Sorry for the two days 0ff from blogging. On Xmas day, the winds were so fierce and the air so cold in western Kansas we never left my in-law’s Internet-absent house. The next day, we did get out of the house – despite still frigid wintery weather – but our trusty Internet Cafe in Dodge City wasn’t WiFi-ready for whatever reason. The truly good news is that during 18 hours of driving, we managed to dodge any major troublesome form of precipitation. It happened all around us but not when we were present – the snow and rain and ice seemed to be just behind us or to the south or north. My stepdaughter’s mom arrived to meet us in Wichita today after digging out of a record snow in Oklahoma City. In Kansas City, which had been snow-free last Wednesday, some of the major streets like Broadway and Main were still remarkably messy (not messy enough to keep us from picking up some take-away bbq from Gates). En route to Des Moines, Iowa was even snowier – and prettier – than when we’d left five days ago. Fortunately our street in Des Moines, which is often the last to be plowed, was snow-packed but navigable. So here we are, feeling lucky that we made it to western Kansas and back during a major midwestern storm without incident. Now we need to make sure our friends, traveling every which way, also fared well.

About a year and a half ago, I got a call from Pheasants Forever trying to talk me (Uplanders Warehouse) into exhibiting at their annual Pheasant Fest show. Dixie and I discussed it and decided to take the leap of faith. 

Having been in marketing for many years, I’m fully aware that tradeshows (or consumer shows in this case) can be very expensive, and the space you rent at the show itself is just the beginning of all your show-related expenses. But, we decided to do it anyway. From a financial perspective, we did just ok at the show – but when you factor in all of the work and preparation time and effort, we didn’t come close to breaking eve. That said, it was a great experience and we met a ton of new people and made some new friends. From every angle besides the financial angle, it was a big success for us

So with that experience, I’m sitting here now scratching my head wondering why I decided to re-up for the next show in Des Moines, IA (Feb. 26-28, 2010). And to make it worse, we signed up for a 20’x30’ booth – substantially bigger than our little 10’x10’ at last year’s show in Madison, WI. So now we’re knee-deep in trying to figure out how to fill our new booth size, and logistics of getting everything to Des Moines and back. I’m starting to panic – there is a lot of work to do, and we’re just now starting to think about it (yes, I’ve always been a huge procrastinator) And I’m sure our earnest preparations won’t start till 2 weeks prior

Given my marketing background, I always obsess on how to make our booth and image look professional – bigger and better than we really are – all on a very tight (small) budget. For the show last year, I spent the couple days before we left for the show hacking together some fixtures (shelves, counters, clothing racks, etc.) out of plywood and 2×4’s. We ended up having a nice little display that hopefully helped us look a little more polished than we really are. We are in fact a small operation – Dixie and I do everything, with occasional help from grandma answering phones.

In any event, if you’re anywhere near Des Moines, definitely plan to come visit us. Our booth number is 501 and we’ll be located near the front entrance to the show floor. Keep an eye out for us and come say “hi” to me and Dixie. We’ll also plan to give away another shotgun this year as well (the one last year in Madison was very popular) – so definitely come sign up for the drawing as well. We’ll also be giving away free ‘i chase tail’ bumper stickers.

 Hopefully we’ll see you there! –JT

Iowa is a place of extremes, and anyone who has lived here will agree that the weather challenges us at both ends of the thermometer. Some summer days, Iowans leave foot prints in hot asphalt and tolerate humidity levels equal to that of a sauna. Winters, however, are brutal in their own way.Wind chills of -20F are infrequent and annoying, but worse yet are the gray skies. Iowans can go literally weeks without a sunny day in winter. Talk about depressing.

Though winter begins on December 21, it came to Iowa early this year. Our first snow fell mid-October, a light dusting that was only a tease; Mother Nature was toying with us. November was unusually mild. Then, on December 8, Iowa was hit with up to 19 inches of snow and across the state a blizzard warning was in effect. Schools and businesses closed for two or more days. When the roads were clear, Iowans got back to business as usual. But not for long.

