Business Profile Oct 2010

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE LEWISTON TRIBUNE October 18, 2010

An Interview with

Owner of Studio Smiles Northwest

Nat’l Business Women’s WeekSPECIAL EDITION

BP

NEW YORK — When flood waters washed through Ames, Iowa, this summer, Jim Howe got his latest lesson in how hard it can be to protect a busi-ness from disaster. And to recover.

Howe Welding and Metal Fabrication flooded for the fourth time since 1993. He’s still cleaning up and getting his machinery working again.

Jay Hennessey learned a similar lesson. In August, Hennessey reopened his Ashland City, Tenn., gym three months after it was shut by an unexpected flood.

A flood can be one of the worst catastrophes to hit a small business. Water gets in everywhere, bringing with it mud and debris. It can take days to recede, and when it does, it leaves ruined equipment and furnishings, and sometimes, mold.

And unlike damage from fire and wind, or even rain water that comes in through a hole in the roof, the dev-astation caused by flooding isn’t covered by a standard business owner’s insur-ance policy. Owners need to purchase flood insurance separately and some find it’s too expensive to carry.

Torrential Rains, Unexpected Flood

As the owner of two Snap Fitness gym franchises near Nashville, Hennessey never had to deal with a flood. But 16 inches of rain fell over a 24-hour period in Ashland

City, and his gym, full of treadmills, weight machines and other exercise equip-ment, was flooded with 18 inches of water.

Hennessey said he was able to save most of his equipment, but it had to be cleaned and repaired. The treadmills were destroyed. The building had to be cleaned and repainted. All told, the flood cost Hen-nessey $200,000.

By being a franchisee, got help from the Snap Fitness corporate offices. Hen-nessey said the company helped with the physical recovery, and Snap Fitness kept him focused on the fact although the gym was shut, he had to keep building for the future.

“You can get myopic, re-ally focused on recovering,” he said. “You forget that you have to get out and market your business.”

Hennessey didn’t have flood insurance because he wasn’t in an area considered at risks for flooding. “There was no reason for us to think we needed flood insurance,” he said.

This meant he couldn’t be

reimbursed under his regu-lar business owner’s policy. He also said he can’t get a payout from business inter-ruption insurance, which covers a company’s operat-ing expenses when it’s shut down. Because the underly-ing cause of the disruption to his business was flooding, Hennessey said he couldn’t collect anything.

Hennessey has taken out a Small Business Admin-istration disaster loan to cover the costs of restoring his business and getting it operating again. As a condi-tion of getting the loan, he has had to purchase flood insurance. However, be-cause he’s not in a high-risk area, he calls the insurance “relatively inexpensive.”

Flooded Again And Again

Howe’s welding busi-ness was flooded in 1993, and again in 2006 and 2008. He has taken many steps over the years to lessen the chances of being flooded again. A few years ago, when he decided to rebuild his business, he put it on ground that was three feet higher than its original spot. He installed floodgates.

Inside the building, which houses heavy equipment such as lathes and saws, he raised his welders so they’d be off the ground.

The problem this time was that Howe couldn’t get enough sandbags. And so when the flood came, two feet of water entered his

Oct. 19 — Lewis-Clark Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, noon, Elk’s Temple, Al Reagan, (208) 743-5441.

Oct. 20 — Lewis-Clark Association of Realtors, 11:30 a.m., Elk’s Temple, (208) 746-2019.

Oct. 20 — Orofino Chamber of Commerce, noon, Ponderosa, (208) 476-4335.

Oct. 21 — Port of Whitman County, 10 a.m., (509) 397-3791.

Oct. 21 — Lewiston Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m.

Nov. 3 — Grangeville Chamber of Commerce, 1:30 p.m., Oscar’s, (208) 983-0460.

Nov. 3 — Orofino Chamber of Commerce, noon, Ponderosa, (208) 476-4335.

Nov. 3 — Kamiah Chamber of Commerce, 7 p.m., chamber building, (208) 935-2290.

Nov. 4 — Port of Whitman County, 10 a.m., (509) 397-3791.

Nov. 5 — Lewiston Chamber of Commerce general member-ship, 7 a.m., Morgan’s Alley, (208) 743-3531.

Nov. 9 — Port of Lewiston, 1:30 p.m., (208) 743-5531.

Nov. 9 — Pullman Chamber of Commerce, noon, location TBA, (509) 334-3565.

Nov. 9 — Grangeville GEM Team, 7 a.m., Oscar’s.

Nov. 10 — Clarkston Chamber of Commerce general memberhsip, noon, Quality Inn, (509) 758-7712.

Nov. 11 — Port of Clarkston, 1 p.m., (509) 758-5272.

Nov. 11 — Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce general membership, 8 a.m., Coffee Mill Creations, (208) 962-3231.

CALENDAR

COMMENTARy

Joyce Rosenberg

smALL TALk

2 BusINEss PROFILE MONDAy, OCTOBER 18, 2010

Small businesses learn hard lessons from floods

sEE ROsENBERG, PAGE 4

2 SMALL TALK: Floods bring hard lessons

4 BUSINESS ON THE GO: Who’s doing what

5 WORKPLACE WELLNESS: Get credit for what you do

6 BUSINESS ANSWERS: Business e-mail 101

17 BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU: Scams 101

18 ASK IDAHO LABOR: Are you required to pay for holidays?

19 THE NEXT LEVEL: Exceptional customer service should be cornerstone

20 THE JOB COACH: Employee evaluations and the supervisor

22 RECORDS: September by the numbers

October 2010VOLUME 11, ISSUE 10

Business Profile is compiled by Target Publications of The Lewiston Tribune. Business Profile is inserted in The Lewiston Tribune the third Monday of every month.

