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Manufacturing Celebrating a Great Man and a Distinguished Career Happy Birthday, Jack August 2019 Staffing Transportation Health Care Energy Construction Financial
He’s an Army veteran who served in the National Guard during the Berlin Crisis, and he grew up in Arkansas. After he got into the insurance business in 1961, he was running his own agency just four years later. Over the years, Jack’s clients have had a variety of business needs, so there’s always some new problem for him to work on. As the times have changed, he’s really enjoyed continuing to learn about the insurance business. He loves to be in the middle of the action and has had to come up with solutions to a lot of interesting problems over the course of his career. Jack and I have been married for 44 years and together have three sons and four grandchildren. Through it all, Jack has remained the dearest, sweetest, kindest person. He’s probably got more friends than anybody I’ve ever known. People stay his friends forever because Jack is so loyal and generous with his time. I believe this is part of the reason Jack been so successful in his career. He’s a steady, reliable person. People feel comfortable around him and know they can trust him to do right by them. Many of his clients are more than clients; they’ve become lifelong friends. They’ll go
This month, I want to honor a man who has a long, distinguished career with Risk Services/ Insurica: Jack Ramer. You may recall that we featured Jack in our November 2018 edition of this newsletter. With his birthday coming up in August, I thought it was fitting to properly celebrate a man who has been helping his clients with expert advice since 1961. Bottom line, Jack is a wonderful man. He’s a team player who looks out for the benefit of the business and has handled one of our largest accounts for over 40 years. Everyone who knows him knows he’s a great person and a consummate professional. I could go on and on about what a fine man Jack Ramer is, but I think it’s better if I hand the “pen” to the person who knows him best: his wife, Lee.
golfing or have dinner together regularly. I know insurance can be a tough business, but when you’re someone like Jack — always having fun, always laughing, never having enemies — then it probably makes those tough days that much smoother. I’m thankful to have this opportunity to wish my husband a heartfelt happy birthday and to congratulate him on his many accomplishments. Jack, I’m so proud of you and blessed to have you in my life. Happy Birthday!
–Brad Johnson
President, Risk Services of AR
My husband has been in the risk management and insurance business for almost six decades, and he recently told me that he’s currently in one of the most productive phases of his career. Jack has always loved solving problems. I could see that from the first time we met over 40 years ago.
“People stay his friends forever because Jack is so loyal and generous with his time.”
–Lee Ramer
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Going on a Business Trip? Don’t Make These Data Security Mistakes
A mericans make over 405 million business trips each year, according to statistics from the United States Department of Transportation. On any given day, there are 1.1 million people traveling for business. Most of these people are traveling with their phones, laptop computers, or tablets — sometimes all three! When traveling with your devices, you may worry about your tech getting lost, stolen, or damaged. Very few people realize the security risks of traveling with electronic devices.
This isn’t to suggest that every person working at your hotel is waiting for the opportunity to break into your safe, but it does highlight the glaring security flaw. In that same “Leader’s Edge” interview, Holtzman
described what’s called an evil maid attack: “Figuratively, if a maid in a hotel gets five minutes with your computer, you’re screwed. There isn’t a computer in the world that a good hacker couldn’t crack if they get their hands on it for five minutes with nobody looking.” Five minutes is all it takes to install malware that records your data and passwords and sends it to unsavory parties. Say No to Free Wi-Fi Free Wi-Fi has been called one of the biggest scams in the world. When you connect to free Wi-Fi in an airport, coffee shop, or a hotel, you are giving the software permission to access your device in exchange for internet access. Once you’re connected, that Wi-Fi program also has access to anything you type or view on your device. Many people exploit this by creating a fake Wi-Fi network in public places and collecting people’s data once they connect. One device commonly used to run this scam is called a Pineapple, and it’s totally legal in the United States. Someone could go into a Starbucks, turn on their Pineapples, create a Wi-Fi network called “Starbucks Guest Wi-Fi 2.” Everyone around will see that network and assume it’s another Starbucks Wi-Fi. Those
In the January/February 2019 issue of “Leader’s Edge,” security expert David Holtzman shared a story about how his attempt to keep his data secure while visiting China: “When I went to Beijing this year, I took a second laptop with me. I scrubbed the laptop before I did anything with it. I formatted it, reinstalled the operating system, didn’t put anything personal on it. Everything I needed that was personal I kept on an encrypted hard drive I could plug in when needed. When I got back, I tested the laptop, and it had at least three malware programs that had been installed by somebody at some point while I was in Beijing.” If a data security expert can’t keep his technology safe, what hope is there for everyone else? Even if you aren’t traveling internationally, there are plenty of security risks you face right here in the United States. Here are the two biggest threats to your data security while you’re on the road. Hotel Safes Are Anything But
“Even if you aren’t traveling internationally, there are plenty of security risks you face right here in the United States.”
who connect to this network will have access to the internet, while unknowingly letting everything they type pass through the Pineapple. This includes every work email sent or banking password typed in to access an account. These are two of the most common data security mistakes people make while traveling, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. If you can’t leave your devices at home, never leave them unsupervised, bring a personal hotspot with you, and practice common sense.