Mother Nature visited us again – officially –  the week of December 21. All week she treated us to a mixed bag of rain, flooding, freezing rain, snow (lots of it), and 45 mph winds. Yesterday, the sun occasionally peeked through the clouds, but it wasn’t over yet. Around 10 pm the snow began to fall again; it was time for a hot shower and my flannel sheets.

Now, it’s a frigid Sunday morning, with temperatures hovering in the low teens. But Mother Nature, it seems, does have a weak spot for Iowans. This morning, the sky is a bright, vivid blue. The sun is shining and the snow is sparkling. Like diamonds.

The most widely accepted definition of “colic” is uncontrollable crying in babies, especially from the ages of 0-3 months, and often lasting for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week for three weeks or more.

No matter how long the condition lasts, parents know that struggling with a colicky child can be frustrating and exhausting. But there is hope, and it could come from our office.  A recent study divided 50 infants with colic into two groups. The first group received chiropractic spinal adjustments for two weeks; the second group received traditional drug treatment (dimethicone) over the same two weeks.

Results revealed that the chiropractic group improved more than the drug group (less hours spent crying) after the first five days of the study. After day five, the dimethicone group showed little or no reduction in average colic hours per day.

Days 4-7: Hours of crying were reduced by a total of 2.4 hours in the chiropractic adjustment group compared with only one hour in the drug group.

Days 8-11: Hours of crying were reduced by 2.7 total hours in the chiropractic adjustment group, compared with one hour in the drug group.

Even more revealing, five infants in the dimethicone group dropped out before the end of the study, described by their patients as having “worsened” or “much worsened” colic. The authors suggest that if these severe cases had been included in the results, drug intervention would have appeared even less effective than chiropractic for reducing the symptoms of colic.

I have personally adjusted over 5o infants with colic type symptoms in my office over the last 13 years.  We have seen nothing but positive results with these babies.  Remember our nervous system controls every cell, organ, and tissue in the body.  If there is pressure on the nervous system, the body does not have 100% potential to function. If you know new parents that are struggling with an uncomfortable baby tell them to call our office 515-270-2111.  They will thank you for the peace and rest they will get.

Get Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Reference:

Wiberg JMM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N. The short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic: a randomized controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, October 1999: Vol. 22, No. 8, pp517-22.

You are working in the office and suddenely finds that some important officials documents file are not opening , you just need immediate help from a reliable computer repair service centre .

Donot worry at all, Call us today Des Moines Computer repair

For the past two days I’ve been dealing with a nasty virus. Never fear; I’ll keep the details to myself. Today, I am still nauseated and unable to eat, but the 7-Up sure is going down good. But tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I had to send the family out to finish up the shopping, but there is still so much to do.

I’m reminded of a Christmas many years ago when I was in high school. I had strep throat, as did one of my best friends. We missed our family Christmases but we had a great day, tucked in our beds talking on the phone. We made the best of it.

Too bad we tend to put more upon ourselves as we get older. We worry about getting just the right gifts. We go overboard on food. We plan to make each Christmas better than the rest. Then, when something unexpected comes up – like illness – we feel guilty and worry we won’t  to pull off a miracle. Why? Today I’m going to settle in for some TV and forget about it. I’ll either recover in time to celebrate, or I won’t. There’s always next Christmas.

The truly lousy weather forecast has convinced us to leave much earlier tomorrow for western Kansas and to drive straight through, rather than stopping overnight with relatives in Topeka.  Still bracing for some bad weather (ice, freezing rain, snow, blizzard, we’ve heard it all could be a possibility between Des Moines and Dodge City) but we’ve also made a pact that we will STOP if the driving gets too treacherous. D has alerted relatives in Kansas City (three hours into the trip) and Wichita (six hours into the trip) that we may be showing up on their doorstep. (With an Iowa ham and home-made ginger cookies.) Not to worry if I don’t blog for the next few days. My in-laws live in a rural town of 100 people on the Plains – and I’m thinking no wi-fi. They have dial-up internet so that’s a possible option. Merry Xmas to all.

Attention Iowa Cable customers! Mediacom and Sinclair current retrans agreement is set to expire Dec. 31. Today, December 22,2009 Sinclair rejected an extension which will jeopardize the Cable transmition of the Jan. 5 Orange Bowl.

