Business Journal Jan 2012 A Section

8/3/2019 Business Journal Jan 2012 A Section

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INSIDE

EAST LIBERTY, Ohio, Nov. 29, 2011 Hondasauto plant in East Liberty, Ohio, today started massproduction of the all-new 2012 CR-V for shipment toapproximately 1,000 Honda dealers across the UnitedStates. The popular SUV, completely redesigned forthe 2012 model year, will go on-sale nationwide onDecember 15.

The fourth-generation CR-V introduces innovativefeatures for music and SMS texting, an upscale styl-ing direction, a new real time all-wheel-drive system,and greater fuel efciency. The front-wheel-drivemodel achieves a 31 mpg estimated highway EPArating.

Located northwest of Columbus in Logan County,Hondas East Liberty Auto Plant will produce mostof the CR-Vs sold in the United States from domestic

and globally sourced parts. Honda also will manu-facture CR-V models for the North American marketat Honda of Canada Mfg. in Alliston, Ontario, andat Honda de Mexico. Honda is targeting sales of theCR-V at about 200,000 units annually.

In addition to the nished product, Honda manu-factures the CR-Vs engines and automatic transmis-sions in Ohio, at its engine plant in Anna, and atHonda Transmission Mfg. in Russells Point.

The CR-V also is an important product for themore than 60 suppliers in Ohio that produce partsand components for this vehicle. Overall, Hondahas approximately 150 suppliers in Ohio that supply

parts to its automobile plants in North America, withpurchases last year totaling $6.7 billion.

Banks had most profitablequarter since 2007, FDIC says

Honda starts production of the all-new CR-V

BusinessJournalOF WEST CENTRAL OHIO

THE

January 2012

The Regions Business Publication

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U.S. lenders had net income of$35.3 billion in the third quarter,their best performance in four years,as loan-loss provisions and netcharge-offs declined, the FederalDeposit Insurance Corp. said today.

Bank profits rose as lenders putaside 47 percent less money for badloans and charge-offs fell by 39percent, the FDIC said in its Quar-terly Banking Profile released inWashington. Loan losses fell for afifth straight quarter and were con-centrated among larger banks, withsome of the biggest cuts occurring atcredit-card issuers, the FDIC said.

U.S. banks have come a longway from the depths of the financialcrisis, acting FDIC Chairman Mar-

tin Gruenberg said in a statement.Balance sheets are stronger in anumber of ways, and the industry isgenerally profitable, but the recov-ery is by no means complete.

Ongoing distress in real-estatemarkets and slow growth in jobscontinue to threaten credit quality,

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2 TheBusinessJournal January2012

Joint Township District MemorialHospital has been awarded a three-year

term of accreditation in mammographyas the result of a recent review by theAmerican College of Radiology (ACR).Mammography is a specific type of im-aging test that uses a low-dose x-raysystem to examine breasts. A mammog-raphy exam, called a mammogram, isused to aid in the early detection anddiagnosis of breast diseases in women.

The ACR gold seal of accreditationrepresents the highest level of imagequality and patient safety. It is awarded

only to facilities meeting ACR PracticeGuidelines and Technical Standards af-ter a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physi-cists who are experts in the field. Imagequality, personnel qualifications, ade-quacy of facility equipment, quality con-trol procedures, and quality assuranceprograms are assessed. The findingsare reported to the ACR Committee onAccreditation, which subsequently pro-vides the practice with a comprehensivereport they can use for continuous prac-

tice improvement.Earning the ACR Accreditation dem-

onstrates our commitment to providingthe highest quality mammography ser-vices, states Denise Pugh, Managerof Medical Imaging at Joint TownshipHospital. Every aspect of providingthe mammography exam is evaluatedwhen submitting for this accreditation.For our patients, this means they can beconfident when they have their mam-mogram done here at Joint Township

Hospital, we meet the standards of ex-cellence set forth nationwide.

The ACR is a national professionalorganization serving more than 34,000diagnostic/interventional radiologists,radiation oncologists, nuclear medicinephysicians, and medical physicists withprograms focusing on the practice ofmedical imaging and radiation oncol-ogy and the delivery of comprehensivehealth care services.

Joint TownshipDistrict MemorialHospital Earns ACRAccreditation

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January2012 TheBusinessJournal 3

Business

Journal

THE

ofWestCentralOhioVolume20,No.12

PublisherDonaldR.Hemple

ContributingWritersJeffreyGitomer

AdvertisingDonaldR.HempleTheBusinessJournalismailedtothetopbusinessleadersinthe11-countyregionofWestCentralOhio.Althoughinfor-mationisgatheredfromsourcesconsideredtobereliable,theaccuracyandcompletenessoftheinformationcannotbeguaranteed.InformationexpressedinTheBusinessJournaldoesnotconstituteasolicitationforthepurchaseorsaleofanyproducts.

