big "fan" of this particular associate/teammate, but at the funeral I was crying harder than he. I wasn't even a father back then but, I could feel his pain.
I'm sure I offered very little comfort.

He moved his family away from Green Bay a few years ago; I see him occasionally. I still don't know what to say. His son would be 30 something. I know what he's still feeling.

Michael Philbin's passing is a big loss for his family. It's a giant loss for The Green Bay Packers. It's a loss for the greater Green Bay Community: fans, families and foes alike.

I wish there was something I could do for the Philbins; I'm guessing they're wishing the same. I guess I'll just emote a bit on my blog. If someone happens to reads this beyond my circle of readers, consider this a digital hug to the Philbins (maybe we can do a digital Group Hug). If it helps the Philbins to know,
I'm crying with you, too.

Michael, you had a big impact on a lot of people around here. Amen.

NYTimes: Green Bay fans "Classiest?"

2012-01-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

HOLY COW! No one's ever called us 'classy' before. Cheesy maybe, but Classy!?

The New York Times said it? WOW! The cow DID jump over the moon!

The old Grey Lady must have fallen (and can't get up). 'She couldn't find Green Bay even if the playoffs were being played at New York's New Home in New Jersey.

The closest she'd EVER come to Green Bay might be Greenwich Village or maybe, Greenwich CT. To the New York Times, Green Bay is as fictional as Forrest Gump's "greenbowalaBAMA!"

The Times must be trolling for subscriptions in the Heartland or, maybe they're actually on to something! Compared to New York; compared to the rest of the league, Green Bay fans ARE a class act! We're friendly; we open doors for strangers; we say, Thank You.

I think a Pulitizer Prize-type story is in the works...

I hope Jayson Blair doesn't get assigned the follow-up story. He - definitely - would visit Fictional Greenbow instead of Green Bay!

Maureen Dowd would be a good writer to follow up. Unlike a lotta NYTimes reporters, she already knows a lot about Wisconsin!
"The home of brats and beer bellies," she wrote in one of her opinion pieces. Maureen would be great! She sounds like a Homer; a Yooper; a CheeseHead! She's up on all the cuisine and recreational opportunities around here. She wouldn't have to make it up like Jayson would.

Paul Krugman might be a good. He can spell Wisconsin (but his geography gets a little fuzzy west of the Hudson River. Last February he wrote, "Here’s a thought: maybe Madison, Wis., isn’t Cairo after all. Maybe it’s Baghdad?")

Hmmm...Maybe we don't want Krugman doing the story. He probably thinks Green Bay IS Green Bow - or Madison is anyway! He'd never find us!

Regardless of who the media sends, there will be a LOT of New Yorkers in Green Bay this weekend! To keep up our classy image, we'll probably have to get out the good silver! (At $30 an ounce, we might rethink that strategy...in a New York Minute the dish, the forks, the knives, the little sterling napkin holders will all "run away" with the spoons.)

Maybe, we'll go OUT for fish! Maybe, some brats on the barbie at home (if Maureen is coming)!

AND, we'll definitely have to cut the Good Cheese! (And only a true, classy cheesehead knows what cutting the cheese means!)

OPEN INVITATION to any New York Times reporter:
If you need a fairly-classy place to stay for a classy weekend with the Classy Peeps in Green Bay (BOTH of the classy hotel rooms in town are already GONE this weekend!), you can stay at our house. Visit some real classy, down to earth people. We'll show you a great time! (If Krugman shows up, we'll show him where Madison is!)

If you need a place stay, comment on THIS blog, OK?
We'll party 'till the cows come home!

God sure loves Tim Tebow, but The Green Bay Packers are His Team

2012-01-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

It's amazing that Tim Tebow had 3:16 yards on Sunday! I'm glad God finally has a team in the generally godless AFC! Judging from the talent over there, it's good God's back - especially if you're a Bronco Fan!

If you're a Packer Fan, God's always been one of our BIGGEST fans. (Although there were times - like the 70s & 80s - when He busied himself with other earthly things = things, NOT teams! He was still with us!)

God loves The Packers. I mean, Vince Lombardi went to mass everyday; his teams bunked at SAINT Norbert College; he ate fish on Friday! We ALL eat fish on Friday 'round here! (Perch, plus the obligatory Cheese & Crackers with Cocktails, of course.)

One of Lombardi's most famous quotes: "Think of only 3 things: your God, your family and the Green Bay Packers - in that order." God loves that kind of pep talk from His Coach.

When Lombardi left for a godless, Washington DC team, things went to hell 'round here. I'm not sure why God abandoned us, but I think He was really ticked at Lombardi! Or, He just got bored with Green Bay (which is not too hard to do - especially if you're Creator of the Entire Universe. God didn't do His MOST creative work when creating little old Green Bay. It's NOT a bad place by any means, but He could have done something a little more creative with the weather).

Maybe, God just got bored with Green Bay winning ALL the time!

Anyway, after 20 years in Purgatory, God welcomed us back to The Kingdom. While we don't win EVERY game like we used to when Lombardi was running God's Team (damn those Kansas City Chiefs), we've had some good success. I think it all started when Reggie White converted to God's Team and, we were born again...

I'm glad God got involved with an AFC team; I'm happy for Tebow, too! We look forward to meeting them in the Superbowl this year!

However, if God really loved the Broncos, He would have sent Aaron.

God's Team; America's Team; Tebow's Team too, probably!

a GIANT Margarita

2012-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

The Tundra is melting.

It should be Rock Hard Right Now! Instead, it's Slush.
Our giant, green bay looks like a GiANT Margarita...Strawberry, tonight.

It hasn't been this warm in a long, long time. We had 2 feet of snow this time last year. Not ONE inch today; it's 45 degrees!!

I'm guessing most of the people on The Frozen Tundra are happy about our current warmspell... I sure am. I 'm especially glad I won't be buying that $1600 snowblower I was "budgeting" for last Fall. Happy, I AM!

I have a 'hankerin for a GiANT Margarita!

CEOs Top 10 for '12

2012-01-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

It's probably NO different anywhere else in the world, but up here on The Frozen Tundra, CEOs and Business Owners have provided a preview of their Top Business Resolutions for 2012...

Each October, The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse asks CEOs and Business Owners a series of open-ended questions about business priorities for the year ahead. And each year, the top answer never changes. (Although one year [I think it was 2004], Healthcare & Employee Benefits made a serious run at Number One. I forget what was going on back then to justify Healthcare's lofty position, but I believe there were double-digit rate increases being handed out by insurance companies and HMOs, and the CEOs got all excited about doing something about it! This year, however, Healthcare/Benefits/Wellness wasn't even a blip on their radar screen.)

In the many years Nicolet Bank has been asking, CEO Priorities
#2-through-#9 kinda come and go with the wind. Priority Number One never changes.

The Top 10 for 2012:

10.) Capital Improvements/Investments
6% of the CEOs who responded mentioned this as their Top Priority in 2012.

#9.) Retain Quality Staff; Recruit New Talent
7% mentioned this as their Top Priority.

#8.) Marketing
10% mentioned Marketing as a Priority. Hmmmm...,that's either really, really good for the Marketing Guy, or really bad. (See Priority Number 9.)

#7.) Reduce Government Regulation/a New President;
a New Congress
12% mentioned something related to changes in government! One might think that number should be MUCH higher, but I think a majority of CEOs and Business Owners up here on the Tundra are pretty much resigned to the fact that there's little they can do about it so, it's NOT a priority for their business. 12%, however, are still big dreamers, apparently.

#6/5.) TIE: 20% mentioned Employee Development/Training; and 20% mentioned Product Development.

#4.) Improve Operational Efficiencies
"Yeah...First, we get rid of the Marketing Guy!" 22% of the CEOs mentioned Operational Efficiency as The Top Priority in 2012. Removing the Marketing Guy is a step in the right direction, but it won't account for any measurable operational improvement.

#3.) Growth & Customer Retention
You can't have one without the other: 35% of the CEOs mentioned this.

#2.) Reduce Expenses
43% said this is their priority. The lowest hanging fruit is probably The Marketing Guy - and that bloated Marketing budget! One, swift, precise cut and the expense priority is off the plate :)

THE NUMBER ONE BUSINESS PRIORITY FOR 2012:

#1.) Sales & Revenue
Nearly 60% said this was their TOP Business Priority! "Wait a minute: How we gonna do that without the Marketing Guy?"

nothing NEW under the sun

2012-01-01T05:22:00.000-08:00

Green Bay was discovered WAY before almost anything else in The New World. When Frenchman Jean Nicolet came ashore, everything was new (except, of course, the Indians who were waiting for him = see illustration above).

FAST FORWARD 350 Years or so: a modern day 'Gene Nicolet landed on The Frozen Tundra in 1979; he figured everything would be really, really old.

WRONG! 'Gene discovered everything was really, really NEW:
a NEW Zoo; a NEW Technical College; a NEW Arts Council.

He discovered NEWCAP; NEWIST; NEW ENT; NEW Tents;
NEW Tires; even NEW Pest Solutions...

The new Nicolet had all this NEW stuff - along with his new job at a new company. "Moving to the edge of the earth wasn't going to be so bad after all," he said.

Eventually, Gene discovered that everything was NOT new; he discovered that N.E.W. stood for: Northeastern Wisconsin! Yeah, the NEW Zoo wasn't, and there are no new solutions for pests, either!

The natives said, "Welcome to the NEW World, Gene, but there's not that much new. Things don't change."

That's an understatement, and BEST illustrated by a recent study of CEOs and Business Owners: The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse is a quarterly study of CEOs and Business Owners on the Tundra. Around The New Year - for the past 12 years or so - we've asked CEOs to share their top business priorities for the year ahead.

For like, the 12th year in a row, the TOP Business Priority in 2012 is: "Increase Sales and Revenue." Nothing new in NEW!

Happy New Year.

No Jobs? NO Problem!

2011-12-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

CEOs will create jobs if 2 policies are enacted: Wham Bam DONE! Next Problem, please...

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse is a quarterly study of CEOs & Business Owners up on the Frozen Tundra - around Green Bay, Wi. The Q4/2011 Study focused like a laser on JOBS!

56% of CEOs and Business Owners said, 1.) "Reducing government regulation would have a Major Impact on job creation." 24% of the CEOs said it would have a Moderate Impact.

47% said, 2.) "Reducing corporate taxes to 25% - or less - would have a Major Impact on job creation."
31% of CEOs said, a Moderate Impact.

These are the TOP 2 policy changes CEOs said they would like to see if you would like to see more jobs. [DUH!]

CEOs' Least Favored Job Creation Policies? 1.) Tax credits to hire unemployed workers (5% Major/28% Moderate); 2.) Tax credits to hire unemployed veterans (3% Major/23% Moderate).
[Again, DUH!]

NOW, we have the data; priorities can be focused...

Now all we have to do is focus like a laser on Washington.
A Big, Hairy Audicious Beam (BHAB) mounted atop a corporate box at Lambeau Field would do the job (a deer stand could provide a good sight line as well). Now that Conceal/Carry is finally legal on the Tundra, are any of you Cheeseheads out there 'packin any serious Heat?

Send 'em a short 'Pulse...
a little heat from Green Bay might get their attention :)

One Percent occupies Green Bay

2011-12-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

The Green Bay Packers invited me to buy some stock!
I'm not the savviest investor out there but, let me think about it...

For my $250 "investment" and I get a beautiful piece of paper, an invitation to the annual shareholders meeting and, what...
Bragging Rights?

The stock won't appreciate, Packers don't pay a dividend and I can't sell it.

Hmmm...This "investment" has more holes in it than my CheeseHead Hat; it smells like aged Brick. They want to sell 250,000 shares ($62.5 Million Dollars!) to add some seats and a bigass TV in the south end zone!? Didn't we just pay for a bigass renovation? More accurately: Aren't we still "investing" in that one? = a .o5% Long Term "investment" every time we buy something in Brown County? Now they want a BIG Screen TV? What next?

ASIDE: I MUST warn you: The heat coming off that Big Bad Boy TV will make it much more tempting for us Packer Fans to take our shirts off during the colder games - it could get ugly out there! It could also melt our famous Frozen Tundra! OMG...what will Chris Berman say? What will we be known for besides cheese?

ANOTHER ASIDE: I should be able to see the Viewmongus, Million Dollar TV from my house on the fashionable, far Northeast Side! I wonder if some of the neighbors will be upset with all the ambient light during the night games? Some, who aren't fans (really?) might think it's The Northern Lights or something.

ANYWAY: I fear the green in Green Bay now means Money! With the latest money-grab, our beloved Green and Gold uniforms are tarnished: Green and Gold is Greed, not Good. Do the #OccupyWall Street people know about this? Where are the #Occupy Lombardi Avenue Cheeseheads? Greed Bay Packers is a scam...

...but it's a good scam. People who are serious investors and/or not Packer Fans won't understand, but $250 for nothing is NOT really nothing around here.

First of all, it's another good excuse to cook bratwurst, drink cold beer and buy relaxed-fitting Aaron Rogers merchandise in the Packer Pro Shop! (Yeah...that's what Green Bay Packer Shareholders do before every Shareholder Meeting.) BONUS: Shareholders meet in Summer so you don't have to pack Long Underwear and Tundra Gear Hats.

On the Tundra, a Green Bay Packer Stockholder is a big deal. It's as close to a Wall Street Big Shot as most of us will ever get! We're Number One, Baby; we're the One Percent!

Unknowingly, I've put good money for nothing in other investments over the years; some, I STILL haven't been able to recoup; some I can't sell! I've never been invited to a Shareholder Cookout before and, well...what the heck? What do I have to lose? (Besides, the Packers are the best team in the world right now and, we all want a piece of that action!)

FULL DISCLOSURE: The last time The Packers offered stock, I didn't bite. I involuntarily "elected" to "invest" in The Home Team Tax Scam instead. And, instead of a beautiful stock certificate, I cover my Man Cave walls with sales receipts from my many purchases in Brown County.

I DO, however, get to recoup a little of my investment when #85 scores a touchdown = PapaBurgers are only 85 CENTS at A&W Restaurants!

Go Pack GO!

say it ain't so, 'yo

2011-11-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Shoeless Joe was a phenomenal ball player whose career ended in the Black Sox Scandal. A young boy, seeing him emerge from the courthouse gave us the immortal line, "Say it ain't so, Joe."

Spineless Joe was a phenomenal coach and leader of young men whose career ended in a black, dark sex scandal.

For years, I was a volunteer coach of 10-year-old boys. I can clearly see the face of that youngster emerging shoeless from his shower: WIDE-eyed. Embarrassed. Looking for his mom, his pants, his dignity...

I can see him walking past Joe Pa's office: Head down; shoulders slumped; feet shuffling like HE was the one who made the mistake that cost the game; like HE was the only one on the team to be beaten by a bigger, stronger foe; like HE was the one who let everyone down.

The team was - conveniently - gone, and the young boy left the locker room alone. NO one was there to coach him; NO one to help him up; NO one to tell him he didn't make a mistake.

I can clearly hear that young boy's voice between sobs of pain and self doubt. As he shuffles past the legend's office I can hear that angelic, innocent voice giving us the now, immoral line, "Say it ain't so, Joe."

How could this be so, Joe? How could Jerry Scumbagsky be allowed to carry on all these years - right under your nose with EVERYone, it seems, knowing the drill?

Who didn't love Spineless Joe? Who didn't root for the Lions? How can you not like a place called Happy Valley? No 'mo, Jo!

Say it ain't so...

it IS a Ponzi Scheme?

2011-10-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Rick Perry said it is; Chris Matthews, too. Paul Krugman calls it a Ponzi Game...

Social Security namesake Charles Ponzi (above) is, well, DEAD! It doesn't matter what he said. Besides, Social Security didn't exist when he was running his scheme, but you can bet he's not happy having his famous name associated with a scheme like Social Security!

ASIDE: Too bad his family didn't copyright the name; too bad they didn't copyright Ponzi's investment Game...like Monopoly, or Risk, or Sorry! If Ponzi's family had the foresight of, say...a Milton Bradley, McDonalds might be running a Ponzi Scheme instead of a Monopoly! Unfortunately, their good name is now being sullied with a scheme like Social Security.

40 million young people apparently agree with Rick Perry: According to a new study by iOme Challenge.Org, fully 50% of Generation Y believe Social Security won’t exist when they try to collect on their "investment" in 40 years.

[Data was collected last month from a representative sample of 642 Millennials. The study was sponsored by The iOme Challenge.]

Female Millennials are much more likely to believe Social Security won't exist when they retire; 60% of the Millennials who identify as Republican are convinced it won’t exist.

Despite the skepticism, the iOme study shows that Millennials have a very low personal savings rate: 58% are not setting any money aside...none; zero! What are Millennials waiting for? For parents, educators, legislators and/or employers to give them a medal - or a pat on the head, just like always!

The iOme Challenge was formed by a group of citizens, business leaders and academicians to engage young people to begin thinking about their financial future. Sponsors include: Ally, PAi, Sage, American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, National Association of Government Defined Administrators and St. Norbert College.

For a free summary of The iOme Study: http://www.iomechallenge.org/

Hut One, Hut Two...YIKE!

2011-09-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

THIS JUST IN: The National Football League ordered fans to bend over and "grab your ankles." Sounds like a Party!

It seems some sophisticated, East Coast citizen was busted for 'packin a tazer at the Jets Game last week! Yup, now we all have to bend over!

Grabbing The TSA Playbook, the NFL is calling for "enhanced" patdowns of patrons prior to kickoff! WOW...The Titillating Titletown Police Force (as now directed by the NFL) must feel all fans - from the ankles on UP! This could cause some concern!

First of all: What, exactly, will the GBPD / Gropers & Grabbers Unit be looking for? Tazers? Guns? Those teeny, little fingernail knives the TSA confiscates? Unless the Bears are in town, we pretty much leave our guns and personal grooming devices at Home = for Home Defense. Unless 'da Bears - or Plaxico Burress is in town - rarely is it necessary to pack heat at the game. Up on the Tundra, if we're girding for a fight, we FIRST try to drink our opponents under the table. Then, we shoot 'em!

During Deer Season - we may, occasionally, have to head right to the game from our Deer Stand. Yes, we WILL have a gun (or bow 'n arrow) but generally, we don't bring it into the Game! We leave it on the rack, in the truck, in the parking lot - where it belongs!

Less Juice for Overtime
I don't get to every game, but I'm pretty sure my friends don't take their Tazers to the game. Some do, of course, but why bring a Tazer when your 45 is more effective? Sitting in the cold at Lambeau Field for a three-hour game (plus the extra hour(s) we now have to sit in the stands due to the new NFL/TSA policy), a Tazer's batteries will weaken and be less effective by the fourth quarter.

Still, even a weakened tazer can be useful when Personally Administered to combat the legendary cold of The Frozen Tundra = a good jolt between touchdowns gets the heart 'pumpin and the blood 'flowin! Unfortunately, the potential, self-soiling side effects of self tazing are not worth all the FUN!

A tazer can also be used as Party Favor if the game gets boring! (That's probably what the doofus who got busted at the Jets Game was thinking: How can I liven up the Big Game? I know, I'll bring my tazer.) Using a tazer as Party Favor at Lambeau Field would be interesting because of the Aluminum Bench Seats encircling the stadium. I don't know this for a fact, but I'm thinking ONE GOOD JOLT applied to the Aluminum Seats in Section A will be felt all the way around to Section Z! You wanna really get The Wave going?

Grabbing a Giant KILLbasa?
What else will the NFL/TSA feel us up for...Pepper Spray? (We usually keep that in the truck with our other spices and tailgating condiments.) Hand Warmers? Hot Water Bottles? Keilbasa 'KILL-basa? Explosives?

