Bartering Keeps Small Oklahoma Businesses Alive In Tough Times - OWASSO, Oklahoma -- The economic recovery appears to be stalling, and new figures out Wednesday show the past three months of new home sales are the worst on record. Unemployment remains near double digits, and job growth in the private sector is slowing. And let's not even talk about Wall Street.
But some area small business owners are showing some Oklahoma ingenuity to get by during the tough times. It's called "business bartering," and the practice is going strong. At Andolini's Pizzeria in Owasso, they make 22 different kinds of specialty pizza. "I just try to make my favorite pizza and hope that it will be someone else's favorite pizza, and I think we kind of hit the mark," said restaurant owner Mike Bausch.
When the economy started its downward spiral, like many small business owners, Mike Bausch looked for ways to save money. He couldn't skimp on ingredients, but could sacrifice on extras: like window washing. That's when John Wyatt stepped in. Wyatt owns a window washing business. "Having your own business, you can't really beat it," said window washer John Wyatt.
His idea helps the pizza restaurant and his window washing business which has slowed down because of the poor economy. "I love to eat," Wyatt said.
So Wyatt and Bausch reached a deal that helps both: bartering pizza, for monthly window washing. "It is the ideal definition of a win-win," said Mike Bausch, owner of Andolini's Pizzeria. "Of course I can't do exchanges with everybody, because I can't barter my mortgage payment or my electric bill, but it does help out," Wyatt said. Wyatt says with small business budgets tight, bartering helps businesses keep up a nice appearance and earns him things his family would ordinarily spend money on. "I've done exchanges for golf clubs, furniture, eye exams," said John Wyatt, "Everybody has something that you may want or need."
Restaurant owner Mike Bausch says bartering makes sense in good economic times or bad. "I haven't paid for an oil change in years at this point," he said. And Wyatt predicts with the economy still struggling, more small business owners may turn to bartering until things get better. "Instead of going under or closing your business down, you might think of this first," said Wyatt. Wyatt says trading window washing for eye exams and contact lenses is probably the most unique barter he's made. But, he's also traded window washing for free family vacations in Branson as well.
Working together helps Brevard businesses cut expenses: Local businesses are getting creative in the ways they cut costs. They say their innovative ideas trim expenses without hurting their products and services, keeping their customers happy. Almost four years ago, Albert Sanders and his wife Ellen, the owner of Palm Bay-based Ichiban Cleaning, sought out fellow cleaning competitors to work together on several of its contracts. Ichiban — Japanese for No. 1 —teams with Fish Window Cleaning, Fox Janitorial, which specializes in floors, and Clean Sweep Carpet Care. It helps, Albert Sanders said, that while all the companies are in the cleaning industry, they don’t have the same specialty. They also don’t share proprietary information. But the move allowed Ichiban Cleaning to offer those services to its customers without having to invest in the equipment it would need to do the work in-house, said Albert Sanders, the company’s chief executive officer and executive vice president. The idea was out of the norm for the competitive commercial cleaning industry, where companies typically don’t like sharing business information, Albert Sanders said. “It was the philosophy of work with your competition instead of fighting against them,” he said. “Why fight when you can all get along and make money?” Said Ellen Sanders: “We took a chance and we built a relationship.”
Modernism’s moment: Inigo Manglano-Ovalle’s gorgeous and unnerving film installation Le Baiser/The Kiss best illustrates modernism’s cold heart. Set in Mies van der Rohe’s famous glass cube Farnsworth House, an architectural commission that ended badly for both client (Dr. Edith Farnsworth) and architect, The Kiss plays with the power dynamics between artist and patron. Running on two back-to-back screens enclosed in a metal and glass box, Manglano-Ovalle’s film follows a uniformed window washer as he carefully squeegees the exterior walls of the house. A sullen-looking young woman stands inside, behind the thick glass, listening to music on headphones. The two protagonists are wholly unavailable to each other, and their class difference is obvious – while he works, she plays.