Copyright,TheBusinessJournalofWestCentralOhio,2006,Allrightsreserved.Reproductionoruse,withoutwrittenper-missionofeditorial,photographicorothergraphiccontentinanymannerisprohibited.TheBusinessJournalispublished

monthlyat405N.MainSt.,Delphos,OH45833ContactUs

Telephone 419-999-4762

DonHemple 419-695-0015ex t. 138

MarilynHoffman 419-695-0015ext.131

StacyPrine 419-695-0015ext.129

tol l free 800-589-6950

Mail405N.MainSt.,Delphos,OH45833-1598Forinformationconcerningnews,advertisingandsubscriptione-mailusat:[email protected]@delphosherald.com


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Nonresidentialconstructionspending slips 0.2percent in October

Construction volume may slip forseveral months before stabilizing and be-

ginning a sustained recovery in earnest.--ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

Summary

Despite a slight increase in total con-struction spending, nonresidential construc-tion spending fell 0.2 percent in October toa seasonally adjusted annual rate of $551.2billion, according to the Dec. 1 report bythe U.S. Census Bureau (see graph below).Total nonresidential construction spendingis down 0.9 percent from October 2010.

Private nonresidential constructionspending was up 1.3 percent for the monthand is 8.4 percent higher than one year ago.In contrast, public nonresidential construc-tion spending decreased 1.8 percent for themonth, and is down 8.9 percent from thesame time last year.

Only three of the sixteen nonresidentialconstruction subsectors posted increasesfor the month, including conservation anddevelopment construction, up 6.5 percent;power construction, 5.1 percent higher; and

office construction, up 1.3 percent. Foursubsectors experienced increased spendingfrom the same time last year:manufacturing construction,up 13.3 percent; power con-struction, 12.6 percent higher;commercial construction, up10 percent; and educationalconstruction, 2.6 percent high-er.

Thirteen nonresidentialconstruction subsectors ex-perienced spending decreases

in October, including healthcare construction, down 4.1

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percent; lodging construction, 3.8 percentlower; and commercial construction, down0.7 percent. Compared to October 2010,a majority of nonresidential constructionsubsectors posted decreases, including re-ligious construction, down 18.9 percent;lodging construction, 17.3 percent lower;and sewage and waste disposal construc-

tion, down 16.4 percent.Residential construction spending rose

3.2 percent for the month, and increased0.6 percent during the past twelve months.Overall, total construction spending -which includes both nonresidential andresidential - increased 0.8 percent in Octo-

ber, but is down 0.4 percent from the sametime last year.

Analysis

The more things change, the morethings stay the same, said

Associated Builders and Contrac-

tors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. Formonths, the nonresidential constructionindustry has been characterized by risinglevels of privately financed constructionand declining levels of publicly financedconstruction.

That is exactly the pattern that oc-

curred in October, with privately financedconstruction rising 1.3 percent and publiclyfinanced construction falling 1.8 percent,Basu said. The difference was in the high-ly varied performance of individual privateconstruction segments.

Power construction continues to leadthe way and its impact in the industrial

sector is gaining momentum, said Basu.However, many private segments havecome to reflect the economic weaknessexperienced earlier this year, includingcommunication, lodging and health careconstruction.

It is quite likely that weakness in many

privately financed construction segmentswill continue as a reflection of the softpatch that undermined economic processin early 2011, Basu said. Still, the rapidpace of economic progress presently beingobserved should translate into meaningfulconstruction spending recovery some timenext year.

This, of course, presumes that the cur-rent pace of economic progress persists,said Basu. The construction outlook is amessy one, with the expectation being thatconstruction volume may slip for severalmonths before stabilizing and beginning asustained recovery in earnest.

Spending (Continued from page 3)

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PLEASE NOTE: These are not econom-ic predictions. They are based on my per-sonal observation and first-hand knowledgeof sales forces across the United States their present situation, and their future hopebased on market conditions and readiness.

And please DO NOT COMPAREYOURSELVES. Rather ask yourselves: AmI ready to win more based on these predic-tions and challenges?

1. PREDICTION: More business will beavailable as the economy begins to surgeand the elections become a reality. CHAL-LENGE: Are you ready for an increase inbusiness, not just with product and inven-tory ability but with better attitude, mood,friendliness, and morale of the entire com-pany?

2. PREDICITON: There will be pric-

ing challenges even in the wake of greaterbusiness. CHALLENGE: Now is the timefor PROFIT. You have left too much moneyon the table for the past two years. Createa better value proposition, and use it ratherthan having to justify (and perhaps lower)your price.

3. PREDICITON: There will be an em-phasis on 3rd party purchasers and buyinggroups in order to leverage pricing. CHAL-LENGE: Build value-based relationshipsthat the customer would lose out on if they

joined the group. Get testimonials from cus-

tomers that decided not to participate.4. PREDICITION: Full participation in

business social media is no longer an optionfor your company. CHALLENGE: Counselyour counsel and determine what you CAN

do. Do that as fast as you can. Your planmust include all forms of business socialmedia, and interaction with customers one-on-one. Need examples? There are plentyof them online right now. One of them mayeven be your competition.