Outside the Aaron Rodgers-to-Greg Jennings variety, the only bombs Packer Fans toss are 'Ya-gee Bombs! The NFL will also have to give blood tests to determine just how many of those we're carrying - which would take way too long with 70,000+ JagerMeisters in the House! We'd have to get to Lambeau about 10 HOURS EARLY on Game Day...but, there's nothing at all unusual about that!

MOST fans bring a little flask of 'Jage-making materials into the game...it's part of the tradition; it's as much a part of the Game as a Bratwurst and Beer for God Sake. A half pint or two of 'Jage - or a little Schnapps or, whatever - can carry us through the long hours of sitting in the cold! And now that the NFL has ordered us to come WAY early so we can get grabbed and groped way before game time, we'll have to be packin a little extra 'somethin. If they want us to hang around the stadium THAT long, we're going to have to lug a couple of extra pints! No big deal.

Where the Sun doesn't shine?
We'll still be 'sneakin in Schnapps on Sunday. True, we'll have to be more clever with The Grabbers and Gropers going nuts on us, but we still have lots of places to hide our hooch - like Plaxico who hid his piece next to his piece! I doubt the GB Grabbers and Gropers are going to be going down there? On Gramma? Really? They won't be "adjusting" crotches like baseball players do, will they?

Whatever, we have our false bottoms in our Rabbit Fur and Coonskin hats; we have false bottoms in those foam CheeseHead Hats you see us wearing; we have many false bottoms among the layers (and layers) of clothing we wear. You'll have to have to be a pretty good "gooser" to feel a half pint of Schnapps down under all that goose down down there!

And what are they going to do with our boots? Take 'em off? We have strapped boots; buckles; snowmobile boots...it's hard enough to get them on BEFORE the game at home, much less at the gate. What about our Aaron Rodgers replica Championship Belts? Those come off, too?

Are we going to have to strip bare naked like the TSA requires - or can we keep our clothes ON until we get inside the stadium - as is our tradition on the tundra.

I wonder if the cops will get any special groping and grabbing training? (GBPD might have to hire specialists; moonlighting TSA agents.) And, let's just say there is a dispute = some cop is crossing the line with a frisky version of the pre-game "routine." Who'll be the arbitier of Illegal Use of Hands? Who'll call the Unnecessary Roughness? Who will admit to Excessive Celebration?

NFL: No Fun League?
I don't know. We're STILL going to have a lot of fun at the games (maybe MORE so with all the new, pre-game festivities! ;) Green Bay will still be a top destination for any football fan in the world; Lambeau Field will still be the BEST place to participate in a game.

And, while The Tundran People are conservative, gun-loving, and generally uncomfortable about being touched by strangers, they're still hands down, The Best People in the Whole Wide World to Party with Outdoors (indoors, too)! They'll roll with this punch, and figure out a way to make The Great GroupGrope part of the Grand Tradition that is Green Bay Football.

[I want to know what GBPD plans to do with all those contraband cheese curds they confiscate? They're not good the next day, ya know!]

Gen Y to Obama: ByeBye Barack?

2011-09-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

66% of Gen Y voted for Hope & Change in '08. Today, Millennials hope Change comes again - SOON! Last month, The iOme Challenge commissioned a study of Generation Y:

1.) Who do you trust MOST to handle our economic problems? President Obama garnered 22% of their vote! (And, 58% said they'll Definitely vote in 2012; 17% said they Probably will.)

2.) 57% of Millennials participating in the recent Generation Opportunity study said they will learn MORE about the policy positions of presidential candidates in 2012 - more than they did in '08!

3.) 59% say they feel more cynical about the political process than they did in '08 - according to a 2010 poll commissioned by Rock the Vote.

For YOUR copy of the Executive Summary of our new, iOmeChallenge study contact me or, jayne.black@snc.edu

'Sup w/ Gen Y?

2011-08-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

9.13.11: The iOme Challenge.org will release a new study of Generation Y. WHY? We want to know about this generation because, well, they'll be taking over soon. It will be a most interesting study. OMG!

'Wi be No. 1

2011-06-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Is this Business Heaven? I don’t know for sure, but CEO Magazine recognized Wisconsin as the biggest gainer in its annual Best States for Business issue (June 2011).

‘Wi jumped ahead of 17 bad business states this year (places like RI, VT, MS and MN). ‘Wi moved from one of the worst-to-24^th place! ‘Wi are a long way from #1, but hey, it’s an attractive trend especially now that competition to attract business is really, really HOT:

Spencer Eccles, executive director of UT Governor’s Office of Economic Development said, “Companies with strong balance sheets are in a good position to expand and grow. And they have to otherwise, they’re just resting on their dollars.” (UT is ranked #9.)

“As capital returns to dirt,” said Don Cardon, CEO of the AZ Commerce Authority, "the next 2 or 3 years will greatly determine where business goes in the US for the next 10-to-15 years, so we’re dead serious about becoming the leading state in terms of attractiveness” (AZ is #13.)

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation convened its first board of directors meeting recently. Indeed, Wi is now: "Open for Business." It’s not just a clever political tagline any more; it’s a great day for business.

For whatever reason, our well-intentioned Department of Commerce became a bloated, bureaucratic bug-a-boo that busied itself with boiler plates and sewage tank regulation - just $22,000 was invested in Marketing! I always thought Commerce was supposed to be busy with business development, but it took a back seat to business regulation!

The new, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation changes everything. Development now has its own advocate; its own partner; its very own angel investor at the highest levels in Madison. “Is this Heaven,” they asked in Field of Dreams? “No…it ain’t Iowa either. It’s Wisconsin.”

Really?

A tip of the baseball cap goes to Paul Jadin. Who would have thought our mild-mannered mayor and collegial Chamber president was a giant killer? (Would you have given anyone a snowball’s chance in hell to re-prioritize an entrenched, bureaucratic behemoth like Commerce?) Paul did it in 5 months…like he said he would!

Hats off to our Governor, too. Even though Scott Walker has had his hat handed to him on several occasions over the last five months, his directive to redo Commerce was Forward Thinking!

And Walker’s appointment of Dan Ariens to his Board? THAT’s a Hat Trick = another outstanding, management decision! (Although in reality, it was a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t want to work with Dan Ariens when it comes to Business Development? What he has done with the worldwide development of the Ariens Company is just short of miraculous.)

So now we have Jadin and Ariens on the same team with the likes of Congressman and Serial Entrepreneur Scott Klug, with Business Owners Don Weber, Lisa Mauer and C. Thomas Sylke? In 5 months...from almost worst, to this?

Wow, ‘Wi!

But CEOs and Business Owners know more needs to be done besides changing the slogan, the stationary and the sign outside the door. Jadin said Wisconsin is significantly behind other states in committing funds to attract business; CEO Magazine ranks ‘Wi way behind TX as the Best for Business: ‘Wi have a long way to go, but ‘Wi are on the right track.

The Economic Development Corporation will have staff dedicated to Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing and Business Development. Sewerage Tanks and Boiler Plates will be relegated elsewhere in the bowels of the bureaucracy.

Jadin said he is going to get the funding to see Wi successful. The new Marketing budget is about $5 million...NOT enough to compete with TX, or IA or IN, but more competitive than $22K!

I have no idea how this will turn out, but I DO know this for sure:
The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse has been measuring the ups and downs of CEO Confidence for more than 10 years, and I am 100% positive that CEOs will be much more confident in the state of business in Wi now that the Economic Development Corporation is reality.

On Wi...Wii!

God's Football Fantasy Team?

2011-02-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

In some circles, there's some debate: Who is America's Team?

The bigger question is: God's got his money on who? GoPackGo!

we're all Tundrans now = FROZEN!

2011-02-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

31 states under Blizzard Warnings; 24 inches of snow + 60MPH winds; 60 inches on the ground in New York City!

Sleet, Snow and Ice as far as the eye can see - from sea to shining sea: St. Louis; Kansas City; Chicago; Oklahoma. Ground Hog Day was canceled in Sun Prairie WI due to snow! They even closed Dallas/Ft Worth Airport (and there's a BIG game there on Sunday)!

We're ALL Frozen Tundrans now.

All the world looks a little like Green Bay these days. Yes, it's beautiful but, living on the Frozen Tundra can be dangerous. Try to stay warm; drink lots of beer, eat a variety of cheeses and,
cheer for the Green Bay Packers. You'll come to love it!

Teach, Your Children Well

2010-11-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Nicolet Bank just released its study on Leadership. It revealed several interesting things about CEOs and Business Leaders up here on the Frozen Tundra.

Among its findings: Leaders in this Neck of the Woods said Leadership is not predetermined.

Tundran CEOs and Business Leaders - as well as academics who study Leadership as their primary field - have concluded that Leadership CAN be learned. The most recent Nicolet Bank Business Pulse study asked nearly 500 CEOs and Business Leaders what they thought, and nearly Nine-in-Ten said, “Yes, it can.”

(36% said “Definitely;” 53% said “Probably.” Only 10% said it Probably Can’t be Learned; 1% said it, Definitely Cannot be Learned!)

Leadership = Integrity
What 's most important for Leadership? 96% said: Integrity.

Determination and Confidence were close behind. 53% of the CEOs said Conceptual Skills were Major Factors; 43% said Emotional Skills followed by Intelligence; Charisma; Sociability and Technical Skills.

With the possible exception of Charisma, all these characteristics can be learned – and/or improved upon – by learning and studying. CEOs think Integrity is about being honesty and having strong moral principles, but it's more than that.

In his recent book Integrity, Dr. Henry Cloud, found that leaders with Integrity have 6 qualities: 1.) They are able to Connect with others and build Trust; 2.) They are oriented towards Reality; 3.) They Finish well; 4.) They embrace the Negative; 5.) They are oriented towards Increase and, 6.) They have an Understanding of the Transcendent.

ASIDE: I'm not sure how much understanding I have of the Transcendent, but I DO like my orientation towards Increase - and I LOVE to Finish Well! :END ASIDE

CEOs in The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse were also asked how important it is for leaders to play various roles. 79% said Putting the Right People in the Right Place was a Critically Important role; Providing the Vision was critically important to 77%.

Both views are right out of Jim Collins’ book: Good to Great. Collins argues that you need to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus before you figure out the Vision. Collins may get pushback from leaders on the exact order of these two roles, but it is clear that CEOs in the NewNorth view both as the most important roles they play in moving an organization forward.

A second tier of “Critically Important” roles includes: Inspiring the Organization, Communication, Customer Enhancement/Satisfaction and Development of Revenue Strategies. Farther down the list are: Providing Structure for the Organization, Public Relations and Marketing and Process Improvement.

Examining the multiple skill sets leaders need - and the roles they need to play - raises more questions: Can one leader have all the skills necessary to be effective? Can one person play an effective role providing Vision - as well as getting the right people in the right seats on the bus? Is it necessary to have multiple leaders?

Leaders in The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse have mixed views. It IS necessary to have leaders at various levels within the organization, but the question here is focused at Top-Level Leadership. About six-in-ten (61%) feel it’s a Good Idea to have multiple leaders; 39% say it’s not.

The Challenge for Leaders in the 21^st Century will be more complex than even just a few years ago. We are also at the cusp of a time when many Baby-Boomers will be stepping down from leadership positions in large numbers - in most sectors of the economy. While their exit has been delayed by the recession (and constant re-adjustment of their retirement window), it will not be long before Business, Government and our Communities find themselves a little short on leaders.

The task is to develop leadership development opportunities for young people identified with Leadership potential - sooner than later.

Teach Your Children
by Graham Nash

You, who are on the road,
must have a code that you can live by…
And so, become yourself,
because the past is just a goodbye.

Teach your children well.
Their father's hell,
did slowly go by.
And feed them on your dreams.
The one they pick,
is the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why…
If they told you you would die.
So just look at them and sigh,
and know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
don’t know the fears
that your elders grew by.
So please, help them with your youth.
They seek the truth before they can die

Teach your parents well.
Their children’s hell,
will slowly go by.
And feed them on your dreams.
The one they pick,
is the one you’ll know by.

Don’t you ever ask them why…
If they told you, you would cry.
So just look at them and sigh,
and know they love you.

How the Survey is Conducted
The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse^© is a Quarterly Study of CEOs and business leaders in the NewNorth Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan. It is designed and implemented by IntellectualMarketing, LLC. The survey, conducted September 17 - 29, 2010, was completed by 144 CEOs in the New North. Participants include: 28% in manufacturing; 26% in services; 19% retail trade; 5% wholesale trade; 6% finance, real estate, insurance; 6% in transportation, communications, utilities; 6% in construction; 6% in other industries. 16% have fewer than 6 employees; 27% have 6-25; 18% have 26-50; 12% 51-100; 17% 101-250; 6% 251-500; 1% 501-1,000; 3% have 1,001 or more.

Questions to Dr. David G. Wegge (920) 217-7738; dave.wegge@snc.edu

CEOs Positive, but Cautious 'bout Conditions

2010-10-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

After a long, steady climb out of the economic cellar, The Nicolet Bank Business Pulseleveled off at 113.1.

At the end of the first quarter, The Business Pulse reached 115.4 - its highest point since Q3/06. At the end of this quarter, CEOs continue to be cautiously positive. The Business Pulse recorded its lowest level in Q4 2008 at 63.8. The Pulse reached its highest point in Q4/03 when it finished the year at 137.4.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse^© measures Current Economic Conditions compared to three months ago - as well as Future Economic Expectations of business leaders over the next three months. The Current Conditions Index and The Future Expectations Index are then combined into the overall Business Pulse Index. Scores higher than 100 indicate more positive than negative responses; scores lower than 100 indicate more negative than positive responses.

The Current Conditions Index dipped from 113.8 in Q1 2010 to the current level of 109.1. The Future Expectations Index remained essentially unchanged from 117.0 in Q1 2010 to its current level of 117.1.

Current Conditions
While CEOs still give more positive than negative ratings about the economy in general - and economic conditions in their specific industry - they are less positive today than in Q1. In Q1/10, there was a 34% net positive view (that is, 34% more CEOs saying the economy is Better than saying it is Worse) of the economy in general compared with 5% net positive today.

In their specific industry, there was a net positive 26% in Q1 compared with 10% positive today. Interestingly, CEOs are more positive today than last quarter in the four areas in which they have direct impact or control: Gross Revenue shows a net positive rating of 25% today compared with 19% in Q1/10; Net Profits show a net positive of 21% today compared with 10% in Q1; Number of Employees is +12% today compared with +2% in Q1. Capital Spending remained the same.

Future Expectations
The Future Expectations Index is at 117.1 compared with 117.0 in Q1/10. While the aggregate Future Expectations Index was essentially unchanged from Q1/10, the underlying factors that make up the index did see some changes.

On their perception of the general economy, CEOs had a net positive rating of 30% compared with a net positive rating today of +14%. In their view of economic conditions in their specific industry, they had a positive rating of +23% in Q1 and only a +5% today. On all other indicators, CEOs had a more positive view today than they had in Q1: Gross Revenue moved from a net positive of 17% in Q1 to a +26% today; Net Profits shifted from +15% in Q1 to +19% today; Capital Spending changed from a net negative of 2% to a net positive of 8%; Number of Employees were unchanged.

National Comparisons
In the latest Conference Board survey of CEOs, evaluations remained positive but flat at 62. The Conference Board Measure is based on interviews with about 100 CEOs nationally; a score of 50 on the Conference Board Measure of Business Confidence indicates the same percentage of Positive and Negative responses. Scores higher than 50 indicate more positive than negative responses; scores lower than 50 indicate more negative = similar to The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse^© where a score of 100 means an equal percentage of Positives and Negatives.

Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence dropped from 57.7 in April-to-48.5 in September. (The base line for the Consumer Confidence Index is 100.) In Q1/10, there appeared to be some improvement in optimism, but it dissipated over the summer. The primary culprit appears to be consumer concern over the job market.

Summary
CEOs are less sanguine overall about the general economy and the economy in their specific industry, they display more positive views regarding how their organization is performing when it comes to revenues, profits, capital spending and employment.

How the Survey is Conducted
The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse^© is a Quarterly Study of CEOs and business leaders in the New North Wisconsin (Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Winnebago Counties) and Menominee, Michigan. It is designed and implemented by IntellectualMarketing, LLC. The survey, conducted September 17 - 29, 2010, was completed by 144 CEOs in the New North. Participants include: 28% in manufacturing; 26% in services; 19% retail trade; 5% wholesale trade; 6% finance, real estate, insurance; 6% in transportation, communications, utilities; 6% in construction; 6% in other industries. 16% have fewer than 6 employees; 27% have 6-25; 18% have 26-50; 12% 51-100; 17% 101-250; 6% 251-500; 1% 501-1,000; 3% have 1,001 or more.

Questions to Dr. David G. Wegge (920) 217-7738

CEO Confidence is up, Up North

2010-05-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse showed a substantial improvement as the index reached its highest point since the Third Quarter of 2006 = 115.4!

115.4 represents the highest point The Business Pulse has been in three-and-a-half effen years! Confidence of CEOs has improved steadily since it hit rock bottom (63.8) just five quarters ago. (The Business Pulse Baseline of 100 indicates an equal number of positive and negative views of economic conditions. The Business Pulse recorded its lowest level in Q4 2008 at 63.8 and its highest point in Q4/03 at 137.4.)

CURRENT conditions
The Business Pulse showed slight improvements in Net Profits (+3% in Q4/09 to +10% in Q1/10) and Capital Spending (-9% in Q4/09 to -4% in Q1/10), but substantial improvements in Gross Revenue (-2% to +19%), Perception of Economic Conditions in their Industry (-2% to +26%) and Perception of the General Economy (+11% to +34%).

There was little change in Employment: In Q4/09 there was a net positive of 2% compared to a net positive of 2% in Q1. Nationally, unemployment increased slightly from 9.7% in January to 9.9% in April. In Wisconsin, the unemployment rate dropped from 8.8% in March to 8.5% in April.

FUTURE expectations
The Future Expectations Index improved from 104.4 in Q4/09 to 117.0 in Q1/10. CEOs are especially more positive than negative on their views of the future of General Economy (31% more positive), Industry Economy (23% more positive), Employment (+19%), Revenues (+18%) and Profits (+15%). The only indicator that proved more negative than positive for CEOs was Capital Spending (-2%). However, Capital Spending was a net -15% in Q4/09.

All of these measures of the Future Expectations are substantially more positive than in Q4/09 with the exception of Net Revenues which was essentially flat with a net +21 in Q4/09 and a net +18 currently.

SUMMARY

In the First Quarter, The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse demonstrates that CEO confidence is beginning to pick up steam. While unemployment is still a significant concern - and consumer confidence remains historically low - the gains seen in Q1/10 give credence to the view that conditions are improving.

The positive results in terms of future employment is especially noteworthy with 29% of CEOs saying they plan to increase employment in the next three months compared to 10% who say they will decrease. The net positive of +19 is, indeed, encouraging news for the NewNorth.

Green Bay is Number One in Wellness... Really?

2010-04-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

Cheese on our Heads, Beer on our Bellys and Bratwurst on the Barbie by the GROSS, but we’re really Health Nuts...Really?

Two studies: One from MetLife Insurance Company; one from Nicolet National Bank has Green Bay leading the nation in the adoption and utilization of Wellness for employees and their families.

According to a MetLife News Release: "The popularity of Wellness continues to slowly, but steadily, increase among US employers: 37% offer a wellness program - up from 33% in 2008 and 27% in 2005."

