tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90106390697799521742024-03-05T03:21:41.817-05:00Asset Management for HealthcareFiscal and Physical Asset Management gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-16950194326130948102016-04-20T09:34:00.001-04:002018-10-13T19:19:39.958-04:00More Uptime for Your Money - The Transition of Brett Chestnut <div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
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“He’s going from a reliability engineer to a financial representative? Yes, I want to talk to him!” I really wanted to hear why. After all, maintaining Hardy Asset Management Consulting has allowed me to expand my business interests. My goal is to add to that not abandon it. Why would an engineer with oversight of eight power plants, who is marked for upward mobility, leave such a bankable reliability engineering career to embrace a financial representative position? I thought, <em>Maybe it’s a physical versus financial asset thing?</em> Well, it bent my world. So, another task went on my publications to-do list; rather, it went into <a data-mce-href="http://taskary.com/" href="http://taskary.com/" style="color: #8c68cb; text-decoration: none;">Taskary,</a> an android app on my phone.</div>
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I spoke with <a data-mce-href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-chestnut-mba-pe-18679431" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-chestnut-mba-pe-18679431" style="color: #8c68cb; text-decoration: none;">Brett Chestnut</a> over the phone January 30, 2016. He graduated from Clemson with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He has an MBA from <img class="left" height="532" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAjZAAAAJDc3OWFjOWY4LTg5OWItNDJiYi1hZDQyLTgwYTM3MWZhZDAxYw.jpg" style="float: left; height: auto; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 30px; max-width: 100%;" width="354" />Mercer University’s Stetson School of Business and Economics. In addition to professional licenses in engineering and project management, he attained a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Series 7 license to trade stock. The somewhat short answer to the question of why leave a career path so closely related to physical asset management: one can like a career, even be passionate about it and committed to it. Then, there is that thing... that one <em>thing</em>... a slow burn beneath whatever is visible. Chestnut allowed that flame to catch an overtake his original career choice of engineering. Even so, it wasn’t an easy or inevitable decision. The idea smoldered in the back of his mind for years.</div>
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When I asked how his love of financial services came to be, he blamed his mother. “She gave me $500 to put in the stock market.” She had no strings attached, no demands other than learn - even if he lost all the money. “I did have some losses. By the time I reached my senior year as an undergraduate, I had gotten pretty good at making money. Eventually, people started asking me what I was doing. I really could not advise them. The only thing I could do was thank God for my mother and freely share what I had done - not what they should do.</div>
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“After graduating, initially, I worked in South Carolina in power distribution. In 2008, I moved to Atlanta, GA with another company. I remained in electrical power transmission, eventually transitioning into an electrical utility cooperative. I worked my way up through the power company, getting more and more exposure. It is very possible to retire from there with this type of career path.</div>
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“The first opportunity to move into the financial world came when I graduated from Mercer with an MBA. I started to get recruited to enter into the commercial banking industry. The timing and circumstances just weren’t right.”</div>
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Chestnut continued his career at the power company. Part of his responsibilities was contract management for his company’s stake in the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear <img class="left" height="298" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAe1AAAAJDgwOTVhODQ4LTNjNGMtNDI1OS1iNmU4LTk2ZmYyYzc0YjNjOA.jpg" style="float: left; height: auto; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 30px; max-width: 100%;" width="298" />Generating Station. His last position placed him as Program Manager of Performance Reliability for eight power plants: five combustion turbine, two combined-cycle, and one hydroelectric. “We dealt with many partners. We did trending and analysis to find the root-causes of outages in order to solve and prevent re-occurrences. Reducing outages helped improve customer service and added money to our bottom line.” </div>
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“And then?” I asked.</div>
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“Little things started adding up.” These little things lifted his dream of a career in financial services from the corner of his heart to actively planning a path. “There was this one particular thing, actually, one of the most important of many little things. I wore this Polo shirt into the grocery store one day. It had the logo of a financial services company. I had gotten it after playing golf with my academic adviser and a friend of his in the industry. The cashier asked me questions about finding someone to help save for her son’s college.</div>
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Shortly after that, “I went into three months of meditation looking for a transition. At the end of that three months, I met the managing director of the company for which I now work. I looked at other companies.” It was a close-up view from <em>outside-in</em> that brought Chestnut to Northwestern Mutual. “The managing director and I had some key interactions before joining. One of them was sitting in a sales team meeting before making the decision to come aboard. I felt that the company had a soul and was very conscientious about its clients. I wanted to be a part of that… a company really helping clients make good decisions.”</div>
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Not that Chestnut needs any affirmation for me. But, as explanations go: to pursue a long held passion for a personal approach to help others have better outcomes with financial assets – I nod,smile, and shut my laptop computer thinking, <em>That’s a very good reason, #motivated</em>. </div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-54657863936669438112016-02-18T23:42:00.001-05:002016-02-18T23:42:07.251-05:00SpaceTEC - A Great Pathway For STEM<div class="article-meta" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54902); font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.42857; margin: 0px 0px 24px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">In the fall of 2015 SpaceTEC®, working with various partners, launched the</span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Schools To Space</em><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;">outreach program to provide primary and secondary educators with tools to use STEM curriculum as a pathway for students to</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #232629; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img class="left" data-loading-tracked="true" height="333" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_400_400/AAEAAQAAAAAAAATJAAAAJDNmMWU1ZGQwLTYxMTctNDg2Mi05MjQ1LWI0NTNiODMxYWE3YQ.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin: 30px 30px 30px 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="320" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">become Nationally Certified Aerospace Technicians®. This program is expanding beyond Aerospace through its Cert<em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TEC</em>® division. Cert<em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TEC</em>® provides nationally recognized certifications into other areas such as Basic Electricity and Electronics, Basic Composites, Space Vehicle Processing, Welding and Cutting and much more. </span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #232629; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The <a href="http://www.spacetec.us/" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">SpaceTEC</a>® National Resource Center for Aerospace Technical Education provides skill-based, nationally recognized professional certifications for the U. S. Aerospace Industry. All SpaceTEC® certifications are performance driven, based on technician competencies valued by industries operating in today’s global economic environment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">SpaceTEC® works with school staff to implement a process that focuses on closing the knowledge and skills gaps necessary to compete for jobs.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.spacetec.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/NRC-Org-Chart_11-12-14.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img class="center" data-loading-tracked="true" height="252" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_800_800/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAYdAAAAJGQ4Y2Y1NWUxLTY3ZjEtNDM3ZC1iNmRiLTUyOGMxNjhkNDkxOA.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin: 30px auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To find out more about SpaceTEC National Resource Center for Aerospace Technical Education <a href="http://www.spacetec.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/NRC-Org-Chart_11-12-14.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">click here</a> to open the pdf. The link shows the organizational and governance chart. Also, visit SpacteTEC here on linkedin by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacetec-certified-aerospace-technician%C2%AE-southeast-" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. Place #spacehardy in your request for more information. </span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-26655911156748900872016-01-24T17:53:00.002-05:002016-01-24T19:09:15.094-05:00Aviation and Aerospace Certifications<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #8c68cb; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #8c68cb; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardy-amc" target="_blank">Hardy AMC</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> has partnered
with </span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cert</span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; padding: 0in;">TEC</span></span></i></em>®</span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> in the area of aviation. </span> </span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cert</span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; padding: 0in;">TEC</span></span></i></em>® (Certifying Technical Employee Competence), a
division of SpaceTEC Partners, Inc, has joined with corporations that are world
leaders in the design, development, and installation of technical training
systems supporting military, industrial, and educational groups. Cert<em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; padding: 0in;">TEC</span></span></i></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> works
in areas that reach beyond aerospace to provide web-based delivery of
technical training and testing in important disciplines derived from the core
skills common to so many technologies: Basic Electricity &
Electronics, Aviation Structures, Aviation Mechanical Assembly, and Basic
Composites. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/certtec-tec-ready-and-performance-certified">Follow this link to find more</a>. Sign into linkedin.</span></span></span></div>
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<br />gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-68366089810440377932016-01-18T12:14:00.003-05:002016-01-18T13:54:10.832-05:00Hardy AMC Opens Aerospace Partnership With SpaceTEC<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardy-amc" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Hardy AMC</a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> has partnered with SpaceTEC® in the area of aerospace. Yes, Hardy AMC now supports the space and aviation industries with regional business development representation in the southeastern United States.</span></div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<img alt="" class="left" data-mce-src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAZRAAAAJGU1NDljNTZkLTc0NzMtNGI4MS04YjE4LTM1Njk3NDlhNjQ5NQ.jpg" height="186" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAZRAAAAJGU1NDljNTZkLTc0NzMtNGI4MS04YjE4LTM1Njk3NDlhNjQ5NQ.jpg" style="float: left; height: auto; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 30px; max-width: 100%;" width="272" /></div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
SpaceTEC® is the National Science Foundation’s National Resource Center that promotes and educates candidates for technical employment. SpaceTEC's certification programs offer performance-based examinations that result in industry-driven nationally recognized credentials that reflect the competencies employers demand. The certification program is offered through a nation-wide consortium of community and technical colleges, universities, business and industry organizations, and government agencies. There are 3 Advanced Concentrations: </div>
<ul style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 35px; padding-right: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Vehicle Processing</li>
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Aerospace Manufacturing</li>