5. PREDICITION: Full participation inbusiness social media is no longer an op-tion for you personally. CHALLENGE: Setup a business Facebook page where peoplecan Like you and invite all your custom-ers to begin to comment on your products,service, and impact of ownership or serviceprovided. Your LinkedIn connections mustexceed 501 and you must have at least 10recommendations. This makes your imagelook powerful, structured, and reputable.Twitter must attract 500 followers, andyou must tweet twice a day. Your YouTube

channel must have at least 10 testimonialvideos that use the most searchable wordsin your business category. Your blog is thereal-world outlet for yourself and your cus-tomers make it valuable and interact withcustomers one-on-one.

6. PREDICITON: Your personal repu-tation and brand will play a greater role ingetting a sales meeting and getting a favor-able decision. CHALLENGE: Google your-self to establish your base in January. Thentake WEEKLY actions to enhance yourstatus. Get testimonials. Volunteer for char-

ity. Speak in public. Post on your blog. Getothers to praise you. And build your reputa-tion one action item, and one good deed, ata time.

7. PREDICITION: You will need to be

able to dif-ferentiateyourselffrom thecompetition(in the mind

of your cus-tomer) tobe greaterthan ever.CHAL-LENGE:Begin byaskingyourself andyour presentcustomerswhat differ-entiates you

from yourcompeti-tion. Thentake actions to widen the gap. HINT: Theordinary things are a great start. Use Ace ofSales emails (www.aceofsales.com) to be-gin the process.

8. PREDICTION: Your company willfinally (after three years) begin to providesales training. CHALLENGE: Is the train-ing relevant? Is the training acceptable toyour sales team? Is the trainer acceptableto your sales team? Does the training incor-

porate the voice of your customers? Is thetraining working?

9. PREDICITION: You will lose morethan one sale to an inferior competitor.CHALLENGE: Find out why and fix it.

HINT: It aint price!10. PREDICITION: More face-to-face

meetings will be necessary to build relation-ships, or you will become vulnerable to thecompetition. CHALLENGE: Double yourexisting face-to-face meetings from last

year, and double your networking hours.11. PREDICITION: Breakfast will be

the new lunch. CHALLENGE: Your con-nections, relationships, and even your pros-pects are crunched for time. The two-hourlunch will wane. An early morning, 30-min-ute meeting over coffee will net more andbetter results. Set a goal of three breakfastsa week.

12. PREDICITION: Your sales plan/goal/quota/numbers will be much more at-tainable. CHALLENGE: The business is outthere for you to earn. Your perceived value,

your perceived difference, and your reputa-tion will determine your numbers way morethat your price.

12.5 PREDICITION: Your personal ded-ication or rededication to excellence willreach new heights. CHALLENGE: Allocatethree hours a day to YOU. Allocate an hourfor social media and personal branding. Al-locate an hour for customer interaction. Andallocate an hour for reading and study. Youwill have to allocate more time for personaldevelopment and training because the newchallenges require new knowledge.

If youre looking for a game plan, ifyoure looking for a success plan, Ive justgiven you one that will make 2012 morethan you could hope for. All you have to dois WORK HARD.

12.5 predictions and challenges for a great 2012

Jeffrey

Gitomer

Because construction is a laggingindicator, construction activity needsto increase before we see the industrysunemployment rate begin to decrease.

--ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.SummaryThe nations construction industry

lost jobs for a second straight month,shedding 12,000 jobs in November, ac-cording to the Dec. 2 jobs report by theDepartment of Labor.

During the past twelve months, theconstruction industry has added 18,000

jobs, or 0.3 percent. The constructionunemployment rate slipped from 13.7percent in October to 13.1 percent in No-

vember, and is down from 18.8 percentin November 2010.Nonresidential building construction

employment decreased by 1,200 jobs forthe month, but has added 9,900 jobs, or1.5 percent, from the same time last year.Nonresidential building construction em-

ployment currently stands at 668,700.The nonresidential specialty trade

contractor subsector lost 3,500 jobs forthe month and has lost 9,900 jobs, or

0.5 percent, compared to the same timelast year. Heavy and civil engineeringconstruction sector employment fell by7,000 jobs in November and has shed2,900 jobs, or 0.3 percent, year-over-year.

Residential construction building em-ployment decreased by 3,000 jobs forthe month and has lost 400 jobs, or 0.1percent, compared to the same time lastyear. The residential specialty trade con-tractor subsector added 3,000 jobs in No-

vember, partially offsetting losses expe-rienced by nonresidential specialty tradecontractors. Year over year, the residen-tial specialty trade contractor subsectorhas added 20,800 jobs, or 1.4 percent.

Across all industries, the nation added120,000 jobs as the private sector ex-

panded by 140,000 jobs and governmentlost 20,000 jobs. The nation has added1,600,000 jobs or 1.2 percent. The un-employment rate dropped from 9 percent

in October to 8.6 percent in November.AnalysisTodays employment release will be

heralded by many as a major indicationof progress, said Associated Buildersand Contractors Chief Economist Anir-ban Basu. Unfortunately, the nationsnonresidential construction industry is,for the most part, not a participant in thispositive dynamic.