According to Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© - which has tracked business trends and business owners up on the Frozen Tundra for the past ten years - 19% of employers had Wellness Programs in 2002. In 2005, 27% did.

Today, almost HALF (46%) of the employers in and around Green Bay Wisconsin offer a Wellness Plan.

According to MetLife, controlling costs is now the top benefits objective for employers, edging out employee retention for the first time since 2006. And while improving employee productivity remains the third most important benefits objective, employers have renewed focus on this area due to the economy — 84% of employers now report that this is a very important benefits objective, up from 79% in 2008.

Nicolet Bank asked its questions differently than Met did, but the comparison between the two studies showed similar trends in Wellness among decision makers.

The 8th Annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends was conducted in 4Q/2009. There were 1,503 interviews with benefits decision-makers at companies with at least two employees.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© is a quarterly study of CEOs and Business Owners. It is a representative sample of the business community in 18 counties in Wisconsin and Michigan. One hundred and eighty two CEOs and Business Leaders responded to the latest study conducted in March 2010.

Nicolet Bank has been tracking Wellness since, well...since Wellness wasn't cool!

GREEN in GREEN Bay?

2010-04-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

Blog BELOW appears in the next issue of, Medical Tourism Magazine: The International Authority in Medical Tourism.

Remember that song from the ‘70s: ‘Bein Green? Van Morrison, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra…even crooner Kermit the Frog popularized the now-famous words of a dead poet named Joe Raposo.

‘Bein Green was a great song that, for better or worse, has become the de facto Anthem for The Green Movement: Ford Motor Company used it (w/Kermit the Frog) in an ad campaign for Hybrids. Amazon.com used ‘Bein Green as a theme for a recent shareholder meeting; EDF in the UK uses the song to promote itself.‘

'Pollyticians of all stripes have wrapped their arms around Green, too…and they hug it like a tree! I should say, they hug it like a Contributor or a, “Special” Interest. (Hey…isn’t “Special Interest” a little redundant?)

Everyone’s glomming on to Green these days: Green is Good; Green is Omnipresent; Green is God for God sake = Catholics in California have gone Green for Lent!

Even The Girl Scouts are going Green! What next, Green NASCAR? Green Manufacturing? A Green, Green Giant? The Green, Green Hornet? Some Green, Green Eggs and Ham?

Green Green, it’s Green they say on the far side of the hill.
Green Green, I’m going away to where the Grass is Greener still!
The New Christy Minstrels

In THIS issue of Medical Tourism Magazine, I see hospitals and clinics are now flying their Green Freak Flag. Clinicians are now operating under Green Principals? Medicine is promoting itself to be a Sustainable enterprise - really?

I always thought hospitals were all about The 'Red – not the Green? I thought hospitals and clinics were always about Sustainable Practices? (Isn’t a patient’s sustainability a care giver’s only charge?) And what in God's Green Earth does leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) have to do with Leadership in Curing and Caring?

Green, Sustainable and LEED are popular, politically correct buzzwords that are all the rage in business, but a Green Hospital? A Green Clinic? A Green Proctologist?

If I were CEO of a Hospital or a Destination Clinic, the only Green initiative I’d want my staff to focus on was a sustainable Patient Base and a Green Cash Flow. I’d want to be a: 1.) Quality; 2.) Competitive; 3.) Clean Provider with 4.) Great Service and Outstanding People.

Now THAT is a Sustainable Business Model; it would LEED the market; our competition will be Green with Envy. As CEO, I’m good with THAT kind of Green!

The "Green" in my Marketing Budget would be spent on promoting how Good/Great we are at saving lives, NOT how Good we are at saving the planet.

I would shift any budget going for ANY Green Initiatives into my PR Initiatives budget. I’d get intimately involved with the people at the Medical Tourism Association, and hire a Healthcare/PR Guy (like the author of this article). You gotta spend some Green to make some Green – which is a Sustainable tactic I’d fully support.

Two years ago, Nicolet National Bank in Green Bay (yeah, their logo is Green), conducted a Study of 500 CEOs and Business Owners. (NO paper was used to gather the data - nor animals used in questionnaire testing.)

Nicolet asked: How Green was their Valley? A majority agreed with the statement: “Economic growth should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent” over the view: “Protection of the environment should be given priority, even at the risk of curbing economic growth.” Duh…Hello!

CEOs in Green Bay must be pragmatic practitioners of what some people in the Green Movement call, “Market-based Environmentalism.” (Is that an oxymoron, or WHAT?)

The Green Bay CEOs are divided on whether Going Green gives them any kind of competitive advantage [Pie Chart above], but 74% said that, “using improvement of the environment” as part of their marketing strategy was an Important (52%) or a Very Important (22%) factor in their decision to go Green in the first place!

"Market-based Environmentalists," INDEED Almost half of the CEOs in the Nicolet Bank panel were motivated to go Green because their competitors were doing it.

SOME CEOs, like those on Newsweek’s 2009 Green Ranking, truly embrace Green: “Their headquarters have solar panels and rainwater collection; they think of the environmental impact of every aspect of their businesses. But this is labor intensive, expensive and takes commitment. Faced with that, many corporations take a different approach: They don't do much of anything to change the way they do business, but make a big show of their dedication to Mother Earth.”

Does anyone really care if your Hospital is Green? I don’t think so. People care about Outcomes; about Quality; about Good Service. And the ONLY Green people truly care about is the cost of care. So, as long as you’re talking ‘bout The Money, I’m going Green.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Since the first Earth Day, Michael Bina’s Green Eyes have glazed over with Green Stuff…it must be The Environment: His team is Green = Green Bay Packers (they have a player named Ahman Green); Bina’s city is Green, and the Bay he lives on is, duh, Green (unless it’s frozen - which is most of the time). His Congressman was named Green; and his Senator - Gaylord Nelson - was the guy who founded Earth Day in 1969!

Bina’s favorite beans are Green (his favorite tea, too). He drives a Ford Hybrid, and likes Green olives in his martinis (but doesn’t like them dirty). His dirty dog drops enough Green fertilizer on his lawn for Michael to claim: The Greenest Lawn in Emerald City!

Save a Tree = eMale Michael NOW: mbina@new.rr.com. Let’s make some Green!

CEOs NOW say Wellness Plans Reduce Cost & Improve Health = a Good ROI!

2010-04-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Trend is North in the NewNorth–way North...in the last few years, there has been a steady, dramatic growth in the number of organizations providing Wellness programs for employees.

Eight years ago, most employers didn’t have a Wellness Program - just 19% did. Three years later, 27% were offering some kind of a plan, and nearly doubled to 46% in 2010 according to the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse©

The presence of Wellness in Wisconsin varies significantly by size of organization: 27% of businesses with 25 or fewer employees have a plan; 50% of companies with 26-100 employees; 77% of firms with 100+ employees.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse – completed just last month - reported that Cost was the Number One Driving Force in the rush to Wellness around here. When asked which had the greatest influence on their decision to go with Wellness, CEOs said: Wellness would help reduce Healthcare Cost (44%); Number Two was: The Improvement of the Health of Employees (39%). CEOs also mentioned Improved Morale, Productivity and Absenteeism.

When asked about the features of their plan, CEOs said:

48% included Chronic Disease Management

47% offered HRAs from a company-selected provider: (15% offer them through the employee’s physician)

41% provided Education Seminars

32% offered Health Club Memberships
(19% had exercise facilities at the worksite)

There were significant differences in the features offered by size of organization. Organizations with 100+ employees were much more likely to offer Chronic Disease Management. They were also more likely to offer education seminars and provide more health appraisals by a company-selected provider.

CEOs say Wellness is a key factor in containing healthcare cost (89%), improving productivity (88%), producing good ROI (77%) and helping reduce health insurance rates (74%).

It’s a marked change compared to The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© conducted in 2002: 58% said Wellness was a nice benefit but it did not reduce costs; only 55% thought it produced a good ROI, and 42% said it cost more than it was worth (which dropped to 24% today).

Almost half of the CEOs feel they have a responsibility for their employees’ health; 25% feel they have responsibility for their employees’ family members, too. CEOs think there are many good returns with Wellness, but only one-in-ten would fire an employee for not complying.

The vast majority (84%) say their Incentive Strategy is more a “carrot,” than a “stick,” strategy, but larger firms are a little more likely to use the “stick.” (Four percent of small firms use the stick; 28% with 26-100 employees; 19% with 100+.)

CEOs without Wellness say they don’t have staff/time; 26% say employees lack motivation or interest; 21% say it’s too costly; 18% don’t know where to begin; 11% don’t see a need; 5% say there’s no management support.

Cost has certainly had an impact on the growth of Wellness in Wisconsin, and CEOs have substantially changed their perception. They clearly see a strong upside to their bottomline in reducing costs, ROI, improved health and productivity.

MOST Responsible for Healthcare Costs? Yeah...ALL The Usual Suspects!

2010-04-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

We asked 500 business owners and CEOs: Who's MOST responsible for rising healthcare cost in this country? Round up the Usual Suspects, they said!

According to the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse, Lawyers lead the 'perp parade; Insurance Companies, Consumers and The Government are a close second. Hospital Systems are closing in; doctors...well down The List. For the first time EVER, probably, Insurance Agents barely left a fingerprint at the scene.

Who Killed Health Care?, is a book by Harvard Professor Regina Herzlinger. It reads like a murder-mystery where ALL The Usual Suspects are out to steal ALL the money - and kill everyone in the process! What a great concept...

“Healthcare is in the midst of a ferocious war; the prize unimaginably huge - $2 Trillion, about the size of the economy of China. Four armies are battling to gain control: Health Insurers, Hospitals, the Government and Doctors. Yet you and I, the people who use the healthcare system and who pay for all of it, are
not even combatants. And the Doctors, the group whose interests are most closely aligned with our welfare, are losing the war.”

"The American People must win this battle,” Herzlinger wrote. “A system controlled by the insurance companies or hospitals or government will kill us financially and medically – it will ruin our economy, deny us the healthcare services we need, and undermine the important genomic research that can fundamentally improve the practice of medicine and control its costs. The current system is well on its way to doing all of these terrible things right now.”

We fought the good fight but, we got our butts kicked in the end! Government won and, all these "terrible things" will start kicking in now, right? (What happens anytime ANY government wins? To the Victor, the Spoils; To the Vanquished, the Terrible Things.)

What are YOU going to do about it?

Would any of my esteemed, cyber-colleagues come forward and offer some insight = for me, and my family, and our future healthcare strategies? ANYbody? ANY ideas?

Before ObamaCare, Herzlinger wrote: “There is only one group that can prevent this damage: consumers – you and me – working together with our doctors. I wrote this book to raise a battle cry for American consumers of health. I want you to know why we must win this war. I also delineate the battle plan that will enable us to turn healthcare into a system that is responsive to your needs and my needs – a consumer driven healthcare system."

I wonder what Regina would say TODAY?

FULL DISCLOSURE: Gene Nicolet has been in the health/insurance business a long time…mostly, as a hired-gun for the Murderers on the Payer side. In 1997, his “Payer” at the time presented, “an offer he couldn’t refuse.” With both legs unbroken, he left to start a consulting business. Today, he presents himself as a Healthcare Thought Leader to anyone willing to pay him. His Company: IntellectualMarketing, LLC is a non-transparent healthcare provider that provides regular, and hopefully insightful, editorial content. U GOT A PROBLEM WITH DAT: michael@intellectualmarketing.com

Frozen Tundra Still on Top of US = literally, and figuratively

2010-04-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was swift, and fairly dramatic:
Zero-to-60% in just five years! CEOs and Business Leaders in Green Bay completely changed the way employee benefits are administered in the US...yeah, us homers up here on the Tundra are on the leading edge!

Last September, CNN reported: “Although increasingly popular, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) remain relatively rare.”

(What?) (Rare?) CEOs on the Tundra like their meat rare, but know a good thing when they see it. CEOs 'Up North continue to lead the nation in the adoption of these rare, increasingly popular, healthcare financing plans.

In November, The Society of Human Resource Management reported its findings that nearly 56% of its members in the USA use HSAs.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© reports that 60.8% of NewNorth Business Leaders use HSAs as part of their employee benefit financing strategy. Ever since HSAs were signed into law by George Bush in '03, NewNorth companies have been strong proponents and early adopters. They’ve lead the nation every year. (Of the NewNorth CEOs who did not offer a HSA Plan, 49% had considering it.)

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse also tracked other strong business indicators during its annual Healthcare Check Up including: Health coverage continues heading South in the NewNorth; only 74.5% of companies now offer health insurance benefits; 6.1% dropped their benefit plan this year; 6.7% said they thought about it.

Also trending South: When purchasing healthcare benefits for employees CEOs said, Cost is more important than Quality: 61% said they buy Cost; 39% said they buy Quality. Just a few years ago, Nicolet Bank reported the exact opposite.

The needle flew off the meter – twice - when CEOs were asked about Healthcare Reform: 1.) 88% said they favor Healthcare Reform; 2.) 88% also said they were against ObamaCare. A laundry list of reform proposals were put before the CEOs for weighting and comment. Suffice it to say, they didn’t match up at all with what’s in ObamaCare.

One reform that isn’t on a Washington politician's radar screen: Moving from a “Procedure-based” claim payment system to a “Quality-based” system. Under a “Procedure-based” system, if a doctor or hospital makes an error and the procedure must be redone, insurance pays for the fix. Under a “Quality based” system, responsibility is on the doc or the facility: 73% of the CEOs want Quality-based; 9% want Procedure-based; 18% are Not Sure.

When asked who was MOST responsible for rising healthcare costs, CEOs ‘round here rounded up The Usual Suspects: Lawyers were Number One (20.7%); Insurance Companies (19%) and Consumers (17.9) followed. Government was close, but only Number Four (16.9) (but the study was conducted two weeks before ObamaCare made it through the House).

Wellness registered a strong, steady beat from the CEOs’ pulse up here on the Tundra: 45.8% said they will be Much More Aggressive (12.3%) or Somewhat More Aggressive (35.5%) in their pursuit of cost cutting measures this year. Wellness may well be the last bullet in their cost containment chamber. (It’s interesting to note: 46% said they were going to be more aggressive and, 46% said they have a Wellness Program for Employees.)

Last month, Associated Press Reported: “…employers will be the front line to rein in spending. They will keep passing on costs through higher premiums and copayments, but they're also expected to take a more aggressive approach to get workers to shape up. Employers won't just be insurance sponsors any longer; they could start acting more like the Health Police: 75.6% of the Tundran CEOs disagree with the Associated Press and its Health Police senario, but 25% agree. (But again, that was before ObadaCare was passed.)

75.1% disagree with the statement: As an employer, I have a responsibility for the health of my employees and their family members, but 25% agree. 46.5 agree that they – as an employer – have a responsibility for employees’ health; 53.4 disagree.

While most (88.5%) agree that a Wellness Program is a key factor in helping contain healthcare cost, most (90.4%) would not fire an employee for not compiling with the company’s Wellness initiatives; the rest, however, said they would. (No wonder 83.6% of the Business Leaders described their Wellness Incentive Strategy as a Carrot - rather than a Stick 16.4%.)

Nicolet Bank collected a boat load of information on Healthcare and Wellness in its annual, unmedicated, totally invasive physical exam. It was interesting to note that all of the answers were examined by The Number of Employees - and no substantial differences were uncovered.

If you would like to see more of the healthcare data, contact Jeff Gahnz at Nicolet National Bank: (920) 430.1400. More of the study be published in the Alla Tua Salute issue of the next, NewNorth B2B Magazine.

How the Survey is Conducted The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© is a Quarterly Study of CEOs and business leaders in the New North Wisconsin (Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Winnebago Counties) and Menominee, Michigan. It is designed and implemented by IntellectualMarketing, LLC. The survey, conducted between February 22 and March 1, 2010, was completed by 182 CEOs / business leaders. Participants include: 27% in manufacturing; 26% in services; 17% retail trade; 4% wholesale trade; 6% finance, real estate, insurance; 5% in transportation, communications, utilities; 6% in construction; 9% in other industries. 23% have fewer than 6 employees; 30% have 6-25; 8% have 26-50; 13% 51-100; 13% 101-250; 7% 251-500; 2% 501-1,000; 5% have 1,001 or more.
Questions to Dr. David G. Wegge (920) 217-7738; david@intellectualmarketing.com

One Last Bullet; Hi Ho Silver!

2010-03-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

No matter what all is in the healthcare reform bill (and what it all means), the fact remains: Employers are still paying the bills. Today, the employers’ mind set is the same as it was before Reform: Squeeze the ‘livin ‘bejesus out of those healthcare costs.

After decades of monkeying around with various Plan Designs and Financing Schemes, CEOs and Business Owners may only have but one bullet left.

Even though most CEOs have been reluctant to use it, they’re now ready to unholster their Wellness Weapon....and they’re taking aim at their biggest (non-moving) target: My Big, Fat, Greek, and Irish, and Indian, and Italian, and Mexican Employees! (Yes, ALL of them!)

Intuitively, Wellness has long been in the CEO’s gut - on the back of their mind as well. Wellness has been in the Board Room and on the drawing board. The Wellness Weapon remains locked, loaded and ready for bear, but only a few have pulled the trigger.

Fewer still have used The Wellness Weapon with any REAL bullets: i.e. Health Risk Assessment that ask questions like: Do you wear seatbelts? Do you smoke (not counting on the Golf Course or at Green Bay Packer Games)? Are you taller than your weight indicates?

And the answers were always, “Good…DON’T change any behavior because we don’t want The Smoker’s Rights Lobby stinking up our lobby and harassing our HR; and we fear Americans with Eating (Dorito) Disabilities might drop a load of attorneys on our doorstep! And our employees will whine from Here to Payday if we even HINT about begging them to come in sober once in a while.”

Even though the original Wellness “Plans” had good intentions and a fairly strong business argument, Wellness was generally WAY watered down: A non invasive; toothless management tool that added a lot to the cost of benefit plan without a lot of ROI. (Plus, healthcare was CHEAP back then = Wellness wasn’t worth the risk of upsetting the employees’ applecart. AND, there were a lot of Snake Oil Salesmen out there selling Snake Oil! No WONDER the word Wellness was bad for the corporate health.)

It ALL may be changing as employers still find themselves completely surrounded by cost and competition…they’re down to their last bullet.

Dr. Troy Adams, COO of Wellsteps in Mapleton, Utah said, “Employers have 4 choices: Ignore it and go bankrupt; stop providing benefits; shift MORE cost to employees or, get serious about the underlying cost – which is Chronic Disease. And you solve that with lifestyle modification.”

Lifestyle modification? (GULP! That sounds worse than The Lifestyle Testing! The Boss won’t be making widgets anymore, they’ll be too busy being Nurse Ratchett with a ‘Pee Cup and Prod Bar chasing employees around the office to get a sample - and making sure they’re on their “Lifestyle Modification Meds!”)

“Health Police,” is what Associated Press coined for the CEOs new title: The AP said employers are becoming more aggressive in their quest to control cost.

Health Police are on the beat everywhere. According to Jim Golumbeski, Executive Director of Workforce Development in Green Bay, “Employers are testing job applicants on their skills but hiring them on their principals. Lifestyle health issues are a big part of those principals.”

Golembeski said employers are fully aware that unhealthy principals continue to cost them money, and they’re starting to become more aggressive. “Healthy lifestyles have a huge impact on everything: attendance, safety, workers comp…the bottom line.”

Last month, The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse – a study of 500 CEOs and Business Leaders in Wisconsin - reported that 12.3% of the CEOs are going to become Much More Aggressive in the cost control quest; 35.3% said they will be Somewhat More Aggressive.