EditorsROBERT [email protected]

MARY [email protected]

AdvertisingContact your Lewiston Tribune sales representative or call (208) 848-2292 for advertising information

Your commentsPlease write to us at:

Business ProfileTarget PublicationsLewiston Tribune505 Capital St. Lewiston ID 83501

or e-mail us at: [email protected]

On the coverDr. Robin J. Henderson of Studio Smiles Northwest By KYLE MILLS of the Lewiston Tribune

Our favorite quote“I work in millimeters. The grocery store is over-whelming.”

— Dr. Robin J. Henderson (story Page 12)

Regular departments

A view like no other

Dentist Robin J. Henderson

works in detail PAGE 12

3BUSINESS PROFILEMONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010

business on the go

4 BusinessProfile MonDAY,oCToBer18,2010

business. That was less than the 5½ feet he got in 1993, but it shut him down. He’s been cleaning up constantly since the flood, getting machines working again one by one.

Howe doesn’t have flood insurance, and he’s not plan-ning on buying any, simply because it’s more than his business can afford. Be-cause he’s in a flood plain, the premiums are high. And businesses that have been flooded can pay even more. “They’re not stupid,” Howe said of insurance companies. “They say, ‘we’ll insure you, but you’ll flood and it’s going to cost you.’ ”

The lesson he took away from this latest flood is that he needs to have his own sandbags on hand. Howe calls himself foolish for as-suming the city would have enough to go around. So he’ll build a stainless steel con-

tainer, fill it with sand and make himself that much bet-ter prepared for next time.

“There will be a next time. It’s not a question of ‘if,’ ” Howe said.

Preparing For A FloodPreparing for a flood

should be part of an overall disaster prep plan. Own-ers who need help figuring out what they need to do for disaster planning can get help online. The Institute for Business & Home Safety’s site, www.disastersafety.org, and the federal govern-ment’s guide at www.ready.gov/business go into some detail. The Small Business Administration also has information at www.sba.gov/beawareandprepare/busi-ness.html.

You can find out about flood insurance at www.floodsmart.gov. Your insur-ance agent should also have information.

Rosenberg covers small business issues for the Associ-ated Press.

Four hospitals in the area have been recognized by the Rural Healthcare Quality Network, an organization of 34 rural health care provid-ers in Washington based in Seattle.

Tri-State Hospital in Clarkston received three awards: STEMI Protocol Adopters for cardiac care, STEMI Protocol Superstars for getting patients from the emergency room to an electrocardiogram in less than 12 minutes, and a Best Practice award in public re-porting. STEMI stands for ST-Segment Elevated Miro-cardial Infarction, a type of heart attack than can dam-age the heart muscle.

Whitman Hospital and Medical Center in Colfax also won three awards: Best Practice for STEMI Care, Best Practice for Public Re-porting and Best Practice for Heart Failure Star, which is awarded based on the fol-low-up care a heart patient receives after he leaves the hospital. WHMC developed

a process that ensures all heart patients receive the appropriate instructions for their care 100 percent of the time.

Pullman Regional Hos-pital was recognized in the categories of STEMI Proto-col Adopters, Best Practice: Public Reporting and Best Practice Sharing for its col-laboration with other mem-ber hospitals. Additionally, Hospital Consumer Assess-ment of Health Care Pro-viders and Systems ranked Pullman Regional Hospi-tal No. 1 of 57 hospitals in Washington in patient satis-faction.

Garfield County Hospital in Pomeroy received awards STEMI Protocol Adopters and STEMI Protocol Super-stars for getting patients from the emergency room to an electrocardiogram in less than 12 minutes.

The awards were an-nounced at the Rural Health-care Quality Network’s an-nual meeting in June.

Four area Washington hospitals win awardsLife Care Center of Amer-

ica’s Lewis-ton unit was named Fa-cility of the Year in the c o m p a n y ’ s Northwest di-vision, which includes 31 facilities in Idaho, Wash-ington and

Oregon, at the company’s an-nual meeting in Cleveland, Tenn., Sept. 13.

Dan Knapp, executive di-rector of the Lewiston facil-ity, received one of two Pres-ident’s Awards. Knapp was acknowledged for the high level of resident and family satisfaction and for low staff turnover.

Knapp has been at Lewis-ton for nine years.

Lewiston Life Care wins two awards

Dan Knapp

RosenbeRgFrom page 2

Read about professional

accomplishments every month in ...

This could be you ...

BusinessPro�leBusinessPro�le EvEryonE has a story. DaviD Johnson

provEs it EvEry FriDay. in thE tribunE.

5Business ProfileMonDAY, oCToBer 18, 2010

workplace wellness

If you’ve already taken the steps to launch a wellness program, you may want to consider applying to organi-zations that recognize work-place wellness excellence to get the recognition you deserve for your efforts.

Some Idaho companies have already taken these steps. It’s great to see St. Luke’s Health System’s three locations have the American Heart Association’s Start! Fit-Friendly Workplace Platinum recognition. And Kootenai Health received Gold-level honors from the Wellness Councils of Ameri-ca (Welcoa). Regence earned its first Welcoa Gold this year and has been a Platinum Fit-Friendly Workplace for a few years. I’d sure like to see more Idaho companies among these lists of healthy workplaces.

The process of applying for any award or other recogni-tion is a healthy reminder of where you’ve been, why you started the program and where you are today. Award applications also double as a road map to crafting or tweaking your program to position it for success.

For example, Welcoa’s Well Workplace award sets seven rigorous benchmarks to meet

for its Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum level honors:l Capturing CEO supportl Creating cohesive well-

ness teamsl Collecting data to drive

health effortsl Carefully crafting an

operating planl Choosing appropriate

interventionsl Creating a supportive

environmentl Carefully evaluating

outcomes

Most of Welcoa’s Well Workplaces are health in-stitutions, such as Kootenai Health, but there are indus-trial and service industries that also win recognition, such as Union Pacific Rail-

road and numerous banks. Not many companies in the Western states have earned these honors. You can see listings for the past three years at http://welcoa.org/wellworkplace/listings.