Nonresidential building constructionemployment slipped again in November,

at least partially a reflection of the weak-ness that overtook the economy earlierthis year, Basu said. Heavy and civilengineering declined by 7,000 jobs, like-ly a reflection of the winding down offederal stimulus spending.

While the nations overall unem-

ployment rate is now below 9 percentfor the first time since March 2011, theconstruction industry unemploymentrate remains elevated at 13.1 percent,

said Basu.Overall, the last 10 weeks have ush-

ered forth a period of remarkably betternews regarding the economic recovery,Basu said. During portions of the sum-mer, it appeared that the economy wason the brink of recession. Financial mar-kets were chaotic in August. Since thattime, consumer spending and businessconfidence has been on the rise, translat-ing into more robust employment gains.

However, because construction is a

lagging indicator, construction activityneeds to increase before we see the in-dustrys unemployment rate begin to de-crease, said Basu. According to ABCs2012 Construction Economic Forecast,we can only expect to see gradual prog-ress in construction activity next year.

Construction Industry Loses 12,000 Jobs in November


6/126 TheBusinessJournal January2012

Business Technology

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Its that time again -- time to lookaround the corner and make predictionsabout the new year. Here are 10 technol-ogy and business trends that will affectbusinesses and consumers alike in thecoming year.

The continued proliferation of plat-forms

We have entered the Age of the Plat-form and many companies have startedembracing ecosystems, partners, andcrowdsourcing. Even Twitters recentredesign is a clear attempt to mimic the

functionality and success of Facebook,LinkedIn, and other powerful platforms.

The rise of mobile paymentsYou can now pay for Apple products

by yourself if you have an iPhone and theApple Store App. Jack Dorseys Squarehas even more ambitious plans: to turnyour phone into your own portable pay-ment system.

Continued dominance of Amazon,

Apple, Facebook, and GoogleThe Gang of Four isnt going anywhere.Those who believe that there will be onewinner from the Great Tech War of 2012are in for a surprise. Amazon, Apple, Fa-cebook, and Google will each dominate,but in separate areas.

A more semantic webSemantic technologies -- i.e., those

that enable data to be understood acrossmultiple languages -- are becoming moreprevalent. Case in point: Teenagers arebuilding apps that make sense of increas-

ingly noisy search results.The continued consumerization of

ITIn the 1990s and before, tech com-

panies catered to CIOs -- not to the ulti-mate end users of their products. This haschanged. In 2012 and beyond, we willcontinue to see a more democratized techplaying field.

Significant consolidation and M&A

activityExpect Netflix, Hulu, and other stand-alone products and services to be ab-sorbed by larger companies. Rumors areswirling that Verizon will gobble up Net-flix, especially since Netflixs stock pricehas dropped by more than 60 percent fromits high. Apples iCloud, Amazons Fire,and Googles play in movies will make itharder and harder for video-specific sitesto survive.

The continued emergence of newbusiness platforms

More and more companies are buildingplatforms -- and adding planks. Force.comand Jive Software are but two examples ofemerging business platforms and power-ful ecosystems that have stalwarts such asMicrosoft scrambling to play catch up.

The continued demise of old newtech heavyweights

Dont expect any magic turnaroundsfrom RIM, HP, AOL, and Yahoo! Android

will continue to steal mindshare awayfrom BlackBerry. AOLsrecent restructur-ing is unlikely to return it to prominence.

A continued drop in traditional in-dex searches

We know that people are more proneto do traditional index searches on desk-tops and laptops than mobile phones. (Bysome estimates, only one percent of an in-dividuals time on a mobile device is spentdoing searches.) As we spend more timeon the latter than the former, fewer peoplewill use search engines. This is a big rea-

son that Google has made such large betswith Android and Motorola.

Big business gets more socialWhether its on Pages for Google+ or

the recently announced Twitter brandedpages, expect the last dominoes to fall.Those big and large businesses loathe toembrace social media will realize thattheyll have to get with the program -- orelse.

Business & technology trends for 2012

Two employees of Mercer Health HomeCare received special honors at the West Cen-tral Ohio Home Health Organization HomeCare Aide Recognition Day Dinner held recent-ly in Lima, Ohio.

Receiving the honors were Mary Kay Friesand Debbie Garman. Out of the ten agencieswho participate in the organization, MercerHealth Home Care was honored to have twoemployees who were in the final selection.There were only six finalists chosen.

Renee Kinney, RN, Director of Mercer

Health Home Care, says, We were excitedabout these two employees being named final-ists. Mary Kay has been helping home care pa-tients for over 16 years and Debbie has beenproviding her skills to Mercer Health HomeCare for over 8 years.

Fries was nominate for being a very car-ing person that always puts other individualsneeds over her own. Kinney says, She isa team player that works well with others tohelp provide the best care to all her clients. Shehas wonderful communication skills with thenurses, those she serves, and family member ofthose she serves.