According to a 2009 AON study, 50% of their clients already offer both an HRA and biometric screenings. In 2010, 20% are planning to implement HRAs; 16% are planning biometric screenings. 45.6% of the CEOs in The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse offer a Wellness Program.

Employers are offering wellness and disease management initiatives to improve cost trend. And this year (or perhaps later), 79 percent are planning to promote exercise/physical activity initiatives.Employers are also tracking the status of their wellness or disease management programs. AON listed the top measures they track:

Medical costs of chronic conditions =4 5%
Participation in corporate wellness/preventive activities = 36%
Participation in corporate disease management programs =32%
Biometric data = 28%

According to AON, “The overwhelming majority is still not tracking the indirect affect of chronic conditions: Only 10% track measures of presenteeism; 13% track the absence costs of chronic conditions."

Sandy Mathy, president of @butlerandco.com said, "Employers who know the impact of chronic disease can make greater improvements to their program, lower risk factors and build a healthy, productive team. If you do it right, Wellness will reduce trend, Presenteeism, absence from work and the incidence – even the duration - of disability."

ObamaCare, reportedly, has $200 million in Wellness Grants for small employers. “That works out to just under five bucks for each of the 41.8 million workers in the firms with fewer than 100 employees. By contrast, the federal bank bail-out cost U.S. taxpayers about $18,000 for the same group of workers,” said Dr. Adams. “Real Healthcare reform must get to the root of the problem – unhealthy behaviors. And more of the money that will be removed from the wallet of taxpayers should be allocated to solutions that will actually make a difference, such as chronic disease prevention.”

CEOs Favor Healthcare Reform, but HATE ObamaCare. What EXACTLY do they want?

2010-03-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hate is a STRONG word, but 88% is a BIG Number!

CEOs Up on the Tundra universally (and strongly) Oppose the current healthcare reform proposal(s) that on the table in 'DC. They ARE, however, universally (and strongly) in favor of healthcare reform.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse - a quarterly study of roughly 500 CEOs and Business Owners in Wisconsin - threw a bunch of healthcare reform ideas on the table last week. The CEOs' Top 4 ideas are NOwhere to be found in the current proposals put forth by Congress. HMmmmmmm...

(Several other ideas scored very well, but I only list The Top 4. Contact me if you want The Full Monte.)

Conversely: The ideas that received the lowest scores from CEOs are the ones Congress is promoting in its bill. Congress is pushing crap that CEOs and Business Owners DON'T want; pushing stuff that is BIG, untested, and probably, totally unworkable. Worst of all, Congress is pushing crap that THEY don't have to participate in...they have their OWN, private insurance plan and, never the twain shall meet. What is wrong with this picture?

I had an online "discussion" with a self-employed, health insurance agent from Kansas City this weekend. She said,

"It's simple - before we let the Congress pass anything - strip them of all of their health benefits that WE pay for, then make them sit down & shop for their family with an agent like me...have them make the same choices my clients make.

Once they are forced to live with the same decisions they make for us - we can have a discussion. My bet is the discussion would change dramatically. As long as they don't have to live by their own rules, none of this will ever be equitable."

What's wrong with this picture? I couldn't have said it better myself...a BIG SHOUT OUT to Renee Palumbo of Kansas City. I say we send Palumbo to Congress - NOT to serve, but to make a few sales calls.

Business Owners Hate ObamaCare

2010-03-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

Almost 88% of CEOs & Business Owners think US Healthcare should be reformed; an equal number think current government proposals, well, SUCK!

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse is a quarterly study of CEOs and Business Owners Up on the Tundra. We focused our current study on Healthcare, Healthcare Reform and Wellness because, well,
it just seems like such a topical subject these days :)

We just finished collecting the data, and are now madly analyzing it - trying to stay ahead of all the healthcare hubhub in 'DC. A few stats JUMPED right off the page at me:

1.) CEOs and Business Owners - people who purchase MOST of the healthcare in this country - think Obama's healthcare proposal is not very good. It sucks, in fact. EVEN THOUGH THEY STRONGLY SUPPORT REFORM, they're totally against what's on the table right now.

2.) 6.1% said they dropped their employee benefit plan within the past year! 6.7% said they considered doing it. (OYE!) Just 74.5% of the employers on the Tundra now offer employees a health plan - which is WAY down from historical levels - and that trend continues moving South!

3.) Another disturbing trend: 61% said when it comes to purchasing an employee health plan, COST is more important than Quality. A few years ago, it was the exact opposite.

4.) Even though they overwhelmingly support "healthcare reform," 76.4% of the CEOs are satisfied with their healthcare plan.

When asked who was MOST responsible for the cost increases: Lawyers were Number One! The other Usual Suspects were: The Government; Insurance Companies; Consumers. They all ranked right up there with the Lawyers. After the CEOs called out The Big Four, there wasn't much blame left to go around. Doctors were cited at a .8% rate; Insurance Brokers were called out at .5%

That's enough healthcare data for today. More Later

Don't Taze Me, Bro. Don't Taze Me, Boss!

2010-02-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

Last week, The Associated Press reported that: Employers MUST become MUCH MORE aggressive in their effort to control the cost of employee healthcare! AP predicted that employers could start adding Wellness Programs and acting like "Health Police" to control cost.

"Yeah...there's a New Sheriff in town and hey, Dude, drop the Chalupa!"

Needing to brush up on my Policing-and-Wellness Tactics,
I'm participating (actually presenting, believe it or not), in a Wellness Summit next week. Wellness is a Business Strategy: Best Principals and Practice is a free Webinar on March 5th @ 10AM CST: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

THIS Webinar is for you if: 1.) you're an employer thinking of creating your own, in-house Health Police Force or; 2.) you're an employer interested in contracting with a private, "Full Service" force like The Sopranos - or The Corleones; 3.) you're a cop who just wants a little consulting and head-cracking gig in the private sector...

Actually, this Webinar isn't at all about Police Work: NO sticks or batons, it's all about The Carrots. I'm joining 4 people with very strong backgrounds on the Best Principals and Practices of Wellness: Dr. Troy Adams, COO of Wellsteps in Phoenix will moderate the conversation with Dr. Steven Aldana, CEO of Wellsteps in Provo; Dean Patterson, Global Health & Productivity Manager at Unilever in London and Barry Hall, Principal of Buck Consulting in Boston (Gene Nicolet will be chiming in from Up on the Tundra).

Wellness has LONG been on the corporate radar screen as an annoying little blip that's trying very hard to appear on the the corporate dashboard as a viable strategy for controlling cost. However, it just never got there; never really became a viable, credible, salable product in the benefit marketplace.

That all may be changing as employers find themselves out of bullets - but still needing to crack down on rising cost, poor productivity, bad behavior...yeah, it's a jungle out there.

People from all over the Wellness World will be participating in Troy's webinar. Drop the Blackberry and move away from the Buffet Line. Join us on Friday, March 5.

THIS IS THE POLICE: Drop the Chalupa

2010-02-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Because of The Death of Government/Universal Healthcare, The Associated Press reported today:
"Employers will be the front line in efforts to rein in healthcare spending."

(Aren't we ALWAYS The Front Line; leading the charge; looking for ways to pay for benefits for our employees and STAY in business, too?)

Anyway, Ricardo Alonso-Zadivar of AP writes: Employers, "will keep passing on costs through higher premiums and copayments, but they're also expected to take a more aggressive approach to get workers to shape up by quitting smoking, losing weight and making other 'lifestyle' changes. Employers won't just be insurance sponsors any longer; they could start acting more like the health police."

THAT'S all we need right now: Police in place of Reform;
Sticks, not Carrots; Guns...no Roses.

The Government's attempt to takeover healthcare isn't working out so well so, let's force employers to do it! (NO, let the Market do it...Government just stay out of the way. STOP changing the rules, and making new mandates every five minutes, and we'll figure it out!) Before you call The Police, let's try a few, SIMPLE reforms, first:

1.) Remove government imposed obstacles that slow creation of high-deductible insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs). CHECK THIS OUT: Wisconsin's Governor Doyle vetoed HSA legislation = twice! The ONLY governor in the US to do so: Doyle 1; Wisconsin Employees 0.

2.) Equalize tax laws so employer-sponsored health insurance and individual insurance have the same tax benefits. (Today, employer benefits are fully tax deductible; individual, not.)

3.) Repeal laws preventing insurance companies from competing across state lines - giving ME the right to buy MY health insurance from any carrier in any state and use that insurance wherever I live. It should be totally portable.)

4.) Repeal mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. What's covered, and what's not covered should be determined by ME and MY employees' individual preferences.

5.) Enact tort reform to limit some of the lawsuits that force doctors to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars EVERY year on malpractice insurance. NONE of that money goes to healthcare; it goes to insurance companies! (Hey, I thought THEY were the bad guys?)

6.) Make pricing clear(er) ("Transparent" is Government's Favorite Word these days). Can't we keep this stuff simple so guys like me can pay for a PSA without my CPA or HR Guy in tow? If Government would JUST use clear/concise language instead of Transparency and Obfuscation, The Senate Bill would have been less than 3000 pages! We might have actually had a bill by Christmas - or at least before they tossed "Kennedy's seat" in with the Tea in Boston Harbor. KISS: We all might learn what some of this stuff costs...and what to do about it...

7.) Reform Medicare! The actuaries say it's careening towards bankruptcy. It's a BIG fish to fry but, it's gotta get done.

8.) Revise tax forms so individuals can make deductible donations to help people who have no insurance. (Geeze...we offer that option for people who want to contribute to political campaigns!)

9.) Enact a reimbursement system of improved payout based on Quality. EXAMPLE: Doctor operates on the wrong foot. Should the insurance company - or your plan - pay for the “do over”?

Business owners ARE willing to step up to the plate. We DO want to save "our" employees; we do want to teach, and incentivize them to take better care of themselves; we DO want to keep our company solvent. Let's see how these things work, first!

Before we call out The Audi Police, or The Health Police, or The State Police, let's try carrots instead of battons.

CEOGiving 2.010

2010-01-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

The personal, eleemosynary activities of CEOs will remain about the same in 2010, but their patterns of giving appear to be changing.

The most recent findings of the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© - a quarterly study of CEOs and business leaders – show that 55% will be contributing about the same amount of money and time this year as last; 25% say they will contribute more; 20% say that they will contribute less. While we don’t know is exactly how much “more” or how much “less” CEOs may be planning to give this year, but the net impact may be that contributions coming from personal giving by CEOs will remain about the same this year - as compared to their past giving.

Nonprofits that rely on contributions have faced significant challenges in the past year and a half as the economy sunk into recession. While the final numbers are not in on 2009, we know that charitable contributions nationally took their biggest drop in decades in 2008. When economic conditions decline, donors become more judicious in where they put donations - which places additional responsibility on the recipient organizations to be able to demonstrate the efficacy of their work.

Up on the Tundra - where most CEOs say their giving will be the same - it appears they may be shifting their Giving Strategy: “Is your giving pattern the same, or are you giving larger contributions to fewer charities or smaller contributions to more charities?”

31% say they’re giving larger contributions to fewer of their "favorite" charities, and 8% say they’re giving smaller contributions to more charities.

What are the favorites for CEOs up here? Essentially, they reflect the overall charitable distributions nationally. In 2008, 35% of charitable giving in the US went to churches; 13% to educational institutions; 11% to grant-making foundations; 9% to human services.

25% of the CEOs up here named their church as their favorite; 9% named United Way; 8% said educational institutions; 6%, Salvation Army; 5%, The YMCA; 5%, Food Pantries. Others mentioned: Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Cerebral Palsy, Catholic Relief Services, ASPIRO, Encompass Child Care, Boys & Girls Club and The Red Cross.

As the recession has taken its toll on individual contributions, the nonprofits are shifting strategies, too. Some nonprofits are encouraging/recommending that business leaders increase their efforts of volunteering their personal and/or their organization’s professional expertise. CEOs are asking family and friends to give to a charity rather than giving them a gift for special occasions like Christmas or Birthdays; CEOs are also joining “Giving Circles” - networks of people who pool smaller donations for a shared cause.

As economic conditions improve, it is anticipated that charitable donations will also improve, but the patterns of past giving could be disrupted by what current conditions have wrought.

TOP 10 in Two 10 . . .

2009-12-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© is: The Ghost of Christmas Present = a present day/real time/sometimes spooky look at business and commerce. Each Quarter, we ask 500 CEOs and Business Owners a bunch of middle of the night questions about business.

As in Christmases Past, THIS time of year we ask CEOs to name their Top Challenges for Christmas Future: The New Year.

This year, results revealed some of the same challenges and ghosts we've seen before, but a few new ones appeared.

As in studies past, CEOs said their Number One Challenge for 2010 will be: “Increasing Sales and Revenue” (36% said that was their Number One Challenge; 22% said Number Two; 16% said, Number Three). Increasing Sales and Revenue is one of the Ghosts that keep most CEOs up ALL up all night; every night! Increasing Sales and Revenue has been Number One ever since we started collecting the data.

Two NEW challenges appeared in the study this time: “Government Regulation and Taxes” and “Bank Lending.” One in five said Government Regulation and Taxes would be their Number One Challenge in 2010; 13% said it would be Number Two; 10% called it their Third.

Seven percent said “Bank Lending” would be their Number One Challenge; 11% said it is Number Two; 10% said it is Number Three.

Government Regulation and Taxes have been salient issues in the Manufacturing Sector. Many manufacturers feel that the Government Regulation and Tax Policy prohibits them from competing successfully in the global economy. At the same time, with the economy taking a substantial nosedive over the past year, many businesses have struggled with cash flow issues. Businesses depend on their bank to help, but some have found “bank lending” to be a significant challenge - and many more expect more challenges ahead.

One NEW finding that demonstrates the depth of Christmas Present is: 6% of the CEOs said, “Staying Open or Surviving” would be their Number One Challenge in 2010!

Five percent named “Health Insurance” as their Number One challenge (5% named it Number Two and 12% named it Number Three). In previous studies, Health Insurance was generally near the top of the challenges - usually right behind Increasing Sales and Revenue. It is apparent that CEOs are more concerned about Sales & Revenue and Government Regulation & Taxes than Health Insurance. Given the ongoing debate over healthcare reform, it may also be the case that CEOs are linking government regulation & taxes to healthcare reform in their responses.

Other interesting findings include: no one mentioned “Controlling Costs” as their Number One challenge for 2010, but 16% named it as their second; 13% as their third. “Maintaining the Workforce” was named by just 2% as their first challenge, but by 13% as the second; 14% as their third. Only a handful (3%) said, “Competition” and the “Economy in General” was their Number One challenge in 2010.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© has shown that 2009 had been a very challenging for business in the NewNorth, and many of the same challenges will be present in the year ahead. The key challenge appears to be finance-related: How do businesses generate needed sales and revenue, control costs and manage cash flow in an environment in which CEOs are concerned about government regulation and taxes - and the tightening of bank lending practices?

CEOs' Long View (and short ones, too)

2009-12-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

When casting their eyes upon the horizon that is their marketplace, a majority of CEOs and Business Owners in Northeastern Wisconsin look no farther than the nose on their face. When it comes to business, The Long View is considerably shorter these days…

With all the economic indicators and gauges available on their corporate dashboard, CEOs up here on the Tundra seem more concerned with the Speedometer than that annoying, periodic Oil Change Idiot Light. They’re barreling down the road faster than a 16-year-old with a new license and a hot date. They’re living in The Now, right now!

According to data collected last month by the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse©, 77% of the CEOs and Business Owners in Northeastern Wisconsin use only glancing reliance on the economic data being “on starred” to their dashboards. According to CEOs, the data they look at has a six-month warranty, at best.

Even with a short window of reliance on economic data for their business, CEOs and Business Owners take a much longer view when it comes to their personal investment horizon: 80% look out more than a year; 11% say the have a “One Year” window. Five percent said they look out six-months; 2% look ahead to the next quarter; 2% look ahead just 30-days when formulating their personal investment strategies. (THAT’S living in the NOW!)

Those strategies seem to be reflected in the personal portfolios. CEOs were asked: “Which of the following do you have MOST of your investments today?”

Half are mostly in Stocks; 32% are mostly in Real Estate. Fourteen percent said they have the majority parked in Money Market accounts; 2% in Bonds; 2% in Gold and Silver; ONE percent in T-Bills.

If they were making NEW investments today, 45% said they’d be buying Stock; 28% would be buying Real Estate. Money Market Accounts (6%), Bonds (6%) and Treasuries (3%) didn’t get much action this quarter, but Gold and Silver jumped 10 points to 12%. (Some CEOs must have known something was up in the Metals Market because Nicolet Bank asked these questions in early November - before Gold’s dramatic, month-long Gold Rush. Whatever gauge or indicator Nicolet Bank CEOs were watching back then, some were Dead On with their prediction of the new, ‘Oh-Niner Gold Rush. They nailed it.)

CEOs who jumped on the '09 Gold Rush must be the ones who will spend more "Gold" on Christmas this year. Two percent said they were going to spend MORE this year compared to last; 52% said they would spend the SAME; 46% said they’d spend LESS.

Six percent will be giving employees a larger Holiday Bonus this year (14% will be the same as last year; 18%, less). Eight percent of those who gave bonuses last year will not give one this year; 8% are Not Sure. (29% never give a Holiday Bonus; 18% haven’t given them for a few years.)

Beyond Christmas and Holiday spending, 64% of the CEOs said they were spending less on themselves during the recession (new clothes, personal care, fitness training). They said they were cutting other personal spending, as well: “In what ways has the recession affected your personal spending?”

Fifty percent said they were spending less on durable products for their homes; 49% were eating out less; 42% reduced their vacation plans; 31% are putting of retirement a few years; 27% are putting off a new car.

Recovery? My Donkey!

2009-12-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

For the ninth consecutive quarter, according to the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse, the confidence of CEOs and Business Owners - up here on the Tundra anyway - remains stuck below 100.

The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© measures Current Economic Conditions compared to three months ago - as well as Future Economic Expectations of business leaders over the next three months. Current and Future indexes are then combined into the overall Business Pulse Index. Scores lower than 100 indicate more negative than positive responses.

The Business Pulse © dipped slightly to 97.8 down from 99.9 in Q2 2009. This is the ninth consecutive month that confidence has been below 100. The Pulse© recorded its lowest level last year (Q4 2008) at 63.8; its highest point was Q4/03: 137.4.

Jay Bird now Free Bird

2009-10-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

LONG Story short: 3 days ago, former Congressman Jay Johnson was dead before he hit the floor: MASSIVE Heart Attack. He died just days after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Jolee Johnson now needs your help - more than just your condolences.

Yesterday, we established The Jay Johnson Memorial Fund at:
Nicolet National Bank. Please consider a memorial for Jay/Jolee.

Jay Johnson Memorial Fund
Nicolet National Bank
111 N Washington
Green Bay WI 54301

I'll write more about Jay Bird later, but for now we need to get this done. Thank you for participating - and forwarding this information.

Swine Flu Over The Cuckoo's Nest

2009-10-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Since everyone is SICK with the Swine Flu, we FEARED we were DISCOURAGING people from entering with our tight Deadline SO, we're extending it! Everyone who's interested has a chance to get it on the $20,000 action...the sick and the well :)

HERE'S THE ANNOUNCEMENT from Reuters.

Harvard's in the House

2009-10-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's "heady" up here on the Tundra these days...

Harvard's in the House - Boston U, too! Pace, Pomona, Prairie View, Alcorn State, Olivet Nazarene...even the appropriately named university: Northwood is in the 'hood.