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Composites</li>
</ul>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<img alt="" class="left" data-mce-src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAQWAAAAJGRjZmMxNTY3LWE4MGUtNGE3Yi04YWNhLTYwZDNmZTY2OGQ3MA.jpg" height="79" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAQWAAAAJGRjZmMxNTY3LWE4MGUtNGE3Yi04YWNhLTYwZDNmZTY2OGQ3MA.jpg" style="float: left; height: auto; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 30px; max-width: 100%;" width="180" />Cert<em>TEC</em>® (Certifying Technical Employee Competence), a division of SpaceTEC Partners, Inc, has joined with corporations that are world leaders in the design, development, and installation of technical training systems supporting military, industrial, and educational groups. Cert<em>TEC</em> works in areas that reach beyond aerospace to provide web-based delivery of technical training and testing in important disciplines derived from the core skills common to so many technologies: Basic Electricity & Electronics, Aviation Structures, Aviation Mechanical Assembly, and Basic Composites. </div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<strong>For industry customers needing</strong></div>
<ul style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 35px; padding-right: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Skills enhancement and professional development for existing workers</li>
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Gearing up for demanding operations requiring proven competencies in technical disciplines</li>
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Assisting in identifying career pathways for changing needs in the areas of Aerospace Vehicle Processing, Aerospace Manufacturing, and Composites </li>
</ul>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Click here for </span><a href="http://www.spacetec.us/who-we-are/" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">SpaceTEC</a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">. If you use AeroTek</span><a href="http://www.spacetec.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AeroTEK-SpaceTEC-website.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"> </a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">for staffing, </span><a href="http://www.spacetec.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AeroTEK-SpaceTEC-website.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">click here</a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">.</span></div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<strong>Industry Customers with needs in</strong></div>
<ul style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 35px; padding-right: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Aviation Mechanical Assembly</li>
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Aviation Structures, Basic Electricity and Electronics</li>
<li style="line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px;">Basic Composites</li>
</ul>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Click here for </span><a href="http://www.certtec.com/who-we-are/" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Cert<em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TEC</em></a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> If you use AeroTek</span><a href="http://www.spacetec.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AeroTEK-SpaceTEC-website.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"> </a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">for staffing, download the flyer for details </span><a href="http://www.spacetec.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/AeroTEK-SpaceTEC-website.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">click here</a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">.</span></div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<strong>Veterans looking for certification programs</strong>, click <a data-mce-href="http://www.vet-tec.us/" href="http://www.vet-tec.us/" style="color: #8c68cb; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
<strong>Individuals wanting more information on each program</strong>, can check either site and request information. Please add <em>Hardy AMC</em> to the comments area.<br />
#spacehardy Follow at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardy-amc">https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardy-amc</a></div>
<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
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<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px;">
SpaceTEC, Cert<em>TEC, and </em>Hardy AMC helps the Southeast Get Tec-Ready and Performance Verified </div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-26394291524536010342016-01-08T18:01:00.001-05:002016-01-08T18:09:48.746-05:00Savannah Economic Development Authority Annual Meeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>SAVANNAH GEORGIA OPEN FOR BUSINESS</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://seda.org/home">Checkout why consider bringing your business to the Savannah Area at the link</a></span></div>
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<br />gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com01 Resort Dr, Savannah, GA 31421, USA32.0840368 -81.085047631.6533218 -81.7304946 32.5147518 -80.439600599999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-84054888744433536332015-10-30T12:03:00.003-04:002015-10-30T12:03:32.863-04:00Attorney Raven Willis: Severability and Partnerships, Part 1 of 2<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Attorney Raven Willis’</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/contract-time-bomb-1-severability-clause-raven-willis" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: none;" target="_blank"><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Georgia, serif; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">Contract Time Bombs</span></span></i></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="color: #8c68cb;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></i></span></a><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">caught my attention. They were great free nuggets of advice and very relevant to my current phase. Transitioning to a multi-vertical business is hard work. It’s hard on nearly every level when doing it sort of Richard Branson</span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i>-ish</i></em><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">like</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span><em style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">-</em><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">less the billions. Willis’ Linkedin post on severability provoked a re-evaluation of my thought process. And it prompted me to contact her. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Severability sounds so ominously debilitating, like it may be a term relevant to fighting zombies instead of legal battles. Severability refers to removing a provision from a contract when it becomes known as unenforceable or illegal. The provision is cut but the remaining body of the contract keeps lurching forward. Practically, this means that a particular provision may leave one party with no reason to maintain the business relationship and seek to terminate the contract. However, the other signatory, Party B, may see no reason to terminate the agreement at all. In fact, it may be to its advantage to keep the contract active. Party A can be required to keep paying or providing a service to Party B regardless of the lack of mutually positive economic outcome. Showing bravado in a bold statement like,</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i>There is no longer anything in it for me, so I am not paying</i></em><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif;">, is a non-starter that may get you on the losing end of an expensive legal battle.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Willis quoted the legal case of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Georgia, serif; padding: 0in;">Circle Appliance v. Appliance Warehouse, Inc, (AWI) <a href="http://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/court-of-appeals/1992/a92a0796-0.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #8c68cb;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">http://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/court-of-appeals/1992/a92a0796-0.html</span></span></a></span></span></i></em>. In this case, AWI stopped paying Circle because the non-competition clause was found to be illegal. AWI asserted that the contract was void in its entirety. When sued, AWI won initially. Circle appealed and the judgement was reversed to its favor. One result of the successful appeal would be that AWI ended up funding a competitive base against itself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I placed this precious note in my<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Georgia, serif; padding: 0in;">red flag</span></span></i></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>file, hit the like button on the post, and reached out to Willis. I asked her why she focused on small businesses with her legal posts. Secondly, I asked about other cautions to small business owners. This will be covered in Part 2.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">On why she focused on small business with her Linkedin pulse feeds, Willis stated, “I have a place in my heart for small business owners. My mother’s small business put me through school.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Is that why you went into law?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">She replied that it wasn’t. It was her cut and dry legalistic view that got her into law. “My mother told me that I had a definite sense of right and wrong. There are no gray areas for me. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I wanted to further my education. I really didn’t know what my advanced degree would be. It seemed like MBAs were a dime a dozen. Law school took time but it seemed to fit my best attributes. So, in 2005, while my husband worked on his PhD, I started law school.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What was that like for you?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I worked a full-time job dealing with government contracts. After work, I hurried to my car and headed to law school until about 10:30. Just over a year after I started, I got pregnant.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">O</span></span><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">f course, I interrupted her, “Sorry to interrupt. Please go back a second. So… you were married, had a full-time job, pregnant, and in law school, not getting home until late.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Yes and we were happy, but I wondered how I would get through it. It turned out that the timing was good. Morning sickness was worse at work than it was in school. Things were better by the evening time. I had to compartmentalize my work to get everything done to be present in both places. Also, I had such wonderful classmates. Some classmates were retired and working toward new careers. Others were trying to change careers. There were mothers who already had children and pregnant again.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Willis went on to say that family was a great help. When asked about the most difficult thing she encountered while being pregnant in law school, she replied, “Sitting in a hard surfaced chair was misery. Carrying my donut shaped pillow was more important than carrying books. After I delivered in year two, I sat out a semester. All the people who started with me graduated. That was really hard to have to graduate a semester after them.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">More on Willis in Part 2. In the meantime:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Raven Willis' Blog: </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #8c68cb; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://mylegalhacks.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: none;" target="_blank">mylegalhacks.com</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Read more of Raven Willis' linkedin posts: </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/77163335" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #8c68cb;">https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/77163335</span></a></li>
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<span style="color: #232629; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hangout with me (Al) on G+<a href="https://plus.google.com/107899530814074427521/about" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #8c68cb;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">https://plus.google.com/107899530814074427521/about</span></span></a> </span></span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-34514571512906140462015-10-20T11:39:00.001-04:002015-10-21T19:04:12.284-04:00Supply Cabinets - Another No Cap No-No?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My previous article, <a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2015/06/another-no-cap-no-no-2.html">Another
No-Cap No-No (part 2</a>), uses satire to contrast two similar contracts, a
rental agreement for a vehicle and a rental agreement for supply cabinets. A Supply
Chain Manager or Materials Director is asked to approve a terribly structured contract;
<i>rent a new vehicle for over 30% more than its
purchase price then give it back to the dealer at the end the five-year term</i>. A $36,000 car became a $46,800 vehicle that will be returned to the dealer when the term has ended.
