Columnists

  The manufacturing industry has been built upon innovation. Henry Ford not only invented the Ford automobile; he also invented “lean manufacturing” to reduce waste at his plants. Manufacturing doesn’t have huge profit margins, making manufacturing processes more susceptible to inefficient practices. To increase efficiencies and save money, manufacturing firms have begun embracing cloud computing, especially Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Mint Jutras, an enterprise-computing consulting … [Read more...] about Cloud Apps Changing and Improving the Manufacturing Industry

During this beautiful, hot summer in Flagstaff, it’s hard to think about fall. But when it comes to your flourishing garden, taking a few steps now will keep it that way in the coming months. There are some certain vegetable plants and flowers that do fairly well in the fall and will even start to bloom around then, leaving you with a plentiful fall garden. The change of season does not mean you have to lose the garden you worked so hard to cultivate in the spring. When it comes to gardening … [Read more...] about Extending Your Garden

In dentistry today, our options to replace teeth with implants have expanded greatly since the first implants that were placed 47 years ago. This type of implant, referred to as an endosteal implant, was intended to replace a single tooth, which is the most popular use of implants today. There are multiple types of implant crowns (restorations we place on implants) depending on the situation. Initially on back teeth, all metal restorations are made of gold because of the strength and … [Read more...] about Progress with Teeth Implants

Number One: Boating Bummers Any water activity has obvious risks related to drowning. Add a machine with a motor operated by a human and those risks multiply. The biggest mistakes are made when drinking and boating are combined. When you spend extended periods of time in the sun ingesting alcohol, the results are usually disastrous; collisions, falling out of the boat, getting hit by propellers and drowning. The other common mistake is negligence with the use of life jackets. Children need to … [Read more...] about Six Summer Health Hazards

School’s out, and it is time to plan your escape! While insurance may be the last thing on your mind, we have some tips to help you save money and protect your possessions and your family.   Boats, RVs and Toys! This is the time of the year that we dust off our big toys and head for our favorite vacation locations. We all recognize the need to insure these expensive toys; but you may be interested in knowing some insurance tips. First, most people simply add their boat and RV to … [Read more...] about Your Summer Insurance Check-Up

  Did your mother ever tell you to sit up straight at the dinner table? Well, manners aside, poor posture can easily become a habit, causing neck and back tension. “Our necks and backs hurt, and poor posture is the number one culprit,” says Janice Novak, M.S., author of the book, Posture, Get it Straight! Over time, poor posture may be caused by habits from everyday activities such as sitting in an office chair, driving, standing for long periods of time, watching TV or even sleeping. … [Read more...] about Perfect Posture

In June, the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) launched a new marketing campaign and redesigned website to promote Flagstaff to potential visitors. Utilizing research and focus group input, the CVB designed the new campaign to highlight the seasonality of the destination, evoke emotion, feature a wide variety of activities found in the area and focus on the overall Flagstaff experience. With the new campaign, the CVB staff wanted to capture and translate the “Flagstaff vibe” to … [Read more...] about CVB Launching Website and Marketing Campaign

  What new businesses are coming to town? What new construction is happening? There are always companies looking at Flagstaff as a possible location, but here is what has actually been turned in to the city development office:   REI Sporting Goods will build a new store on half the vacant lot just west of Wildflower Bread Company. The other half of the lot will be Alliance Bank of Arizona, which will move from downtown.   Little America has turned in plans to build an … [Read more...] about Businesses and Development

The widely reported rise in interest rates has many concerned as to impact that will have on the housing market. David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said, “Last week’s comments from the Fed and the resulting sharp increase in Treasury yields sparked fears that rising mortgage rates will damage the housing rebound. Homebuyers have survived rising mortgage rates in the past, often by shifting from fixed rate to adjustable rate loans. In the housing … [Read more...] about Capturing Low Interest Rates

Last month we learned a little about team conflict, its sources and its impacts. This month we’ll cover how to deal with conflict. Let’s get started with a story of a conflicted team with four members: Pat, Dallas, Jamie and Drew. During a team meeting, there was disagreement over a key issue. After everyone expressed initial opinions, Pat stopped talking and just sat there. Dallas said, “Whatever you decide is fine with me.” Jamie started talking louder and louder, talking over anyone who dared … [Read more...] about Successfully Managing Workplace Conflict