A fast-growing regional industrial cleaning business has expanded. UK Commercial Cleaning Services, based in Washington, Wearside, has opened a depot in Swindon, Wiltshire, creating 20 jobs. The depot will give the company access to a number of major cities including London, Norwich, Bristol and Cardiff, as well as achieving managing director Tony Earnshaw’s aspirations of opening an operation in the South. He said: “Choosing Swindon as a hub for our operations in the South was an obvious choice because it gives UK Commercial Cleaning easy access to a number of key cities along the M4 corridor, unlocking huge business potential.”
It is the latest success for the company, which rose to national prominence when Duncan Bannatyne made a £100,000 investment on television’s Dragons’ Den. Mr Earnshaw, 26, started the business by buying a window cleaning round for £300 when he was 19, turning it into a company with a turnover of more than £1.5m. Earlier this month, the firm announced it had been been awarded a three-year deal to provide services to 304 Bupa care homes across England, Wales and Scotland.
Also here.
Emmy Awards Nominations: Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries: Dirty Jobs • High Rise Window Washer • Discovery Channel • Produced by Pilgrim Films and Television, Inc. for Discovery Channel, Douglas Glover, Director of Photography, Troy Paff, Camera Operator, Carston Bell, Camera Operator.
Why Vote Bill Lussenheide For United States Congress ? Bill is a longtime self-employed businessman and has been a talk show host on several large California conservative radio stations. He is a Constitutional candidate from California in the 45th district for 2010, running under the AIP banner. Bill Lussenheide used to also own & run Sunshine Window Cleaning in Menifee, California.
There's the famous story of the man who fell out the window of a skyscraper. A workman cleaning a window on a high floor shouted to the man "How are you?" The unfortunate fellow replied, "So far, so good."
£5,000 worth of jewellery stolen: Bedfordshire Police are appealing for witnesses following a burglary in Renhold this week. Between 7am and 5pm on Tuesday (August 24) the thieves smashed a window of a property in Renhold before entering the house and stealing jewellery with an estimated value of £5,000. The jewellery consists of a number of necklaces, bracelets, rings and a watch and is of significant sentimental value. Pc Kevin Howes, investigating the burglary, said: "The burglar or burglars have clearly targeted the jewellery and these items are of considerable sentimental value to the victim. "A man who said he was a window cleaner was seen acting suspiciously in the area and we would urge anyone who has seen anything suspicious or is offered any gold jewellery at a low price to contact us immediately." Anyone with any information is asked to call Bedfordshire Police on 01234 275142, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Summit window cleaner wins award: Tim Satterly, owner of the Fish Window Cleaning franchise in Silverthorne, was recognized as the Micro Market Star Performer at the Fish Window Cleaning convention in St. Louis, Mo., July 29-31. Satterly's franchise led all other like-size franchises in sales performance during 2009.
Final ride for charity cyclist Donald, 75 . . . after 2,000 miles: He's already cycled nearly 2,000 miles for charity and had pledged to give up this year. But 75-year-old Donald Thompson will be completing a final 100-mile cycle ride in one day this weekend. The fundraiser from Colerne will be among dozens of people taking part in an annual ride for the charity Action Medical Research.
Mr Thompson took part in the challenge, which sees riders going from Bath to Kempton Park in Middlesex, for the first time in 1987. Since then he has completed the route annually, raising thousands of pounds for the organisation which funds medical research in the UK. Mr Thompson, who has been a keen cyclist since the 1950s, still uses the same bike he did when he began taking part in the event – and has only needed one change of saddle since. He said he had planned to stand down from the challenge this year but after his window cleaner decided to sign up for Sunday's ride, decided to keep going to provide moral support.
For whatever reason, people in my house like to download the latest Sims add ons or leave their computer downloading titanic files with the internet open whilst they stand outside for half an hour chatting to the bloody window cleaner. This always happens when I am either a) in the middle of a blog post, which then freezes before saving b) just pressing the 'Publish Post' button c) trying to reference an online source for my assignment's bibliography or d) all bloody three.