The American Heart As-sociation Start! Fit-Friendly recognition is for employers that help create an envi-ronment that encourages walking, from providing walking route maps to track-ing tools to “sneaker days” for the staff to wear good walking shoes. The platinum level, AHA’s highest award, requires some modest mea-surement of success and is awarded annually. To earn a Gold, start by simply docu-menting your wellness activi-ties — this is awarded twice a year, so get cracking. Learn more about the criteria at: http://startwalkingnow.org/start_workplace_fit_friendly.jsp.

AHA also offers an inno-vation award, so you might qualify for recognition for some creative ideas. At Regence, our team launched

a “snack attack,” pushing a cart of healthy snacks around our workplaces and exchang-ing them for unhealthy varieties. That earned us an innovation award last year.

To get started and earn recognition for your com-pany, visit the websites of organizations that recognize wellness and get acquainted with their criteria and see how your program stacks up and where you might pump it up for next year.

Also, consider talking to those companies that have received recognition to see what worked for them and what pitfalls to avoid. I’d be happy to share Regence’s experience, and I’m sure others would, too. There are no trade secrets involved; the only competition in the wellness category should be of the friendly variety — and we all win.

Jones is the Wellness Pro-gram Coordinator at Regence BlueShield of Idaho. He can be reached at [email protected].

Get the credit you deserve for your wellness program

CoMMenTArY

Justin Jones

Complete and compelling. All the news you need.

business answers


Question: A lot of the com-munication in our company is done by e-mail — exter-nally and internally. I’m not sure what is appropriate. Can you give me some point-ers?

Answer: Sending profes-sional e-mails isn’t difficult, but it certainly is different from the types of e-mails you may be used to getting and receiving. Let’s take a look at some basic pointers to get you started.

First, consider if an e-mail is the most effective way to communicate your message. Although you have this won-derful tool at your fingertips, do not use it indiscriminately. People are inundated with e-mails. Make sure you are sending one that is necessary. Would it make more sense to walk down the hall or would a quick telephone call result in the information you need?

Consider the subject line.

If you decide an e-mail is the most appropriate and effec-tive form of communication, keep in mind the subject line often dictates whether or not your e-mail gets read right away. Never leave it blank. It should clearly and briefly state the reason for your e-mail. For example, instead of saying, “Important Informa-

tion”, (which tells your read-er nothing) it may be more appropriate to say, “New Employee Benefits.” Don’t forget to update the subject line if there is a change in the topic of discussion.

Use an appropriate saluta-tion. In business, it is always better to err on the safe side. Using Ms. is preferable, un-less you are absolutely sure Miss or Mrs. is preferred by your reader. For example, “Dear Ms. Maguire” is an appropriate salutation. “Hi, Janice” or “Hello, Janice” is a little more informal, and using this would depend on how well you know the per-son you are addressing.

Say important things first. The most important informa-tion should be at the begin-ning of your message. Many readers have their e-mail boxes set up so only a portion of each message can be seen in the lower screen. This al-

lows the reader to see what’s important without open-ing the e-mail. You should be able to express yourself clearly without using emoti-cons; they are not appropri-ate for professional e-mail purposes. Also, save the com-monly-used acronyms (BTW, IMHO) for your personal e-mails.

Close with an objective. Do you need the information you are requesting by a certain date? Let your reader know. For example, you may say, “Please have your figures to me before our November 25th department meeting.” If the e-mail is not a request for action, a concluding thought can help prevent your e-mail from ending abruptly. “I’m happy to be able to answer your questions” is one ex-ample. You should always sign off your message with

Business e-mails require thought and correctness

CoMMenTArY

Karen andrews

ARA

While women have strug-gled historically with equal pay and discriminatory treat-ment within the workplace, national trends and statistics show that there’s never been a better time to be a business-woman.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1950 about one in three women partici-pated in the labor force. But by 1998, nearly three of every

five women of working age were in the labor force. In ad-dition, the BLS notes women’s labor force growth should be faster than men’s. The De-partment of Labor notes that women are projected to ac-count for 51.2 percent of the increase in total labor force growth between 2008 and 2018.

According to a recent arti-cle in Newsweek titled “Wom-en Will Rule the World,” by 2005, women represented

more than a third of people involved in entrepreneurial activity, and the number of women-owned firms contin-ues to grow at twice the rate of all U.S. firms. As authors Jes-sica Bennett and Jesse Ellison write, “Indeed, it’s not a leap to say that female entrepre-neurship may help revive the fortunes of the middle class in the developed world.”

Rita Talamonti, a personal financial advocate who re-cently launched her company,

Good Egg LLC, knows first-hand about succeeding as an entrepreneur in today’s com-plex economic environment. Talamonti’s story mirrors that of many women around the country: After several years in the corporate world, Talamonti realized that she wanted to venture out on her own and start a business. With hopes of furthering her knowledge and increasing her

There’s no better time to be a woman entrepreneurseeanDrews,PAge7

seeTiMe,PAge21


To honor the contributions of working women and employers who support working women and their families, Business and Professional Wom-en’s Foundation celebrates National Business Women’s Week® (NBWW) during the third week of October.

The celebration of National Business Women’s Week has helped to promote leadership roles for women and to increase opportunities for their ad-vancement professionally and personally.

www.bpwfoundation.org

National Business Women’s Week ®October 18-22, 2010

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8 BUSINESS PROFILE MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010

National Business Women’s Week®October 18-22, 2010

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9BUSINESS PROFILEMONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010

Recognizing Women in BusinessOctober 18-22, 2010

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National Business Women’s Week®October 18-22, 2010

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cover story


Tribune/Kyle Mills

Dentist Robin J. Henderson shows some of the tools of the trade at her practice in Clarkston.

Clarkston dentist Robin J. Henderson juggles practice, business and family

By Mary TaTkoOf TargeT PublicaTiOns

Robin Henderson has tunnel vi-sion.

And, for her patients, that’s a very good thing.

A Clarkston dentist specializ-ing in restorative dentistry, Hen-derson spends hours each day intensely focused on nearly mi-croscopic work areas: the space between two teeth, the angle of a bicuspid, a hint of decay among the ridges of a molar.