Garman was noted as being very caring andcompassionate. Kinney states, Debbie is veryhelpful and supportive to those she serves andtheir families. She is also very dependable andis always willing to give that extra effort to helpher co-workers.

Mercer Health Home Care has been a part ofthe community since it began as Mercer CountyHome Nursing Care in 1966. 2011 is their 45thyear of treating patients in their homes.

Mercer Health Home Care

Staff Receives Regional Honor


7/12


Understand the client by anticipating and responding to their needs

Provide value-added advice and guidance by analyzing client needsand resolving issues

Provide the broadest range and highest quality of products and services

Develop and maintain long-term relationships by actively listeningto our clients in order to build trust and loyalty

Offer personal and professional service on everything we sell

Through teamwork, leverage our capabilities and resources to fullymeet the needs of our clients

Client Centered

This Enables Us To:

Perry Corporation / SMS proTECH is a client-centered organization.The Client is the driving force behind what we do.

www.smsprotech.comwww.perrycorporation.com

The role of information technology in our industriesThe role of information technology in modern or-

ganizations is becoming progressively critical. Orga-nizations with effective IT management have achieveda wide range of benefits such as accurate reporting, ef-fective monitoring and analysis of activities through-out business processes, a comprehensive view of cus-

tomers, products and supplies and reduced errors andexpenses.

As a matter of fact, information technology is abusiness function, which uses process and technol-ogy regulations to define, manage and share masterdata across the organization. In addition, it facilitatesthe major tasks of planning, executing and control-ling within an organization. A well-structured IT de-partment sets objectives and selects the best course ofaction to meet these objectives through the coordina-tion of human and intangible resources. In addition,it ensures that objectives are met by monitoring and

measuring progress regularly as to identify variancesfrom original plan and take corrective action, wherenecessary.

Information technology is a part of corporate strat-egy. For instance, when the top management of a firmdecides the installation of a CRM system, it has alreadydecided on the set of values, goals, tactics and strate-gy. In order for this CRM system to function properlyand meet the firms strategic goals, employees needto be trained and motivated as to meet organizational

goals. Therefore, the technological investments thatthe firm does are handled as part of the firms strategicportfolio.

Often, difficult and complex IT strategies deter-mine organizational welfare. A prominent example isDell Computer, which succeeded in attracting custom-

er orders and improving service by placing configu-ration, ordering, and technical support capabilities onthe web. Similarly, Steve Jobs decision to restructureApple or Procter &Gambles efficient consumer re-sponse program resulted in increased product variety,convenience, and innovation through the direct com-puter links to scanner data and the electronic transferof payments and invoices.

To conclude, the future of IT seems bright. Newmodes of business thinking and operation are beingapplied towards improved organizational efficiencyand success. Concepts like self-organizing systems,

knowledge management and empowerment initiativesare particularly related to IT function. Moreover, us-ing information technology to link data between in-formation systems achieves a higher level of informa-tion quality and the ability to analyze activities acrossbusiness functions. Therefore, information technologyneeds to get the same degree of analysis and study bymanagement, as any other business function of the or-ganization. In fact, information technology must be areal part of the organization.


8/12


Financial Strategies for Retirement

Jane Birckhead, CPCU

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Service above selfBusiness surveys increasingly note that

employers have job openings they cantfill.

Many workers have a hard time accept-ing that. Theyre trying hard to land a job,or they know others who have been apply-ing for months.

Unfortunately, there are millions of job-hunters but most lack the precise skillsor experience for openings.

The Society for Human Resource Man-agement says that more than half of 2,280randomly selected hirers surveyed in eightindustries said they couldnt find the rightpeople.

Engineering, science, information-technology, manufacturing and high-skillmedical businesses were most likely to saytheyre finding skill gaps between the ap-

plicant pool and their requirements.It follows logically that if key jobs

cannot be filled in organizations, thenother less-critical jobs requiring less skillcannot be created, either, because the or-ganizations growth is stunted, said MarkSchmit, society vice president.

His organization said the most-basicskill gaps were in the ability to write orspeak English well, perform basic mathand read with good comprehension.

That is sad information, indeed. Work-ers without those high-school-level skillswill have a hard time competing for any job, especially when others who haveMBAs or other college degrees are vyingfor work.

Whats harder for many job-hunters those who are well-educated and have

a solid work history is understandingwhy they arent getting hired.

The answer lies in the word precise.Most employers dont have the time,money or interest to train someone who isnearly right for the job. They want some-one who comes in the door as a perfectfit.

An engineer needs to be the right kindof engineer. An information-technologyspecialist needs to be the right kind of ITexpert. In this job market, its hard to geta foot in the door to show how ones skillsare transferrable.

Its yet another reason that networkinginto smaller and midsize companies mightbe better for job-hunters who want to dis-play their transferrable skills or trainabil-ity.

Almost right fit wont get you job

Almost right fit wont get you jobSo you made the bold decision to retire

sooner than you had originally planned.Congratulations! You are counting down

the minutes until you pack up the office andhead for the door. But before you turn outthe lights for the last time you might wantto touch base with your financial advisor to

ensure there are not any miscalculations inyour new retirement plan.