Cambridge Who's Who: Nardine Bellew, President, Chief Executive Officer of General Safety Services Corporation, has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in business management. With 20 years of professional experience, Ms. Bellew serves as the president and chief executive officer of
General Safety Services Corporation. Specializing in leadership development and business management, she supervises 20 employees, plans and develops strategies, manages administrative functions including finance, marketing and public relations, interacts and follows up with clients, and writes proposals. She is a member of the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Inc., The Associated General Contractors of America, Master Window Cleaners of America and the International Window Cleaning Association.
In 1991, Ms. Bellew completed coursework in Business Management and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts. In 2004, she established
General Safety Services Corporation, a woman-owned window washing company that provides interior and exterior, and high-rise and low-rise window washing services. The company has achieved the State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certifications. They use the newest and safest tools, equipment and techniques in the industry to provide the best service in New England. Ms. Bellew is proud to state that she has successfully increased the company's revenue from $500 to $1.2 million over the years. She attributes her success to her customer service skills, good reputation and work efficiency.
Secrets of the gecko: A Stanford mechanical engineer is using the biology of a gecko's sticky foot to create a robot that climbs. In the same way the small reptile can scale a wall of slick glass, the Stickybot can climb smooth surfaces with feet modeled on the intricate design of gecko toes. Mark Cutkosky, the lead designer of the Stickybot, a professor of mechanical engineering and co-director of the Center for Design Research, has been collaborating with scientists around the nation for the last five years to build climbing robots.
After designing a robot that could conquer rough vertical surfaces such as brick walls and concrete, Cutkosky moved on to smooth surfaces such as glass and metal. He turned to the gecko for ideas. "Unless you use suction cups, which are kind of slow and inefficient, the other solution out there is to use dry adhesion, which is the technique the gecko uses," Cutkosky said.
The toe of a gecko's foot contains hundreds of flap-like ridges called lamellae. On each ridge are millions of hairs called setae, which are 10 times thinner than a human's. Under a microscope, you can see that each hair divides into smaller strands called spatulae, making it look like a bundle of split ends. These split ends are so tiny (a few hundred nanometers) that they interact with the molecules of the climbing surface.
The interaction between the molecules of gecko toe hair and the wall is a molecular attraction called van der Waals force. A gecko can hang and support its whole weight on one toe by placing it on the glass and then pulling it back. It only sticks when you pull in one direction – their toes are a kind of one-way adhesive, Cutkosky said.
"It's very different from Scotch tape or duct tape, where, if you press it on, you then have to peel it off. You can lightly brush a directional adhesive against the surface and then pull in a certain direction, and it sticks itself. But if you pull in a different direction, it comes right off without any effort," he said.
The team's new project involves scaling up the material for humans. A technology called Z-Man, which would allow humans to climb with gecko adhesive, is in the works. Cutkosky and his team are also working on a Stickybot successor: one that turns in the middle of a climb. Because the adhesive only sticks in one direction, turning requires rotating the foot. "The new Stickybot that we're working on right now has rotating ankles, which is also what geckos have," he said. "Next time you see a gecko upside down or walking down a wall head first, look carefully at the back feet, they'll be turned around backward. They have to be; otherwise they'll fall."
The second episode of Shatner's new series investigates a small Texas town where witnesses claim they saw U.S. air-force planes in hot pursuit of UFOs. It's just one the of many fantastical and unbelievable real events or phenomena the show explores in its first season. Others include a highrise window washer in New York who survived a 50-storey fall, boulders seemingly moving of their own accord in Death Valley and two San Francisco sea lions that may have predicted an earthquake.
The original Curious George stories are also kind of meandering. For example, in Curious George Takes a Job, George makes a mess in an Italian kitchen, then gets a job as a window washer, then falls off the building and gets sent to the hospital, where he accidentally inhales some ether and gets stoned, at which point he gets picked up by the man in the yellow hat and makes a movie about his life in Hollywood.