Maintenance contracts, taxes, and other fees are additional
costs. Banks and leasing companies offer
far better options. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM96Ft7gF2ijAaAoRtV4BCRuIq-SUssUKdy1K3rnaPt5TAC-nTLHj-5Yi6xgpQyKFlhB59VNmzfMjG2gIiiiU6lxvn69YFxJxAtyWLLfsdnfxStUUxjhy9JDzh5MntMhhyci0kNNGoWcA4/s1600/No+Cap+No+No+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM96Ft7gF2ijAaAoRtV4BCRuIq-SUssUKdy1K3rnaPt5TAC-nTLHj-5Yi6xgpQyKFlhB59VNmzfMjG2gIiiiU6lxvn69YFxJxAtyWLLfsdnfxStUUxjhy9JDzh5MntMhhyci0kNNGoWcA4/s400/No+Cap+No+No+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rent this $36,000 Dodge Charger for only $46,000</b><br /><b>-Renter Responsible for Maintenance and Taxes<br />-Must Return at the End of Contract<br />-Renew at the End of Term for 3 Years<br />Total Payout = Great Deal, just over $93,600 </b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then, </span><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2015/06/another-no-cap-no-no-2.html" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another
No-Cap No-No 2</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> turns sharply from the vehicle, in that case, a Dodge
Charger, to satirize that straight rental agreements for supply cabinets, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">“So you do have supply cabinets?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It seems that this is one hard case
to crack, despite pointing to the huge expenses incurred even after “hard" negotiations. The longer the term or the more renewals
the deals tend to be worse for the buyer. Vendor supplied cabinet rentals just don’t seem to get the
same scrutiny as comparative equipment acquisitions despite how excruciatingly bad these
contracts tend to be for the buyers. I</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">n fairness, these rental programs appear to make life easy. There is no easy button to hit here. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Presenting other options is viewed as risky, getting unwanted
questions. So, r</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">entals remain a default play at a huge expense.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First, managers tend to focus
on Annual Percentage Rate, APR, instead of markup. Personally, I prefer to view term agreements
simply stated as markup. Markup does
tend to ring of wholesale and retail – the need to create profit. The term also refers to total cost. A low APR does not mean less cost. In contrast, markup shows the dollar amount
that will be paid in rental fees and applicable buy-out in comparison to the
purchase price. In this scenario, less
versus greater cost becomes more obvious. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Second, the purchase price is a
markup. The rental imposes an additional
markup. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> So, to be clear, we are talking the markup on a markup. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Below is one line on a typical highly
discounted supply cabinet proposal. In
this case, there is no buy-out nor will ownership pass to the customer.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1D_2FGGvEY_L5inIHenHy2IDc3G-bAlNyEz3cGqS6gEmdYo6YCFVxqmORSoPTGu37ggu92ehL_HUxzonXWdI9JmX6MizYpXvQZcJDbM7Feu4s7FsV0ocmaoixfuE-A_1mwwxWfI7kKnng/s1600/Markup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1D_2FGGvEY_L5inIHenHy2IDc3G-bAlNyEz3cGqS6gEmdYo6YCFVxqmORSoPTGu37ggu92ehL_HUxzonXWdI9JmX6MizYpXvQZcJDbM7Feu4s7FsV0ocmaoixfuE-A_1mwwxWfI7kKnng/s640/Markup.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A vendor may offer to upgrade
current software and extend the contract at the current monthly fee. The markup actually grows.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxSSIQSSS-oeThPhi6GKqROYOHcpF9ENIr0lhzXGXATGGURutBmyR-6BLcPEiw5gSKcB_mdBr7dcWdtjHyYRbU5N9P-Q2CQQvEN97eYZ-8UezkCoGDK53ZFy-wFtpm9mO8S69Pnee4WsH/s1600/Markup+Software.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxSSIQSSS-oeThPhi6GKqROYOHcpF9ENIr0lhzXGXATGGURutBmyR-6BLcPEiw5gSKcB_mdBr7dcWdtjHyYRbU5N9P-Q2CQQvEN97eYZ-8UezkCoGDK53ZFy-wFtpm9mO8S69Pnee4WsH/s400/Markup+Software.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Granted, the software adds some value to the operational
side and Net Asset Value. How much value
is arguable, but it’s really beside the point of rental cost. Any increase in value that the software adds can
exist despite the acquisition method. Going
back to the example of the car gives a perspective on such value. The Dodge Charger has a software – aided
eight speed transmission. Suppose that
dealer upgrades the software to potentially obtain better gas mileage and
deliver more torque but does not touch the transmission hardware at all. The price: keep the same rental fee for
another three years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Switching back to
an actual supply cabinet rental, that means the buyer will </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">pay $52,800</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
over eight years for a cabinet that </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">cost $25,000 </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. There are situations where the markup runs more than 200% over the sales price, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">$105,000 </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">in
this case </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">for a $25,000 asset.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh the inculcated incorrigibility of this common vendor
business practices:</span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Does that sound like a best practice?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Should rental be the default position?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Does extending the term for a software upgrade summarily justify
continuing such rental agreements?</span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For the last points of a very costly deal, remember, the proposal is for only one
double cabinet. How many cabinets,
double or otherwise, are there is your hospital or IDN? Additionally, compare the markup of the
equipment below which reflects the same markup for supply cabinet rentals. The last system, </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cost Cutting
Supply Management System</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, is meant to help significantly reduce
inventory cost. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdxdII9CN2Yn8P49-aQ2uNO_Gca_YFj-PzWZSjvWG_ewpKyXki751Fz-Wt1HjZ8I9WYy3QDi1WKbJzMhip80kiq-kX9QFAyo3t-8EUNr9T-FA2enzO8R1W56zwBJFjQ42yzD1mXj1KXb2/s1600/Markup+Software+Comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdxdII9CN2Yn8P49-aQ2uNO_Gca_YFj-PzWZSjvWG_ewpKyXki751Fz-Wt1HjZ8I9WYy3QDi1WKbJzMhip80kiq-kX9QFAyo3t-8EUNr9T-FA2enzO8R1W56zwBJFjQ42yzD1mXj1KXb2/s640/Markup+Software+Comparison.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hardy AMC has partnered with <a href="http://www.chg-meridian.us/">CHG-Meridian</a> to apply the
principles of <a href="http://www.chg-meridian.us/healthcare/service-areas.html">Life-Cycle Asset Management and TCO analysis</a> to extract clients
from this quagmire to a money saving position:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reduced total cost of ownership and current markup status</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Passive RFID, for inventory control</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Inventory in one place, with quantity, type, and Net Asset
Value</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Leave a comment with your contact information or email alfordhardy@gmail.com</span></span></li>
</ol>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheofXrM9975YCWq32DjFbosCXKtTAV9QGBrv-k5NK8mq0K7o7ji6UjC1bktqhlcrstXiDr1rcznIPbk2rPMHGVUBjzqk7srP9lnwR38kEH4i7TH8IijRJXHl8UrorfevLOSk8vMWVHRBXn/s1600/Front+Cover+Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheofXrM9975YCWq32DjFbosCXKtTAV9QGBrv-k5NK8mq0K7o7ji6UjC1bktqhlcrstXiDr1rcznIPbk2rPMHGVUBjzqk7srP9lnwR38kEH4i7TH8IijRJXHl8UrorfevLOSk8vMWVHRBXn/s320/Front+Cover+Facebook.jpg" width="226" /></a><br /><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2015/10/supply-cabinets-another-no-cap-no-no.html">Covering Your Assets by Exposing the Butt-Ugly Truth</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2015/10/supply-cabinets-another-no-cap-no-no.html">http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2015/10/supply-cabinets-another-no-cap-no-no.html</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-90602046057164208802015-06-29T23:43:00.001-04:002015-07-19T21:07:10.137-04:00Another No Cap No-No 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy3iRuoDDLXD2zw6Pa7LPKmFycldc4FfukOMqrP3jNQA_PT6lhHjZ4AQjeM6r3Y83NZjQbfc2tgueHyq-IEg9FdGSKtzuOsAw-sE-FORLTh1hRot3j1frVDECdXNcGB_S4Oqqdl_DU0OG/s1600/No+Cap+No+No+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy3iRuoDDLXD2zw6Pa7LPKmFycldc4FfukOMqrP3jNQA_PT6lhHjZ4AQjeM6r3Y83NZjQbfc2tgueHyq-IEg9FdGSKtzuOsAw-sE-FORLTh1hRot3j1frVDECdXNcGB_S4Oqqdl_DU0OG/s640/No+Cap+No+No+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nice
car. Would you let a salesperson rent you this car for over
30% more than its sticker price, only to give it back at the end of
the rental agreement? The cost would be $46,800 for a $36,000 car. </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Or, at
the end of the term, as an incentive to renew, the dealer will offer an upgrade
to the CPU, upgrade the software, and change the
dash. The cost - renew again, adding another $46,800. The total cost would be $93,600 on basically the same $36,000 vehicle, 260% over
both rental terms. </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That'll
never get past pass right? Sure about that? Definitely
sure?</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well...
probably not, unless you have supply cabinets. Oh, you do have
supply cabinets.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-76374558618143555532015-05-05T19:24:00.003-04:002015-10-19T20:06:03.691-04:00Another No-Cap No-No, Part 1<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By
Al Hardy <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the October 22, 2014 blog
post, “Non-Capital Equipment Programs, A pithy pitch flawed by pitfalls”
readers were cautioned on transactions that result in 1) liabilities not
captured in financial reporting 2) the cost of debt for some rental agreements can
be far more than bank borrowing rates or through an equipment finance company.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Two very good conversations
came out of the post. They can be summed
up by two more points. First, keep
promoting a greater understanding of the dog-wagging tail associated with some
non-capital acquisition strategies. Second,
make it clear that adopting a policy of <i>cash only acquisitions </i>for equipment purchases generate
waste in money and time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlBO0t4JVStCr5ePlOI_Vj4xuh3KgISh6UI64walmOe27YWfp7_xxn5mqwubdcNtUzLELsnl2hDJZ9vk70E9LPYcT8QayzDimZuw0t96JBTWDRtYQznnqCzsuXwPJkvNYp0LUprQqXiiu/s1600/No+Cap+No+No.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlBO0t4JVStCr5ePlOI_Vj4xuh3KgISh6UI64walmOe27YWfp7_xxn5mqwubdcNtUzLELsnl2hDJZ9vk70E9LPYcT8QayzDimZuw0t96JBTWDRtYQznnqCzsuXwPJkvNYp0LUprQqXiiu/s640/No+Cap+No+No.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, I will make it clear by
repeating “adopting a policy of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">cash only acquisitions </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">for equipment purchases generate
waste of money and time”… especially if you have it to waste.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s pretty basic on one-hand.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There are technology solutions which are best
not to own. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On the other hand, the
pressure to act often causes someone to act in a way that checks a box.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Physician recruitment and
retention are great examples. What is
the market value of assets sitting idle in operating rooms not generating
revenue because they were purchased with cash to attract a certain physician or
physicians? <i>The
physician wants it. Buy it. Get it
done</i>. Attracting talent does
not default to a cash purchase for an asset.