Middletown, N.Y.-based Mediacom has been locked in battle with Sinclair, the broadcast group in suburban Baltimore, for several months. The cable operator asked the FCC to step in earlier this month to prevent Sinclair from pulling two TV stations from its systems. Those stations–KFXA-TV, the central Iowa Fox affiliate, and KGAN-TV, the CBS affil–are the same two cited in the Orange Bowl dispatch. See http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/92174 for Full Article

Switch to Dish Network with Expert Satellite / Authorized Retailer

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Officer-involved-shooting-in-Federal-Way-79735587.html

Des Moines, Iowa, early 20th century; this postcard features seven church spires; Dad was born in Des Moines in 1913

Find sample blogs on a gazillion topics at Alpha Inventions

The Morris Chair

My maternal grandmother graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, some time before 1900; my paternal grandmother was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Oberlin, also before 1900

To help my friend and colleague Queen Jane Approximately decide which of my poems to submit to publications and contests, I am posting  ten of my particular favorites — poems A through J (yes, I had to count off the letters on my fingers). I’d like your comments as we go along and, in particular, when all ten have appeared, your ranking. Which do you like best (10 points)? Least (1 point — I can’t bear the thought of getting Zero points)?

Students: Name as many rhetorical devices used in this poem as you can. Here are a few for free: assonance, metaphor, simile, apostrophe….

Dad (left) and his brothers, around 1940

The Morris Chair

for Dan Campbell, 1913-1985

Once ordinary oak and textile, it
became your incarnation’s residence
of preference, your citadel, in fact; and
since its frame and cast, at first, were hostile
to your contours, something had to give — and
there, the victory was yours; the Morris
never had a prayer.

As sitting folks will do, you made a firm
impression on the worsted cushion. Its
topography was less an object of
erosion than redistribution, and, in
time, the planet was reshaped: a plateau
here, a gully there… a landscape; where
before had been mere serviceable flatness,
there was now a valley sculpted by an
adamance of muscle, bone, and flesh.

After the armistice, you and the Morris were
compatible as are the angled pieces
of a jigsaw puzzle, which is why, when
anybody else might try to sit
upon the thing, that individual
would find it uncongenial — not rigid,
really, or relenting, never that — no,
just tenacious of its silhouette,
true to its architect, and guardian of
your indelible effect.

Successful Farming Executive Editor @JohnRWalter is one of the nation’s leaders in social media. That’s according to the Media Industry News, whose recent list of Top 21 Social Media Superstars includes Walter alongside social media pioneers from Yahoo, People.com and TMZ among others.  The @AdMavericks congratulate @JohnRWalter!!!! Nice company to say the least.

So you didn’t think the agricultural community was wired in?  Guess again.  Proof is in the numbers.  I will be very conservative in the following statement.  If you are less than 35 years old, you are probably involved in some ag social network and if you aren’t, you’re a lurker trying to find a “club” to get into.  And for you ag companies out there sitting on your thumbs waiting to see what your competitors are doing…get on the bus because a growing number of “A” classified prospects are on it already.

“A lot of people in ag seem to think the jury is still out on whether or not farmers are going to embrace social media, reminiscent of the debates I heard about farmers and the Internet,” says Walter. “It’s clear that farmers have figured out how to make the Internet an integral part of their operations. And the farmers who continue to incorporate social media tools into their business mix are the real innovators who will be the future of production ag. That’s the audience we’re reaching with both our print and online media properties,” said Scott Mortimer, Publisher of Successful Farming.

Joining Walter in the Top 21 are media superstars representing outlets like The Knot, Hearst Digital Media, TMZ, Wired.com and BusinessWeek. “These are brands that have shown how social and online media can become a part of people’s daily lives,” said Mortimer. “The work that John has accomplished demonstrates how real and tangible new media can be in the ag sector and how effective it can be in reaching a highly desired demographic of farmers.”

Merry Christmas to just a few of my “Ag Twitter-ers:” @JennBremer, @FarmandDairy, @jeffacaldwell, @Willie1701A, @AgChat, @AndyVance, @CertAngusBeef, @ShorthornToday, @Shortliner, @bfreese, @chrisclaytondtn.

Will social media be on your 2010 New Year’s Resolution list?