In a place better known for wearing large Chunks of Cheese
on your head, Mortar Boards are now all the rage. Ever since a local businessman held out a mitt full of cash and threw down the iOme Challenge, we've been 'crawlin with Academics, Frat Boys, Coeds and Keggers. Around here, Higher Ed is nearly more popular than the traditional Trinity of Cheese, Paper and
The Green Bay Packers. College is a Cottage Industry.

Colleges from all over the US - including heavyweights like Michigan, Colorado, Virginia, Arizona, The Air Force Academy - have taken up our Colossal Challenge to redesign the US Retirement "System." More teams are signing up every day.

The Students are doing it for all the right reasons (never mind the $20,000 first place prize, a trip to Washington DC to present ideas to Congress, as well as obligatory networking and photo-op parties for facebook, resume enhancement and other cool stuff).

The students have taken up the iOme challenge primarily, I think, for self preservation; they don't know much about retirement, but they intuitively know that things aren't quite right with the system as it stands today; they're uncertain as to what their retirement will look like in 45 years, but all they have to do is look at their parents: "Geeze! I don't want to be like that when I'm old!"

We're hoping iOme can be a catalyst to get kids thinking about retirement and perhaps, acting on it at an early age like, say, RIGHT NOW!

As a Board Member of the iOme Challenge, it's great to be involved with all these young people: SO much enthusiasm; SO much intellectual firepower. It's really cool that the Tundra has evolved into the epicenter of higher education and financial planning - instead of just a lonely outpost out on the ice. I wonder what I'll learn from all this activity?

We struck a nerve; we're expecting 250 MORE Teams to enter. How cool is that?

Retirement Week? Have a Nice Day :)

2009-10-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Next week, based on unanimous resolutions from BOTH houses of Congress, Americans will celebrate: National Save for Retirement Week. I have 3 questions:

Q1: Save What? You mean, the money left over after taxes? (We need a Week to celebrate THAT?) Even on the Frozen Tundra, leftovers don't last a week - unless it's 'Jerky!)

Q2: ROI? Where are YOU putting your after-tax savings right now, and what's your return on that?

Q3: Retirement? ME? Is Congress out of its Effen Mind? (Don't answer that!)

OK, that last question about Congress made it 4...here's another: Congress passed this resolution unanimously so, which despot dropped a Nuke on New York? Save for Retirement Week was Unanimous? TWICE? Somebody's lying in Washington!

We're a long way from DC up here on the Tundra, but it seems to me at the rate we're going, the only money ANY of us will have left for retirement will only last a week! I'm not sure I'm up for a party to celebrate that but, maybe, a week long celebration 'bout retirement might be exactly what this country needs: It might take our minds off Healthcare, Afganistan, the new G5...

The Party starts next week!

a BIG, Hairy Pot of Money

2009-09-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

iOme Challenge pot is now up to $20,000.

Thanks for sharing this LINK with any college student you know -
and parents of students you may know...

Van Jones moves to the 'wood

2009-09-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, people are not afraid to call a Spade a Spade... Apparently, other things, too!

I was driving through the 'wood last weekend near Star Lake, Wisconsin. County Highway K is designated as a Rustic Road.
Yes, it is!

A Rustic Road has few - if any - street signs or markers - or people! On a Rustic Road, drivers are transported back to a time when all roads on the Tundra were: Rugged. Rural. Rustic. Winding - DANGEROUS!

The attraction, apparently, is being in the wild - from the comfort of your car. It's kinda like driving through a fake tundra at a Zoo in Disney World or Jurassic Park. The difference on a real Rustic Road is: YOU have complete control (sort of). And you don't expect to see many Wild Beasts come charging out of the woods. (Although it could, indeed, happen up on the Tundra.)

I was enjoying my drive = Glorious Mother Nature with lots of deer, 'coons and packs of rabid bicyclists on tight turns, sweeping esses and total blindspots...what fun!

I came tooling around one hairpin and nearly drove my Guiletta off the road after eyeing this road sign. I had to go back and get a photo for ALL my friends - including those who are, um... Democrats.

Even though I was in the middle of Effenowhere, I felt safe; felt no need to unholster my gun, but I got out and squeezed off a couple shots with my camera.

A neighbor of mine - born and raised near County K - said,
"people are opinionated Up There." (I think we all are Up Here.) Nevertheless, I didn't want to take a chance that anyone who was such a Free Speech Proponent would be a Property Rights Nut and opinionated Gun Owner too, so, I didn't stick around. (It was a Drive Bye.) I wasn't scared or anything...if the guy was home, we would have had a nice conversation - maybe a beer. I WOULD have been afraid, however, if Van Jones' name was on the mailbox next door.

Van Jones, Harry Reid, Jim Wilson, Dead Ted et al...we've heard a lot of talk up here about a lack of "decorum" in DC. (Ted Kennedy bemoaning a lack of decorum!? Oye!)

It looks like that manure has spread to the Tundra! It's sprouting more substantial than just grass roots.

Obama + iOme = Game On!

2009-09-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

As of this weekend, President Obama is thinking just like the iOme Challenge...and so is our newest, Blue Ribbon Judge: Aaron Hall: (who just happens to be one of Inc Magazine's: 30 Under 30) . We're all PUMPED!

The Battle over Healthcare = YOU LOSE!

2009-09-02T12:00:00.001-07:00

Who Killed Health Care? That’s a good question, especially if YOU are planning to access “The System” anytime soon.

According to the jacket cover on, “Who Killed Health Care,” author and Harvard Professor of Business Administration Regina Herzlinger is one of the most respected and, “100 Most Powerful People in Health Care,” according to Modern Healthcare.

Powerful, respected, and a good writer, too, “Who Killed Health Care” is a murder-mystery where the usual suspects are out to steal the money - and kill everyone in the process!

The trouble for YOU is, it’s not fiction: 35 pages of footnotes and 10 pages of index, Professor Herzlinger puts forth a well-documented argument for who ‘dun it – and their Two-Trillion-Dollar Motive! Good News: Regina puts forth some excellent strategies to win the war from the killers still at large!

Herzlinger takes no prisoners; her Introduction is an impassioned Call to Arms: “Healthcare is in the midst of a ferocious war; the prize unimaginably huge = $2 Trillion, about the size of the economy of China. Four armies are battling to gain control: Health Insurers, Hospitals, the Government and Doctors.

Yet you and I, the people who use the healthcare system and who pay for all of it, are not even combatants. And the Doctors, the group whose interests are most closely aligned with our welfare, are losing the war.

"The American People must win this battle,” she writes. “A system controlled by the insurance companies or hospitals or government will kill us financially and medically – it will ruin our economy, deny us the healthcare services we need, and undermine the important genomic research that can fundamentally improve the practice of medicine and control its costs. The current system is well on its way to doing all of these terrible things right now.”

Now that’s a Battle Cry, Regina!

Generalissimo Herzlinger’s rant continues: “There is only one group that can prevent this damage: consumers – you and me – working together with our doctors. I wrote this book to raise a battle cry for American consumers of health. I want you to know why we must win this war. I also delineate the battle plan that will enable us to turn healthcare into a system that is responsive to your needs and my needs – a consumer driven healthcare system.”

The General backs her opening salvo with a double-time march through the history of healthcare – back to 1933 and the building of the Los Angeles aqueduct in the Mojave Desert by Industrialist Henry Kaiser and entrepreneurial Physician Sidney Garfield – right up to the exact hour of healthcare’s recent, untimely death.

After taking shots at every combatant on the field of battle, ‘Reggie lays out a Marshall Plan to revive U.S. healthcare. Most of her book focuses on rebuilding and revival of the US System. Many have put her marching orders into practice.

Who Killed Health Care is outstanding; recommended for CEOs, CFOs, HR People, Doctors, Medical Professionals, the President = anyone who is a healthcare consumer or, thinking of becoming one. (That would be YOU!)

Alla Tua Salute: To your health!

Schwartz und Blue Ribbon Panel

2009-08-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Laura Schwartz, principal at White House Strategies joins James Choi of Yale, John List of the University of Chicago, Don Kettl of the University of Maryland and author Martin Merzer as a judge for the Blue Ribbon Panel of the iOme Challenge.

Schwartz served as The White House Director of Events for the Clinton Administration. She traveled the world with President Clinton for his foundation post-presidency, and served as a senior advisor to Senator John Kerry on his presidential campaign.

In 2005, Laura joined Fox News Channel as a political commentator, moving to CNN to cover the presidential primaries for Larry King Live and onto the CBS Early Show for the general election. She founded White House Strategies in 2001.

iOme a Pulitzer Prize

2009-08-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Martin Merzer has agreed to be a Judge for the iOme Challenge. Marty was part of the teams that earned not one - but two Pulitzer Prizes for the Miami Herald: He was a senior writer who helped guide the Herald's coverage of Hurricane Andrew and he contributed to coverage of the Elian Gonzalez affair.

Merzer joins James Choi of Yale University, John List of the University of Chicago and Don Kettl of the University of Maryland. Together, they are part of the Blue Ribbon Panel that will determine the winner of the $20,000 iOme Challenge for US College Students.

Kettl to the Mettl

2009-08-17T10:28:00.001-07:00

Our pedal is to the metal!
Don Kettl, Dean of the School of Public Policy at University of Maryland, has agreed to join the Blue Ribbon panel to judge the iOme Challenge. Kettl joins James Choi of Yale and John List of the University of Chicago to help us find the smartest kids in the room!

http://www.iomechallenge.org/

Blue Blood for Blue Ribbon Panel

2009-08-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

It doesn't get any Bluer than this: James Choi of Yale University and John List of the University of Chicago have agreed to serve as Blue Ribbon judges for the iOme Challenge. We wanted nationally recognized economists to help us...according to people who know these kinds of things, we landed two of the most recognized. Stay Tuned; MORE Blue to come...

I Owe, I Owe...OMG, I Owe Me Bigtime!

2009-08-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

The retirement "system" in the US is screwed up...so, we're challenging College Kids to see if they can FIX it - so they're not in the same, stupid predicament when they retire 40 years from now! It's called: the iOme Challenge. Essentially, we're 'beggin College Students to come up with a better retirement plan - 'cause no one else apparently can. The TOP Team wins SIXTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS + PLUS an all expense paid trip to Washington DC to present their idea to policymakers during the State of the Union Address! (It's rumored the president is going to address the retirement challenge...our guys might just be in the right place at the right time with a credible solution for the president - and the country [Timing is EVERYthing!].)

Here's a link to the Official News Release...
Forward this to every Parent you know with a kid in college. (They'll owe U bigtime.)

Don't need Handcuffs?

2009-07-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra you DO!

President Obama thinks I'm a harmless, old coot! He took a cheap shot at middle-age people after one of his buddies in Boston got busted for running his mouth to a Police Officer: "You don't need to handcuff a middle-aged man" for crying out loud, he said.

WHOA, BO! If you're 'haulin my fat fanny off my front porch in the middle of the night you would need 'em! I would, indeed, resist!

Instead of being the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Land,
if you were, say, a police officer who walked onto my front porch thinking I'd back down because you suggested I should, you'd be surprised at what this Good Old Boy's got left in the tank!

With all the middle-age might I could muster, I'd open a can of Whoopass. Sure, I've lost a few steps, but still have some 'hops (in short bursts anyway). I'd be like Jack Nicholson in The Departed. (That movie took place in Boston...those officers knew how to take care of an old coot.)

And I don't use a cane - yet - but it would be a pretty good weapon for me to defend my home if I was being hauled out against my will. I can still swing a golf club hard, and a cane could do some serious, serious damage if I was motivated or, berserk like the professor.

A dear old friend of mine buys, sells and collects canes. "Walking Sticks" he calls 'em (for Marketing purposes, I assume). Actually, Walking Sticks were all the rage back in the "Middle Ages." Gentlemen of the day used these ornate "canes" not only as a fashion and status statement - but for protection. Some, probably, used them for medicinal purposes as well - not only for support and balance, but for, well...steadying their nerves! Some sticks were hallow and held a couple of "belts."

Some of "Rick's Sticks" are dainty and very handsome; some are heavy and menacing. The Business End of some sticks had hidden compartments and clever devices for self defense: Small, one-shot Derringers. Knives. Gnarly Balls on top of a strong Hickory Stick...a middle age Gentlemen could do some damage!

If it was a Fight or Flight situation for me, I could surely offer some stiff resistance - even at my advanced age. And, if it was a female police officer? You betcha!

I've worked with female Police Officers in Green Bay, and in the private, sexist recesses deep inside my atrophied brain, I've often said to myself: "How can someone so small and petite be effective in a tough, brutal, DANGEROUS job like Police Work?"

(Sorry ladies...I DO ask myself these things...NOT trying to be mean or anything. I'm sure The BAD Guys think the same...and THEY verbalize it! And probably carry it out, too!)

Even as a washed up, middle aged man, unless the officer has her weapon unholstered, I KNOW I can take her (especially if I was into my second cocktail)! And I KNOW, Bo, I would have a definite advantage if the officer climbed onto my porch thinking - like you - "Awe...this nice, middle-age guy (who's barking in my face like a rabid, old junk yard dog) is cute, and cuddly, and probably neutered by now. I don't'need to cuff him."

You'd better shoot me, honey! First in the leg...and then other one for good measure because I can hobble around with my Walking Stick! Us old guys will surprise you! We're crafty old coots.

Now, I'm no middle-ager like Tom Watson is - or Arnold Schwartzenegger, but I'm certainly strong enough to "help" someone off my porch. And mean enough to, too. So, bring yer 'cuffs; yer Tazer, too!

Come and get me, 'copper!

Cops Crackheads in Crivitz

2009-07-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, a man's flag is his own business. The Colors he wears and hangs on his pole are his right, right?

WRONG!

On the 4th of July - the holiest of holidays for us freedom-loving Tundrans - the local Cops seized a man's Red, White and Blue flag right off his POLE - in broad daylight; in front of the entire town!

Shortly before the start of The Annual 4th of July Parade through the idyllic, All-American Village of Crivitz, Wisconsin (Population 1000; 65 miles straight north of the epicenter of The Frozen Tundra: Green Bay WI) Police plucked Vito Congine's American Flag off its pole. No warning; no permission; ZERO debate.

Vito had the 'dang thing flying upside down because he was, well, publicly displaying his "distressed" state. Vito, apparently, is in the middle of a "pissing match" with the Village which said it was not going to grant a liquor license to Vito's Italian Restaurant that he just spent $200,000 remodeling!

(His flag, probably, wasn't the only thing Upside Down - $200K is a lot of dough for a pizza joint! His car and his home are also, probably, upside down because the village won't let him what... serve wine? It's certainly time the resort-village started cracking down on those kinds of resort-style activities, and let's begin by cracking down on upside down flags!)

NO DOUBT the city fathers were concerned with Vito's welfare. No doubt the guy's a little distressed about his stupid liquor license, so let's see if we can make him SNAP altogether!

Let's take his flag; let's take his tablecloths, too! For good measure, let's take his kids who were, probably, underage busboys/girls. (Whoops...Janet Reno is no longer AG so Vito's kids are probably safe for now - until they show up at the 4th of July Picnic or just walking down Main Street wearing a flag-styled shirt [Abby Hoffman's signature shirt]. I wonder what The Village position is on the popular brand: American Eagle? Better be careful in Crivitz, kids.)

Anyway, so here's poor Vito (a Marine who fought for his flag in Iraq) being told by the village idiot (the statist who's causing all of Vito's distress in the first place) that flying the flag upside down was not distressful but downright disrespectful - probably punishable by death 'round here.

The village president, himself a Vietnam Vet, said Vito's actions were especially disrespectful when an entire community - just 20 miles down the road - was mourning the June 29th killing of one of its sons in Afghanistan. His Honor feared the distressed signal - in the middle of such a celebratory cavalcade - could cause citizens to riot - especially The Parading Vets. "It's not illegal to fly the flag upside down," said the County Sheriff, "but you know how Vets get when they see that."

YEAH, we ALL know how vets get!! They're trained and committed to come to the rescue of people in distress. And they come ready to start SHOOTING, too!

Hell, we ALL start shooting at the drop of a hat around here. Up on the Tundra, it doesn't take much to take 'er out of the old holster: Parades; people in distress; various hunting seasons; home invasions; government threats and/or, "near-riot conditions" (which is what the "Official News Release" from the Crivitz Village Board called the "situation" immediately before the parade began. A near riot 'round here? That only happens if we run out of beer - which would NEVER happen at a 4th of July celebration in Wisconsin!).

Vito's neighbor - who served 18 years in the military - watched in disbelief as the authorities stormed his neighbor's private property to capture The Flag! Then, the troopers threatened Vito's neighbor if he, "doth protest too much!"

Then, the Swat Team turned to the gathering (and quietly unholstering) crowd and threatened to take them"Downtown" for, um, littering or something like that! "Drop your guns and back away from the pole...nobody's gonna get hurt."

One of the rioters kid's pants were riding a little low - showin off his striped Underwear (NO! NOT Brown striped - Red White and Blue striped underwear!) Officer Fyfe flashed his One Bullet and threatened to depants the boy and parade him through the streets like a rosy-red cheeked float at the Rose Bowl Parade. And as unbelievable as it sounds, Aunt Bea backed Barney up!! Such as it is on the Tundra...

Most of the time, people on the Tundra are tolerant of this brand of civil "disobedience." It never usually rises to Near Riot levels unless, of course, someone starts shooting - or is flying a Chicago Bear Flag. In cases where they're flying the old Orange and Blue, we affirm their right to fly that flag right side up, or down, or sideways if they like...and we will fight to defend their right - 'till the last bullet is spent.

Of course, we'd rather just tazer them in the butt, but...can't we all just get along?

Don't taze me, Bro...I love the Packers,
and I love a little wine with my meal.

a major, MAJOR Award!

2009-06-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Know any college kids who could use $20,000? (Know any parents with kids in college?)

We* are throwing down a major challenge to U.S. college students: just ONE good idea nets the winner(s) $20,000 (+plus a trip to Washington DC to present the idea to Congress).

DETAILS, soon, but in the meantime do YOU know any college students? Any parents of college kids? Any professors, or administrators, or development officers who'd be very happy to have their students win this? Forward this link!

We'll formally announcement our Challenge in a few weeks, but a lot of our budget is going toward The Major Award - not communication. To get the Word out, we'll have to go viral; depend on people like you to help spread the word...

I'm building a data base: Do you know anyone who'd be interested? eMale me and/or, forward this post...
THANK YOU: mbina@new.rr.com

* I can't say who the "WE" is - just yet.

Fundamental Change

2009-06-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, it's all about The Fundamentals,
and The Fundamentals are about to change - dramatically.

Last month, we asked 600 CEOs and Business Owners to look into their Crystal Balls and predict the course of the current recession. Among our many findings, ONE thing really jumped out:

The CEOs spoke with a LOUD and clear voice: 74% said THIS recession is different; it will lead to "Fundamental Structural Change" in our economy.

WHOA! I'm no Rocket Scientist or Math Major, but I KNOW 74 is a LARGE percentage - a very LARGE number considering the question and the group demographics. To me, that 74% makes our CEOs sound exactly like my friend The Mogambo Guru, COO of Smith Consultant Group: He likes to say, "We're all 'freakin doomed."

By and large, MOST CEOs and Business Owners on the Tundra are Conservative, level-headed and yes, brutally honest. We're not fancy or flashy...Fundamentals, baby! A former CEO of the Green Bay Packers said it best: "Some people try to find things in this game that don't exist. It's only two things: Blocking and Tackling"

VINCENT T. LOMBARDI

Blocking and Tackling. The Fundamentals. THAT'S our game; that's how we roll, and when 74% of us see Fundamental Structural Change in our Crystal Balls (16% aren't sure; 10% say nothing will change), it's a fairly significant indicator of significant change ahead, doncha think?