Yes, retiring early may be ideal but onlyif you can financially make it work! Hereare a few common blunders people tend tomake with retirement planning when decid-ing to take an early exit.

You originally planned for your sav-ings to cover 20 years of retirement livingbut you have recently decided to retirefive years earlier.

Are you confident you have enoughmonies put aside to cover those five extra

non-income earning years? Lets say youneed an extra $20,000 annually from yoursavings to make up the shortfall in yourretirement needs that your pension incomedoesnt fully cover. If you add say 3% tokeep with the cost of living you will needan extra $107,000 in savings to be able toachieve your early retirement goal. Thatsno small change.

Can you take your pension early andwithout penalties?

If your new retirement calculations stillreflect your old pension income, you need to

get to your financial advisor before the sunsets and recalculate what your annual in-come will look like reflecting any penaltiesor years of no pension income. Take a lookat your pension documents for the earliestage of retirement allowed and what penal-ties, if any, apply. If you plan on retiring at57 but you only qualify for an unreduced

pension at age 60 or later, then you need toensure that you can still make it on the re-duce amount.

Are you aware of the penalties for tak-

ing CPP early?Under the current rules, your CPP is re-

duced by 0.5% a month up to 30% when youtake it before age 65. The new rules, whichwill be phased in over the next five yearsstarting in 2012, will reduce your pensionby 0.6% a month up to 36% when you takeit before 65. That is a HUGE reduction ifyou decide to take your pension at age 60.Lets say at age 65, youre qualified for$800 month pension. If you instead decideto take it at age 60, under the new rules yourpension income will now be $512. That is

$3,600 less a year. Can you afford that?Moving most or all your retirement

savings into bonds and cash.There is a misconception out there that

when you enter into retirement all yourmonies should be completely liquid and riskfree. This is a good strategy if you need themoney today or tomorrow or even if youneed it in a year or two from now but itsnot so wise if its to provide income for thenext 20 years time. You need to ensure yourinvesting strategy provides safety and li-quidity for your short term needs, but also is

invested to protect you against rising costsin years to come.

Failing to plan or asking for help.Its important to crunch out the number

regardless of what age you plan on retiring.Dont just assume your company pensionand CPP/OAS will cover all your retirementneeds. You need to know the numbers.

TheBusinessJournal

Distributedin13

counties...

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9/12


Career Development

The Perfect ChoiceDeance College was the perfect choice topursue my graduate degree. As a wife andmother with a full time career, the qualityeducation and exible class schedule at DCmade graduate school a reality.

Annette Hoeffel, MBA Leadership

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Committed to your success!

Ofering: Hybrid Courses,

Master of Arts in Education,MBA, Online Courses,

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Spring classes begin the

week of January 16!

By Tony JacowskiWhen assessing your career, you must

always consider and assess your strengths.People who have an aptitude for mathemat-

ics should pursue a career in that field. Like-wise, a person who loves dealing with peoplemay be suitable for a career in hospitality.

Choose the Right Course of Study

Job selection without thought can leaveyou frustrated. Therefore, always list yourcareer development needs based on shortand long term goals as well as your prefer-ences.

If you want to purse a career in graphicdesigning, then you should think about all

the career development needs based on thatfield, such as whether you want to start onthe job immediately, if you need extra skills,or whether you will have to continue youreducation while on the job.

These answers can lead you towards theright choice when it comes to education. Todo extremely well in your career, you shouldnever stop learning, even after youve at-tained that degree or certification.

Establish Yourself

Nothing builds more authority than estab-lishing yourself as an expert in a particularfield. If you want to be a journalist, then youshould showcase your knowledge and startwriting interesting articles that can capturethe attention of the readers and then publishthem on the Internet. Try to attend confer-

ences and meetings where you can give aspeech or make a presentation.

To establish yourself as someone whoknows their field and how to succeed in it,

you need to show that you have the neces-sary knowledge. Education is not alwaysnecessary, but it is a great way to demon-strate that you have what it takes to be suc-cessful - and that you are dedicated to yourprofession. Companies usually offer jobs tocandidates who are capable of advancingin their careers - and who are committed tohelping the company achieve their financialgoals.

If you take your career seriously, youshould learn to write a good resume. Agood resume should list all your skills and

relevant job experience. While companiescertainly will want to know about you as aperson, initially they want to know what youcan offer the management and how you willbe an asset to the company.

Room for Improvement

Your career development needs willchange as your career progresses. No matterwhat stage your career is in, there is alwaysroom for improvement. A sure sign of some-one who is comfortable with mediocrity is

someone who thinks they already know itall. Dont be one of them.

Your career development and progressionis up to you. By taking the steps above, youwill ensure that you continue to move up-wards.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The

MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six SigmaOnline ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) of-fers online six sigma training and certifica-

tion classes for six sigma professionals suchas, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts,and yellow belts.