Author: Bellana Putz
www.lessingflynn.com
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Age is just a number.

You lose about half of your muscle mass between the ages of 30 and 80. This natural consequence of aging reduces strength, slows metabolism, degrades key body functions such as cardiovascular performance and bone health, and can compromise longevity. What can you do about it – whether you’re 30 or 80 – to make sure you’re as healthy as possible for as long as possible? Stay active.

Not only can physical activity make the difference between becoming decrepit or staying fit and vital, it has now been identified as a major factor contributing directly to how long we can live. For example, Jeremy M. Jacobs, from Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School (Jerusalem, Israel), and colleagues examined the effects of continuing, increasing or decreasing physical activity on levels on survival, function and health status among the very old.

In their study involving 1,861 men and women, 70 to 88 years of age, and lasting for 18 years, the researchers found that elderly men and women who are physically active (four or more hours of physical activity per day) increase their chances of living longer and maintaining functional independence compared to their sedentary peers (less than four hours of physical activity daily). Among active 70-year-olds, the team found that only 15 percent died over the next eight years (pretty good, considering their age), compared to 27 percent of sedentary 70-year-olds. The differences were progressively more pronounced the older people got: Eight-year mortality was 26 percent for active 78-year-olds and 41 percent for sedentary peers; and among 85-year-olds, three-year mortality was roughly 7 percent for active individuals as compared to 24 percent for sedentary counterparts.

Not convinced yet? After all, four hours of physical activity daily may sound like quite a challenge. Well, here are a few other studies that suggest staying consistently active can contribute to a longer, better, healthier life.

Don’t Lose Your Intensity

Another study suggests sedentary elderly men are at a markedly increased risk of dying compared to men who engage in regular physical activity. Peter Kokkinos, from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and colleagues studied 3,041 male veterans (ages 70 to 92), tracking all-cause mortality (death) for more than 20 years. At the start of the study, participants completed a treadmill exercise test, after which each subject was categorized into one of four fitness categories based on peak metabolic equivalent (MET) achieved. (MET is essentially a quantification of the intensity and energy expenditure of physical activities; the higher the MET, the more intense the exercise. If you have a higher peak MET, it generally means you’re capable of performing more intense physical activity than someone with a lower peak MET.)

With 1,251 deaths from all causes reported during the 20-year study period, the researchers adjusted for death caused by age, body mass index, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and medications, and still found that exercise capacity was a strong predictor of risk of death. For every 100 men who died in the very low fitness group, 74 died in the next (more active) group, 54 in the moderately fit group and only 46 in the high fitness group.

And here’s a motivating statistic: Put in other terms, the team determined that for every 2 minutes of exercise completed, mortality rate dropped by 10 percent. “The overall message is that although aging and death are inevitable, the rate for both can be modulated by simply maintaining a physically active lifestyle at any age,” said Dr. Kokkinos. Good advice whether you’re 80, 20 or any age in between.

Stay Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Cities where white-collar incomes have jumped the most in the last four years are not necessarily commercial hot spots.

Payscale, a Seattle-based online provider of employee compensation data, identifies urban areas where college graduates saw the most income growth between 2005 and 2009. The cities are scattered throughout the country and prove that even during a recession, it’s not where you live that matters nearly as much as what you do.

“When the crash comes, and you lay off 75 percent, you tend to keep the higher-paid jobs. So your salary base goes up,” says Cynthia Kroll, economist at the Fisher Center of Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California Berkeley.

“It’s not that highly skilled people don’t also get laid off, but the mix is going to be weighted toward the more experienced, more skilled workers that you’re going to need when growth comes back,” she says.

Here are the 10 cities where Pay scale says incomes rose the most:

• El Paso, Texas
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.
• Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Va.
• Des Moines
• Honolulu
• Boise City, Idaho
• Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa.
• Charlotte
• Phoenix

Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (12/15/2009)

Thanks to everyone who gave me their comment on boring guy. I decided to suck it up and go out with him. Because you’re all right.. maybe he’s just bad on the phone. Maybe if I get him out and in his own element, he’ll be more engaging.

So he’s been asking me out and hinting at going out a few times now. Finally, last Monday, I texted him back and said, “So what does your week look like?”