I'm not sure what to make of all this, but when you look at GM; when you consider the size of government; when you try to fathom our future liabilities; when you ponder Wall Street and the likes of Goldman Sachs, what do YOU see? Are you 'feelin like you're 'freakin doomed?

The New York Times had a good article on banks and financial institutions. The new strategy is: put on a Happy Face to hide from the Fundamental Changes going on under their noses. New Name; New Brand; New Promises = It's a whole New Ball Game that totally ignore the 800 pound gorilla in the room: Fundamental Structural Change.

A Bank President I know read The Times article. She said: "Most bankers are clueless. They're trying to blame everyone else for their problems. Fundamentally, the industry got away from sustainable profitability when the focus turned to financial engineering and away from customer value. Who do they think actually pays the bills? It sure isn't the investment bankers or regulators or even the shareholders. You've got to have the pulse of your customer base, households AND businesses, and you have to foster a work environment so employees have the tools and the power to serve their customers. Basic blocking and tackling."

It's probably safe to say we're all a little guilty of wandering away from the basics over the last several years. Some of us took our eyes off the ball completely and today, we see we are fundamentally screwed! Freakin Doomed.

Obama and the Mamas

2009-06-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, we're very sophisticated consumers of Healthcare. (HUH?)

Yup, and next Thursday, the President of the U.S., is 'comin all the way up here for a Town Hall 'meetin on Healthcare... SERIOUS?

I don't know/it seems kinda weird, doesn't it? Usually,
if a FIB* is in Green Bay, it means he's on his way through town to a hideout somewhere "Up North" or in Door County. Since The Roaring 20s, Chicago Gangsters have beat the heat back home by 'chillin up on the Tundra. In the summertime, Green Bay is like a 'lil Chicago: It is said that Mob Boss Al Capone loved the many deep lakes up here. He loved fishin and, swimmin with the fishes, too!

But THIS is weird: an unannounced house call by the President to talk turkey about Healthcare? With us?? Seems like a huge opportunity for some cheap political shenanigans if you ask me.

On the other hand, it's smart shenanigans. A National Conversation on Healthcare emanating from Green Bay, Wisconsin is a great idea: There's a very good chance the people who will pack the Town Hall will be highly educated 'bout Healthcare. We WILL be an excellent Think Tank/Focus Group for 'Bo to listen - and to test ideas.

In the 80s and 90s, Green Bay was the Center of the Health Insurance Universe. Back in the Day, we led the World in designing, selling and servicing some very, very innovative health insurance benefit plans for small business owners and their employees. The proof of our success was in ALL the Sales we made - we drove the competition absolutely crazy.

Not only were our plans good, they were priced right! It takes 3 things to sell health insurance: Rates. Rates. Rates... We were a low-cost provider with OUTstanding customer service and lots of BIG ideas! We set the bar VERY high from lil old Green Bay.

Thousands, and thousands became employed - and trained - in a highly technical industry; and there were countless spin offs, mergers, vendors and health-related wannabee businesses taking root on the Tundra, too. Agents and customers from around the country constantly flew in to see what all the fuss was about. About 100% of the time they'd go home totally impressed with our knowledge, our craftsmanship and our work ethic. (It musta been all the beer we drank with them!)

We also practiced what we preached: Not only did we develop innovative products and services, we bought 'em for ourselves - and our families. The Tundra leads the nation in the adoption of HSAs (Health Savings Accounts). BO: Did you know that?

Last time I checked, we were leading the nation in the adoption of HRAs too (Health Risk Assessments). We've been BIG proponents of "Wellness" since WAY back when...we were the first to develop and launch the NOW trendy "Wellness" Plans - back in 1984. (No one bought 'em from us then, but WE sure swallowed them Hook, Line and Sinker.) Know that, BO?

Despite the stereotypical image of our Brat, Beer and Cheese Culture, Dr Philip Hagen of the Mayo Clinic said we scored well against the national average in our Health and Wellness.

And, Tundran Women are among the most sophisticated Healthcare consumers in the World. They're interested in Healthcare for themselves, and their families. (DUH!) They're smart buyers - and users - on so many levels. They live it; they work it. They know, BO.

Five years ago, my company was leading a huge initiative for UnitedHealthcare. We hosted a series of Town Hall-type meetings with: "The Primary Healthcare Decision Maker in Your Household." And just like the President, we launched our initiative in Green Bay. (We eventually moved beyond the Tundra to other towns and halls.)

Guess what The Number ONE Healthcare Issue is for The Primary Healthcare Decision Maker? "Well, DUH!," one said,
"The Cost!"

It didn't take a Town Hall Meeting to discover THAT! It's always about the Money, isn't it?

We discovered a lot of other cool things: some were groundbreaking; some were as plain as the nose on your face and the ears on Obama's head. Healthcare and Healthcare Financing is not really rocket science - but it is, indeed, Life and Death!

Before you get here on Thursday, Mr. President: Here's a link to the results of our Town Hall Meeting with all those Primary Healthcare Decision Makers: The Doctor Mom Index

With this data you can cut to the chase, make your visit MORE productive and, keep the shenanigans to a minimum. Maybe we can catch a beer after?

* FIB: Tundran Pet Name for visitors from Illinois

Crystal Balls and Fuzzy Navels

2009-05-28T04:34:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, we contemplate our navels each Spring.

Akin to Spring Cleaning, Navel Contemplation is kinda like an internal audit; taking stock of what Winter wrought.

After a long Hibernation, many of us are contemplating where our navels have gone. We check in the mirror; the scale; the waistband of our Spring wardrobe. Even if you have an “outie,” navels have been known to disappear over the course of a ten-month Winter. IF we find it, we contemplate what we’ll do to get it back to where it was way back when.

Those with a home gym or high metabolism need very little contemplation as they're fully confident about being “Swimsuit Ready” for the Summer. They DO contemplate their navel but for other reasons: a piercing, perhaps, or a cute, little two-piece for the beaches of Lake Superior!

Adding some color to our navels is also a popular thought - especially after a long hibernation where the only Sun that reaches us is a bag of Sun Chips.

No contemplation is complete until we check The Lint Level. Especially among us low metabolizers, a lotta lint can build up in there after a long winter of Long Johns and wool underwear. After checking our Navels, we check our Crystal Balls.

‘Bout this time each year, Nicolet National Bank of Green Bay asks CEOs and Business Owners to examine their Crystal Balls (not their Frozen Ones). This month, nearly 600 CEOs contemplated the future in the context of the current economy:

Around here, the most important Prognostication: 47% said The Green Bay Packers will win a Super Bowl within 5 years. Hope Springs Eternal on the Tundra, but only 2% say they’ll win it this year; 4% the following. (They must assume Favre signs with the Vikings and has one or two left in the old tank!)

Also within 5 years, 42% see a Universal Healthcare System. The Nicolet Questionnaire didn’t define the term “Universal,” but we all KNOW what they are thinking. Did CEOs think Universal meant everyone was covered by an insurance scheme or, everyone was in a Universal System run by a Collective Body?

CEOs know “Universal” is a code word for Government Takeover - 4% see such a system NEXT year; 17% see it in two years; 18% say it’ll NEVER happen... let’s hope they’re seeing 20/20 on this one.

Speaking of Hope: 41% see the Recession ending Next Year; 50% see it end in two.

59% see the value of their home regaining what it lost within 5 years; 20% say ten; 6% see more; 2% say NEVER!

Speaking of DOPE: 4% see a budget surplus in five years! As my sons say, “What are they smoking?”

The more sober CEOs (15%) see a surplus in ten years; 33% say more; HALF say Way More than that…NEVER, they say!

70% say NEVER will the federal government take over a major newspaper, but 8% say it’ll happen this year.

6% say NEVER will The Internet replace TV/Radio/Newspapers as a source of information, but 10% say it’ll happen this year (24% in 2 years; 46% in 5 years).

AND, WHOA: 18% see GM out of business this year…it might be this week! 25% see GM GO next year; 13% within 5. (38% say, NEVER.)

Alternate fuel cars will make up 50% of the market in two years say 3% of the CEOs! (What? I think those 3% must be contemplating their Magic 8 Balls: It turned up, "Yes.")

Also into their ‘8 Ball, 12% see the Dow back at 14,00 in 2 years!! (ALL together now: What are they 'smokin?)

47% see it back in 5 years; 28% see back in 10; 10% see more than 10 years; 3% say NEVER. Regardless of their time frame, ALL CEOs are seeing their retirement horizon expanding!

Putting the Crystal and Magic 8 Balls aside, Nicolet asked CEOs to contemplate their inner Leadership Skills: 16% were Very Satisfied with their performance as a leader; 57% were Moderately Satisfied.

And what are CEOs working on?

91% say it’s Very Important to “Develop a strategy that will secure the future of the organization.” 85% say it’s Very Important to see to it that, “The organization has adequate sales to produce the revenue it needs.” BOTH Hard Work/No Doubt!

It’s safe to say ALL CEOs see the same thing on this one: Sales is Survival. You don’t need an Eight Ball because, YES, it is...and Yes, it will ALWAYS turn up YES!

Brat Boys bring home 'da Bacon

2009-05-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Neither snow, nor rain, nor Heat of Grill stays these epicures from the swift devouring of their appointed rounds of bratwurst!

Up on the Tundra, a little lousy weather isn’t going to stay anyone from bellying up to the Brat Barn - especially for a good cause.

After a absolutely gorgeous Friday, Saturday's weather turned ugly: Cold temps - and a steady rain whipped by 30mph gusts.

Joey fretted. “NO one will buy my Brats.”

I said, “Son, people will shop for groceries on Saturday come hell or high water.” (BOTH of which were starting to look like real possibilities.) “And if you fry it, they will come.” The old man was right - but not without a few harrowing moments.

The weather offered the first: It was a challenge to get that alluring Brat Fry smell going: First of all, we weren’t really awake at that hour. Despite what some may think, firing up the grill first thing in the morning is not an everyday occurrence - even for The People of the Tundra.

Secondly, everything was a little moist. The air was SO thick, the charcoal was mushy; the humidity seemed to dilute the lighter fluid; we couldn’t even get the ignitors to fire up and had to resort to matches – which the wind promptly blew out.

But as soon as we got the charcoal burning and brats a frying, people were queuing up.

Joey recruited some great people to help him sell his brats. a BIG Shout Out to: The Holdredge Family. Dad Daryl signed up for the 9-11 shift - and he was there an hour early getting things set up. He also sensed I was in trouble as the critical lunch hour approached. He stayed ‘till 3!

When scheduling this event, we obviously misjudged the skill level of the chef. (WHOOPS = Not the SKILL Level – you never ‘dis a man’s Skill on the Grill), However, when hoards of hungry Huns are hankering for brats, you cook for speed; no points for style. Burn ‘em and churn ‘em, baby.

Daryl was there to help all the way- otherwise it would have been a disaster! I would NOT have been able to keep up with demand - but Daryl saved the day with his keen eye - and his spirit of volunteerism. We made big money with Daryl on Duty.

Over the course of 7 hours, one hot juicy brat was rolling off our grill approx every 30 seconds! It takes teamwork to pull something like that off!

Daryl’s wife, Rita, relieved him at 3PM – she too, was a God-send. Not only did she keep the coals glowing and brats flowing, I got the other side of The Holdredge Family Story...not just the version Daryl was handing me! Daryl's kind of a card, you know. ("Ive looked at life from both sides now...")

Conner Holdredge, a soon-to-be Eagle in Joey’s troop, worked inside the Barn. He coined the term, "Brat Drunk," to describe sad, sorry condition of the cook at the end of the shift. It was accurate and totally descriptive.

It was a great way to spend a day. Not only did we put our collective shoulders together to do God's Work, but I got to know some very nice people - very well. After seven hours together over a hot, greasy grill, you learn a lot about a guy/gal. I feel I’m part of their family now (but please, guys, don’t invite me over for a brats on the grill ANYtime soon).

Our wonderful friend Deb Smith - and her son Conner - signed up for one shift - but stayed almost all day. Our friend Jason Fineran drove up from Appleton WI - he bought 12 brats/12 hamburgers for his co-workers at Les Stumpf Ford! (He drove up in one of the HOT, brand new, 2010 Ford Fusions and I'm sure the brats were still hot when he got back to Appleton.)

Joey’s Show Choir 'Homies serenaded the crowd as they waited to serve a Hot One – they even busted out a few dance numbers in the parking lot in front of the Brat Barn. (Most of them were starring in the Preble High School Spring Play later that evening - so it was really, REALLY GREAT that they volunteered their time - and their song - to Joey's big fundraiser.) Joey’s fellow Boy Scout troop members were also a HUGE help.

We closed the Barn Door after roughly 700 or so had left the Brat Barn: Joey is figuring out the net – he needs roughly $600 to fund his Eagle Scout Project – the rest is up to him to decide what to do.

THANK you SO much to all who contributed to this wonderful community project. Up on the Tundra, the Community is a little better off today thanks to the efforts of one Joey Bina - and a whole bunch of his family and friends.

Thank you, Joey, for asking me, and for having confidence in my Grill Skill. I'm proud to say those skills - with a little bit of help from my friends - helped launch an Eagle.

I know you'll fly far, my son.

'Grills Gone Wild

2009-05-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, Bratwurst on the Grill generally draws large, expectant crowds!

Grill it, and they will come!

Bratwurst, commonly 'Brat (rhymes with Watt), is a large, Teutonic sausage stuffed will all kinds of pork and spices and goodies and stuff. Served on a toasted Brat Bun (maybe a little ketchup; some spicy German mustard; maybe onions and sauerkraut; maybe a little of everything) it's tasty - and almost more popular than Cheese up here ...

Brats on the Barbie are part of the Fabric, the Culture, the Dairyaire...Brats are our Soul Food!

Mostly “Summer” fare, Brats are Standard Fare at every county fair, baseball game, back yard cook out…whatever! WE are using them THIS Saturday to draw people and make money for Joey Bina’s Eagle Scout Project.

Here’s the Drill: Festival Foods in Green Bay generously lends its little Brat Barn to good causes like Boy Scouts. The ‘Barn is next to the store’s busy entrance and Festival Foods gives us a discount on the Brats and Buns. We cook ‘em up, mark ‘em up and serve 'em up to make a little money. (Sometimes, a lotta money.)

We sell 'em from 10AM ‘till 6PM, and if the weather is right – and the wind is wafting that glorious brat smell into the grocery store, you can make a lotta money! (A lotta of work, though.)

Son Joey’s Eagle Scout Community Project that he's raising money for is a promotional and educational video for a non-profit in Green Bay: The Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. The Wildlife Sanctuary (no, that’s not another cutsie, Chris Berman moniker for Lambeau Field) is a great place that, as a non-profit, has little budget for promotion. It relies on friends and volunteers and guys like Joey Bina.

Joey has taken on the task of developing and pitching the video project, getting it approved and raising the money to get ‘er done! Bravo, Joe.

Joey and I have helped other Eagle Scouts at the Brat Barn before, and helped with a Fund Raiser for his school’s Show Choir. I’ll be on The Grill for Joey’s effort on Saturday.

Only adults can man The Grill at Festival. It’s a very large charcoal grill – capable of cooking a LOT of product. The “Adults Only” policy is a non-negotiable for Festival Foods! (DUH!)

To get Brats cooked "just right" can be a challenge: With all that juice and grease tightly packed inside every, little tasty wiener, they can "get away from" you if the grill gets too hot. And, when cooking for large group of people, other challenges arise. Even for the most “Seasoned” Brat Grill Master, Brats can "get away from you" if you're not paying attention, or socializing, or cooking for several thousand people.

My Challenge is: Not to torch any profit. The Trouble is: cooking over a large, open flame oven. These volatile, temperamental little Brats can ignite in a heartbeat. Every one I burn - or drop - comes out of Joey's pocket. (Well...not the ones I drop – The Five Second Rule is in effect for all Fund Raisers! [What…The Health Department is going to shut us down?])

At home, when cooking Brats for four, I have a martini in one hand - and NO other distractions. Monitoring the Brats is easy and relaxing using THIS cooking method (and so, we do it a LOT). However, drinking is not allowed at Festival Food fund raisers (even though we could sell a LOT more brats if we sold ‘em with Wisconsin's most popular condiment: Beer). Anyway, cooking with BOTH hands should be easy for an old hand like me: NO burnage! NOT on my watch!!

I must admit, though, I’m a little intimidated by the size of the “grill” at Festival Foods. I mean, you could throw the whole PIG on this puppy – and still have room for a few more racks!

This bad boy eats bags of charcoal like I eat bags of Doritos.

It get’s SO hot, I got sunburned last year - but wore a hat the whole time! I was actually well done from the inside out by this Monster GRILL! I should have recognized that it was I who was cooking when I smelled Hair Burning - but, I just thought I had a bad sausage or something. Nope, THIS little piggy's on fire!

It’s NO surprise I was ‘smokin because my cooking partner and I were too aggressive anticipating the Lunch Hour Rush (which can be quite a rush if the wind is blowing right! People can smell brats miles away, and follow their noses.) We made a Beginner’s Mistake: Too much coal; too many Brats.

We had the grill so STOKED UP with coals and brats, that the workers from the Lumber Yard next door set out a few fire extinguishers. We had people lining up NOT for lunch, but the pyrotechnics!

The steel rods that are the grilling surface for this “Grill” (which I actually think was once used as a blast furnace - making sewer covers at Neenah Foundry or something) actually started melting - and melding into our beloved Brats. The grate is SO heavy, we couldn’t lift it to get the product off the heat. Plus, it was too 'f-in hot to get close enough to lift it! And, all the Brats were in danger of rolling away if we tipped it too much!

As skilled, Micro Level Brat Broilers (and typically, stubborn men), we couldn’t admit we had a problem - or ask anyone for help! You can’t put water on on a Grease Fire – plus, it's NOT really Kosher to dunk your Brat while it's cooking = Strickly Verboten mit Brats! The fire extinguisher “sauce” would be a bad idea, too. You can’t put out a grease fire that's actually melting the grate because it's been caked and coated with YEARS of Brat Juice "Tinder" from 100s of other fund raisers before us...

And we couldn’t just let the thing burn itself out…THAT’S OUR PROFIT ON FIRE! If we decided to do nothing and write it off/up in smoke, Festival Foods would have been like Three Mile Island…it would have burned all the way to China! I mean, our Heat Signature was spotted by the Space Shuttle; Al Gore wanted a Cap and Trade tariff on us.

We remained calm as we considered the situation. We just smiled and waved at the growing lunch crowd like we had it all under control - but the crowd was growing impatient – and somewhat horrorfied at the scene unfolding). As we continued burning, people in the parking lot started cheering us on; some were making none-too-flattering suggestions; some were dialing 911; others were ‘takin bets.

The guy I was on The Furnace with is a Smart Ass (no offense my Brat Brother). He has a mouth to match. He started giving it right back to the hungry crowd: taunting and insulting the Brat Lovers like Don Rickles and Micheal Richards combined. (I was just standing there – roasting away - wishing I had one last martini before the crowd turned REAL ugly and threw us BOTH on the spit!)

We eventually got the fire under control by pulling Brats off the “Grill Gone Wild.” With Asbestos Gloves, we pried as many of the undercooked – but still burning - Brats around to the teeny, tiny edge of the inferno where the heat wasn’t quite so intense. It was a risky move - a few rolled off the edge and several spent more than 5 seconds on the parking lot.