Instead, consider a strategy that allows acquiring the use of an asset for
a cost fractional to the cash price. Safeguard
the purchase decision point closer to a time in which the physician relationship
is cemented or terminated. There are
methods of doing that without suffering a loss.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We can always resell it. </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hear
that as a reason to pay cash for equipment. Do you resell it? And if you need to resell it so quickly, why
did you pay cash for it? Reassignment or resell can be good options. Unfortunately, those tend to become choices well after the best option is long past. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alhardy">https://www.linkedin.com/in/alhardy</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Comes-Pieces-Terra-Smith-ebook/dp/B015QJ7S36/">Hope Comes in Pieces - New Release</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://twitter.com/AlHardy">Follow On Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-36345744128772951072015-04-29T12:18:00.000-04:002015-04-29T12:18:37.046-04:00New Article Coming Up "Another No-Cap No-No"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOV5ILz9vB72U1PBbUJgGpUPU7GrOzg-lbty7jECEeywl3SgsVuI1DUnX1LZzuqyPVU5nQfFYwKDhvIsrBNMDlSe8k8io5zovBW2srNKbDUktGcUNSTUn8qnfwV8cW2W6PrPWkPRwlj3J/s1600/pith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOV5ILz9vB72U1PBbUJgGpUPU7GrOzg-lbty7jECEeywl3SgsVuI1DUnX1LZzuqyPVU5nQfFYwKDhvIsrBNMDlSe8k8io5zovBW2srNKbDUktGcUNSTUn8qnfwV8cW2W6PrPWkPRwlj3J/s1600/pith.jpg" height="340" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A follow-up to "A Pithy
Pitch Flawed By Pitfalls" will be published April 5, 2015 on Asset
Management for Healthcare. The new
article is titled "Another No-Cap No-No". Your good deal may be a terrible deal, #nocap
#nono. Feel free to read the original at <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141022154422-71159239-a-pithy-pitch-flawed-by-pitfalls</span></span></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-59317471448130674222015-03-19T20:04:00.002-04:002015-03-19T20:04:56.781-04:00DIGITAL AGENDA FOR EUROPE - Want to win €500,000?<h1 class="" id="page-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 15px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
POSTED ON THE DIGITAL AGENDA FOR EUROPE WEBSITE - Click the link to the EU site.</h1>
<h1 class="" id="page-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 15px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/want-win-eu500000-eu-horizon-prizes-reward-researchers-who-break-optical-transmission-barriers">Want to win €500,000? EU Horizon Prizes to reward researchers who break optical transmission barriers or find new ways of radio spectrum sharing</a> </h1>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-77496678525530887692014-12-18T12:05:00.001-05:002014-12-18T12:27:01.672-05:00Part 2, Tracking the Course to Innovation with Zahir Abji<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/12/tracking-course-to-innovation-with.html">Part 1:</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- Introduced Zahir Abji, CEO
and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- Introduced Guard RFID
Solutions Inc. and the markets to which they offer solutions<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- Told of his family’s risky
and dangerous journey from India to Tanzania<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- Transitioned into Zahir’s
work that helped revolutionize global emergency response and logistics, <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="background-color: #fff8f1; color: #454545; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16.3636360168457px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><i>Zahir spoke of his work there with modesty. MDI’s contribution was anything but modest. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Part 2 of 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mobile Data International, MDI, was one of those brilliant
companies that sprung up, did significant work, was bought out, and melted into
another brand.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">MDI gave police and firefighters the ability
to communicate through a mobile computing terminal in their vehicles.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This was a great achievement… unless your rap
sheet was coming over MDI’s mobile terminal.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEUCQ5cxgOwdi-GjTQD1D6pavYZQwdKfWkUR93Tlbf_Lq_cklRVhvR9QMnK-28vSKIaGXrwHYBggvsTZqj9diwlaTQ0RlNIINCY9MSXN7SdtH2WP96gAhBuMTKgk3WLeyKpUh6edfEsgM/s1600/Zahir+Abji+CEO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEUCQ5cxgOwdi-GjTQD1D6pavYZQwdKfWkUR93Tlbf_Lq_cklRVhvR9QMnK-28vSKIaGXrwHYBggvsTZqj9diwlaTQ0RlNIINCY9MSXN7SdtH2WP96gAhBuMTKgk3WLeyKpUh6edfEsgM/s1600/Zahir+Abji+CEO.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px; text-align: start;">Zahir Abji, CEO and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Zahir helped MDI develop mobile
computing used by well-known global logistic companies. He managed design for terminals used in
taxicabs and recommended and developed one of the first handheld terminals capable
of transmitting data, opening the gate for smartphones.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Running operations in Japan,
Europe, Middle East, and Singapore with leading-edge technology, reliability,
six sigma; becoming head of Research and Development and manufacturing for
Motorola Wireless Modems; Chief Operating Officer; President for other
companies providing hardware software, and interfaces with ERP systems; all of
this coupled with market growth; these deep and broad experiences go into the company. The roster of Guard RFID executives and board
members runs with likewise experience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Guard RFID’s customer oriented
global view has generated some significant work to support standards. Zahir
explains, “The customer who has global operations will be uncomfortable in the
absence of a framework of standards.
This is why we are involved in both IEEE and ISO. We helped the IEEE Standards Committee create
the 802.15.4F standard.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4F standard
states: "</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
provide a standard for low cost, ultra low energy consumption, flexible and
highly reliable communication means and air interface protocol for Active RFID
and sensor applications. The air interface should be able to support a wide
range of needs for which Active RFID systems can be useful and enable improved
performance and flexibility for future mass deployments of Active RFID systems
around the world."<i> </i></span></span><a href="http://www.ieee802.org/"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.ieee802.org/</span></span></i></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Guard RFID insured that their physical
layer is included in that standard.
Zahir commented, “Because of the attributes, our physical layer is a part
of that standard. One could say that we
donated that physical layer royalty-free, without any license to the IEEE. We also realize that IEEE is only one of the
vehicles that’s looked at from a standards’ perspective. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“ISO appeared to be much more
known and is respected on the non-healthcare side, especially in industrial
areas, and it decided to adopt the same technology as the IEEE Standard to be
included in the ISO 18000 – 7:2014 standard.
Dalibor Pokrajac, our Executive Vice President of Engineering, was a
driving factor in both cases. Again, royalty
free standards are vital for adoptions and assists customers with global
operations in selecting technology sources. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Guard RFID’s corporate
knowledge, capability, and technology platform has allowed us to make major
contributions because of the manner in which our technology is developed. Healthcare tends to associate 433MHz with infant
abduction. That is within our capability
but we are in manufacturing and Defense as well. We have deployed tens of thousands of tags,
helping customers with return on investment and efficiencies with personnel, materials,
tools, equipment, and finished goods. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“One place we believe we have
an advantage is the power required to broadcast over a specified range.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our tags can be smaller than WiFi because
WiFi takes a comparatively larger battery due to much higher transmission power
required to achieve the same range.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When asked about the
competition of other technologies in comparison to 433MHz Zahir responded, “Beside
lower power requirements, there is a huge difference between UHF lower
frequencies and frequencies above 1GHz.
UHF frequencies are very long wavelengths. Physically that means lower
frequencies have longer range and perform better around large metal
surfaces. UHF has greater penetration.
Frequencies above 1 GHz do not perform this way. It’s just nature. Requirements for longer range, great
performance around metal surfaces, better penetration, and inclusion in both
IEEE and ISO standards, those are Guard RFID strengths.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I asked Zahir to provide some
closing thoughts. He concluded, “There are
reasons that our technology has been adopted by these leading standards
organizations. It shows that Guard RFID’s
technology is superior to many other solutions out there.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-22190907244331607042014-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:002014-12-09T10:55:28.113-05:00Tracking the Course to Innovation with Zahir Abji<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Tracking
the Course to Innovation with Zahir Abji<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Part 1 of 2<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Zahir Abji is the CEO and
Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc., a software and hardware provider
specializing in tracking people and objects using the 433MHz frequency spectrum. Though healthcare, mostly, associates 433MHz
with infant abduction prevention, RFID Guard offers solutions in Manufacturing
and Defense as well. Understanding Zahir’s
path to CEO and Co-Founder is very important to understanding what drives the
company’s deep work in developing international standards and delivering
reliable and quality solutions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwgULI2s4MO927ueLJMikqiGusUIZ0kbydnHJVOBJmSbZzK8uY72zQT-aIDtbxlUe1nYli4GWu6IWeQd2AozzM4Rt0h-2g_z08G2lyo4pwUgb1eZb9HYg7wxr4ederJJqZkNcwUsZEWkQ/s1600/Zahir+Abji+CEO+Guard+RFID+Solutions+Inc+Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwgULI2s4MO927ueLJMikqiGusUIZ0kbydnHJVOBJmSbZzK8uY72zQT-aIDtbxlUe1nYli4GWu6IWeQd2AozzM4Rt0h-2g_z08G2lyo4pwUgb1eZb9HYg7wxr4ederJJqZkNcwUsZEWkQ/s1600/Zahir+Abji+CEO+Guard+RFID+Solutions+Inc+Blog.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px; text-align: start;">Zahir Abji is the CEO and Co-Founder of Guard RFID Solutions Inc</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Zahir was born in
Tanzania. Tanzania is bordered on the
north by Kenya and Uganda, on the south by Mozambique, and to the east by the
Indian Ocean. His grandparents migrated there from India in the early 1900s,
making the 5,100 kilometer (3, 168 miles) journey from Gujarat, India to
Tanzania. “They weren’t sure where they
would end up,” remarked Zahir. Yet, they
struck out anyway on an intrepid search for better opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In those days, automobile ownership
by consumers was rare. Writing a letter
and putting it in the post was the way to communicate. A family member getting on a boat to embark
on this type of venture, minimally, meant loved ones would seldom see or hear
from him or her. In some cases, it meant
never. Nowadays, not hearing from a son
or daughter for more than a day can send some into panic mode to skype friends
or check social media statuses. Imagine
not hearing from someone for months or years.
Britain was building a railroad from Kenya to Uganda. Zahir’s family, tradesmen mostly, struck out
from India to take part in that expansion despite the dangers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They settled in Tanzania where
they built new lives and started businesses.