Him: Have to take my car to my dad’s house and have him look at it.

Me: Okay, cool.

Him: Why? What do you have in mind?

Me: Well my schedule is open this week, so I figured that we could finally meet up. Dinner or something.

Him: Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Me: Uhhh. Okay? You seemed to think it was a good idea the other times you’ve asked me out.

Him: Yeah, I’m probably giving you mixed signals, huh?

Me: Yes, definately.

Him: Well I just don’t feel liek there’s any chemistry there. And honestly, it sounds like you go out and drink way too much for me.

Okay.. seriously, WHAT? I go out 2-3 times a week. And if I drink, its usually 1 or 2 with dinner with a friend (or a date). I don’t go out and get wasted every week. Bah. My guess is that eI kept mentioning hanging out with friends or whatever and he just assumed that I meant going out and getting trashed. Whatever dude. With no friends.

So the search continues!

Other random side note: I am thinking about taking my blog a little more public. The Des Moines Register has an area of blogs that are al written by readers. So… I’m thinking about moving this blog over there as well. (I would probably post the same posts in both places.) Thoughts on this? I would totally expand my reader base but I would also open myself up to a lot of criticism, too. Let’s face it folks, I can be harsh. But.. everything I write is the truth, I don’t exaggerate.

Once again, I ask for your opinions!

My business cards arrived today. Prominently displayed are the words, The Beauty Of The Blog. I guess I’d better start making something of this if I’m going to advertise it. A couple of weeks or so ago, I decided I’d try blogging about the Des Moines Experience. I proposed a once-a-week experience that is either free or reasonably priced, since the reason for the very creation of this blog is that fact that I’m unemployed. I haven’t been delivering, and I will continue to struggle with writer’s block if I don’t find something to write about. The black-and-white television picture look of Iowa in December doesn’t exactly motivate me to seek a reason to leave the comfort of my home, but it’s time to get busy.

Two days before our nine-hour drive to western Kansas for Christmas: let the weather worries begin. Here in Des Moines, some Christmas eve events are already being canceled, thanks to forecasts for icy weather. Ugh. It looks like Wednesday – when we’re supposed to leave midday – Des Moines will get   “ice to rain”  – one of my least favorite forecasts, following closely by “wintry mix,” (Thursday’s forecast). The good news is that if we can make it safely to Kansas City (three hours south), the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday is just plain “rain.”  (It will be warmer in KC, with a high of 51 vs. 34 in Des Moines) and by the time we reach Salina – in Central Kansas – the forecast is a little more appealing….”showers” on Wednesday and “snow/wind” (not so hot) on Thursday. I haven’t summoned up the courage to look at the weather reports for Sunday when we’ll be driving home.

Omaha.com – The Omaha World-Herald: Money – Store owners try to spring back

Tish Mendik, co-owner of the Omaha Z-Coil store, helps J.L. Laurenti of Bellevue with a pair of shoes. Sales have fallen at three franchise stores from a high of 700 pairs one month in 2007 to about 200. Mendik said consumers must support small businesses. “They need to help us survive,” she said.

More Photos (3)

KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
Published Monday December 14, 2009
Store owners try to spring back

By Ross Boettcher
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
«
Until this year, sisters Jennifer Rhode and Tish Mendik had no problem selling the expensive, spring-supported shoes that line the walls of their Z-Coil franchise stores in Omaha, Des Moines and Boulder, Colo.

Of the 218 Z-Coil shops in the United States, the duo’s Omaha store has consistently been one of the company’s top-performing locations since opening in 2003. The Des Moines location, in business since 2005, had been successful, too, doing nearly $600,000 in sales its first year.

In 2005, the Omaha siblings sold so many of the shoes, which the manufacturer claims reduce back and joint pain, that they won a trip to South Korea, where they toured the company’s production facilities while rubbing elbows with corporate executives.

The days of booming, six-figure monthly sales for the three stores combined are now a faint memory as Rhode and Mendik battle eroded consumer spending and the daily struggle of choosing which bills to pay and which to put off for another week or two.

The sisters are like many small business owners struggling to hang on until economic conditions, and sales, improve. Rhode and Mendik say their fate now lies in the hands and pocketbooks of consumers.