Thinking fast, if anyone in the crowd actually saw any of the Brats hit the ground, we offered a discount off the list price…and if NO ONE SAW, NO ONE KNEW! "Just dust off the pebbles," we said to our servers, "and they’re good to go." (Put a little ketchup on it - no one in THIS crowd would know.)

(HELLO! We didn’t REALLY do that! Come on, I'm JUST kidding!)

We prevented a complete loss of product and salvaged the all-important lunch hour crowd by changing the signage on the Barn to read: NEW, Extra Crispy Kentucky Grilled Brats (Hey, we’re Marketers – and that seemed to work pretty well). Our best idea was to sell the Brats by the Pound instead of by link. With all that molten steel fillers, we set a Sales Record. The customers didn’t seem to mind the “unique, new flavor” of our famous, Pittsburg Steeler Brats (until they tried getting through airport security).

If we burn any this year, we’ll sell them as NEW, “Brat Favres” = a little crispy around the edge, and completely burned out inside! We’ll sell a MILLION!

If you’re joining us for Brats THIS SATURDAY/MAY 9/ 10AM-to-6PM, bring your fire gear - and/or HazMat suit!

CIAO!

"The Eagle has (almost) landed"

2009-05-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

On the Tundra, seeing an Eagle is a rare treat. Only 70,000 or so are in the U.S. = very few opportunities to spot one.

An even rarer bird is an Eagle Scout. Since the first "bird" in 1912, only a million or so Boy Scouts have earned Eagle Scout rank including: Steven Spielberg, Neil Armstrong, James Lovell, Wynton Marsalis, Gerald Ford - many high achievers started out as Eagles.

Joseph Daniel Bina is about to take flight with them...

Before he flies, he has a BIG job to do. On top of everything else he’s doing THIS week: Two performances with The Green Bay Boy Choir; 3 performances in a lead role in the Preble High Spring Play; 3 performances at the State Music Competition (another Marsalis in the making?)

To earn Eagle Scout Rank, Joey must plan and complete a fairly complex community project - including raising the Money to fund it. For his project, Joey is producing a promotional video for The Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary: Producing, Writing, Directing, Shooting, Editing (another Spielberg in the making?).

This SATURDAY/MAY 9: Joey is selling Brats and Burgers at the Brat Barn at Festival Foods/East (I-43: “by Menards.”). 10AM-to-6PM! (Dad’s on The Grill; Mom’s in charge of the Cash Box; Mick’s working Security - and acting as The Court's Official Beefeater :o)

Joey's handling Sales and PR. Also helping will be Joey's classmates, friends, supporters - and a few other prospective Eagles.

Help launch Joey with Eagles like Lovell and Armstrong...fly over to Festival Foods on Saturday!

a few good WOMEN!

2009-05-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm embarking on a SUPER Secret Project (it won’t be secret long, but that’s The Status, right now).

I am looking for a woman who owns a business – runs a business – or is a Thought Leader in Business. Preferably, she’s in Manufacturing; preferably in Wisconsin (if there is anyone like that left in Wisconsin anymore).

we DON’T need her Money/we DON’T need her Social Network/she doesn't make Sales calls!

We need her head in the game (preferably, her nose and heart, too); we need her serving on a small, High-Profile committee that will determine the future of, well…I can’t say right now!

This select committee will meet regularly between now-and-December ’09 = a short term engagement that will surely be: Interesting, Intense, Weighty, FUN – and Different, too!
But that’s all can I share right now!

I am Open to your Suggestions/Nominations.
THANK you for your input. Privately, my CELL is: 920 362 5757

Swine Flu Survival Strategy for Business

2009-04-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

A Cheap, Simple, Swine Survival Strategy for Business Owners: Rule Number ONE: Hygiene! Encourage employees to wash their hands - and cover their mouths for crying out loud! (Doesn’t anyone remember anything, anymore? What did you Mom tell you?)

Avoid shaking hands! High Fives and Fist Bumps, too! A nod and a wink may now be an acceptable greeting – not a flirtation or solicitation. (Bowing works if you’re meeting King Abdullah – or anyone else you feel is Superior.)

Disinfect surfaces: keyboards, phones, doorknobs and handrails. High-efficiency, particulate air filters in HVAC systems. Stockpile supplies such as hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, gloves, masks….

This is the Cheap, No-Brainer stuff that’s fairly effective. What follows requires some higher-level, management-type discussion:

Develop a policy for isolating and/or sending home employees who become sick at work; ensure they don’t return until the danger has passed.

Be flexible with leave policies and work schedules. Anticipate that employees might get sick, or need to stay home with sick family members and children if schools close. Some ee’s might be too scared to leave home (or least tell the boss they’re too scared); some might have transportation issues.

Is tele-working practical for some employees? Plan to implement a telework program. Plan for teleconferences and online interactions instead of face-to-face meetings.

Keep information flowing. Encourage people to take reasonable precautions NOW, including stocking up on nonperishable food like beans, brown rice, cooking oil, water...don’t forget toilet paper. It’s a different kind of discussion to have with employees, but if YOU’RE not talking, who is? The Surgeon General and the HHS Secretary haven't been heard from in this health crisis.

If employees use prescription drugs, they should anticipate the need to stockpile. The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy says 80% of the raw ingredients for drugs are imported – and that flow may be restricted if the rest of the world needs those drugs.

It’s probably wise to make sure employees know what care is available under their group health plan and how to access it. (If YOU don’t know, get your broker in to talk about it). Employees should anticipate that health conditions - other than the Swine flu - will have a lower priority as providers are overwhelmed. Review your disability insurance policy; remind employees of those benefits.

Anticipate that some of your departments might be understaffed more than others in a pandemic. Consider your retirees or perhaps, staffing up from industries that would lay off employees during a pandemic such as the travel and leisure industry. Decide how you could continue operations with various levels of absenteeism.

Determine how you’ll communicate with employees, customers and vendors if ordinary operations are disrupted. Prepare to conduct business with little or no travel.

Transportation and warehousing would be disrupted by absenteeism. Evaluate your relationships with suppliers and customers and develop whatever contingency plans you can to get the products and services you need - and deliver to your customers.

There will be high demand for essential goods and services. Think about everything you outsource, see what disaster plans they have, and try to coordinate theirs with yours.

Customers might not be able to buy from you because they might lose their customers. People won’t be going out as much or buying as much; some facilities might be shut down at the direction of health officials. Develop scenarios for surviving lost business.

Nonprofits should anticipate serving clients or members based on their own limited ability to access anything – much less your own services. Power outages, brownouts, delivery of energy supplies could be an issue because of absenteeism in those industries.

Unlike a natural disaster, a pandemic can occur in waves – over the course of years. Anticipate that your plan might need to stay in place a while. God save us all!

Hopefully, it won't come to this but, it may be worth a discussion.

RESOURCES: www.cdc.gov/SwineFluhttp://

www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/pandemicflu/index.htmlhttp://

www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/business/businesschecklist.html

www.pandemictoolkit.com/HRM

Swine Flu over the Cuckoo's Nest

2009-04-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

UP on the Tundra, Business Owners are Crazy with the Pandemic Pandemonium, but not Sick with worry about it!

According to The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse, a significant majority of Business Owners and CEOs say their organizations are not at all prepared for a Pandemic Flu. (DUH!)

Swine Flu, Bird Flu or any number of flu strains with scary animal and/or foreign-sounding names (Spanish 1918-19; Asian 1957-58; Hong Kong 1968-69), are not on the top of most CEOs’ plates. When there’s a crisis on the Tundra, we grab the Bull by the Horns and fly by the seat of our pants! We Fight Fire with Fire and Swine Flu with, um… Chicken Soup?

Three years ago, when that real hairy, scary flu named: H5N1 was on the Radar Screen at the Centers for Disease Control, Nicolet National Bank asked 600 CEOs and Business Owners what they had in their corporate Play Book for fighting H5N1! Surprise: Nothing!

Sixty-two percent said they were Not Well Prepared - which meant they had not given any consideration to the potential effects of travel restrictions, supply chain disruptions, employee absenteeism and ‘social distancing’ that people were saying – hysterically in some cases - would occur as the result of H5N1.

The CDC predicted 25-30% of the US population could be affected by a H5N1 Pandemic. Estimates suggest 35% of the US workforce could be absent from their job should a major outbreak occur. Economic impact could be $ 170 billion or so…

In the face of those scary predictions, only 21% of CEOs felt they were Somewhat Well Prepared while less than 10% were Moderately Well Prepared for this hairy predicament. The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© also asked CEOs what action they’d taken in preparation for the Flu bug. Few had taken any: 14% had a plan to protect the financial health of their company; 13% have a plan to protect the health of their employees; 12% discussed how their company would respond and 9% created a plan for how they’d continue to provide services or products to customers.

Fifty-two percent didn’t think the Bird Flu would actually fly on the Tundra (26% thought an outbreak was Somewhat Likely; 14 % said Moderately Likely; 1% said an outbreak was Very Likely; 7% were Not Sure.)

I’m not sure what CEOs would say today about this Swine Flu thing. I remember The Old Swine Flu - in 1976 - when the government totally overreacted and virtually mandated flu shots for all its citizenry. (Trouble is, not only did the government overreact, but misdiagnosed the flu strain and a lot of people died from the shot that was supposed to kill the bug! Whoops…sorry ‘bout that!)

I doubt anyone has made any detailed plans for the new flu. However, if one of our employees starts squealing like a pig or barking like a dog, it’s time for a little "Personal" day off…which is always a very good tonic around here. (I like mine with Gin - and a twist.)

Alla Tua Salute!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Despite all the hysteria in 1976, I elected NOT to get my shot! In an act of Social Disobedience and Government Defiance, I bought a t-shirt (Photo Above) instead. I can't fit into it anymore, but the sarcastic message still works! The struggle continues...

Smells like Spring, Daddy

2009-04-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, Spring comes when it comes: Sometimes it's late; sometimes it's early. Sometimes, it doesn't come at all...

You need keen senses to recognize Spring around here. Other than a calendar, there are very few definitive signs that Spring has officially sprung. Red breasted Robins and Red wing Blackbirds are the earliest indicators, but the weather can turn their happy, optimistic song into a Silent Spring overnight.

Another harbinger in my backyard: The Yellow Finch has regained its brilliant color - can Forsythias be far behind? (Yes, they CAN!) The "purple" is back on the "Purple" Finch and umpteen shades of green are reappearing on every hill and dale: Lime, Mint, Olive, Pea, Emerald, Jade, Turquoise...alles zusammen (everything all at once).

Purple Martins are here which means the bugs are here which means Spring's GOTTA be here!

After a LONG winter behind closed doors, the first Blue Bird and Oriole will signal me it's time to see if I can still fit into my Summer Whites. (Even our Dog gained 5.5 pounds this winter.)

Not sure if it's a signal of Spring, but I was watching a large bird circle our pond on Saturday. It's not a unusual for a bird to be hunting The Conservancy (which is our back yard), but this bird looked odd. My binoculars are always handy so I tried to figure out just what was UP! At first I thought: Eagle. No, it's not that big. Then I thought: Hawk. It was big, but not as muscular as a Red Tail - or an A. J. Hawk.

It suddenly made a beeline toward earth. I watched him all the way in the BinaBinos - he smacked the water from 150 feet up. Eagles buzz our house all the time; Hawks pluck rabbits out of the back yard. Owls, Cranes, Kingfishers, Ducks and Geese galore hunt our pond but I've never seen anything do that! (God awful Cormorants occasionally dive into our pond on their way back to the Bay, but THIS was no Cormorant.)

He hit the water about 50 yards from me. I still couldn't ID him, but my wife said it must have been an Osprey. I've never seen an Osprey perform (she has, but not here), and don't know if it's a sign of Spring or not, but it DOES mean the Ice is off the Pond!

With the ice off the Pond, the frogs started singing = a SURE sign of Spring! When the ground starts warming and the frogs do, too, the noise level at night is incredible: Beautiful; haunting; loud! When a million-man frogs are wildly serenading for a mate, it's truly Spring. The cool air that's moved in yesterday has dramatically dampened the singing and, no doubt, the mating. It's all's quiet again on the Tundra...but not for long, I trust/hope.

Crocus and Tulips are struggling to show, and the weather is not cooperating. Even Baseball Season isn't a good indicator. Tryouts for our son's league were called after an hour. It's tough to play baseball when it's snowing, but it's great for working on our Sliding. We're all natural sliders up here, but we're slow getting down to second in snow pants and boots.

The Best Indicator of Spring - for me anyway - has always been my son, Mick. When just a wee lad, we bundled him up to whisk him off to school. One day, he took a step outside the door and said, "Daddy, it smells like Spring." (You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows!)

Not yet a seasoned, seasonal observer like his old man, I thought he was totally oblivious to the finer points of the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees...and generally he is but ever since he was a babe, he's been an olfactory fellow: a good snout! Like his dad, he's easily influenced - and even led around - by his nose. He'd be TOTALLY ruled by his nose and his belly were it not for Runescape and X-Box and other sensory dulling computer games.

Anyway, it DID smell like Spring that 'morning: Rich. Moist. Earthy. Warm: Mother Nature's New Car Smell! My youngest picked it up like a dog on a bone! It's not been Spring 'till the fat lady stinks.

From that day forward, smell has been my most accurate Spring indicator. I think it's a gas emitted when the Mother Earth finally purges herself of the last few inches of frost and ice that lay atop her since October. Like a good belch after a fine meal, she unloads the last of her frozen waste. Like brushing your teeth in the morning, it's Earth's clean, minty-fresh taste.

I don't know what it's like for you, but on the Tundra, it's NOT Spring 'til it smells like Spring.

GREEN Bay is already GREEN!

2009-04-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, we ARE the original Green party!
Long before there was a movement, we were already Green.

It all began in 1635 when French explorer Jean Nicolet came ashore* on a green bay - not a blue one. We've been"La Baie Verte" ever since. (When Nicolet “discovered” the Green bay, he was actually looking for The Mythical Sea Route to China - and he thought he actually DID find China when he landed here...Boy, was he surprised when the natives had no Green Tea [but lots of 'MOO Goo Gia Pan].)

From that day forward, our forefathers have been very good stewards of this great, Green Land. Granted, NOT always the best stewards, but this is our Home and we've take care of it as best we can - for almost 400 years. Examples abound: We’ve led The World on Earth Day - from Day One.

Born on the Tundra in Clear Lake Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson was the founder of Earth Day in 1970.

Sixty years ago, University of Wisconsin Professor Aldo Leopold wrote the conservation cult classic and definitive Eco Handbook. A Sand County Almanac was written about Leopold's beloved retreat in Sand County, Wisconsin and the intimate, interconnectedness of life; of nature; of all stuff that is Green.

University of Wisconsin Green Bay is America’s Original EcoU. UW-Green Bay was the country’s first environmental university and has since garnered national attention. THIS Earth Day, 40 years after the school opened, UWGB is launching its new, Environmental Management and Business Institute.

It’s good The U included Business in its new initiative because business is SO critical to the whole process of life on our planet; on our Tundra; on our Bay.

As it turns out, Business Owners on the Tundra are staunch Eco ‘Yous**, too. According to The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse, business owners up here know Green is not a Fad; 76% say, “Going Green” is the right thing to do even if it costs a little “Green” in the process. They think it’s good business (they also think it’s good for business).

Business owners also understand there’s a balance in everything in life; in nature; in business. (It ain't easy being Green.) Business Owners on the Tundra are more likely to agree with the statement: “Economic growth should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent.”

According to Nicolet Bank (NO relation to Jean Nicolet or, unfortunately, Gene Nicolet the author of this Blog), Business Owners see the link between business and the environment as a critical one. For a time, Being Green in Green Bay was at odds with Economic Growth and Development – a Zero Sum Game. Green Bay is now seeing the integration of good business practices with good environmental ones.

The Circle of Life.

* The illustration at top of this blog is of Jean Nicolet coming ashore near Red Banks on Green Bay - with both his Guns a blazin! The PHOTOgraph above was taken VERY close to the exact spot where the Nicolet Party came ashore in1635. Not much has changed...except that I live there now, and I haven't seen that many Indians living on shore - and even fewer Chinese.

** On the Tundra, it's proper to use "yous" for a plural "you" as in, "see yous tomorrow." It can be used with one person, "see yous tomorrow" and/or for several people, "see yous tomorrow." It's a weird little colloquial quirk that I might address in a future post. I have not heard the president say it - yet!

Chris Matthews got a rise out of THAT!

2009-04-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tunda, we're private people. Generally speaking we're quiet, modest, reserved. (Even though we DO have a well-deserved reputation for strapping on the Beer Bong at the drop of a hat, our nose is generally to the grindstone; our cards close to the vest; our guns close to the bed.)

Yesterday, when the president said he was, taking a stand against the rise of privacy, I swear I could hear the collective cocking of a couple hundred thousand Colts clear across the Tundra. If there ever was a call to arms, this was it. "Annie, getcher gun!"

We have a good sense of humor up here (why else would anyone wear a Cheese Hat and dance the Polka in public?). However, when THIS president says he's taking a stand against privacy, no one laughed (even though we think he may have made a mistake).

At first, we thought it was a teleprompter typo...but we know our president can read PIRACY off the 'promoter practically every time! Substituting PRIVACY was one of the greatest Freudian Slips of ALL time! He played his hand, and didn't even pause for a 'do-over! (I wonder what he was really thinking when he said he was taking a stand on Privacy?)

Yesterday, professor of economics at Loyola College Thomas DiLorenzo wrote: It only took the Obama administration a couple of weeks to prove that the national leadership of the Democratic Party is guided by totalitarian-minded socialists who seek to create an omnipotent government. The U.S. government is now controlled by people who have been dreaming of living out their utopian socialist fantasies ever since the fantasies were brought to their attention in college decades ago by their Mao/Castro/Che Guevara poster-hanging, capitalism-hating, communistic professors...

Yesterday, The Omnipotent put its cards on the table. It wasn't a Freudian Slip, it was the slip, the gown, the shoes - The Whole Ball Gown of Wax. A stand against Privacy? Say it ain't so, BO!

What next? A stand against Guns when you meant to say, Huns? A stand against War when you meant to say, Whore? A stand against The Church when you meant to say, John Birch? A stand against The Jews when you meant to say, The Blues?

Almost like MSNBC Newsboy Chris Matthews and his "thrill up his leg," I felt a chill up my spine.

In a recent post, I revealed BO's true birthplace: I have evidence that he is, "one of our own" because he sounds like us. "Born and bred onalake Up North," I wrote.

Today, I'm not so sure. I know very few people who sound like THAT! (Oh sure, there are plenty of Mao/Castro/Che poster-hanging, privacy-haters down in Madison, but you won't find many in Freedom, or Liberty, or Eagle Wisconsin.)

BO knows how to read...and Annie, you KNOW what to do!

WORKethic

2009-04-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

UP on the Tundra* people have a Strong Work Ethic (at least that's what the People OFF the Tundra say). In my 30 years up here I’ve heard many people say it many times - we definitely have some quantifiable Street 'Cred out there.

ONE EXAMPLE: A former employer of mine was a small, obscure, Wisconsin-domiciled health insurance company. Back in ’83 or so, we decided we were going to go "National;" go head-to-head against the BIG boys: the AETNAs, the CIGNAs, the Blues…

At our big Kick Off in Miami, a well dressed, nicely tanned, insurance professional handed me his card. (He had lots of “Insurance Rings” on his fingers - which is how we in the business spot a successful agent.) With a supercilious smirk he said, “I can place my business with any insurance company in the world! But you’re from Green Bay,” he said. “You people are different...I KNOW you’re going to work hard for me.”