This includes a restaurant, a bakery, and a factory that made soft
drinks. His family maintained this
entrepreneurial spirit though World War I, World War II, and the political
upheavals that often comes with transitioning from under a colonial power to
independence. That is the persevering background
from which Zahir set off to attend The University of Salford, Greater Manchester,
UK.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">His choice of discipline was
Biomedical Electronics. This took much
study in understanding anatomy, physiology, and the physical and chemical
effects different types of energy have on human anatomy. The course of study landed Zahir his first job
in designing avionic systems for tactical and commercial aircraft. The contrast of medicine versus weapons is
not lost to Zahir. “The availability of
jobs in his area of study was not good at the time in England.” He took the opportunities presented.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">His work with military avionics
placed him in an environment in which design specifications and the manner in
which design was approached had very strict requirements. He was awash in quality and reliability
practice in each phase. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Zahir set his sights on North
America where he joined a Canadian company called MDI (Mobile Data
International). This is where contrast
turned to irony. All of the discipline
and techniques he learned paid off in work that had global implication for medical
and police first responders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Zahir spoke of his work there
with modesty. MDI’s contribution was
anything but modest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Part 2 Coming Soon</span></span></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-71866363286948698952014-11-28T14:39:00.000-05:002015-03-28T16:56:00.427-04:00Part 2, Manufacturing Perspective on Asset Management with Catherine Dacules<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/11/manufacturing-perspective-on-asset.html">In part 1</a>, Catherine Dacules told us about her path to becoming
a CFO and shared her experiences on how Asset Managers can help CFOs in the
manufacturing sector.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In Part 2, Catherine
shares how the CFO role has changed and her next objectives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Catherine Dacules, CFO</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How has
the role of CFO changed over the years</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">? The length of tenure becomes shorter as CFOs
move from permanent postings to interim assignments. This is a predictable
phenomenon given the availability of sophisticated ERP systems and flexible,
cross-functional IT platforms. A good
CFO has its mind focused on a short turnaround period. You can’t possibly be going in and out of the
ICU with the same diagnosis, can you? A
good CFO bridges the gap to enable the company to proceed to the next
performing level. I look at prospective
employers as project assignments – there’s an inception and mutually-set goals
culminating upon reaching the desired results.
It’s not an all-seasons engagement for me. That’s why I go for client companies who
really need help. It could be in any
aspect of their financial management, as long as the company is open to the
idea of a properly executed turnaround, close to 50% of my job is already
considered done. Based on my experience,
the company who admitted to needing real help, benefited the most in the
shortest possible time with the turnaround procedures that I instituted for
their financial management system.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do
you see it changing in the future?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I seriously believe that the CFO status is
pivotal for any finance professional like me.
It is equated to the collective trust that one has gathered from past
employers – whether they get to realize it on time or not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Second to a bailout, having a good CFO is the next best or
worst thing that could happen to you as an owner. We can paint the picture that you want to see
hanging on your wall. Or, you can’t paint the picture as it subject exists. You
either lose the company (including the CFO) and pocket a handsome profit or
keep it (including the CFO) with just enough to get by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So it’s no surprise that most CFOs fall out of the corporate
finance wagon to build their own. With a
good grasp of their numbers, most finance professionals team with maverick
sales & marketing people to transform their visions into reality. Nowadays there is a current market glut for
full-time CFOs, especially in the manufacturing industry. From the corporate finance industry comes the
next breed of CEOs – who knows their costs under different scenarios and are
very IT-conscious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Apart
from your current involvement with Kratos Consulting firm based in Calgary,
what other activities keep you busy career-wise?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Well,
as I always say, at some point one learns the trick of the trade. I’m hinting at driving a company from the top
by becoming its CEO. I think that is the natural progression from the CFO
status. Unleashing my entrepreneurial spirit was by far one of the most
challenging if not the riskiest undertaking I have taken so far. But it was timed properly when I came across
a product I believe would truly sell to a larger market across many countries.
So when I had the chance to make a go for it, I did with utmost enthusiasm! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Typical apprehensions were there; however, I
had a reasonable level of confidence that I’m equipped to read market analytics
and its financial impact on my undertaking.
My company Quartz-R-Us is involved in a projected 100,000 liters/day
sustainable spring water distribution with its initial product offering addresses
aging related health issues namely Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Alzheimer’s
Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Atherosclerosis, Diabetes and to some degree
Psoriasis and Ehler-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A large part of our Twitter followers are athletes and sports
nutritionists, so that is worth looking into as well. In 2015, we plan to exhibit at an A4M event
launching QuartzWater as the first anti-aging bottled water in the world. Currently, we have a serious market base in
the US mainland and these are from the healthcare, sports and wellness
industries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-10249404016437379932014-11-21T11:31:00.001-05:002015-03-28T16:55:07.992-04:00Manufacturing Perspective on Asset Management with Catherine Dacules<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Catherine Dacules is an experienced CFO Because of her experience in different
vertical markets, I sought out her perspective on Asset Management in the areas
of manufacturing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Part 1 of 2</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Can you tell us something about your path to becoming a CFO?</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have simply assumed that I was a CFO in training since I was 19.
It all started with an assumption that if I evaluate each case study from
an owner’s perspective, then I will see the whole picture and better learn
everything there is to learn in a short time. </span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was my dedication to the management accounting practice that
primed me to the CFO path. Coincidentally, that’s the branch of accounting that
really kept my interest going for years on end. I have had my share of
interesting and risky assignments. Fraud detection, management, and prevention
were common to all of them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Catherine Dacules, CPA, CFO </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I would say, having a good pulse and intuition about which part of
the operations went awry jumpstarts my assignment in a very positive way. It
shortens turnaround time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Was it something that you have always aspired to become?</b> Not
really. The dream that I had nurtured up to the point, where I decided to take
up accountancy instead, was to become a child psychiatrist. Because of
this previous path, I approached the accountancy degree with a high level of
objectivity, looking at it as more of a technical undertaking than anything
else. In so doing, I kept my focus.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>In what industries have you worked?</b> The bulk of my experience is
credited to my exposure in manufacturing companies with various industries,
from garments to cosmetics, oil & gas, shipbuilding, logistics, and
construction. My loyalty lies with my company’s growth and not to any
single industry.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Have you worked with life-cycle asset managers? </b>Typically
this function is assumed by project managers. In that respect I have worked
with a lot of them in various projects in various industries.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Can you share any of your experiences?</b> During pricing
decision-making or review, lifecycle cost considerations are hugely discussed
and deliberated typically during brainstorming sessions. It was more of a
creative process than a structured, scientifically proven method. Before the
advent of ERP systems, getting anywhere near a proper lifecycle product cost
review would have been next to impossible. And while a sophisticated way of
monitoring costs throughout the manufacturing process is offered by major ERP
systems, it’s a different scenario once the product is out in the market
especially in the FMCG industry like food and beverage. In contrast,
lifecycle product monitoring is almost mandatory if not the norm for most big
ticket project executions in the construction and oil and gas industries. On
hindsight, it’s no accident that SAP was first created to serve the energy
industry. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Ideas on how our work affects the balance sheet. </b>The balance sheet
just like any other financial statement is only a snapshot, a glimpse in time,
an image that reflects a single day out of 365 days of collective management
success and failures. And while the age-old belief of keeping costs to a
minimum gives most top management a certain level of control and assurance, the
same belief will hinder the organic growth of the enterprise. Fear of costs is
tantamount to fearing growth. Cost and growth are inseparable in a healthy and
growing business. Since lifecycle asset management is more of a risk management
approach, a large part of that activity – specifically R&D and aftermarket
service or maintenance, is not capitalized and thus charged to period costs.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In manufacturing, both research and development and aftermarket
costs fail to satisfy the criteria of specific product assignability within the
period being referred to and reported on in the balance sheet. These costs are
not inventoriable because they carry no identified real benefits beyond the
current reporting period and they are not intrinsic to the product during the
manufacturing process (the actual physical transformation and realization of
the finished product) like materials, overhead and labor costs.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">No specific balance sheet account will indicate with close
accuracy whether an instituted lifecycle asset management approach has been
working effectively or not. For example, a dramatic increase in
post-sales service and maintenance does not necessarily mean that the product
is faulty (translated to poor R&D). It may only be an effect of a
seasonal increase in demand for the functions of that product, thus its
breakdown may have resulted to overutilization of performance capacity.
Sometimes an increase in maintenance was a result of a fortuitous
event. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s only during massive recalls (in the automotive and
pharmaceuticals industry, respectively) where significant losses will be booked
and reflected in the balance sheet. While the common perception in this
instance puts the blame on faulty R&D, poor procurement and supply
chain management could equally be as guilty if not more. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ideally, an effective product lifecycle management is best
measured by market surveys in the short term and translated to actual dollar
terms through the increase or decrease of the enterprise’ share market prices
over a</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">
considerable period of time. Or it could all happen overnight. And that’s th</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">e tricky part.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-2-manufacturing-perspective-on_28.html">Read Part 2</a> or click here, </span></span><span style="font-size: 17.7777786254883px;">http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-2-manufacturing-perspective-on_28.html</span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-2091555737078004702014-10-28T16:35:00.001-04:002014-10-28T23:20:23.232-04:00Emory Press Conference “Press * 1"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">Emory
University Hospital and Amber Vinson held a press conference today, Oct 28,
2014.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;">My intentions
were to listen and learn about her experience with Ebola, how press conferences
were handled, maybe FB and tweet a little, you know - enter cautiously. This
was high-level.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;">I set in a
hotel lobby and dialed into the conference.</span></span><span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">I informed the host that I
would not be asking questions. He put me on a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">listen
only line</span></span></i></em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;">. I muted the microphone and put on headphones. The
line went silent for a while. Later, the connection clicked. I heard “press *1”. </span></span></span><span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">I did. The conference call went
live. I listened intensely. The connection seemed a little dicey though I was
on 4G, 4 Bars. Slowly, the connection became very clear.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">After Ms Vincent spoke, the
Emory physician took questions from the audience. I considered possible tweets.
Then… I heard an announcement that the next question comes online from Al Hardy
at Asset Management for Healthcare.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px;">Not the best
situation but what are you going to do? Ask a question of course. More on that
later.</span></span></span><span style="color: #4d4f51; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-87713679899324482842014-10-24T22:07:00.001-04:002016-10-11T17:53:31.488-04:00Do Ebola Cases Point to Further Weaknesses?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was through BBC News, May 2014, that I first saw
reports on the current Ebola outbreak. That led me to track the outbreak
through Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, the World Health
Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
One could follow the spread toward population centers and the estimated
deaths. After a lack of media coverage and a lack of a much broader
international response to theirs calls for help, my first social media post of
the Ebola outbreak went up late June 2014.</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 12pt 0in;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, BBC and CDC
websites led me to a list of infectious diseases categorized the same as Ebola.
