Thomas Edison and the Harlem Shake

By Gary Weldon (Staub Manufacturing Solutions)

I know what your thinking, but stay with me for a minute on this. I'll make the connection. I promise.

Thomas Edison, the great Ohio born inventor is still a household name even now 80+ years after his death,. His impact on modern life is beyond measure. From the electric light bulb to the phonograph and the motion picture camera, his inventions and innovations altered the course of human history. But as successful as Mr. Edison was, he was no stranger to failure. He reportedly tried thousands of times before coming up with the correct filament to make the light bulb burn long enough to be commercially viable. He looked on those thousands of tries not as "failures" but as opportunities to learn ways that didn't work.

Young Dayton Company Lands $25K Innovation Award

By Gary Weldon (Staub Manufacturing Solutions)

in·no·va·tion (n) : the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.

Last week at the annual Dayton Chamber meeting, a local start-up company received the prestigious Soin Award for Innovation. This company has intrigued me since I first heard about them last year. What makes their story so fascinating is that it captures the spirit of Dayton entrepreneurialism. 

Think about it. A couple guys sitting in a backyard have the idea to develop a new product that can revolutionize an established industry. A handful of years later, this dream becomes a reality, with the successful launch of the regionally developed and manufactured UDECX modular decking system.

MVITA to host World Trade Day event on May 16th

By Gary Weldon (Staub Manufacturing Solutions)

Southwest Ohio is known for its long history of manufacturing innovation and today our industry is still making significant impact on the regional economy. I'm not sure how many manufacturers there are from here to to the Ohio river, but I know that there are over 2500 in the 14-county Dayton area alone. 

Much in our industry has changed over the past decade and many companies have adapted by expanding their markets beyond Ohio and some even beyond our national borders. One organization that is working to make that a much more common occurrence is the MVITA (Miami Valley International Trade Association) located in Kings Mills, OH. They are hosting an event this Thursday that I thought you might want to know about. If you are interested in attending, you'll want to contact them today. Here are the details from their press release:

What Matters Most for a “Business Card” Website

By Debbie Wanamaker (B2B Marketing Consultants, LLC)

A “business card” website is one designed to support other sales efforts. It is typically used when companies have actual customer-facing salespeople.

Because your potential prospects will come to your website and decide whether to pursue more information or contact you based on what they find there, your website needs to be as good as your best salesperson!

A “Business Card” website supports the sales effort in a variety of ways:

• It helps increase the “credibility” of your company and your salesperson when they have called or met with a new prospect
• It can be used to bring in new prospects who are searching the web for a particular product or service they haven’t purchased before
• It can be used as the basis for other web-based marketing including e-mail campaigns and pay-per-click advertising

To get the most out of your “business card” website please keep the following in mind:

Intent and expectations in tough conversations

By Heather Martin (Innovative Interchange Associates)

Intent plays a vital role when you are suggesting changes in someone else’s behavior. If you intend to help someone learn and grow as a result of performance reviews or other tough conversations, you’ll give the best, most complete information you have; and you’ll do it in a way that clearly communicates your good intentions. If your goal is to tear the person down, that will be clear, too.

Open and honest communication happens when you respect yourself and the other person and when you have the courage to make your actions match your intentions. This means listening as much as, if not more than, you speak; letting others be up front with you; and acknowledging that your views are partial and open to questioning. This might be a challenge for people in leadership positions. In our culture, we act as if you can’t be a strong leader if you admit you might fall short of expectations.

In the face of that challenging cultural assumption, remember that it takes a lot more strength to be vulnerable than it does to be right all the time. The people on your team will respect your value as a leader far more if you are willing to be honest about everyone’s performance – including your own.

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