“People say ‘It’s just a filling,’ ” her husband, Scott Henderson, said. “It’s like surgery on a little, tiny tooth.”

Henderson spends so much of her day wearing glasses-like mag-nifiers, called loupes, that pull-ing them away from her eyes and leaving her miniature world can be quite a shock.

“I work in millimeters,” she said. “The grocery store is over-whelming.”

But as absorbed as she is in the details of each small tooth, Hen-derson has no trouble seeing the bigger picture when it comes to her patients.

When she’s “building a smile,” which begins with a wax model and culminates in porcelain over-lays that look like real, very beau-tiful, teeth, Henderson envisions not just teeth, but how they will affect the whole person.

“It changes lives, that’s the most amazing thing,” she said. “(And ) as they feel better about their smile, they actually take better care of it.”

Her world is in the details

seeDetAILs,PAge13


cover story

Tribune/Kyle Mills

A pair of loupes allows Henderson to see the details of her patients’ teeth.

DetAILsFrom page 12

“It’s the perfect blend for me of art and science.” — DenTisT roBin HenDerson, on BuilDinG A sMile

see DetAILs, PAGe 16

Picture PerfectIn the hall between the

waiting area and exam rooms at Henderson’s clinic, Studio Smiles Northwest, are por-traits of each member of her staff.

Scott, who works for cam-era company Nikon in its pre-cision instrument division, moonlights at his wife’s clinic as a photographer. The staff portraits are his work, but his most significant contribu-tion, he said, are photographs of patients or, more specifi-cally, patients’ mouths.

“Robin’s really big into education,” he said, explain-ing that photographs help patients understand exactly what is going on in their mouths. “The whole idea is health.”

Seeing a photograph lit-erally gives patients a clear picture of their teeth and gums from an angle only the dentist would otherwise see. It’s much more helpful for most patients, he said, than looking at x-rays and listen-ing to a dentist’s jargon-filled descriptions.

Photography also plays a key role in restorative den-tistry. Henderson uses pho-tographs that show facial structure to help get the right look when she’s designing a new smile for a patient.

That combination of medi-cine with creativity and art-istry illustrates what she likes best about her profes-

sion.“It’s the perfect blend for

me of art and science,” she said.

Henderson, who attended Clarkston public schools from kindergarten through high school, started at Wash-ington State University as a math major, intending to be a teacher. She loved athlet-ics and wanted to be around sports, students and the whole school atmosphere.

But she was drawn to the basic sciences, she said, ul-timately finding her niche in dentistry, particularly restor-

ative dentistry.“Health is a huge piece of

it,” she said. “Aesthetics is a really fun piece to add on.”

While she was attending dental school at the Univer-sity of Michigan, the profes-sion was undergoing radical changes. Where amalgam fillings, metal crowns and dentures had once been the extent of most dental prac-tices, an explosion in materi-als, such as porcelain, made natural-looking and less-in-vasive options more widely available.

Scott, whom Henderson

met at the University of Michigan, attends continuing education workshops with his wife to keep up on the technology she employs at her practice.

“He has been very in-volved in dentistry from day one,” she said.

His favorite tool, other than the camera, is a device fe-licitously referred to as “the wand.” Henderson uses it to administer anesthetic before a procedure, a moment in an appointment many patients


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LIBRARY FOUNDATIONLewiston Library

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traditionally dread.With the wand, patients

are spared the anxiety, be-cause no needle is visible, only an innocuous-looking white tube. The needle (there actually is one) protruding from the end is so small most patients don’t see or feel it.

“We don’t use the needle word,” Scott said. “We use very innocent words like ‘numb.’ ”

“I think delicate is a good word,” Henderson said, turn-ing the wand over in her hands.

SophieEven as she was building

her practice, paying off stu-dent loans and traveling to seminars to learn new tech-niques, Henderson found herself contemplating anoth-er calling: motherhood.

She knew she wanted to be a mother, but she didn’t want to feel she was less than 100 percent a mom.

Finding a balance she was happy with started while she was pregnant when she found her patients seemed as excit-ed about her baby as she was.

When their daughter, So-phie, was born, the Hender-sons were amazed by the outpouring of gifts from pa-tients, none more valuable than the support they showed for Robin’s choice to bring Sophie to the office.

“The patients loved it,” Scott said.

Her office staff made the arrangement possible, Hen-derson said, describing the scene in those early weeks

when employees held her tiny baby while they typed at the computer and answered phones.

At home in the evenings, Henderson would “wear” So-phie in a wrap while she fin-ished the day’s paperwork.

It’s been several years since Sophie, who started kindergarten this year, has been a regular at the office, but Henderson is amazed at how her patients have kept

up with the office baby. “They’re still a huge part

of her life,” she said.Patients who haven’t

seen Sophie for a while can glimpse her latest portrait hanging alongside those of the office staff.

Now, Henderson’s mother comes to their home each morning to be with Sophie. Her parents, by caring forher child while she works what often amount to 12-hour

days, have made her vision of motherhood possible.

“Sophie has been sur-rounded by people who care deeply for her.”

And though Sophie doesn’t spend her days at the office any more, now she gets to do something even better: travel. Later this month, her grandmother will accom-pany her and her mother to Orlando, Fla., where Hen-derson will attend a dentistry seminar.

“I feel so fortunate. I didn’t know if I’d be able to have a family. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to add another level,” Henderson said. “My parents allowed that for me.”

COVER STORY


DETAILSFrom page 13

Studio Smiles Northwest

Owner: Robin J.Henderson

Location: 625 6th St.,Clarkston

Products and Services: restorativeand general dentistry

Employees: Five fulland part time

History: The practicewas started in 1972 bydentist John Dertinger,who was Henderson’sneighbor while shewas growing up. Aftergraduating from dentalschool at the Universityof Michigan, Hendersonjoined the practicein 1998, and boughtDertinger out in March,1999, when he retired.