“I don’t want pity. I don’t want charity,” Mendik said. “But people need to support small businesses. They need to help us survive.”

Business at all three stores peaked in 2007, the sisters said, when combined sales were as high as 700 pairs each month. In dollar terms, that totaled more than $160,000, given the shoes’ hefty price tag of between $230 and $310 per pair.

In contrast, the three stores sold a combined 206 pairs last month.

And a sale doesn’t always stay a sale, Rhode said. More customers are returning their expensive purchases because they need the money to help pay other bills, she said.

Overall, sales are down 31 percent compared with 2008 and nearly 40 percent from two years ago. The stores have sold 70 pairs of shoes so far in December.

“It’s going to be slim pickings here for a while,” Rhode said. “You don’t know one day to the next if we’re going to make our house payment this month, or whether we can buy inventory.”

Mendik and Rhode aren’t alone. Through the first week of December, consumer spending in the United States was down 21 percent compared with last year, according to a Gallup tracking poll that interviewed 3,375 adults.

Rhode and Mendik said they’re ready to fight through the decline.

“I feel like fighting. I don’t feel like giving up,” Mendik said. “I feel like we’re supposed to be here, but if people don’t start being positive and start shopping there’s only so much you can scale back. Eventually you have to say, ‘OK, I’m done.’”

Loyal Omaha customers hope that day never comes.

Leo Venteicher, a club manager at Prairie Life Fitness Center at 132nd Street and West Center Road, said the shoes have allowed him to keep running while alleviating pain in his knees, hips and back.

Since he started wearing Z-Coils more than four years ago, Venteicher said, he has purchased 12 pairs, including tennis shoes, hiking boots and dress shoes.

At 6-feet-6-inches tall and 275 pounds, the 48-year-old Venteicher said he was ready to give up running before trying out the Z-Coil brand.

“It felt like bone on bone when I would run,” he said. “It was painful enough where I would have to stop doing what I was doing because my body told me to stop.”

A $150 pair of Nike running shoes didn’t help, Venteicher said. The only solution has been the Z-Coil shoes, said Venteicher, who also is an avid basketball and racquetball player.

“It was frustrating as a male going on 50 years old that I had to think about quitting. These shoes will allow me to keep playing.”

The economic slowdown is a trend that has hit all the company’s stores, said Dave Frank, executive director of sales for Z-Coil and a partner at the Omaha, Des Moines and Boulder stores.

Companywide, sales are down 25 percent to 30 percent, he said.

“This past year has really been rough for small-time retailers,” Frank said. “We can’t keep people employed.”

Rhode and Mendik have eight full- and part-time employees at their three stores.

Rhode said the company has been flexible with stores facing financial hardship. Z-Coil recently provided $10,000 in inventory and told Rhode and Mendik to pay when they could.

“You can’t ask for much more than that,” Rhode said.

The sisters have laid off two workers from each of their stores this year. That’s forced them to travel more and work additional hours on the showroom floor.

“We were to the point that we were doing so fantastic that I didn’t work any showroom hours at all,” Mendik said. “I had so much to do in ordering and payroll, and I had enough people who could work the floor.”

Like many employers, the women said laying off people is the hardest thing they do.

“I have to keep it together and keep the business going because I’m responsible for these people’s livelihoods.” Mendik said. “To say ‘I can’t pay you anymore,’ it’s crushing.”

Help could be on the way for small business owners like Mendik and Rhode.

Last week, President Barack Obama announced plans to help small businesses obtain loans through the Small Business Administration and hire workers by using leftover funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

After helping to save large banks, financial institutions and automotive manufacturers with the first wave of TARP funds, Obama said, he will work with Congress to pass legislation to create incentives so small businesses keep and hire employees.

In the United States, small businesses account for about 65 percent of jobs.

Mendik and Rhode said applying for an SBA loan is an option if conditions don’t improve.

For now, they hope discount sales, advertising and having customer appreciation events will help see them through.

“We’re here, we’re fighting,” Mendik said. “Our product has such great value for a lot of people.”

