Replacing baby boomers who retire presents a continuing problem for companies in the Pittsburgh region. And there is no easy solution in sight. Our universities and colleges attract many young students to Pittsburgh, but after graduation they leave in droves for jobs elsewhere.
The Coro Report of April 2003 showed that between 1980 and 2000, the population of 20- to 34-year-olds in the 10-county Pittsburgh region dropped by more than 200,000 for a 32 percent decline from 1980 levels. Between 1990 and 2000, the region experienced another 6 percent drop.
Of the solutions offered to this dilemma, few, if any, have focused on the need for Pittsburgh companies to restructure traditional corporate culture to make it more acceptable to younger employees.
In the past 25-plus years, I have consulted with corporate leaders throughout the United States and in more than 30 countries around the globe. I have seen them create corporate environments that attract the most talented, younger people while freeing and nurturing the “inner entrepreneur” among all their employees. I believe more Pittsburgh companies can do the same.
Technology and outsourcing have leveled the playing field in the global marketplace. As a result, corporate culture is now the single, competitive differentiating factor that can neither be copied nor taken away. A corporate culture attractive to younger employees and more mature employees can give our companies a key competitive edge at home and abroad.
Photo Stamps are a new and exciting way to turn your favorite photos into real useable U.S. postage! Creating photo stamps is easy, all you have to do is upload your favorite photo to one of the many of the websites offering photo stamps and use their online editing interface to move, zoom or rotate to perfect you photo stamp. Many of the custom photo stamps websites also allow you to choose a border in a color that will match your photo perfectly. Photo stamps come in a variety of postage rates to meet all your mailing needs ranging from postcard rates of twenty four cents to thirty nine cents for regular first class to up to four dollars for packages. Photo stamps can be ordered in just a sheet with twenty stamps to large roll of hundreds for bulk mailing. Photo stamps can be ordered and delivered to you and there are also special packages that allow the consumer to print his or her own photo stamps.
No matter what you are mailing there is a way for photo stamps to add a little extra something special to every envelope that is sent out. One widely popular use for photo stamps are for wedding invitations and the thank you cards after the wedding takes place. A wonderful idea is to use one of the wedding photos of the couple showing their rings or just a close-up of the bride in groom in their gown and tux. Another of the more popular ideas is using a photo stamp of your favorite snap shot of your new baby to send out birth announcements. Holidays are another fun and exciting was to use photo stamps. Christmas cards are just that much more special with a family picture as the stamp.
The internet has opened a whole new world for the astute shopper. It\’s now pretty easy to find rare items that in the past could have taken months or even years to source. Now, thanks to Ebay and other online auction sites, you have instant access to a massive range of new, used and collectable goods, all from your own home with the click of your mouse.
However, this means that an item that once would have gathered dust in the back of a second hand store now has global exposure, and collectors worldwide have the opportunity to get their grubby mitts on it. This could mean a bidding frenzy on Ebay. So here\’s a few tips to get you on the right path to snagging a bargain.
1 – Search for misspelled items. With the thousands upon thousands of items listed on Ebay each and every hour worldwide, chances are that there are a lot of sellers that accidentally misspell keywords in the title that will prevent the item from showing up in a regular search. If few people can find the auction, then few people will bid and the final price will likely be much lower than it\’s correctly spelled cousin. Tools like The Auction Engine provide search capabilities to help find some of these misspelled gems.
The answer is yes. According to Bill Watterson, author of Calvin and Hobbes, “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.” Businesses are well aware of mobile phones’ potential for wireless marketing, advertising, sales, and payments although many thought this potential would be realized somewhere down the road. But it seems like that future is now here.
Critical Mass
Almost a third of North Americans now say they could not live without their cell phone and these devices are rapidly evolving into more than a mere portable tool for voice communications. According to a recent study [AP 2006] Americans have become addicted to their cell phones, with four out of 10 adults aged 18 to 29 considering dropping their landline service. In fact, almost a third (29%) say they could not live without their cell phone. The mobile has reached critical mass.
Thirty-five percent of those surveyed say they send SMS text messages, including 65% of those ages 18-29 and 37% of those aged 30-49. At the same time, 18% say they have used or would like to use a mobile instant messaging service on their cell phone. Meanwhile, 38% say they would like to have desktop IMs from select contacts automatically forwarded to their mobile device, including 50% of those ages 18-29.
In terms of “must-have” features when buying a new handset, the top-runners are: mobile maps (51%), text messaging (48%), and a built-in camera (47%) top the list, followed by games (34%), mobile email (32%), and mobile search (31%).
Do you run a small business or a small team which needs to work together? Giving your employees embroidered apparel builds a sense of team spirit and camaraderie. In addition, it rewards your employees and shows them that they are part of something. If your people face the public, its another easy chance to show customers your name.
The process that creates logo apparel is called embroidery. You may have not thought about this much but you very likely have embroidered apparel in your closet. That little sewn picture on your polo shirt is embroidery. Embroidery businesses exist in a variety of sizes. This is because of the investment needed. An embroidery machine capable of sewing 20 pieces at once is more expensive and complex to maintain compared to a machine which sews one piece at a time. For 1-100 pieces, a small company will give you the best price and delivery time. For 100 or more pieces, you want your quote from a “contract” embroiderer. Price and delivery depend on the machines that will be used, how many pieces can be sewn at once, and the location of the business.
Buying these items is not difficult, but it does consist of multiple steps. Custom logo decorated shirts and caps are not expensive. But, these purchases do require some advanced thought and planning. To get the best price and product, allow at least one week for all but the first step. This varies depending on the size of the business that you are working with.
Step One – Determine the embroidered graphic.