Tips for career development


10/12


Connect with Hi-Point

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Discover Your

JOURNEY!"#$%&$#%&'($&)"#*!+,,+#*,)",+!"#$%'($#)*%+,$-#./0%*"/%,/0$1,2/0%3$1%)//.%*$%2"4,*/,%3$1,%$5)%+4*"543%*$%2$66/7/%$,%4%24,//,8The high school offers 37 unique programs to choose from that will tap into your creativity and allow you to

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Savvy executives know the part, act the part andlook the part. Thats because they exude executivepresence, a broad term used to describe the aura ofleadership.

For Janie Sharritt, now a vice president at SaraLee Corp., an image makeover helped her gain themanagerial gravitas that she needed to advance fur-ther up the ladder.

In 2005, Ms. Sharritt was a newly promoted mid-dle manager for another consumer-products manufac-turer. She preferred to wear a ponytail, scant makeup,

khakis, sweaters and loafers. But by taking a Powerof Image workshop led by image coach Jonna Mar-tin, she got an expert makeover. Her revamped lookincluded a sophisticated hairstyle, dressy slacks andjackets, pumps, colorful necklaces and extra make-up.

She thinks the changes boosted her self confi-dence, resulting in faster acceptance of her ideas bysenior management. In the past, [that quick buy-in]wasnt one of the things I was known for, says Ms.Sharritt. She joined Sara Lee four years ago.

Perfect PresenceTo Improve Your Executive Presence:Sit on one hand if you gesture excessivelyAvoid interruptions by counting to four before

you replyStand or sit large to demonstrate you take up

spaceUse few qualifiers as they imply lack of confi-

dence

Dont clasp your hands behind your back becauseyoull look deceptive

Practice a firm handshakeSource: Dee Soder, founder of CEO Perspective

Group, an executive-assessment and advisory con-cern in New York.

Executives with presence act self confident,strategic, decisive and assertive, concludes a studyreleased late last year by the Center for Work-LifePolicy, a New York think tank.

Presence plays an increasingly important role as

companies grapple with a weak recovery and fewermanagement layers. You have less time to make thatlasting impression, warns Stefanie Smith, head ofStratex Consulting, a New York coaching firm. To-day, 75% of her coaching practice involves enhancingclients presenceup from 35% in 2007.

Several big businesses, including Intel Corp. andMorgan Stanley, recently launched programs to teachambitious staffers about executive presence. RosalindHudnell, Intels chief diversity officer, says she cre-ated a Command Presence workshop for its risingfemale technical stars last year after realizing theyneeded extra help selling their ideas within the com-pany. Nearly 200 women at the computer-chip makerhave taken the four-hour session.

Jonna MartinJanie Sharritt, a vice president at Sara Lee says

that a makeover in 2005 when she was a middle man-ager helped her advance up the ladder. Her before andafter pics are shown here.

These mid-level staffers learn how to present ef-fectively through a discussion of constructive con-frontation and a simulated meeting with an execu-tive audience, according to an Intel spokeswoman.

Ms. Hudnell recalls that her survival long de-pended on my being able to command a room. Shebelieves executive presence also involves the abilityto command other leaders.

How can you polish your presence? For starters,you should pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.People are blind to their biggest derailers, says Kar-

en Kaufman, a Philadelphia executive coach.You could glean additional clues by keeping a

journal based on workplace observations of execu-tives with authoritative presence, says James Citrin, aCEO recruiter for search firm Spencer Stuart. Imitatetheir behaviors that feel comfortable and natural foryou, he recommends. Mr. Citrin cites a CEO can-didate he recently watched being interviewed by theboard search committee at a $10-billion company.Among other things, the prospect looked the com-mittee members alternately straight in the eye as heanswered their questions slowly but very clearly.

More on FINSInsulate Yourself From Executive ShakeupsCutting a Better Salary DealIs Life on the Road a Dream Job?Formal assistance may make an even bigger dif-

ference. It ranges from extensive sessions with an ex-ecutive coach to voice lessons, presentation trainingand improvisational acting classes.

Jason Bernstein retained coach Dee Soder in2009 to bolster his presence while an executive ofa midsized technology company in suburban NewYork. People who dont know him can miss his highenergy and drive because he has such an easygoingstyle, says Dr. Soder, an industrial psychologist whofounded CEO Perspective Group, an executive as-sessment and advisory firm in New York.

To correct this misperception, Mr. Bernstein sayshe embraced many of her suggestions. He tried toavoid a monotone in commanding his employees, sit

upright during meetings and display powerful confi-dence at a conference table by marking his territorywith a water bottle and notebook.

Dr. Soder also urged him to wave his hand slightlyrather than nod his head in agreement when someoneelse speaks to show you got it, Mr. Bernstein adds.

Nodding your head is in some ways a gestureof deference, Mr. Bernstein explains. It was oneof the toughest things I found to work on. He saysthe executive-presence coaching helped improve myperformance reviews, which soon praised his board-level presentations and leadership ability.