All had personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements the same as the
initial CDC guidance for Ebola. I wondered if that PPE was sufficient for
anything on the list. Please provide feedback on:</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 12pt 0in;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">- Do you believe
the U.S Ebola cases points to weaknesses with PPE and protocols for all
infectious diseases?</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 12pt 0in;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">- What is your view
on whether we really know how well nurses are protected from hospital acquired
infections?</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 12pt 0in;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I appreciate your
response.</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-72527295093958001672014-10-22T11:27:00.001-04:002014-10-22T11:45:35.070-04:00Non-Capital Equipment Programs<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A
pithy pitch flawed by pitfalls<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Non-Capital equipment purchases
bundled with supply quotas are a problem.
Finance departments may not know that some of these agreements are
capital leases. Second, the cost of the debt
can be far more than a healthcare facility’s borrowing rate or a lease through a
finance company.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Non-capital equipment programs,
no-cap as they are sometimes called, are equipment purchases or rentals tied to
quotas written into a supply contract. Vendors
offer healthcare customers non-capital programs to help with their own sales
and to fill a need for cash-strapped customers.
Anything from glaucoma removal kits to catheters have been used to get
needed equipment. Just because each
party gets what it wants does not mean that each party wins. In general, there are a couple of different
versions of non-capital programs. One
results in a lease; the other results in a straight rental. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeF079IbSab4_nMgCCIGdiPxioasNsA9lDCFiXhl3ofynp6W-CBv_ZAHdF8-2U4SFpANDGzh2Ib6AjdbwIGHJas4M_iGwAKTz_WK3SF5ui3A7Q5VmVq789i85lvWgtflSPBLHCtMdbWbK/s1600/pith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeF079IbSab4_nMgCCIGdiPxioasNsA9lDCFiXhl3ofynp6W-CBv_ZAHdF8-2U4SFpANDGzh2Ib6AjdbwIGHJas4M_iGwAKTz_WK3SF5ui3A7Q5VmVq789i85lvWgtflSPBLHCtMdbWbK/s1600/pith.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Vendor marketing may package
the program with branding that appears lightweight and easy to carry; however,
if a finance fee is added to each unit of purchase, and ownership transfers to
the buyer upon meeting a quota, the <i>non-capital purchase</i>
is actually a capital lease. And yes, some
hospitals get audited annually without a finding even though the lease liabilities
aren’t captured in financial reporting. Also,
these types of transactions can circumvent the equipment acquisition processes
as written in the Environment of Care and never get caught in The Joint
Commission surveys.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No findings on an audit, no
findings from The Joint Commission, so, what’s the problem, <i>Al</i>? The problem is…
there are <i>these</i> vendor letters that float from
department to department, looking to be managed by someone. There can be dozens even for 250-500 bed
hospitals. Accounts payable doesn’t want
these letters. The letters are not
invoices. <i>Credit memo</i>
isn’t written in any of the text.
Clinical departments send the letters off to contract managers because
the letters don’t have anything to do with patient care. Contract coordinators call finance and the
circle starts over. The vendors that
send the letters do not expect any action on the part of the buyer. So, people just stop bothering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Those letters are notices of balances
on debts though the vendor is not requesting money. The letters are a reminder that those debts
have a bite when the buyer just stops bothering. Don’t meet the quota over a given period – Accounts
Payable will get an actual invoice. Move
to another vendor before the debt is paid in full – Accounts Payable gets an
invoice. One response I hear often goes
something like this explanation, <i>Oh! When we get one, we don’t
know what it’s for. So, we send the letters
to purchasing. When they figure it out, they blame the account executive and negotiate
out of the bill. We have that sort of market powe</i>r. Just hold that thought for one paragraph and a
double-space.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Asset Ledger Manager may
never know the equipment exits let alone track the capital lease or bring the
equipment onto the asset ledger. Even if
he or she becomes aware, tracking is a pain.
Payments toward the lease fluctuate because the fixed finance charges
are tied to supply orders. Purchasing
Departments order supplies based on demand and demand fluctuates over
time. Monthly finance charges may add up
to $2,500 one month, $1,750 the next, $3,000 the month that follows. Thus,
the statement looks nothing like an amortization schedule. Tracking all those letters for all those
assets can take up most of a person’s time. That
is an added expense. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, let’s go back those pithy negotiation
tactics to get out debt. Normally, with
these types of non-capital programs, the buyer never sees a tax bill. Early terminate and take possession of the
equipment, the tax men cometh, city and county property taxes. Depending on what transfers and the quantity,
the tax men could put a dent in the hospital savings from the negotiations. After the tax men leave, the insurance man
shows up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Recapping the non-capital
program resulting in a capital lease: the lease is not visible because it is
part of a supply contract. Not meeting quotas
for one reason or the other results in a bill for the debt owed on the capital.
It is nearly impossible to accurately project
when the lease will be paid in full.
Negotiating out of early termination result in tax and insurance issues.
<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cost is an issue for both types
of non-capital programs. In both cases,
understanding the payout over the term specific to the equipment is
important. Rental programs tend to be the
far worst proposal. Rental programs take
ownership off the table if the buyer does not lose the asset. Rental programs can still have taxes. Rental programs tend to be easier
to track because there are usually purchase orders and matching invoices. Yet, I have seen rental costs over the term
of a supply agreement equivalent to 145% over the purchase price. Upon renewal, the buyer has basically the
same units plus a few upgrades. Supply agreements containing supply cabinets can have fall into this category.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Non-Capital Purchase programs
can be helpful for getting needed equipment.
Meeting each challenge requires knowing where to look in a supply
contract, how to approach alternative financing , and great understanding of
the asset life-cycle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Want to talk more, contact me
over linkedin, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alhardy">https://www.linkedin.com/in/alhardy</a>
or send an email to gsawriter@gmail.com</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-15334491862386260142014-10-07T10:39:00.001-04:002014-10-07T10:41:44.910-04:00Fibers of Change - Andrey Ostrovsky, MD Part 3 of 3<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/08/fibers-of-change-andrey-ostrovsky-md.html">In
Part 1</a>: Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky (CEO of
<b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand) described Care
Coordination as, “improving the communication between the care team members
with an emphasis on patient cleanliness and insuring that things don’t fall
through the cracks.” This helps keep
people where they want to be - at home. And it reduces admissions into skilled
nursing facilities or hospitals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
considers himself a social entrepreneur. We talked about the definition. Simply put, a social entrepreneur often sees
success as both:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- a
resolution of a “social” issue in a way that benefits the targeted populations<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- the
solution will still render good returns for investors<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/08/fibers-of-change-andrey-ostrovsky-md_25.html">In
Part 2</a>: We followed Dr. Ostrovsky’s extraordinary
path through college, his work at the World Health Organization, the Doris Duke
Foundation, and the reason he became the CEO of <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand. The company became one of the top startups
and was mentioned as such in Time Magazine, April 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Part 3 of 3</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtUkBEuXS4FdBPyq3ta6StecJu_f-h2_R2pqwTMoL9x0R9bM9gUC37U195ezAtiPCQX_8PZ9pxSGgPRU8YNsM6Sryh03OZrNCIVUuZqhE6-1JtHA4r5M4sn6bSPL2De5B-VTA_OPKCzEj/s1600/company+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtUkBEuXS4FdBPyq3ta6StecJu_f-h2_R2pqwTMoL9x0R9bM9gUC37U195ezAtiPCQX_8PZ9pxSGgPRU8YNsM6Sryh03OZrNCIVUuZqhE6-1JtHA4r5M4sn6bSPL2De5B-VTA_OPKCzEj/s1600/company+logo.png" height="327" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
asked Dr. Ostrovsky how he felt about <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand’s
mention in Time Magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It
is a double-edged sword. Sometimes the
really meaningful work isn’t the most sexy work that the media wants to pay
attention to. We happened to be one of
the top startup incubators. GE is one of
our investors. There are all these big
names; so, Time Magazine picked it up. The
article had to do with ObamaCare. There
were a lot of trendy things all referenced in one place. Where I am the most proud is when we are
published by local blogs. Like the fact
that we were picked up by a local blog when Congresswoman Katherine Clark, on
behalf of the state of Massachusetts, awarded us for helping community
nursing. Those are the things I am most
proud of-- that mean something. <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand is going to change the way care is
delivered. <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand
does this by leveraging big data outside the hospital environment with the low
paid workforce currently hired by the industry.
That’s not sexy. Those are not
the thing media cares about but <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand
is going to change the way a low income workforce uses technology to deliver
really high quality work.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“About
your application, what’s your philosophy on outsourcing and crowd sourcing building
an application?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“If
you are going to call yourself a software company you have to own it. You have to control the quality of your
products and services. You have to have
a hustler who sells and learns from the customer. You need the hacker to build. What you are building has to reflect the core
competences of the founders of the company.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Essentially
we concentrate on community organizations philosophically and on a business
case perspective. I think community
organizations are the future of healthcare.
They are our customers: area
agencies on aging, quality improvement organizations, managed care organizations.