Hotel safes are a terrible place to store your valuables, especially your tech. Considering how often guests forget the combo to their room safe, the hotel needs to be able to unlock these safes quickly. All safes have a master key code to unlock them, and about half of the hotel staff know what those codes are. Some safes even have a small hole in the back where a person can insert a paperclip and cause the door to open.
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School’s Back!
As you load up the family for some final summertime adventures, preparing for the upcoming school year is likely one of the last things on your mind. Instead of shopping for school supplies, your main focus might be finding the best place to position your lawn chair around the campfire for optimal marshmallow roasting! But the back-to-school season is coming up, and families need to begin the expensive task of purchasing items for school. According to the National Retail Foundation, back-to-school shopping contributes to 17% of total annual sales. That’s a nearly $76 billion industry that your business could be cashing in on. However, when you only offer a special or sale because of a particular season, you are not tapping into the full capacity of the market. You need to make the offer something people actually want or need, be it chiropractic adjustments for kids carrying too many books or discounts on vehicle services for carpooling families. For example, if you sell and service computers, you must do more than offer 10% off all technology services for the back-to-school season. TAP INTO THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON Have a Laugh!
Provide a sale on installing and updating programs for students or provide a gift with the purchase of a laptop for college students on the go. This makes your offer more appealing to your customer base, which will guarantee you happy and returning customers. There’s also a key demographic in the back-to-school market that often gets forgotten: teachers. Thousands of dedicated teachers across the U.S. have a classroom budget, and some must dip into their bank accounts to keep their classrooms stocked. Offering “thank-you” discounts and sales for teachers will bring more business through your door and help you support your community. Teachers can also serve as a direct marketing tool for your business. Whether it’s via mailers or in-person during open house nights, August is full of teacher-to-parent communication that could include coupons or recommendations to your business. The back-to-school season isn’t just for the big-box stores or retail providers. You can tap into this powerful market and make this last summer stretch a lucrative business season.
Sudoku
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INSIDE This Issue Lee Ramer Joins Brad Johnson to Celebrate Jack Ramer page 1 What Not to Bring on a Business Trip page 2 Get the Most out of BTS Season Sudoku page 3
‘Rookie Mistakes’ page 4
Oops, You Did It Again Mike McHargue Details 5 Critical Mistakes Leaders Make
Let’s face it: We all mess up. Making mistakes is what makes us human but, far too often, we’re embarrassed, ashamed, or too prideful to admit we messed up. This can be especially hard for leaders who are faced with constant pressure to make snap decisions and juggle many different tasks. Instead of shying away frommistakes, author Mike McHargue has collected a series of 25 different stories from business leaders; each leader describes a leadership or management mistake they have made in their role or in previous positions. McHargue has compiled these stories together in “Rookie Mistakes: Advice From Top Executives on 5 Critical Leadership Errors.” In this quick, simple read, McHargue takes theoretical concepts and shows the real-life applications, failures, and lessons that can be derived from the experiences top executives have shared with him. He highlights five big mistakes.
Despite their mistakes, the executives McHargue has written about have fostered strong careers as business leaders and trailblazers. Through their experiences, these CEOs, presidents, managers, and even a judge provide readers with an intimate look at the thinking and humility they possess. McHargue and the leaders then explain and elaborate on the lessons they have learned from these experiences to help up and coming leaders, managers, and business owners avoid making costly errors. McHargue himself doesn’t shy away from learning from his mistakes. He even invites readers to tweet at him about mistakes and omissions he made in the book using the hashtag #RookieMistakesBook! McHargue serves as a principal consultant with Patrick Lencioni’s Table Group. He focuses on bringing organizational health into the workplace and has partnered with leaders across the globe to foster this worldwide movement. He currently lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife and three kids. Learn more about him online at Mike-McHargue.com, and find “Rookie Mistakes: Advice From Top Executives on 5 Critical Leadership Errors” on Amazon.
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Hiring too fast and firing too slow
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Allowing confusion
Failing to give and receive feedback
Failing to connect with your team Running truly awful meetings
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