Robin J. Henderson

Profession: dentist; owner/operator, Studio SmilesNorthwest dental clinic

Age: 40

Residence: Clarkston

Family: husband, Scott; daughter, Sophie

Education: Clarkston High School, 1988; WashingtonState University, 1992; University of Michigan, 1998

Civic/professional: Lewis-Clark State CollegeFoundation, president; LCSC Women’s Basketball schol-arship club, member; Clarkston Heights ElementaryParent Teacher Association, member; ClarkstonEducation Foundation board of directors, past memberand treasurer; Walla Walla Valley Dental Society, mem-ber, past president; Lewis-Clark Dental Society, mem-ber, past president; Give Kids a Smile, participant,dental services donated to elementary school students;Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD), provider,oral health care for pediatric Medicaid patients, Jan.2008 to Sept. 2010 when Community Health Associationof Spokane (CHAS) opened the Lewis and ClarkDental Clinic in Clarkston; Outstanding Young Dentist,American College of Dentists, Washington region, 2006;Aletha Pabst award; LCSC Alumni Association, 2009

“I feel so fortunate. I didn’t know if I’d be able to have a family. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to add another level. My parents allowed that for me.” — ROBIN J. HENDERSON

Look for the next issue of Business Profile Monday, November 15


better business bureau

SPOKANE — This week I received two calls from distraught business owners. The first was from the CEO of a nonprofit that had been hit with a yellow pages scam. The scammers were insist-ing the company owed them $1,000. The second was the owner of a small business who was receiving harass-ing phone calls that were interfering with her ability to conduct business.

The Yellow Pages ScamThe CEO’s new assistant,

fresh out of college, had received a fax asking her to fill out required information to continue participation in a yellow pages directory (such as their address and phone number.) The top of the fax had the word FREE printed

in prominent lettering. What she didn’t know was

that at the bottom of the fax in very smeary small type was a coda stating the nonprofit was signing up to pay hundreds of dollars per year for a three-year period. When the CEO called the company to cancel, due to the

assistant’s having no author-ity to approve monetary transactions, she was rudely told no cancellations were al-lowed and she “should train her staff better.”

The Phony Debt Collector

An employee of a small business received a call on her cell phone from someone claiming to be a debt collec-tor and stating she would go to jail unless she paid immediately. When the caller asked for her credit card number, she hung up on and called the Better Business Bureau. But the phony debt collector didn’t stop there. The next day, “Karen” began receiving harassing phone calls at work — as many as 92

per day! The fake debt col-lector also made numerous calls to her co-workers using profanity and threats and tying up the business phone lines — hijacking them, in ef-fect. All of this over a phony debt Karen did not owe.

I hate having to write this, but it is a sad fact of doing business today that em-ployee training must include not only the thwarting of shoplifting and good old-fashioned stealing, but also telephone and e-mail fraud that could cost your business time and money.

Here are some tips offered by the BBB:

l Train your staff about the variety of telephone frauds your business could

Staff scam training is essential

CoMMenTArY

Holly Doering

see DOerinG, PAge 18

By RichaRd PachteROf The MiaMi herald

“Bury My Heart At Confer-ence Room B: The Unbeat-able Impact of Truly Com-mitted Managers” by Stan Slap; Portfolio, 272 pages ($25.95)

___

It’s a reliable axiom that any book authored by a busi-ness consultant is essentially an extended sales brochure for his or her services. The initial 20 pages or so of this offering by management trainer Stan Slap is devoted

to touting his program’s over-all wonderfulness, without establishing the foundation for the energetic self-pro-motion, which portends yet another instance of this phenomenon.

To be sure, there are copi-ous portions of this boasting bonhomie larded throughout the book as he good-natured-ly flogs his programs at every opportunity. The funny thing, though, is that Slap’s shots aren’t nearly as offensive or out of place as the customary self-aggrandizing scribbling.

This book is an emotional one. Slap’s avowed goal is encouraging genuine and

visceral connections between managers and employees, tying personal values and goals to the daily routine of working together. In addi-tion to the prolific promo-tional copy, the text includes individual testimonials from executives who, after a head-slapping moment or two, linked their moral standards to their business ethics and operational methods, always to great effect. There’s also one from Slap himself, detail-ing his challenging (to say the least) upbringing, which serves as both an inspiration and an invitation to amateur psychologists to connect it

to his ongoing passions and methodologies. (I’ll pass, thanks.)

So it’s not out of place in the least for Slap to tout and reaffirm the awesomeness of what it is he’s trying to do. In fact, if he’d failed to jump up on his own soapbox and testify, one would wonder why he wasn’t doing just that. It would be weirdly disin-genuous, and he’d be guilty of failing to follow his own advice.

Slap provides checklists and other exercises for managers to assess their own

In ideal world, managers would focus on valuespacHter On bOOks

see pacHter, PAge 18

idaho department of labor


be hit with, including phony yellow pages, toner pirates, and TTY relay scams. Ar-range to have your ordering handled by one person in the office, so that person receives all calls relating to the buying of supplies. She is more likely to recognize the usual sup-plier and spot any fakes.l Familiarize your em-

ployees and yourself with e-mail scams involving stolen credit cards in which some-one in another country wants to order a large amount of product and have it picked

up and shipped abroad by a third-party company.l If an employee is being

harassed with repeat phone calls, instruct that person to screen her calls and make other office staff aware of the problem. File a police report. A deputy will usu-ally be willing to call the fake debt collector or other perpetrators of these calls and let them know that what they are doing is illegal and it must stop.l Watch out for ad solici-

tations that look like invoices and telemarketing that sounds like billing. Remem-ber that directories given ex-clusively to consumers who purchase ads and statewide directories may be of little or

no use. l If you fall victim to a

business scam, contact your local BBB and or the state attorney general’s office and the Federal Trade Commis-sion for assistance. Start with Trust by looking up companies on www.bbb.org.