<b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand
is expanding. We can work with skilled
nursing facilities that want to create their own care transition program. We
have four area agencies on aging in Massachusetts and one in Kansas City. In New York, we have a managed care
agency. We have two national contracts,
including one with a software company. Everyone
can do or should be doing care transition. The challenge is linking non-clinical people
and the community health worker with the clinical nurse supervisor. Without our technology, the link is
incomplete.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Are
there any parting words on either social entrepreneurs or <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
don’t think becoming a social entrepreneur is for everyone. There are a lot of really talented people who
can bring some lessons to bear. I welcome
them to the new frontier of innovation, community based well-care, and not sick
care. And as far as <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand, the data will speak for itself.”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="http://careathand.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Click Here to Visit </span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; text-indent: 47.9999961853027px;">Care </b><sup style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: 47.9999961853027px;">at</sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; text-indent: 47.9999961853027px;">Hand's Website</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15.5555562973022px; text-indent: 47.9999961853027px;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140825180207-71159239-population-health-and-dr-andrey-ostrovsky">Click Here to Read Population Health and Andrey Ostrovsky</a></span></div>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-19987794994015206682014-09-24T11:18:00.003-04:002014-09-24T11:18:42.510-04:00Served Up <div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">This is unexpected, </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I thought.<i> I came to the Shelter to help cook for the hundred or so people expected that afternoon</i>. Granted, I was shamed into guilt for not acting on good intentions. I stood, gazing toward the far end of that small kitchen. I felt as contrite as a little boy whose mother had baked him sweets despite his slothfulness in doing something for her. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">So, here’s what happened. Weeks before, my wife, Stascia, and I were making arrangements with another family concerning our kids. The other family’s schedule conflicted because they were going to help out at a place called Inner City Night Shelter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">My wife is an educator. She helps people every day by just having a conversation about a personal issue or helping someone attain an educationally related goal. The family to which we spoke helped feed people trying to get their lives back. Me, I give to causes. I write about causes. My articles support those on the ground doing the work. There is a need for those types of things, but I am not on the ground with them. In this sense, I am removed and impersonal to those whom I am ultimately trying to help support. My perch has me away from following the timeless principles of a more personal presence like visiting, serving, and helping to bear a burden. My more “physical presence” efforts were sporadic and far… very far between. So, there I was defenseless against words that really weren’t directed at me or meant to cause conviction. People were just talking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">On Saturday, March 15, 2014, I arrived at <a href="http://icns-sav.com/">Inner City Night Shelter</a>, Arnold St, Savannah, GA. The shelter provides services for men and women. Individuals can spend the night, take a shower, and have a meal. Through transitional services, the shelter provides help into a more stable situation. This includes helping former inmates as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I took a moment to look around the room. The door was about ½ meter behind me to the left. A walk-in refrigerator and a walk-in freezer made the wall directly behind me. White cabinets lined the walls to my front left – doors up top, drawers and doors on the bottom topped by a counter. The counter had a sink in it. A stainless steel table stood in front of me. To my right, there was a gas stove with a hood. Next to the stove was a small sink. About six steps away, on the far wall, was a three-basin stainless steel sink with a commercial dishwasher to the left of it. And there I was, staring at the dishwasher, dumbfounded and undone by what should have been obvious. That is, in this one place, as in many other places, there are many needs. Those needs range from something as simple as putting a sandwich on a plate to something more complex that actually required a philosophically <i>dyed in the wool</i> life-cycle asset manager. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtehC_cVIvVG_bPCFcfbh2CbareWcbjj4kPCexPVziUWAaRa4tgIFmau77aBq86nOqFvyalkKp4kNXiTCqKPSL266JbTPPG43_Kdeq4IA3lhKgSvpbUvzR6Ynla4WE1bK_LlTIxC8iSpc/s1600/Commercial+Washer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtehC_cVIvVG_bPCFcfbh2CbareWcbjj4kPCexPVziUWAaRa4tgIFmau77aBq86nOqFvyalkKp4kNXiTCqKPSL266JbTPPG43_Kdeq4IA3lhKgSvpbUvzR6Ynla4WE1bK_LlTIxC8iSpc/s1600/Commercial+Washer.jpg" height="400" title="Fully Repaired" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.3333339691162px;">Dishwasher All Shiny and Back In Action</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I walked over to do a visual inspection. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The detergent lines were cut.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I figured the device wasn’t working.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The Shelter is not a place to just let something that works go unused. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Someone had probably used the lines to serve another need.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I asked some of the other food preparation team members about it.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">They said it had been broken for some time.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The team introduced themselves and went to work preparing sandwiches and a hot meal.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">They told me to connect with the center’s director, Yvonne Pryor.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The machine would have to wait until we were done preparing food.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Later, Ms Pryor and I spoke about the dishwasher. She had planned to purchase a new one because of the information she received that it was better to buy a new one. We made arrangements for me to come back and troubleshoot the machine. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">A couple of weeks later, Ms Pryor and I looked at the dishwasher again. She helped watch the detergent pumps to see if they were all cycling while I watched the camshaft that controlled the pumps, listened for solenoids, and checked the hot water pressure. I hadn’t been able to find a service manual for the ten to fifteen year old machine. Yet, there was still a certain amount I could tell about its operation. The hot water flowed. The water pumped worked. The camshaft turned. The detergent pumps cycled. The water drained. Granted, without a manual, there was no way of telling if every cycle was correct. But, it did not look like Inner City Night Shelter needed a new one. From previous research, I saw that parts were still available. Only a minor repair was required. What Ms. Pryor needed was an economical, simple, and self-sustaining method that maintained the machine, trained the staff, helped with continuous health department certification, all in a manner that was basically effortless for her to manage. Without going into the detail, that’s what we accomplished.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Writing about causes and helping to support those on the ground in places I cannot be present are still very important. I continue to do them. As they say, the rub is the commitment to take the time to be present where I can. In the hustle of taking care of family, of bridging a strategy to results that generate revenue, of filtering the noise to meet a customer’s needs, of writing, posting and supporting the next blog post, of marketing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Demons-Obenin-Alford-Hardy-ebook/dp/B00LP34J1C/">my novel</a>, of just hustling from one moment to the next in a calm and collected manner… how do you turn good intentions into physical presence at a place that serves others. Those already on the ground need more team members. As in the case of <a href="http://icns-sav.com/">Inner City Night Shelter</a>, it may require physical tasks and your professional know-how.</span></span></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-39701175859045404422014-08-25T13:15:00.001-04:002014-08-25T13:22:52.521-04:00Fibers of Change - Andrey Ostrovsky, MD Part 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px;">Andrey Ostrovsky is a pediatric physician, CEO and co-founder of <b>Care </b></span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.46666717529297px;">at</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Hand, and social entrepreneur. While there is a place, he believes, for healing one patient at a time, he wants to affect entire populations, starting locally, then regionally, across the globe. <a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/08/fibers-of-change-andrey-ostrovsky-md.html"> Read Part 1</a></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/08/fibers-of-change-andrey-ostrovsky-md.html">Begin Part 2 of 3</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr.
Ostrovosky set out on an unusual thread right out of high school. While his “not so tactical grandparents” were
happy that he decided to go through medical school. The seams zigzagged well outside the pattern. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">“What
did you do after high school?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I went
to Boston University for undergraduate.
I took six month off to move to Geneva and work for the World Health
Organization as a data analyst. That was
my first large scale, high-level work experience. There, I started to get a better
understanding of health systems and just systems thinking in general.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“During
my time at the World Health Organization, I helped organize a conference. The memorable from that conference was a
nonprofit called the Health Systems Action Network. Throughout the end of undergrad and into
medical school, I had been an advocate for involving trainees into global
health to help strengthen health systems.”
The program came about from meetings in 2005. “I was invited by the board to run that
organization. I ran that organization
while I was in medical school. My
pathway of early acceptance into medical school allowed me to do that.”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In his third year of medical
school, he went to work with the Doris Duke Foundation. He moved to San Fransico, California to work
on a technology project for the health department in </span></span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">finding correlation between brain volume using MRI
and neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with congenital heart defects</span></span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet, another break, he spent
six months of his senior year working for U.S. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was during the stretch of
time he spent in San Francisco to the time he spent in the U.S. Capitol that <b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand began to take shape. The idea came about when Doctor Ostrovsky’s friend,
Jeffrey Levy, came to understand the challenges of caring for aging parents. It
wasn’t until April 2011, that Andrey’s friend contacted him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “I knew he had ideas and frustrations regarding care for
his parents. He reached out to me as a
physician and someone who had done some technology stuff in the past. He quit his very lucrative job in Silicon Valley. He asked me over. I flew to San Francisco for a full day of brainstorming
and meetings. That was the beginning of
<b>Care </b><sup>at</sup>Hand. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “The
name came from simplicity. We had a vision of something lightweight, something
mobile. We focused on a mobile,
low-skilled workforce. A mobile device
would be carried in these caregivers’ hands, helping them to collect and communicate
important information on patients they encountered in the community.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “How has that changed over the years?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Initially,
we wanted to automate workflow within home care. Typical home Personal Care
Assistance services - we wanted to help with the activities of daily
living. We thought there was a big
opportunity in this community to introduce mobile into that workflow and
workforce. We had a very innovative
scheduling system. We had very simple
design, easy to deploy. It was easy to
use by a workforce that may be technology illiterate. We saved a little money for our customers in
homecare but we did not have the impact
we imagined. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">"We did this for about a
year, year and a half and decided to take a step back. We looked at where our passion was, where our
strengths were. When we looked at the
intersection of the two, we realized that we were definitely on the mark with
the workforce. We are on the mark with
the non-clinical folks. Especially those
that were unaccounted for, the gray workforce that’s not official. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">It doesn’t have a MEDICARE reimbursement code
behind it, a family care giver, a community health giver. So we knew a lot about that workforce . We are experts in that workforce and we are
already experts in care coordination and transitions. We are experts in big data, at least from the
financing side of it. So, what don’t we
fit all this expertise together and focus in on digitizing care coordination. We wanted to make care coordination a smarter
process and in doing so, always emphasizing - how do we leverage the benefit of
the community health worker and at the same time a clinician like a nurse? That is the germ that led us to where our
software application is now. “ </span></div>
</div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-65288580870931222982014-08-04T09:54:00.000-04:002014-08-04T11:05:09.938-04:00Fibers of Change - Andrey Ostrovsky, MD<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The Fiber of Andrey Ostrovsky,
MD Part 1</span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">by Al Hardy</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“When we left Ukraine, I
thought I was on a field trip.” Dr.