In my time up here, I’ve worked with thousands of agents and their customers at TWO, phenomenally successful, home-grown insurance companies. From Newport Beach-to-Miami Beach, our tremendous growth was due, in part, to a built-in reputation for a strong work ethic. When we said we'd get 'er done, people across the country just naturally believed we would get 'er done - and get 'er done RIGHT!

I don’t know where that reputation came from, or how it got started (but I do know a good PR Guy who milked it for ALL it was worth!). We stole more business from the Big Guys than the Pirates of the Carribean - and Somalia - combined! We outsmarted them; we out worked them; we cut 'em up into little pieces. We made the Inc. 500 List; we were Media Darlings; agents from around the country loved us.

In addition to a hard-wired reputation for hard work, we also have a reputation for hard PLAY (which may have had something to do with some of our success - and might be fodder for a post somewhere down the road [but I need to find some pictures I've been looking for]).

We also exhibit Strong Ethics in our business practices. According to the Nicolet Bank Business Pulse© - a quarterly study of 600 CEOs and Business Owners:

57% say unethical behavior is NOT an issue up here; but it’s Serious elsewhere: Fully 65% say unethical behavior is Very Serious or Moderately Serious in the rest of the US; 14% say unethical business behavior is Very Serious right here at home, too.

Not only has unethical behavior been disconcerting for the CEOs, 67% say the Standards of business ethics have declined as well - which differs greatly from how business leaders perceive the standards of business ethics on the Tundra where 1% say standards have declined; 79% say they’ve remained about the same; 4% say
they've improved!

Yeah, we may be a bunch of Homers up here; we may be guilty of believing our own campfire stories and press clippings, but at least we’re talking about it. We’re asking questions. We're measuring and attempting to hold ourselves accountable to our own very high standards. If we do, indeed, have a built-in advantage for ethics and stuff like that, it's important to promote it and keep it going - especially when Trust and Ethics seem to be waning. The Pirate Code says: Keep yer piece, pistol and cutlass clean - and fit for service.

*Coined by The Big Voice of NFL Films and Popularized by The Big Mouth on ESPN, use of the term Frozen Tundra was officially banned in 2003 by Lake Superior State University (which is located on the Frozen Tundra in a place called Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan [‘Sue Saint Marie is how WE say it]). Anyway, in 2003, Frozen Tundra made The List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. The next year, Lake Superior State University apologized: “The committee admits it is not infallible. On the 2003 list we included 'frozen tundra' as being redundant and we heard back from many people who pointed out that tundra does not mean 'frozen land.' Green Bay Packers fans were especially adamant, even though sportscasters frequently use the phrase to describe their home turf. We hereby reinstate 'frozen tundra. 'We stand corrected.” (In ’04, LSSU replaced Frozen Tundra with Metrosexual.)

Green with Envy

2009-04-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Up on the Tundra, Earth Day is WAY too early! Pretty much the entire month of April, The Frozen Tundra* is still pretty much frozen. It’s COLD Baby!

Unlike The Best Part of Winter - when it’s bright and crisp with generally drier air, April is dank, and windy…it goes right through you (primarily because in anticipation of Spring, we’ve shed the first one or two layers of our protective clothing. Even with the calendar suggesting seasonal change is near; even with The Earth tilting toward the sun’s warming rays; even with the birds and the kids returning from Spring Break, standing on the deck in April with Shrimp on the Barbie requires superior fortitude and/or a very large Martini Glass.

WARNING: Drinking to stay warm is an Urban Myth; The Tundran Truth is: 1.) Even though a shot of Slivovitz “burns so good,” you’re ‘drinkin for the wrong reason if you’re trying to stay warm and; 1a.) If you’re drinking outside in April, at least put a shirt on for God’s Sake…were not celebrating Girth Day, and DON’T need to see yours!

Anyway, outdoor Earth Day celebrations are not a big part of the culture 'round here in April. Oh sure, some Tundrans have been known to jump into Lake Michigan on New Years Day; some take their shirts off at Packer Games, but we draw the line at planting trees and picking trash OUTSIDE in the Middle of Winter.

First of all, you can barely get a spade in the ground, and you can’t dress warm enough for the strong winds and rain/snow/sleet mix - and still be able to bend over and plant stuff. (Survivorman was on the Tundra for a week once...I don’t think he’s coming back!)

So, it’s WAY too early for outdoor celebrations, but we WILL be celebrating Earth Day. (And we're always good at celebrating things!)

On Earth Day at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, they’re launching (indoors) the Environmental Management and Business Institute to study Green Stuff and develop: “solutions to problems that recognize the critical interconnections between science, policy and business, and the social contexts within which they occur.” Huh? (Heady Stuff, I guess!)

They’re having this big old confab on campus with business leaders and educators. Topics at the Green Innovations Event include: Biomass Conversion; Renewal Energy Sources; Green Business Practices…and the one I’m NOT going to miss: Developing Human Capital for Sustainability. HUH!? (That sounds a little SCARY! I had a REAL BAD Visual.)

Tundrans are sponges for new, innovative stuff like this; this sounds like it's cutting edge. I mean, Developing Human Capital for Sustainability sounds like Human Husbandry, doesn’t it?

I don't know anything about Human Husbandry, but I know we are VERY good when it comes to Animal Husbandry. (I don’t mean “good” like Senator Larcenia Bullard of Florida: She discovered wording that would exempt "animal husbandry" from being prosecuted under a proposed law banning bestiality in Florida. Livestock Love would be a violation, but "husbanding" the same animal would not!

The Good Senator said: “People are taking these animals as their husbands? What's husbandry? So that maybe was the reason the lady was so upset about that monkey?” HUH!?

OK…while some people believe that kind of love goes on all the time up here on the Tundra, it’s another Urban Legend. NOT everyone does it, and we actually have a lotta of PETA membership up here (People Eating Tasty Animals). We eat em, and we really love ‘em, but we don’t love ‘em THAT much!

One of our leading, world renowned animal lovers is a company called: Cooperative Resources International (CRI). These guys - literally - have the bull by the horn (Yes, I said HORN! Singular! Yeah, THAT one!). CRI developed the first direct link between a dairy herd improvement organization and a provider of artificial insemination. (I’m not going to get any more detailed about what they do for a living up there at CRI, but it’s as close to Senator Bullard’s definition of Husbandry as anyone would care to get with a 2000 pound Bull!)

FULL DISCLOSURE: Back in the 1860s, my Great Uncle Ollie Overby was killed by a bull on the family farm. I don’t know for sure, but I doubt there was any hanky panky going on between Ollie and Woolie Bullie! We’re decendents of Vikings for crying out loud! I’m pretty sure my GREAT uncle didn’t swing that way.

I imagine the transition to Human Husbandry for Sustainability should be easy for the people up here - people who have been feeding our nation for hundreds of years (unless, of course, Senator Bullard is writing the laws). And I imagine it’ll be a LOT easier to extract semen from a man than a Bull, but I'd better ask CRI, first.

I recently made a sales call on a doctor who is also CEO of a very large practice. He said, “People are Animals…easy to herd.” Can you imagine this Doc’s bedside manner? “Nurse…a horse pill and a cattle prod - suppositorially - once a day. That’ll develop some very tender, pliable Human Capital.

I wonder if White Meat is better for you than Dark Meat? And, in the future, will Pork maintain its claim to fame as: The Other White Meat? No matter, it’ll ALL be Green in the future. Anyone remember the movie: Soylent Green?

*Coined by The Big Voice of NFL Films and Popularized by The Big Mouth on ESPN, use of the term Frozen Tundra was officially banned in 2003 by Lake Superior State University (which is located on the Frozen Tundra in a place called Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan [‘Sue Saint Marie is how WE say it]). Anyway, in 2003, Frozen Tundra made The List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. The next year, Lake Superior State University apologized: “The committee admits it is not infallible. On the 2003 list we included 'frozen tundra' as being redundant and we heard back from many people who pointed out that tundra does not mean 'frozen land.' Green Bay Packers fans were especially adamant, even though sportscasters frequently use the phrase to describe their home turf. We hereby reinstate 'frozen tundra. 'We stand corrected.” (In ’04, LSSU replaced Frozen Tundra with Metrosexual.)

One of our Own in the White House

2009-04-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

On the Tundra, people speak differently! I don't notice it now as much as when I first landed here but, you betcha we do!

Our accent, usage and unique colloquialisms are dead giveaways to a geographical preference and upbringing. You can spot a Tundran a mile away. For Example: The first time I heard Obama speak I thought, "Whoa! Which neck of the Northwoods did you grow up at?" I thought he was one of us - and he could very well be!

First of all, he’s from Chicago – which is 'darn-ear close to the Tundra. And an awful lot of Chicagoans ('FIBs we say up here) spend an awful lot of time on the Tundra – and alotta the culture naturally rubs off (but NOT, necessarily, the language...you have to actually live here awhile 'fer THAT to start rubbin off).

However, when I first heard Him speak at the Iowa Caucus I thought: This dude wasn’t born in Hawaii - The Second Coming of Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin 'onalake Up North.

He really revealed his cultural roots when he met the Queen. Did you ever notice how he says, “Ta” instead of “to”? "Um pleased ta meecha, Mum."

That's EXACTLY how we sound when we talk! I was totally surprised ta hear a president talk like that…and it’s not like he says it just once in a while...he says it all the time. And sometimes, especially when he’s searching for the right word or looking for his place on the teleprompter he says, “Ta…Ta…Ta…”

FOR example: “We’re going ta…ta…take over GM."

Or, “Secretary Geithner needs ta…ta…take out the TurboTax tutorial and learn 'howta use it.” In London he said: "Someones going ta 'havta pick up the pace." (That was NOT a stutter or pause...those two "tas" were written inta his speech.)

Sometimes, he does say “to” or “too” like other people do, but when he gets nervous or off the prompter, he reverts ta the comfort of his native tongue: “Someones going ta havta pick up the pace."

Listen closely next time. He sounds just like my neighbor Chuck; like a lotta people up here.

Another word that makes him sound like a Homer: “Pakistan.” Up here we say, ‘POCK-iston, and Barack says it EXACTLY the same way! I hear a lot of other people – like actual people from PAKistan say, ‘PACK-istan, but I think they're wrong.

Since that country has become such a big issue of late, I’ve noticed a lot of people in Broadcasting saying ‘POCK-iston a lot, too. (I doubt that ANY of them are from the Tundra, so I think they're just deferring to the president, but they SHOULD say it that way 'cuz it's correct; that's exactly how we say it.) You’d think Cheeseheads would say, ‘PACK-istan because we say "Green Bay ‘PACKers," but no, we say ‘POCK-istan like the President.

From the beginning, I was a skeptical about his birth in Hawaii; I just KNOW he was born in Oconomowoc. Or maybe, Oshkosh? Or even, Oconto? (On second thought, he wasn't born in Oconto...Those People would know one of their own ‘FURsure!)

I think He just doesn't want to admit He's from the Tundra because people in more sophisticated venues like Honolulu, the Hamptons - and even Chicago would think he's a HOSER (an unflattering colloquialism for Homer and/or Homie) if he admitted that.

As we move forward in His term, I’m confident there will be many more occasions ‘ta hear Him speak his native tongue. We might hear him say, “Bubbler.” We might hear him say, “kinda” insteada “sorta.” We might even get ta hear him say, “I shouldawent ta ‘Trivers insteada POCK-istan.”

It’s great ‘ta have “one of our own” as president. He's paving the way for other Tundrans ta follow (like that woman from the Tundra up in Alaska). If that one dude from Milwaukee wins American Idol, we’ll really have something ‘ta brag about - other than the weather!

Ta Ta fur now!

Plug Me Mr. President;

2009-03-24T06:15:00.001-07:00

On the Tundra, Word of Mouth is the BEST Advertising, period!

Yesterday, the President put His Word of Mouth on a company just down the street. He gave a great BIG, Monster plug to Orion Energy, but sounded like George Bush in the process. (Barack, indeed, may be "Punch Drunk.")

The Good News is: After finishing his statement/plug, Barack returned to the microphone. He said his prepared remarks led him to pronounce the firm's name incorrectly. “I suspect this is Or-EYE-on as opposed to OAR-ee-on. Just wanted to make sure that when I’m giving you a plug, that we’ve got the right plug. It’s Or-EYE-on.”

WHOA! Now THAT's 'Word from The President? Priceless!

And what could be a better plug than the President screwing up the plug? And then, apologizing for it? And then, saying, "I'm plugging your company and I want to get it right??? OMG!

I need some of THAT, Mr. President. It would be my very own Stimulus Plan! NO Taxpayer Money used in this...Word Up, Brother!

I don't need an Orionian Endorsement, just a little, teeny-tiny mention at your address tonight? Maybe at an upcoming News Conference? I'd even be happy with some props on your Saturday Radio Address (even though no one listens)!

How 'bout a Linked-In Recommendation? You're already in MY Network - just a quick one from your Blackberry on the way to Camp David. A wink and a nod is all I need...I'll take it from there :)

Orion is already making hay with your plug; their website is ALL over it! (But their stock was down today....HMmmm.)

Give me an endorsement, and I'll hire a bunch of people. As far as my partner's Executive Compensation, don't worry, I'm ALL over that (and NO bonuses either).

Brother, can't you spare me a plug?

Some Soap in that Mouth, Smokey?

2009-03-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

"Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
The Big Lebowski

Rule Number ONE: You don’t ‘dis another man’s average; Rule TWO: You don’t brag up your own.

Up on the Tundra, we know bowling! There are more bowling lanes per capita than almost anywhere on Earth. Bowling's not easy, but anyone can play. It’s a lot of fun, but there are Rules - unwritten ones, too: 1.) Discussion of a Man’s Score is private; 1a.) If YOU want to make it public, Man Up on an Alley - not on a Man-Crush-Coffee-Clutch-Cable TV Show.

We see a lot of FIBs up on the Tundra - and that's how they ‘roll, but trash talking and chest thumping is not part of the decorum of bowling. (Don't think there's decorum in bowling? Check the wall paper, above, at the White House Lanes.) Even if you're a FIB, a 129 doesn’t mean you qualify for the Olympics, and you don’t need to spike the ball! Unwritten Rules are rules too, Smokey!

a 129 is actually pretty good – it’s like knocking down ALL 10 pins in every single frame! Unfortunately, you must score that well over the course of 3 Game Series (including several, obligatory beer frames) before you get a shot at The Hall of Fame. B.O. knows braggadocio but, even a 129 isn’t enough to be special, or an Olympian – or even a Special Olympian!

30 years ago, a special person approached me – asking for my help organizing something I had never heard of: The Special Olympics. I made a joke, but it was still OK to joke about special athletes WAY back then. Political Correctness hadn’t sprouted on the Tundra. My “joke” was intended to be harmless, but it was every bit as mean spirited as Obama's.

Even well-intentioned people say insensitive things all the time. YOU know that! Even things that might have been part of the vernacular can become stupid over time. I’m a Bohunk by birth, but have been called a Nazi; a Hun; a Mick [a Mick? It’s the Irish in me]. Some of the Pet Names were in jest; some not.

Even the day I was born, nurses at Swedish American Hospital were 'yuckin it up when they brought me to "meet" my mom! “We’ve never seen a red-headed Italian,” they giggled. (They thought my surname was Italian.) Me 'darlin mum - who wouldn't say shit if she had a mouthful, was foaming full of 'it like a fresh-drawn Guinness. Stupid people say stupid things all the time...it's in our DNA. (I’m sure Jesse Jackson wasn’t REALLY going to cut your bowling balls off, was he?)

LONG Story Short: my special friend Barb Hopman was indeed a SPECIAL person (no, not that way, Mr. President). She enlisted the help of many other special people and created a huge event that raised thousands and thousands of dollars every year for Special Olympics. I'm sure Barb, who died of cancer some years back, was rolling in her grave as you and Leno mocked the people for whom she invested SO much time and energy.

I’m not without sin, but for someone so smart, so suave, so compassionate – SO scripted! Say it ain’t so, BO!

You know, Bro, if you, me and some of my Cheeseheads were ‘chillin on the Tundra, havin a beer, talkin smart and rollin one or two (I’m talking bowling here, Mr. President), NO one would EVER be offended if you got carried away and called me a Honky Bohunk MFer! No one would be offended because, A.) We all know BO was “just ‘havin fun ‘witchoo” and B.) On the Tundra, we always call a spade a spade!

Dude, 'dissin Special Olympians on national TV? No matter how many Beer Frames we’d roll, a slur like that would NEVER roll off our lips! Me Mum would grab the Irish Spring so fast, I'd be blowin bubbles out every major orifice for a week...

We're more tolerant - and more sophisticated - than people Off the Tundra think. We give the banjo player from Deliverance a fair shot at The Idol Title - plus an EXCELLENT chance to date Paula Abdul.

What do you think his chances are, Smokey?

In God We Still Trust?

2009-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

On the Tundra, we're trusting souls. Trust must be hard-wired into our DNA or something. For example: When someone - even someone you don't know or is not directly related comes up and says, "Spring is just around the corner," we trust them. EVEN when they say the exact same thing in June, we still trust 'em...

When a fella says, "the ice is 'tick enough," trust is a definite must! And when a guy tells ya he's retiring from football, we trust without question. (On the other hand, when the GM says we can make the Playoffs without Him?? Hey, I said we're trusting, NOT stupid!) (Trust and Hope always Spring Eternal on the Tundra.)

Trouble is, the tenor of our Trust is being tested. For example: The promise of Global Warming is being met with some skepticism up here! Trust, yes, but Verify is hard to Quantify when you're up to your Mukluks in snow in the middle of March! We had more than SIX feet of snow this winter - and it ain't over yet (it's snowing again today)! Normal snowfall is 53.1 inches a year - we had that in a month!

Our trust is also being tested by all this mistrust emanating from Washington and New York. These days, it's hard to maintain normal levels of Trust.

We're not alone: Global Readings from The Trust Barometer show the meter cracking from an ill wind blowing out out of The East: 2/3rds of the public trust corporations even LESS than they did a year ago!

'Course, NO one up here (other than a few residents who, "aren't zipped up tight") trusts ANYthing the government does; says; promises. However, the constant huffing and puffing from the blow hards in Congress is taking its toll across the Fruited Plane - NOT just the Frozen Tundra. The Edelman Trust Barometer further shows:

just 13% trust corporate or product advertising (down further from its all time low of 20% last year).

just 17% trust information about a US company from a CEO; Globally, it's 29%;

just 38% trust a business to do what's right (a 20% dip from last year). "A catastrophic year for business," said Richard Edelman, CEO of the firm that collects this data.

Up on the Tundra, CEOs are feeling the heat (figuratively speaking). The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse* asked CEOs and Business Owners about Trust - just a couple months ago and 28% said Public Trust of Business has eroded Significantly; 36% said it has eroded Moderately; 25% said Slightly.

10% say Trust hasn't eroded at all (but remember: Hope springs eternal on the Tundra, and CEOs put their snowpants on one leg at a time - just like the rest of us Homers up here.)

When asked if their OWN, Personal Trust in Business has eroded: 14% of the CEOs said it has eroded Significantly; 25% say Moderately; 31% Slightly; 28% say their trust in business has not eroded at all.

“Like sand on a beach,” said Mike Krysiak CEO of ENCAP LLC, “year-over-year erosion of this magnitude has compounding effects. If this keeps up, we’re going to lose the beach.”

What little beach there is on the Tundra...

I trust we're going to see more erosion. What's left when Trust is gone completely? GOD? (Good thing we have a lot of guns up here on the Tundra.)