Today I received a robo-call (a computer calling me) stating the Idaho State Tax Commission wanted us to call and gave a return phone number. The recording said to have three different li-cense numbers handy when I returned the call. Well, I al-most dialed that number, but then my mistrustful nature reasserted itself. I went to the tax commission’s website

and found a phone number for it. The one left by the computer was not listed on the website. Suspicious. I called using the number I had found. This one, howev-er, turned out to be real. But had it been a fraud, I would have protected myself and my company by proceeding with caution. Three years of answering the phones at the BBB has been the best anti-scam training possible!

doering is a charity review and grants coordinator for the bbb serving eastern Washington, northern idaho and montana. She may be contacted at [email protected] or (800) 248-2356.

doerinGFrom page 17

values and advice for getting employees to do the same. He lays out a playbook for gaining acceptance by the staff and management so that they’re all not laughed out of the office, or worse. There are also scripts and plenty of other tools for dealing with and possibly overcoming objections from above and below on the cor-porate ladder.

He’s an interesting and entertaining writer, and there are lots of little jokes, puns and asides strewn throughout the text. Slap is quite full of himself but acknowledges that too. It’s all part of his shtick, but it’s pretty clear that he takes it

all pretty seriously, despite implied claims to the con-trary.

The only problem that I have with Slap’s worth-while book is that it’s one of those alternate-universe deals. Most, if not all, of the companies that the rest of us encounter as employees and managers may profess their fealty and commitment to our core values and might declare their goal of engen-dering a familial environ-ment. We may even have managers that we connect with as human beings, and respect and cultivate us in turn. But Slap recognizes that his is a revolutionary idea that’s antithetical to many organizations in prac-tice, if not theory.

In the meantime, he’s provided the tools, the ratio-nale and a very entertaining book. Maybe that’s enough.

paChterFrom page 17

Complete and compelling. All the news you need.

aSK idaho department of labor

Question: I own an Idaho business and some of my em-ployees told me they heard that I had to pay them holiday pay or pay them more if I had them work on a holiday. With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to know if this is true.

Answer: Idaho labor law does not require employers to pay vacation, holiday, severance or sick pay. It does not re-quire employers to give employees holidays off or pay them a higher wage for working on holidays. These items are mat-ters for agreement between the employer and the employees or their authorized representative. For more information on Idaho labor law, contact your nearest Idaho Department of Labor Office for assistance.

AssociAted Press

WASHINGTON — Here’s another first for Michelle Obama: First among Forbes magazine’s 100 most power-ful women in the world.

In the annual rankings re-leased Wednesday, Forbes said Obama has been a “true change-maker” since coming to the White House. The busi-ness publication cited her high approval ratings, her status as a role model and her

campaign against childhood obesity.

Forbes said it decided to “look up and out into the broader culture” to compile the list of women from the arenas of politics, business, media and lifestyle.

Michelle Obama displaced German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had held the top spot for the last four years.

The first lady landed in 40th place on Forbes’ 2009 list.

forbes: first lady is most powerful woman

BUSINESSMONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010

THE NEXT LEVEL

The concept of deliver-ing exceptional customer service is one that should be front and center in our everyday business activi-ties. It is almost impossible to emphasize it, discuss it and educate regarding it too much. As business owners, it is easy to mire down in the daily operations and even get a little complacent. We have to try to not shy way from doing the difficult things. One of those difficult things is honestly evaluating the level of customer service our organization is providing. More specifically, we have to evaluate whether or not we have laid the groundwork for truly outstanding customer service to flourish in our organization.

Statistics show only 1 out of 20 unhappy customers will actually complain to you about the level of service they received. The other 19 will simply walk out, never return and share this not-so-flattering story with all their friends. We can’t afford

to have unhappy customers, and we can’t always rely on receiving their feedback to measure performance.

There are five corner-stones we can examine to ensure outstanding customer service is really a part of our organizational culture.

Revising outstanding customer service

COMMENTARY

Rene’ Johnston-Gingrich

SEE GINGRICH, PAGE 20

Read about professionalaccomplishments every

month in ...

This could be you ...

S.E.O.A.S.A.P.

FINDOUTHOWCall us at 208-848-2292

powered by lmtribune.com279785-IT 10

THE JOB COACH


TrainingHow often is the impor-

tance of providing out-standing customer service discussed within your organization? Do you hold structured trainings that educate members on how to best communicate, deal with conflict and establish long-term customer relation-ships?

Follow Up And Follow Through

Once customer service training is implemented, what is the follow up like? It is important to follow up and monitor. Unfortunately, after many trainings and work-

shops on customer service there is an initial phase of implementation but often a lack of follow through to keep business momentum really flowing.

ConsistencyThere are organiza-

tions out there we hope to emulate, organizations that strive and succeed in provid-ing consistently superior customer service. However, organizational leadership, management and employees need to understand this is something to be attained not just some of the time but all of the time.

Walking the WalkWhat do your organiza-

tion’s policies and proce-dures say about the value placed on delivering out-

standing service? Do they reinforce that ideal? Do your mission and values state-ments paint a clear picture of how crucial it is to the organization’s success and how every member of the organization will be held accountable to those high standards? Revisit these im-portant business foundations to ensure you’re creating customer evangelists who sing your praises.

ResponsivenessHow quickly are you and

your team responding to customer demand? Did you bring in the product custom-ers have been asking for over and over again? Are you reaching out on social media to make your organization as accessible as possible to cus-tomers? It is shocking today to find out how many organi-zations don’t have a website

or they do have one but it is not exactly user-friendly.

In an ever-changing mar-ket, it is not enough to pro-vide adequate service. Cus-tomers today are extremely mobile and web savvy. As business owners and manag-ers, we have to take a hard look at the foundations we have put in place. We have to be vigilant if we want to keep our customers. By evaluat-ing the five key areas we’ve reviewed you can create loyal, satisfied customers who increase your business via word of mouth.