Andrey Ostrovsky chuckled. This was the
type of chuckle that only retrospection can bring. The type that emphasizes a few things: first,
it’s really not all that funny; second,
sometimes, life was pretty tough; third, there is still only a partial
understanding of how we made it through.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfY-hGl3-ANoPevKrR6MvVocuTzSydoChxQrI6O2uyyb2A-pvEivhyphenhyphenVXiG1rj0CRJ-heWqX3LAUadNuWHwyqagLUq0s4_SQVVJPYJOBG7JxoCvxIA51o7i77vE5LnQeS0wzvFYVTkfRM5/s1600/Andrey+Ostrovsky+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfY-hGl3-ANoPevKrR6MvVocuTzSydoChxQrI6O2uyyb2A-pvEivhyphenhyphenVXiG1rj0CRJ-heWqX3LAUadNuWHwyqagLUq0s4_SQVVJPYJOBG7JxoCvxIA51o7i77vE5LnQeS0wzvFYVTkfRM5/s1600/Andrey+Ostrovsky+1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky, CEO and Co-Founder of <b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Care </span></b><sup><span style="line-height: 115%;">at</span></sup><span style="line-height: 115%;">Hand</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky is a
pediatric physician, CEO and co-founder of <b>Care </b></span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">at</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Hand, and social entrepreneur. While there is a place, he believes, for
healing one patient at a time, he wants to affect entire populations, starting
locally, then regionally, across the globe.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But what is a social
entrepreneur? For that matter, why does
the designation even matter? We will not
even bother to drift into the deliriously distracting debate as to the value of
social entrepreneurs in capitalistic societies.
A social entrepreneur’s initiatives may be focused on people or problems
that are not seen as prime for investors.
Simply put, a social entrepreneur often sees success as both:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- a resolution of a “social”
issue in a way that benefits the targeted populations<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- the solution will still render
good returns for investors <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Ostrovsky understands the
criticality of patient by patient treks back to health. He even goes to the point of helping patients
understand the interactions with her/his environments. He will get down to the dirty details to
figure out what’s going on within the patient’s ecosystem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Dr. Ostrovsky remarked, “I am not <i>just</i>
concerned about treating asthma in a child.
I want to know about what is setting off the asthma. For example, are there cockroach feces in the
apartment?”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The value of the work at <b>Care</b> </span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">at </span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Hand as a social entrepreneurial
venture may be best understood through Dr. Ostrovsky’s journey to becoming a
physician. Dr. Ostrovsky was born in
Ukraine. Just before the infamy of the Berlin
Wall was transformed into market demand for pieces of collectible relics, Dr.
Ostrovsky’s parents were classified as refugees and fled to the U.S. His father, who ran a construction company, buckled
down into the hard hustle life of a cab driver. His mother left her position of running a
metal refinery to being paid <i>under the table</i>
in a pizza parlor. Imagine this
transition for his parents. Dr.
Ostrovsky was a child and had a child’s perspective. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“When
we left Ukraine, I thought I was on a field trip. Later, we lived in Baltimore City Housing
Projects. I thought it was normal hearing gunshots. I remember going to work
and having to make pizza boxes in the back room. I was awful.
I was terrible because I kept eating pizza.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The family lived in Baltimore City Projects
for three years. That could have been
the perpetual ending of the story. Not everyone
wins the fight to find a way out. Not everyone
wins the fight back to the semblance of a previous life. His parents did. I am sure with great costs and great rewards. Those of us, who have never had to escape
home and permanently settle in a foreign country and call that home… we may
never really be able to appreciate the depth of those losses or gains. I certainly would not want to experience such
a thing just to gain that appreciation.
But, I can surely appreciate those who do live that experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">His parents built new careers. His father owns and manages Network Solutions
of Maryland. His mother is the Vice President
of Technology at Deutsche Bank. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">It is obvious that Dr.
Ostrovsky did not follow in their footsteps - career wise. I asked how that happened.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “You don’t have much choice as an immigrant child. You have to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer,”
he gave a quick laugh. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I asked, “Were you resistant to it?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> “I had no idea. It
is only in retrospect did I come to understand the grooming that was laid out
before me.” He chuckled. My parents were
very supportive and always said they would be proud of me no matter what. I see, though, the subtle suggestions by them…
and the not so subtle suggestions from the not so tactical grandparents. They said.
You will shame us unless you become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. It was never anything I was <i>forced</i> into. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I was
very lucky at the time. When I was about
eight or nine years old, my mom and my then step-father were running one of the
largest Russian restaurants in Baltimore.
It kept them very busy. During my
most formative years, I grew up raising my sister, this small child. I coached basketball for several years. I was good in science in high school. I fell in love with being around kids and <i>voilà, </i>pediatrician.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“But,
when I look at all the privileged kids or the kids that were able to escape
that environment and compare it to all the kids that weren’t able to escape
that environment, why is that? These are
the things that piss me off on a daily basis and why I do what I do.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
Part 2 Coming Soon,</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-64131014364321140422014-08-01T14:56:00.001-04:002014-08-04T11:06:04.430-04:00Coming up on Asset Management for Healthcare: Fiber to Thread to Cloth to Garment<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coming up on Asset Management for Healthcare: The Fibers
of Change, an interview with Dr Andrey Ostrovsky - </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">What makes a change agent from fiber to thread to cloth to garment?</span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The Fibers of Andrey Ostrovsky,
MD Part 1<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLGM8reBn5HP-m8GxyW9HLgMNS_Tzt4jksRZWU_EnHCwRgCOia5B-QwEa95hPp09s9xqNW-_RzXGaEQBY-z9JGyU3p0I5Gk-9Q0Rxzpc8BmYThs0xA11fE1YF5rytc_aiarcwnTxZLrIH/s1600/Andrey+Ostrovsky+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLGM8reBn5HP-m8GxyW9HLgMNS_Tzt4jksRZWU_EnHCwRgCOia5B-QwEa95hPp09s9xqNW-_RzXGaEQBY-z9JGyU3p0I5Gk-9Q0Rxzpc8BmYThs0xA11fE1YF5rytc_aiarcwnTxZLrIH/s1600/Andrey+Ostrovsky+1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrey Ostrovsky, MD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pediatrician</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">CEO and Co-Founder of </span></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Care </span></span></b><sup><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">at</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Hand</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Social Entrepreneur</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Blog Post will go live Monday morning, August 4, 2014 <a href="http://assetmanagementhc.blogspot.com/2014/08/fibers-of-change-andrey-ostrovsky-md.html">Click Here to Read Part 1</a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-81255680046307894072014-07-30T23:02:00.002-04:002014-07-30T23:02:57.928-04:00Someone Noticed<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">WSB-TV, Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta, Georgia interviewed David for his part in helping an unresponsice woman. Yes, David is my son. The report should air tonight on the 11:00 News. We will post a link to the interview when and if it becomes available. Say a prayer for the woman he helped. See the news video intro below.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> David, your family is even more proud of you!</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1lTimZC99C2hjORzG0GJlJBcdFJpEIwdQbv6OjmXi8O_HrZ3WL3Sywa92IgTEYu6Fqrm_sP7BDEFohK8qRtpXpMUg2IDaJRJOgHoWhSXj1QYCL3lSVduJL_yyHL2tdJbwsyuHCRzRzk/s1600/David+Hardy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1lTimZC99C2hjORzG0GJlJBcdFJpEIwdQbv6OjmXi8O_HrZ3WL3Sywa92IgTEYu6Fqrm_sP7BDEFohK8qRtpXpMUg2IDaJRJOgHoWhSXj1QYCL3lSVduJL_yyHL2tdJbwsyuHCRzRzk/s1600/David+Hardy.jpg" height="400" title="http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhardy62" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">David Hardy<br />http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhardy62</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wsbtv" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">#WSBTV</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/pass2drescue" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">#pass2drescue</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">WSB TV News Intro to the story <a href="http://2wsb.tv/1u1Inxq" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 20px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://2wsb.tv/1u1Inxq</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"> </span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010639069779952174.post-7709547025607273462014-07-25T21:51:00.003-04:002014-07-25T21:51:53.566-04:00Clipping 5, 1990 Report to the Senate Committee<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">More background on recurring
issues with the VA system, #NewSameProblem... The infection control issues
provide a well-documented example of how specific problems can persist through
the decades regardless of the leadership.
The clipping below reflects the depth of expertise the General
Accounting Office brought in to address infection control issues in 1990.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVf29iwTWSSfy2qqaaYWszKVVUGTt3f-6ixQ4DzY3ZjElF_qxNzo21dCk4YWWGLuSTBv5KZIy-HTepi6uJ6n7jHndhAXB16JAXJPlzUptxc1rPVon5-PjOD6-cPQr5FhnmDtnzAVFlIVt/s1600/VA+OIG+Report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVf29iwTWSSfy2qqaaYWszKVVUGTt3f-6ixQ4DzY3ZjElF_qxNzo21dCk4YWWGLuSTBv5KZIy-HTepi6uJ6n7jHndhAXB16JAXJPlzUptxc1rPVon5-PjOD6-cPQr5FhnmDtnzAVFlIVt/s1600/VA+OIG+Report.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, US Senate<br />
VA Programs Are Comparable to Nonfederal Programs but Can Be Enhanced, Jan 1990</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There have been at least seven
Secretaries after infection control problems first surfaced in reports. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They were appointed by 4 U.S. Presidents: 2
Democrats, 2 Republicans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Will enterprise-wide technology implementations for every hospital solve the VA's problems with infection control or beneficiary access or other historical risk? In the case of the VA, risk-based
solutions and implementations are a better fit.
Mitigate the greatest risks by deploying more focused solutions across
the VA facilities. Because</span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By the time even one enterprise
level-solution can be engineered and deployed for one facility, several more focused solutions can be deployed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The longer known high-risks are allowed to persists, the greater the danger to beneficiaries, patients, and staff across the entire system. </span></li>
</ul>
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gsawriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503284831382886285noreply@blogger.com0