Contact the writer:

444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com

Technorati Tags: Tish Mendik, Z-Coil, J.L. Laurenti, Bellevue, franchise, Kent Sievers, World-Herald, Ross Boettcher, Des Moines, Boulder, Colo., South Korea, small businesses, Leo Venteicher, Prairie Life Fitness Center, Nike, economic slowdown, small-time retailers, President Barack Obama, Small Business Administration, Troubled Asset Relief Program, TARP,

Omaha.com – The Omaha World-Herald: Money – Not your ordinary cookie shops

Published Thursday December 17, 2009
Not your ordinary cookie shops

By Bethany Hughes
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
«
The owners of three new Papillion businesses are offering sweet choices to consumers.

Family Favorite Cookies, Eileen’s Colossal Cookies and Chocolaterie Stam have opened recently in strip malls and at Shadow Lake Towne Center, in time for one of the most sugar-laden holidays of the year.

The story of Family Favorite Cookies, 1219 Applewood Drive near 72nd Street and Highway 370, began long before owner Joyce Johnson thought of opening a cookie shop. It began at her grandmother’s home, where Johnson knew she always could find a plentiful supply of cookies.

Two years ago, Johnson’s oldest daughter, Jamie Seawall, compiled a cookbook for family members called “Family Favorite Recipes.” Johnson decided to use those family cookie recipes, add a few new ones and open a store.

“We’re a small business and we have a story to tell,” Johnson said. “Our story is that we’re all about family.”

Johnson said she wanted a store ambiance that is cozy and homey, “the little corner shop that’s your favorite cookie shop.”

Along with using some family recipes, Johnson has named a few cookies, such as Dave’s Peanut Butter Cookie, for family members who love them.

Emily Tonniges owns Eileen’s Colossal Cookies at 8410 S. 73rd Plaza in Shops of Hickory Hills near 72nd Street and Giles Road.

The company started 26 years ago in Hastings, Neb., but a bake shop is a new venture for Tonniges, who worked in sports and sports marketing for 12 years.

“I thought it was a new adventure, something really exciting, something that always makes people happy,” she said.

She said the company is picky about approving franchisees. “(Eileen’s corporate) had to accept me as much as I had to accept them.”

Eileen’s Colossal Cookies now has stores in six states, including Nebraska, said founder Eileen Harman.

The chain’s decorated sugar cookies are a favorite of many customers, said Harman, who added that she was inspired to start the business after taking a cake decorating class.

Chocolaterie Stam’s start began nearly a century ago and an ocean away in the Netherlands.

Jacobus Stam, whose family had been in the pastry business since the 18th century, began specializing in chocolate in 1913. After World War II, four of his nine children split the business.

Ton Stam’s father was one of the children who divided the business. Ton moved to the United States about 20 years ago, and started a chocolate business 10 years later because “America could use some good chocolate,” he said.

Now, Stam has five stores. The chocolate used in the recipes comes from Belgium, which is known for its chocolate, and the candy is made in Des Moines.

“We have a flavor profile that is set in stone,” he said.

After living in Germany for five years, store owner Suzi Bonnett of Bellevue was familiar with good European chocolate. But she was skeptical when a friend in Des Moines told her European chocolate was available in the Iowa city.

Bonnett began asking for Stam chocolates for her birthday, for her anniversary and for Christmas.

Then she and husband Chad decided they wanted to bring the chocolate to the Omaha metro area.

Technorati Tags: Cookies, Bethany Hughes, World-Herald, Omaha, Papillion, Family Favorite Cookies, Eileen’s Colossal Cookies, Chocolaterie Stam, strip malls, Shadow Lake Towne Center, Joyce Johnson, Jamie Seawall, cookbook, small business, cookie shop, Dave’s Peanut Butter Cookie, Emily Tonniges, Hastings, Nebraska, Eileen Harman, Netherlands, Jacobus Stam, chocolate, Tom Stam, Belgium, Des Moines, Suzi Bonnett, European, Iowa, Chad Bonnett,

These are the current rates from Veridian Credit Union in Des Moines IA. Slight uptick from last week.

15 yr Fixed Home Loan 4.250%
30 yr Fixed Home Loan 4.750%

November sales were pushed up 71% from last year. That increase is probably mostly due to the first time home buyers tax credit.

