Business

April 08, 2004

Office Move

Recently my company relocated from Chelmsford, Mass to Waltham, Mass. While the move was fairly smooth there are some lessons that some companies can learn from it.

• Mark all items before moving them. This way you know who's chair belongs to whom.
• Tape down loose parts, like the cover for the fax machine or the laser printer. (Our fax machine cover came loose in the move and several pieces fell out. We ended up buying a new fax machine.)
• Mark the outside of all boxes. This will help movers identify where the boxes should go in the new location.
• Throw things away. Too many companies move unused furniture and end up throwing them away with a couple of weeks after the move. Keep what you need, and throw out the rest.

These seem simple tips, but I have seen several moves become more challenging because they didn't pay attention to the fundamentals.

April 06, 2004

Walmart Election

Today is an importaint election day in Inglewood as the city gets to vote on a measure that would allow Walmart to build a supercenter in their city.

While I am opposed to some of the business practices of Walmart, I am actually siding with Walmart on this issue. Why? Because the Labor Unions are fighting Walmart on this issue, since Walmart is a non union enterprise.

Over the past few years Unions has caused a negative effect on the economy, here are some notable examples:

• In 1998, UPS Union workers went on strike. This caused a huge disruption for small businesses. Federal Express and the United States Post office were benefactors, but many packages were delayed.
• In 2002, the union representing the west coast receivers went on strike in the late summer, causing delays in Imports, and had some inventory effect on the Christmas Shopping season. (Retailers couldn't offer big discounts due to limited inventories)

February 12, 2004

iTunes Promotion

In New England, many stores still do not carry any of the Pepsi Bottles which have the iTunes game piece. I have yet to find a store that has a bottle with a yellow cap in Concord. Several stores in the Chelmsford area are now distributing the game pieces version of Pepsi.

I have bought three 20fl bottles and have 'won' a free iTunes song on two bottles. The average cost is $1.20. I know I am better off just buying the songs and drinking water. But I wanted to at least feel like I am getting something for nothing.

Walmart still hasn't carried any iTunes game pieces. I suspect that it will be cheaper than Stop & Shop, CVS, and the White Hen.

November 15, 2003

Widmer Brothers

Finally my favorite Wheat Beer is available in Massachusetts! Today I purchased a six pack of Widmer Brothers Wheat Beer at the Stop and Shop Plaza in Framingham.

I took a vacation to Portland, Oregon during the July 4th weekend in 2000. It was during this trip that I discovered Widmer Hefeweizen.

If you never had Wheat Beer, I would highly recommend Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen Wheat Beer. Sam Adam's Summer Ale is almost as good, however its only available for a limited time.

November 07, 2003

Acclaim Technology Close its Doors

After 9 years, Acclaim Technology closed its doors. If you never heard of Acclaim, I found the following text in a project proposal:

Acclaim Technology, Inc. (www.acclaimtech.com) is a leading enterprise information technology solutions provider offering sophisticated end-to-end services and comprehensive Internet infrastructure solutions to leading businesses. With an emphasis on consulting and Professional Services, Acclaim Technology, Inc. has the expertise to help our customers build state of the art information systems. Having major clients such as Network Appliance, State of Alaska, Earthlink Networks and Apple Computer, Acclaim Technology, Inc. is the leading source for technology services solutions.

In the next few days, I'll be putting together a special tribute to my former employer. I have lots of photos and cool videos of the company in its prime.