Adding value to your business

October 19, 2009  |  Marine, Marketing

Shop owners share their secrets for selling, upselling, expanding, and finding and retaining customers. By Shelby Gonzalez Collapsing financial system got you worried? Now is the time to focus on making your marine fabrication business strong. Thriving shop owners from around the country share insig…
Read More
Practicing sustainability in the tent rental industry

October 12, 2009  |  Business, Tents

Tent renters benefit the environment—and their own profitability—when they get the most use possible out of their tents. By Peder Engebretson Hybrid cars, compost piles and recycling bins are signs of the times. But what does sustainability mean in regard to event tents? On the one hand,…
Read More
Making it work with Millennials

October 7, 2009  |  Management

Generation Y is impacting the business world in unprecedented ways. By Amy Orchard Who are the Millennials? If you’ve paid attention to reports in the national media about the emerging generation called ‘Millennials,’ you might also recognize the nametags Generation Y (GenY), Gener…
Read More
Making mass customization personal

October 7, 2009  |  Features, Management

Mass customization helps companies meet customers’ real needs—efficiently. By Janice Kleinschmidt There was a time when a fast-food burger always came with mustard and pickles, whether you liked it or not. A special order flew in the face of the whole fast-food concept. When Burger King …
Read More
Flexible bulk containers provide promising new markets

October 7, 2009  |  Features, Management, Markets

By Jamie Swedberg Manufacturers have struggled in the sluggish economy, and so have suppliers who sell them parts and raw materials. But the bear market has also affected another group: the companies that make and distribute shipping containers—frequently made of fabric. Pallets and drums are …
Read More
Globalized business

October 7, 2009  |  Management

Fostering global business relationships was key to Moto Nohmura’s leadership and Taiyo Kogyo’s success. By Kikuko Tagawa During the IFAI Japan meeting in April 2009, Moto Nohmura, IFAI Japan honorary chair, shared insights about his business experiences in the U.S. IFAI Japan director, K…
Read More
Marketing 101

September 25, 2009  |  Marketing

By Pat Hayes, CPP Reviewing our company’s development and how we originally created a marketing plan started me thinking of the company’s humble beginnings. We started it from scratch; two employees and one customer. The plan seemed to develop as we progressed. As a one man show, you wea…
Read More
Operating leverage: Adapt your technology to new markets

September 1, 2009  |  Business, Features, Management

You’ve got the skills, the equipment, the employees, the opportunity. Go for it. By Carol Brzozowski In good economies, a rising tide lifts all boats, points out business speaker George Hedley. “Even people who weren’t following good business fundamentals were making money,” …
Read More
Moral fibre: Business ethics and the specialty fabrics industry

September 1, 2009  |  Management

By Christopher J. Nolan Most business owners would probably agree that three words—profitable revenue growth—could summarise their corporate objectives, even if expressed more subtly. Understandably, as the storm-ravaged economy, supported by a government lifebelt, traverses further shoa…
Read More