SHBA – Where Business Works

Thursday, OcTOber 25, 201211:30 am TO 1:00 pm

cOmmuniTy cenTer 501 e. 170Th sT.,

sOuTh hOlland, il

Business Luncheon

program

Lunch: Members, $7 / Non-Members, $10. Reservations requested. Call 596-0065 or RSVP online at www.shba.org

oCtobeR 2012

homeownership opportunities in south holland ... a way for your

employees to live close to their jobs

SponSored by: harris bank

IllInoIS buIldIng blockS pIlot program

pLus

mayor de graff

Mark your ca lendars – Book your reservat ions!Hall of Fame Dinner

Nov. 1, 2012 5 – 8 p.m.Seton Academy Tickets $35.00

Hol iday Par tyDecember 12, 201211:30 – 2:00 p.m.

Glenwoodie Golf Club

The Rotary Club is asking you to donate a slightly used or new coat for our Veterans. Please bring the coat with you to our next SHBA meeting on Oct. 25th. Thank you for your kind gift.

COATS NEEDED!

remarks from

2 South Holland Business AssociationOctober 2012

They use stopwatches at McDonald’s. They know, to the second, how long it should take to make a batch of fries. And they use spreadsheets, too, to whittle the price of each fry down by a hundredth of a cent if they can. They’re big and it matters.

Small businesspeople often act like direct marketers. They pick a number and they obsess over it. In direct mail, of course, it’s the open rate or the conversion rate. For a freelancer or small business person, it might be your bank balance or the growth in weekly sales.

I think for most businesses that want to grow, it’s way too soon to act like a direct marketer and pick a single number to obsess about.

The reason is that these numbers demand that you start tweaking. You can tweak a website or tweak an accounts

payable policy and make numbers go up, which is great, but it’s not going to fun-damentally change your business.

I’d have you obsess about things that are a lot more difficult to measure. Things like the level of joy or relief or gratitude your best customers feel. How much risk your team is willing to take with new product launches. How many people recommended you to a friend today...

What are you tracking? If you track concepts, your con-cepts are going to get better. If you track open rates or clickthrough, then your subject lines are going to get better. Up to you.

Change for the sake of change?

(Above column first appeared in Northwest Indiana Times Business Marketing Column 8/26/12)

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, “Front Lines with Larry Galler” Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com

Guest Columnist Larry Galler

T h i n kabouT iT!

Seth Godin Blog (9-10-12)http://sethgodin.typepad.com

What to obsess over

If you have been reading this column for any length of time you know that I am often advocating that companies and therefore the people within those companies change in order to best serve their customers and stay competitive in an ever-changing world. But I attended a meeting where change was the topic and it was concluded not to change. It was the right decision. Seven people were sitting around a conference table dis-cussing a change, proposed by one member of the production team, in a reporting procedure that had been done in the same way for years. It seemed that each person had an opinion on whether this modification was going to be better in some way than the current method. The meeting dragged on without a consensus opinion when one person asked, “Why exactly are we considering this? What is this change supposed to accomplish?” All of a sudden the discussion changed focus and the answer was… deafening silence! Then, all of a sudden, a number of questions were asked: “Is there a problem with the current reporting method?” “No” “Have the number of errors increased?” “No” “Are customers complaining about something?” “No” “So why are we thinking about changing this?” Again, deafening silence.

It takes planning, thought, and energy to change. It is expen-sive, even if there is no cash outlay, because it often disrupts workflow until the change becomes the normal way of doing things. So a new question was placed in front of those sitting in the meeting, “If there is no reason to change the way we are doing this, will there be some substantial advantage to invest in it? No one could find a reason to do it other than to change for the sake of change – to appear as if there was some forward-moving activity and, once that became apparent, it was quickly decided to keep things working without making any change. The goal isn’t to change just to appear to be making prog-ress, the goal is to improve. If there is no improvement, don’t change just for the sake of change.

February 2011 3The Intercom October 2012

Coming up .....

Mark Your Calendar Now for the SSSBA Fifteenth Annual Meeting and Luncheon

Wednesday, October 17, 201211:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

at theOdyssey Country Club

19110 South Ridgeland AvenueTinley Park, Illinois

For more information, call 708.596.2000, ext. 2568

IMPORTANT NOTICEInvitations have been sent out regarding the Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on Nov. 1st, 2012. There was a typo on the ticket price. TICkETs ARE $35, not $25, per person. We humbly apologize for any inconvenience.

4 South Holland Business AssociationOctober 2012Photos by Larry Burrows, Burrowsphotography.com

Thursday, sepT. 27, 2012The arT of NeTworkiNg

September Luncheon

February 2011 5The Intercom October 2012

Photography byLarry burrowsPhotography byLarry burrowsPhone: 708.308.6583email: Larry@burrowsphotography.comWebsite: www.burrowsphotography.com

Family events, Golf outings, Special events & More!

Phone: 708.308.6583email: Larry@burrowsphotography.comWebsite: www.burrowsphotography.com

Family events, Golf outings, Special events & More!