Johnston-Gingrich has been a business owner in the Lewis-Clark Valley for more than 15 years. She works as an independent trainer and consultant and is an adjunct faculty member with Lewis-Clark State College’s business division. She may be con-tacted through her website at www.rjitac.com

GINGRICHFrom page 19

“I want to see you in my office in just a few minutes,” my manager told me when he passed my desk one morning.

I immediately remem-bered being sent to the principal’s office in grade school for a small infraction and being scolded. My body started to tense up, the fear of the unknown jump-started my emotions like I had been plugged into a 220 outlet. I just knew my job was going to be cut or I was going to get reamed for breaking some rule I didn’t even know ex-isted (those hidden rules are the ones that get you). It was time for the six month evalu-

ation of my job performance.Employee performance

evaluations are objec-tive tools employers use to

determine whether you are meeting the requirements of the job you were hired to do. Some employers are good at it, some aren’t. So you need to do your part to blow your own horn. Keep track of your accomplishments and areas that need improvement. Keep a written log of what tasks or projects you completed, skills you learned, comments made by your supervisors on the quality of your work and a copy of your timecard.

The evaluation should stick to those tasks or skills assigned to you. You can redirect any non-job related comments to the goals or

tasks you were assigned and how you did them. Be honest. Did you carry out your as-signed work effectively and efficiently without constant supervision, or do you still need some training to be-come skilled and faster?

This process reveals an employee’s success or failure on the job and must be writ-ten down so that both of you can use that focus. Ask up front what standard is used to decide if or how you will get a raise or other compen-sation. This decision-making process should be given to

Some supervisors are better at employee evaluations than others

CoMMenTArY

Darlene Larson

seeLARSON,PAge21


WOMEN IN BUSINESS

you in writing and the same for everyone.

This is a discussion, not an interrogation or deposition. You should have the oppor-tunity to ask and reply to questions or comments the employer or representative makes. If someone else is in

the room, find out who it is, why and what are they do-ing there. You need to write down their names, position and what they say. You have the right to take notes, so be assertive and do so.

Confidentiality is impor-tant; What is said or written in that meeting should stay in that meeting, good or bad. Don’t carry tales or blame the employer if the evalua-tion points out some weak areas or some problem you

need to address. You need to point out your strengths and accomplishments and suggest how to improve your job skills. Your performance may be judged in several areas, such as attendance, punctuality, grooming/hy-giene, following directions, quality of work, dependabil-ity, working relationships, personal behavior and how much you got done correctly.

Once you sign an evalua-tion, it is a legal document

and can be used in legal pro-ceedings against you. Write any disagreement you have to anything on the evaluation before you sign it.

By the way, I got a promo-tion so all that anxiety was my fear, not reality, so focus on the job and smile. Re-member, it is business, not personal.

Larson is a retired employ-ment specialist and job train-er. She may be contacted at [email protected].

LARSONFrom page 20

business acumen, Talamonti returned to school, attending DeVry University to earn her master’s degree in account-ing and financial manage-ment. “I felt accounting was a practical skill that could allow me to become entirely independent,” Talamonti said. “My degree truly pre-pared me to venture out on my own.”

Talamonti’s success has led her to encourage her fe-male peers to follow their own dreams. “Now is truly the best time for women to think about starting their own businesses,” Talamonti said. “When the economy is changing as it is today, women with entrepreneurial minds can take a look at the needs of the population and ask themselves how they can help meet those needs.” She offered three tips for aspir-ing female entrepreneurs:

l Find a mentor. Talamonti explains that once she identi-fied the need for financial managers within her com-munity, she sought the advice of respected professionals in her network before fleshing out her plans of becoming a

financial consultant. “When I started thinking about launching Good Egg, I spoke with women in several indus-tries, all tangentially related to accounting. The advice and insights they gave me were invaluable,” she said.l Further your education.

“Making sure you have the appropriate level of certi-fication is key,” Talamonti said. “Before beginning your business, consider returning to school to get an advanced degree in your field of choice. It’s important to be an expert in your industry — and your customers will want to know

your background and cre-dentials.” Talamonti’s alma mater, DeVry University, is home to five colleges of study with a deep offering of de-gree programs that prepare students for a multitude of in-demand careers.l Put your plan in writ-

ing. Talamonti stresses that having an idea isn’t enough. It’s essential to put a strong, thoughtful business plan down on paper before exe-cuting anything. “Once I de-veloped my initial business plan, I asked my mentors, both professional and edu-cational, to review my ideas

before I implemented them,” she said.

Talamonti is passionate about the opportunities avail-able for women in today’s economic climate. “Whether you’re just starting your edu-cation, you’ve been laid off or you’re considering a career change, now is the time to re-assess your options and con-sider opening your own busi-ness,” Talamonti said. “Ask yourself what you’re pas-sionate about and where the needs are in the marketplace — and then begin to take ownership of your career.”

TIMEFrom page 6

“Making sure you have the appropriate level of certifi-cation is key. Before beginning your business, consider returning to school to get an advanced degree in your field of choice. It’s important to be an expert in your industry — and your customers will want to know your background and credentials.”

— riTA TAlAMonTi, founDer of GooD eGG llC

RECORDS: SEPTEMBER


an appropriate expression such as “Warm Regards,” or “Sincerely.” And remember, your signature should have your contact information in-cluding telephone and e-mail address.

Don’t press that “send” button yet! The e-mails you send professionally are a reflection of you and your employer. Always proofread for grammar and spelling er-rors, and check other areas as well, such as the recip-ient’s name and company. Never guess on the spelling — check her company’s web-site to be sure you haven’t

made a common error. Your reader will notice if you mis-spelled the company’s name.

And, of course, never send an e-mail in anger. Sleep on it. Leave it in your drafts and read it over in the morn-ing. E-mails are permanent documents. Even if you think you have deleted them, once they have been sent, they are still retrievable. Though the standards used in the business world are typically more rigid than those used for personal e-mails, some standards are universal: honesty, consideration and respect.

