 | April 2009 |
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People
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 07:54 |
 Mike Wiesner has been in business for almost 30 years, yet he is only 45. "I like success," he grins. "Money is only one aspect. What I really enjoy is the thrill of business: The wonderful combination of strategic thinking, logic, and relationships. Most successful people can put all of this together, but it's easier said than done. You have to have good relationships with your customers and your employees, and you have to pay attention to detail."
Having just sold multi-million dollar Connecticut-based Heidi's Uniform Group, Mike, his wife, and three children have recently re-located in Israel. He commutes back and forth. Armed with more communication devices than NASA, this man seldom operates fewer than two companies at one time, takes note of his investments, has his nose in the financial pages, and still manages to be a very involved citizen/philanthropist, as well as husband/father. His secret for energy is simple: He loves what he does.
Born in small town Trumbull, Connecticut, Mike was not your typical kid, even though that's how his folks, Sid and Evelyn, raised his sister, Andrea, and him. In high school, he was ahead of his peers by as many as four years, taking his biology and psychology courses with college credits. Whether it was geographical proximity to New York, his uncle who had a business in junior fashions and novelties, his dad who was in retail and always wanted his own store, or whether it was just Mike, who can say?
But by the time he was a teenager, he was reading every financial paper he could lay his hands on, loved courses in economics—especially mergers & acquisitions—and at 16 when he ended up at the flea market, he thought that business was "pretty cool." His first attempt was visiting garage sales, buying up old stuff and re-selling it at the market. He saw what he could do, and he was just beginning.
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Last Updated on Monday, 06 April 2009 08:51 |
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Economy
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 07:08 |
 In many ways we have created a world of instant delivery and gratification. We're accustomed to the eight-second sound bite and our attention span has been reduced to nanoseconds. Fed Ex has ramped up our expectations for quick delivery without much regard for the process indigenous to a particular vendor. My clients would like garments made and delivered the next day. Sound familiar? But if we can take some lessons from classic and successful leaders, we may learn, as with good coffee, that instant isn't always the best.
I was told that the great golfer, Ben Hogan, regarded as one of the elite masters of the game, used to spend the first forty-five minutes of his practice sessions just working on his grip. For those of us who like to play golf, we could be finished four holes in that time. But you don't see my name on the Augusta trophy. Abraham Lincoln was known to say that if he was given six hours to chop down a tree he would spend the first four hours sharpening the axe. And that's from a guy who made a living as a rail splitter.
I have been fascinated by and recommend the Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "A Team of Rivals," about Lincoln and the politics of his day. Lincoln was known to prepare assiduously for his speeches. Sometimes he spoke for two or three hours without notes. He read continuously to prepare himself to make a contribution to humanity. On her deathbed, his mother said to him, "be somebody, Abel." To make a difference in the history of mankind was his major goal. Not too shabby. He was known to be reading a book while plowing the field. With only one year of formal schooling, Lincoln became a respected lawyer and great debater on the issue of limiting the expansion of slavery, long before he ran for president. His speeches captivated a national audience.
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Last Updated on Monday, 17 August 2009 19:33 |
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Companies
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Written by Jackie Rosselli
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Friday, 03 April 2009 18:58 |
 Embroidery isn't new – it has been around since early Egyptian days, – nor is its purpose particularly innovative. Then as now, garments are embroidered to influence perception. Embroidered clothing makes a statement, telling us something about the wearer as well as the persons with whom he comes in contact.
Just as the art of stitching and assembling pieces of fabric together is the backbone of the textile industry, so too, is embroidery the heart of the uniform industry. Used to enhance the image of workers in diverse occupational settings, it is an indispensable tool used by businesses to strengthen their brand and drive sales, important considerations as the battle for customers heats up across the country.
While the reasons for using embroidery haven't changed, the techniques and technology surrounding it have. Embroidery has come a long way from the days when patterns were sewn by hand; today, most designs are created digitally, with sophisticated machinery and software that can run tens of thousands of dollars. The role of the employees charged with adorning the garments has evolved too. No longer mere technicians, they are often referred to as professional digitizers or "thread artists." Their work can either make or break a uniform program, determining whether a brand will stand out or get lost in a sea of competition.
How are logos and brands handled in the industry? What technology is involved in today's embroidered uniform designs? What are the must-have skills that all professional digitizers should possess? Who owns the finished concept? We'll take a behind-the-scenes look at the impact embroidery has in today's uniform marketplace.
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Last Updated on Monday, 06 April 2009 14:23 |
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Companies
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Written by UniformMarket
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Monday, 06 April 2009 08:40 |
March 2009 - UniformMarket announces that David Sykes has joined the company as CEO and equity partner.
"David brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion to UniformMarket," says founder Rick Levine.
Licensees of the UniformMarket Store System will enjoy improved customer service thanks to the addition of Sykes. The firm expects to see a dramatic advancement as well in the overall effectiveness of operations and greater speed in delivery of new products to the uniform industry.
"Uniform Market has assembled the world's most comprehensive uniform product library, and with their related ecommerce software system, this company is the finest choice for uniform resellers and manufacturers worldwide," says Sykes.
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Last Updated on Monday, 06 April 2009 08:46 |
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April 2009
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