Home
Share |

Content about author

January 7, 2013
Drought Update: Dry Conditions Expected to Last at Least Through Winter

LINCOLN, Neb. — Forecasts show little hope of quick improvement: climatologists

LINCOLN, Neb. — The drought that swept across wide areas of the United States in 2012 was historically unusual in speed, intensity and size, and those dry conditions are expected to last at least through this winter, according to climatologists at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Forecasts show little hope of quick improvement, deepening the negative effects on agriculture, water supplies, food prices and wildlife.

“We usually tell people that drought is a slow-moving natural disaster, but this year was more of a flash drought,” Mark Svoboda, a center climatologist and an author of the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, said in late December. “With the sustained, widespread heat waves during the spring and early summer coupled with the lack of rains, the impacts came on in a matter of weeks instead of over several months.”

The result, according to year-end Drought Monitor data: More than 60% of the contiguous 48 states and 50% of the entire country was in severe to extreme drought for significant portions of 2012, Svoboda said.

The first wave of drought impacts has been agricultural: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency says indemnity payments for 2012 were at nearly $8 billion. The winter wheat crop outlook across the Great Plains has been reduced, and ranchers are scrambling to find feed for cattle. Hay prices have risen, likely meaning bigger grocery bills as meat and dairy prices climb in response.

The second wave of impacts is often hydrological, according to Brian Fuchs, also a monitor author and center climatologist.

“In the Southeast and southern Plains, multiple years of drought have resulted in widespread hydrological drought issues with water supply and water quality as well as with declining storage and water tables,” he says. “In areas where the drought has been shorter, such as in the Midwest and Plains, there are some water systems that are already under stress and more impacts related to hydrologic drought will develop as the drought continues.”

July 16, 2012
CLA Designs Unique Conference for ‘Top 100’ Laundry Owners

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Fall event hopes to draw self-service laundry industry’s best

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The Coin Laundry Association (CLA) has put together an event Oct. 11-13 that it hopes will bring together the self-service laundry industry’s most successful people for unmatched educational sessions, networking, exhibits and a unique opportunity to share best practices with their peers.

The Excellence in Laundry Conference is designed specifically for those laundry industry entrepreneurs who want to grow their business and succeed, CLA says. Attendees will rub elbows with some of the most successful laundry industry professionals and learn some of their most coveted secrets to success.

The agenda includes:

  • Robert Spector, author of The Nordstrom Way, will walk attendees through the principles of world-class customer service cultures, such as Amazon.com, Starbucks and Nordstrom. “Everything I do is based on the concept that all business practices should be driven by customer service,” he says. “You have to understand that customer service is provided by all employees. You need to offer consistent, multi-channel customer service and learn to retain your customers by establishing long-term relationships with them.”
  • Alan Beaulieu, president of economic consulting firm ITR Economics, will provide accurate, understandable and actionable economic forecasts to the laundry industry. He will talk about strategies and tactics that should be undertaken now if businesses are to maximize their profit potential for the future.
  • Industry professional Jeffrey Barman will host a roundtable discussion featuring some of the country’s most successful multi-store owners. They’ll share insider secrets to successfully adding multiple laundries, growing from being an owner with two or three stores to owning five, 10, 30 or more stores. Attendees will glean insights into real estate, acquisitions, finance, operations, staffing, accounting and other challenges that are faced by those looking to grow big.

The Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa will play host to the conference. More information about the event is available at coinlaundry.org/conference2012.

July 2, 2012
You Have To Be Hungry for Success

CHICAGO — Create opportunity, then take your shot

CHICAGO — To succeed, you have to be willing to do the things today that others won’t do so you can have the things tomorrow that others won’t have. You see, people don’t fail in life because they aim too high and miss. No, they fail because they aim too low and hit.

Some people suffer from what I call “possibility blindness.” They fail because they refuse to see their dreams, and allow that ugly monster called fear to stand in their way. In life, especially in today’s times, you have to be hungry!

There are few perfect scenarios in which all the cards will line for you. You have to create the opportunity and then take your shot. Life, as in business, can be extremely complicated, but if you can overcome your fear of failure and allow that hunger deep inside of you to explode with tenacity…it can and will happen for you.

I can tell you from experience that the possibilities are endless; there is greatness in everyone. My whole life, people told me I couldn’t do it, that I was “never gonna be nobody.” But I believed in myself and I believed that God made the diamonds for His crowd, not Satan’s bunch!

My advice for you today is to look deep inside and ask yourself these questions:

  • What do I really want in life?
  • Who am I really?
  • What will be my legacy?
  • Have I made a contribution to mankind?
  • Am I happy?
  • Am I where I want to be?

If you answered no or “I don’t know” to any of these questions, it’s time to stand up and live your life like there’s no tomorrow.

Get out of your comfort zone. You only live once, and you’re not getting out of here alive. So, today, right here and now, say this: I believe in me.

Get out there, spread your wings and embrace the challenges. In Spanish, it’s called Si Se Puede: yes, you can, if you believe.

When I published my books and my graphic novel, I told myself that I didn’t want to be just another author—I wanted to be theLatino author. I am proud to share that I was recently honored during the Latino Literacy Now’s 14th Annual International Latino Book Awards for writing the best English-language graphic novel (Mi Barrio).

This is an example that dreams do come true. But you have to be hungry! Are you?