Andrews is an assistant professor in the BusinessDivision at Lewis-Clark StateCollege on the Lewiston campus.

ANDREWSFrom page 6

1. Number of homes on the market as of Sept. 30: 144.2. Number of homes sold in the last six months (April 1

to Sept. 30): 141.3. Average sales price of those homes sold in the last

six months: $189,334.4. Average days on the market in the last six months:

128.

Source: Multiple Listing Service

Sponsored by: Steve Donovan (208) 413-0494

MOSCOW

1. Number of homes on the market as of Oct. 12: 529.2. Number of homes sold in the last six months (April 1

to Sept. 30): 334.3. Average sales price of those homes sold in the last

six months: $176,613.4. Average days on the market in the last six months:

136.

LEWISTON, CLARKSTON AND ASOTIN

HOUSING MARKET UPDATE

INDIVIDUAL BANKRUPTCIESFOR SEPTEMBER 2010, BY COUNTY

0 3 6 9 12 15A — AsotinB — Clearwater

C — GarfieldD — Idaho

E — LatahF — Lewis

G — Nez PerceH — Whitman

ABCDEFGH

18 21

6

4

158

2

1

0

0

Newly licensed businessesANK — SHAWN Wiley, residential contractor, 1519 20th Ave., Lewiston.

DEL FOX CONSTRUCTION — Del Fox, construction, 1416 Warner Ave., Lewiston.

DONNA’S 3D MASSAGE — Donna Hoffman, massage therapy, 3757 Country Club Dr., Lewiston.

J&L AUTO SALES — Lacie Dietrich, auto detailing, window tinting, 1426 Bridge St., Clarkston.

PEACEFUL LIGHT — Alana Bailey, Japanese therapy, 310 21st Ave., Lewiston.

QUICK DRY CARPET Cleaning — Shawn Monahan, carpet, upholstery cleaning, 839 Hawthorne St., Lewiston.

RC PLUMBING — Randy Culdice, plumbing contractor, 3306 15th St., Lewiston.

2500

92kP

-09

2841

56JR

-10

LCHomeSearch.com

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starting a business

Metro

Office workers and other profes-sionals with 9-to-5 jobs often dream of leaving the office behind and pursuing a freelance career of their choice. While many have succeeded at freelance work in the past, many more have failed, dis-covering along the way that perhaps the security and steady paycheck of their office jobs wasn’t so bad after all.

As difficult as it can be to make a freelance career successful, there are ways to make it less like jumping out of a plane with no parachute and more like a calculated move that’s both fulfilling and financially successful.l As the old saying goes, “Don’t quit

your day job.” Perhaps nothing is more important when making the transition to freelance work than keeping a day job. The steady paycheck can help freelanc-ers maintain financial flexibility while providing an income source that can help promote a new career path. Initial-ly, many people have difficulty establish-ing themselves as freelancers. However, maintaining a steady income can make that initial difficulty easier to survive.l Don’t put all your eggs into the

freelance basket. While it’s important for prospective freelancers to devote the time and effort necessary to make their new venture a success, it’s im-portant to maintain balance as well. For example, prospective freelancers often feel they must invest in the latest technology or build a home office. Allow for some success first, then gradually upgrade any old gear or build that home office piecemeal. Use the proceeds from successful freelancing jobs to make these upgrades, just as successful busi-nesses do when investing profits back into their business.l Get online. Perhaps nothing could

be a better friend to a prospective free-lancer than a good website. Potential clients can visit a website with one click of the mouse. The website should look professional, but individuals can decide if the tone will be formal or casual and what their particular website will focus on. Include any relevant work from the past as well as a resume and mission statement to make sure prospective clients get a feel for who it is they are

considering hiring.l Don’t get obsessed with rates.

While all freelancers have an idea in mind of what their work is worth, beginners should value experience over financial gain. Though not all jobs are worth taking, beginners must realize that a freelancer’s success relies heavi-ly on word of mouth and the size of their portfolio. Initially, it helps to dwell less on the money and more on the value of gaining that necessary experience.l Look into a new telephone plan.

These days, it’s not a given that every household has a land line. However, freelancers should use a land line as their primary contact number for pro-spective clients. Land line calls rarely get dropped, which can occasionally happen when speaking on a cellular phone, and clients might be turned off when interviewing someone whose phone keeps dying. When signing up for a land line, purchase voice mail service that can be checked via a cell phone to ensure any urgent calls can be retrieved instantly or while away from home.l Monitor social media. Recent

reports suggested nearly 500 million

people are on Facebook. While Face-book was once billed as a tool to stay connected with family and friends, nowadays businesses and freelanc-ers use it to connect with prospective consumers and clients. Be careful when posting any personal information online, as more and more employers are monitoring social networking sites to see what current employees and even new applicants are up to. Social media should be used to a freelancer’s advan-tage, not to his or her detriment.l Stay patient. Even the most suc-

cessful freelancers can go long stretch-es of time without working. While that might seem heavenly to the average professional, it can be grueling to a freelancer. Remember to stay patient because work rarely comes flooding in for freelancers, regardless of their experience.

That patience should also be extend-ed to clients. Every successful freelanc-er no doubt has a horror story or two about an especially aggravating client. While it can be tempting to simply walk away from such a client, the damage done to a freelancer’s reputation when quitting a particular job may prove ir-reversible.l Seek testimonials. Few things can

be more beneficial to freelancers than a good reputation. Whenever a project is finished and the client is satisfied, ask them how the process went. Ask clients to fill out a quick survey that asks them about what they liked and disliked about the process. The former can be used to lure future clients, while the latter will illustrate that a freelancer wants to improve his or her service in any way possible. If clients agree, post positive testimonials on the website to illustrate any successes to future clients.

How to get a freelance career off the groundOffice workers often dream of a successful freelancing career spent working from the nearby coffee shop. However, getting this type of career up and run-

ning is no small feat.Metro Creative Services


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Business Profile Oct 2010

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