Colleagues also notice flaws in your executivepresence. But its frequently hard to get frank feed-back. You have to take the responsibility to ask,says Gillian Christie, a managing director of a bigfinancial-services firm. She remembers how cowork-ers at a prior employer only hinted about her tendencyto show off during meetings because her behavior in-timidated them.

How to look and act like a leader


11/12


The East Liberty Auto Plant started auto-mobile production in 1989 and currentlyemploys approximately 2,500 associates.In addition to the CR-V, the 1.9 million-square-foot plant is the exclusive produc-tion site for the Honda Crosstour crossovervehicle.

Construction currently is under way at

the plant on a 155,000-square-foot expan-sion for new door and instrument panelsub-assembly lines, and extension of itsautomobile assembly line. Additionally,construction began this year on an on-siteparts consolidation center encompassing396,000 square feet.

More About Hondas Ohio OperationsSince starting auto production in 1982,

Honda has produced more than 14 millionvehicles at its two Ohio auto plants.

In addition to its manufacturing opera-tions, Honda has established substantial

R&D and engineering operations in Ohio,along with a large regional parts distri-bution center and other operations thatsupport product development, manufactur-ing and sales in North America. Amongall its operations, Honda directly employsapproximately 13,400 Ohioans and tens ofthousands more through its suppliers andother business partners.

About Honda in North AmericaHonda opened its rst auto plant in the

U.S. in 1982, in Marysville, Ohio, andtoday has the capacity to build 1.63 million

automobiles at its seven auto plants in NorthAmerica. In 2010, more than 87 percent ofthe Honda and Acura products sold in theU.S. were built in North America, usingdomestic and globally sourced parts. Lastyear, Honda purchased more than $17.5 bil-lion in parts and materials from more than600 North American suppliers.

Honda(Continued from page 1)

Banks (Continued from page 1)to uncertainties in the global economy andvolatility in markets as challenges requiringvigilance.

The FDICs confidential list of problembanks fell for a second straight quarter, declin-ing to 844 from 865 three months earlier, theagency said. There were 26 bank failures inthe three-month period that ended Sept. 30,bringing the years total to 74, compared with

127 a year earlier.Insurance FundThe deposit insurance fund, which protects

customer holdings up to $250,000 per accountin the event of a failure, rose to $7.8 billionfrom $3.9 billion in the preceding quarter, theFDIC said. The agency attributed improve-ment in the fund -- which fell into deficit amidbank failures stemming from the 2008 creditcrisis -- to assessment revenue and a declinein the number of expected shutdowns.

The considerable slowdown in bank fail-ures and continuing decline in the number

of troubled banks is a positive sign, James

Chessen, chief economist for the AmericanBankers Association, said in a statement.The FDIC is rebuilding reserves as the in-dustry -- which is solely responsible for all theagencys expenses -- paid about $14 billion in

premiums over the last year.Total equity capital increased by $24.5 bil-

lion in the third quarter as retained earningscontributed $15.5 billion to equity growth, theFDIC said.

The industry continues to put loan losesbehind it and plow earnings back into capi-tal, Chessen said. Capital plus reservesgives a total buffer protecting the industry ofalmost $1.8 trillion.

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12/12


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FINDLAY, Ohio, Nov. 30ShawnHeidlebaugh has been named Vice President/

General Manager of Findlays Tall TimbersDistribution Center Inc. and its affiliates, an-nounced today by Charles Bills, President ofthe company.

Findlays Tall Timbers Distribution Cen-ter Inc. and its affiliates are headquarteredin Findlay and is one of the largest privatelyheld logistics companies in the Midwest.They operate over six million square feet ofwarehouse space in eighteen sites in sevenstates. It has eight sites in Ohio, four in NewYork, two in Pennsylvania, and one each inGeorgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.

The company provides innovative ware-housing, distribution, and transportation ser-vices. Its Transportation Group operates itsown fleet of trucks.

Shawn has been our director of businessdevelopment, Mr. Bills said. FindlaysTall Timbers Distribution Center Inc. & itsaffiliates have just opened a new facility inGeorgia, and we are looking to expand intoadditional markets. He now will be in a posi-tion to promote our continued growth.

Mr. Heidlebaugh joined Findlays TallTimbers Distribution Center Inc. and its af-

filiates in 2009 when the company mergedwith HW Management. He was the presi-dent of HW Management and directed thecompanys growth from 100,000 square feetof warehouse space in 1994 to almost onemillion square feet at the time of the merg-er.

He holds degrees from Bowling GreenState University and the University of To-ledo.

In addition to its warehouse facilities,Findlays Tall Timbers Distribution CenterInc. and its affiliates also operates Foreign

Trade Zone #151 in Ohio and Foreign TradeZone # 29 Site 10 in Kentucky. Its DocumentStorage Company has a major storage facil-ity in Findlay and delivers the most completerecords management and document destruc-tion services in its marketing area.

Heidelbaugh

named vice

president/general

manager at

Findlays Tall

Timbers

Distribution

Center Inc.

and its affiliates

Documents

Business Journal Jan 2012 A Section