BUILDING PERFORMANCE PAY INTO A UNION CONTRACT

by HLF Editor on March 22, 2012

By Robert S. Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, Ltd.
One of the biggest criticisms of unions is the concept that they reward the poorest performer while failing to adequately compensate the best performers.  Union contracts typically have a one-size fits all pay scale that applies to everyone in particular classification (ex. every mechanic gets paid the same [...]

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WHY BUSINESS OWNERS ARE LIKE ALCOHOLICS

by HLF Editor on March 22, 2012

By Kelli Hoskins, ActionCOACH MetroNorth
The environment you have created for your business in is one of the largest determining factors in the success of your business.
As a business owner, if you want to change the results you’re getting in your business or in your life, the first thing you should consider doing is changing your [...]

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WHO WANTS TO BE YOU??

March 22, 2012

By Gary Sorenson, CEA, CLCS, PLCS, President, Insurance Brokers of Minnesota
Nine million. That’s how many Americans have their identities stolen each year, estimates the Federal Trade Commission.
Identity Theft a Common Risk
From January 2005 until November 2011, a staggering 543 million personal records were breached, reported the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. The FTC noted that, in half of [...]

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CHANGES TO UNITED STATES PATENT LAW FEES

March 22, 2012

By Michael S. Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices, PLLC
The Federal Government instituted sweeping changes to United States Patent Law this past fall with enactment of the “America Invents Act” (“The Act”).  The ten aspects of The Act which will likely have the biggest impact upon small and startup businesses were listed in the January issue of [...]

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BALANCED – VALUES BASED LEADERSHIP

March 22, 2012

By Robert Sicora, Sicora Consulting, Inc.
Last month I had the opportunity to listen to Harry Kraemmer speak at an event in Chicago prior to me running an Insights session for an organization’s emerging leaders. The organization asked Harry to speak on his book “From Values to Action”.   Harry is a professor at the Kellogg Business [...]

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WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LATELY?

March 22, 2012

By Brian Zarzycki, MP Integrated Solutions
R & B artist Rockwell stated it best in 1984 in his lyrics “I always feel like someone’s watching me.” And it is true – there is always someone on the Internet watching your every click, your every Google search, and then every website you go to – and there’s [...]

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HIGH DRAMA AT THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

January 19, 2012

By Robert S. Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, Ltd.
Are we ever going to elect any adults to Congress?  While there has been much discussion over voter identification laws in many states, maybe it’s time for a minimum intelligence standard for those people we send to Washington.  Idiocy and incompetence seem to be the standard currency of [...]

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BUDGET FOR PROFIT

January 19, 2012

As small business owners, most of us are familiar with the term “Budget.”  According to wiki, a budget is “a list of all planned expenses and revenues  that ‘enables the actual financial operation of the business to be measured against the forecast.’”  Yet where is the reference to “Profit?”  Given the [...]

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WHY ARE MY HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE RATES INCREASING!

January 19, 2012

By Gary Sorenson, CEA, CLCS, PLCS, President, Insurance Brokers of Minnesota
Here are interesting facts from:

Insurance Federation of Minnesota
It May Not Be a Coastal State, but MN is No Stranger to Catastrophe

Severe Weather Reports in Minnesota, January 1—October 25, 2011

Total Severe Weathers Reports in Minnesota  = 552
Tornadoes = 30
Hail Reports = 192
Wind Reports [...]

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ESTATE PLANNING BASICS

January 19, 2012

By Kevin Lanigan, Carlson Estate Planning
There are a number of good reasons to consider putting together an estate plan or recommending estate planning to your friends and family. This is especially important if you live in Minnesota and your assets, including your home, exceed $1 million. That’s when Minnesota’s estate tax kicks in. Fewer people, [...]

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CHANGES TO UNITED STATES PATENT LAW – WIN, LOSE OR DRAW FOR SMALL AND STARTUP BUSINESSES

January 19, 2012

By Michael S. Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices, PLLC
The Federal Government instituted sweeping changes to United States Patent Law this past fall with enactment of the “America Invents Act”.  While many of the substantive changes do not take effect until fall of 2012, it is important to understand the likely consequences, both intended and unintended, of [...]

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A FRESH START: JANUARY 2012

January 19, 2012

By Ted LaFrance, Wright County Economic Development Partnership
Welcome to 2012! 2012 promises to be a great year for the Partnership and our region. As you read in December’s newsletter, the unemployment rates have been decreasing for Wright County. Three new members have joined with the Partnership for 2012 thus far, GREATER MSP has been requesting [...]

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PREVIEW 2011 > 2012

January 19, 2012

By Robert Sicora, Sicora Consulting, Inc.
I wanted to take a moment and get you updated on where things are for Sicora Consulting, Inc (SCI).
We have had numerous exciting opportunities throughout 2011. From those experiences, we are positioned to make even a greater impact in 2012 helping organizations maximize their human potential and receive the greatest [...]

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TAXES……TAXES – WHAT TO KNOW FOR 2012

January 19, 2012

By Roben D. Hunter, JD, CPA, CVA, CFFA, Hunter Advisors, PLLC
Although much of the tax returns look the same as last year, there are a few items that you should be aware of that will affect your 2012 tax planning.  The following tax provisions for individuals have been extended through 2012:

Capital gain tax rate of [...]

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TRADE SECRETS: HOW TO PROTECT YOURS? WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF A NEW HIRE BRINGS SECRETS WITH THEM?

November 23, 2011

By Robert S. Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, Ltd.
You have a key employee who knows all the business secrets of your organization; how do you make sure he doesn’t take them to your competitors and potentially cripple your company?  A key employee from a competitor is looking for a job and you’d like to hire her; [...]

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