Blueberry FieldPANCAKE HOUSE AND RESTAURANT

Your Hosts:Patte, Nikki &Christy Haras

Phone (708) 225-1982Fax (708) 225-1246

Mon-Sat 6:00 am - 3:00 pmSunday 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

558 E. 162nd St., So.Holland, IL 60473

Even a sudden downpour couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm at the Doc Ossello Annual Bocce Ball Tournament, September 1, 2012, at Veterans Park. SHBA’s team won second place! The successful team, left to right: Rich Thornton, Kendal Miller, Henry Roy, Donald Grimwood.

AT&T is hosting a series of Don’t Text and Drive Campaigns throughout the State of Il-linois. On September 19th, AT&T’s Homewood Store was well represented by some of the leaders in the Southland area supporting the Don’t Text and Drive movement by pledging the oath and hopefully starting a trend that can save lives. To be a part of this movement please visit ItCanWait.com to take the pledge. Pictured from Left to right are: State Rep. Will Davis; Wendell Mosby, Prairie State College; Senator Elect Napoleon Harris; Executive Director of the South Holland Business Association Blevian Moore; Mayor Hofeld of Homewood; State Rep. Al Riley; Mayor Donaldson of Hazel Crest; Sam Balark, AT&T Dir. Of External Affairs; and Trustee Elliot Johnson of Rich Township. (Photo by Ron Ford.)

Congratulations – SHBA Bocce Team!

‘Don’t Text and Drive’ campaign introduced

6 South Holland Business AssociationOctober 2012

708-895-1600 2045 East 170th St.

South Holland, IL 60473

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CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!! Please visit our website and take advantage of the many wonderful tools. So many new features – and all easy to navigate! One brand new feature is Business University, which offers very informative video clips to help build your business. Each month a new clip is added – it might just be the one which gives you that AH-HA moment! We are looking for Title Sponsors and Feature Sponsors for our Business University feature. By taking advantage of this opportunity your com-pany’s name will be out there reaching more people and your marketing goal will be realized more quickly. For more details or to become a sponsor, please call Blevian at (708) 596-0065.

Prestige Nurses AideBenefits ManagementWindy City Custom CoachNawlins Fish HouseL3EventeursNubiatek, Inc.

Welcome our New Members!

Looking Good MaintenanceDLK Apparel, LLCOne Cupcake at a TimeGood BurgerThe Stuttley GroupHeadlines Barber Shop

South Suburban Creative Arts Center

February 2011 7The Intercom October 2012

(708-596-0065)

ADVERTISE HERE

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FAX (708) 339-6450

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708/333-4444Optometry

833-835 E. 162nd St., South Holland

Since 1942

611 East 170th Street • South Holland, Illinois 60473708.339.6010 • Fax 708.339.6022

Email: linda@abbottprint.net

Phone: (708)215-0095 Fax: (708)913-4012

A local South Holland company serving the community with 20 years of plumbing experience.

Free estimates – 24 hr. emergency service.

Cheryl R. Kirkland, Agency Owner1034 E 162nd Street, South Holland, IL 60473

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IL – South Holland • Elmhurst • Frankfort • WheatonIN – Dyer • Munster • Schererville

Convenient Offices Serving You –

People Who Listen. Products That Deliver.

• Checking & Savings• Cash Management• Faith-Focused Banking• Remote Deposit Capture• Mobile & Online Banking

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42250 SHBA AD_Layout 1 5/17/12 4:58 PM Page 1

PRESORTED STANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSouth Holland, IL

Permit 214

P.O. Box 334South Holland, IL 60473

Attn: BUSINESS OWNER, or

A D v E R T I s E R I N D E x

SHBA members are encouraged to contribute articles to the IntercomIntercom News Deadline: 1st Week of the Month

Send news to: P.O. Box 334, South Holland, IL 60473 (info@shba.org)

s O U T H H O L L A N D B U s I N E s s A s s O C I A T I O N

For information on advertising call 596-0065

- ExECUTIvE COMMITTEE -Donald Grimwood (President) .........Trinity Environmental Systemsokeycha Pettigrew (Vice-President) ................EduFun Play CenterLynn toi Lawson (Secretary) ... Christian Community Health CenterLeonard boos (Treasurer) .................. Illiana Financial Credit Union

blevian Moore ... Executive Director

- BOARD OF DIRECTORs -Alexandra Glumac ......................Business & Career Institute, SSCFelicia Houston ........................... Ingalls Behavioral Health CenterMargaret organ ..............................................................WalgreensLarry Powell .............................................................Insurance ProsRuth Ramirez ....................................................Ramirez Law Officebrian tennis .................................South Suburban Memorials, Inc.Clyde Wells .................................................Haines-Craft Insurancetim Woloszyn .....................................................MB Financial Bank

Michael Abbott... Immediate Past President

• Abbott Printing• Allstate Insurance• Amaysing Home Inspection, Inc.• Arden Courts• Blueberry Field

• Burrows Photography• Business & Career Institute,

South Suburban College• CR Plumbing

• Eye Site• First National Bank• Illiana Financial• Jimmy John’s

• Lagestee-Mulder• Providence Bank• Roeda Signs• Sandrick Law Firm• VanDrunen Heating & A/C

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