Click here to read the full article.

MarketWatch.com is a Dow Jones & Co. business-focused Web site names Des Moines as best city to do business in according to its annual survey.  The survey compared economic strength and business climate of more than 100 cities across the country.

(read World-Herald article

Technorati Tags: Des Moines, annual survey, MarketWatch, Washington D.C., Omaha, Minneapolis/St. Paul, economic strength, business climate,

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• Annual survey: Des Moines best city to do business (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

I have a college buddy who is a big gambler. Lets call him, Rick. So every five years or so, I find myself in Vegas with Rick and some other guys from my youth as we pretend that we are 21 again. So one year we’re out there and Rick tells me about Keno. Keno is like playing the lottery. You pick numbers, they draw numbers, you usually lose. Rick tells me that because it’s so boring to sit there and watch, he likes to play Keno while he sleeps. Gambling while you sleep? Ok, Rick. I”ll give it a try. Went to bed, woke up, ate breakfast and learned I lost $50. This is great, Rick! (There should be a sarcasm font) I stopped playing Keno while you sleep. Where am I going with this?

Hoot Suite. Great application that allows you to enhance your Twitter experience. I started using it a couple of weeks ago after having been on Tweet Deck for about a year. It has everything you could want from a Twitter application standpoint, but the most interesting feature is scheduling your tweets. That’s right, “Tweet while you sleep!”

So I’m at dinner the other night and I get this text from our intern, “Are you tweeting right now!?” Oh no, I’ve been hacked, I thought. Then it dawned on that I had scheduled a tweet at 7:35 p.m. – and it all made sense. I’ll admit I’ve scheduled some tweets, typically during hours when I am not in the office. Occassionally I’ll get that, “Jeez, Fleming, why are you tweeting at three in the morning?” – to which I reply, “Why are you reading at three in the morning?”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about “Tweet while you sleep” concept. Does it take away from the open, honest and authentic conversation that social media advocates tend to preach? I felt kind of dirty in an electronic way. So I asked Mike Sansone, a.k.a. the Blog Father of all things social in Des Moines. Now, I equate an opinion from Sansone to the Life Cereal campaign back in the 70’s. The whole, “If Mikey likes it theory, then I’m good.”

According to Sansone, he’s down with scheduling tweets if you are “sharing resources.” So, sending out blog posting links, or links to other valuable content is ok. What Sansone advised against was not to schedule tweets that would be considered “conversational” in nature. So, no replying to a mention via a scheduled tweet, or bantering on a scheduled basis. I agreed with him on all points.

Sansone and I went on to talk about the benefits and value of scheduling your tweets. Different audiences at three in the morning than three in the afternoon. International audiences for US tweeters in the middle of the night. New ways to form relationships by providing content at off hours for you, but peak hours for someone else.

In Summary: Keno while you sleep, BAD. Tweet while you sleep, GOOD!

How do you see it?

Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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Thanks to all of you for your help with Toys for Tots.  During the week of December 7th – 11th Dr. DeBoer and I donated services for new patients to get started in our office as well as a fantastic day of adjusting patients on Friday all for the exchange of toys for underprivileged children.  We collected close to 400 TOYS.  On Sunday myself and two little elves, my daughter Sage and her friend Kennedy, helped me load up the sleigh and we delivered the toys to Faith Church in the inner city of Des Moines and to Youth Emergency Shelter Services.

I love doing the delivery after we have collected the toys every year.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.  There were kids around at the church as we delivered the toys and their eyes just light up as they see the toys loading up in the room.  At YESS there was little girl who came in to the lobby where we had stacked about 250 toys.  “Oh my God, are you kidding me?” as she was eyeing all the toys.  The social worker then told her, “you are leaving the end of this week and you will not be here at Christmas time.”  The little girls followed up with, “but my birthday is coming up soon.”

Good stuff.  Thanks again for helping us help others.

Dr. Vince Hassel

Some of Des Moines’ East Village residents opened their homes to strangers on Saturday December 12 and Sunday December 13 for the historic neighborhood’s Winter Walking Home Tour. At my first pathetic attempt at blogging about Des Moines Experiences, my camera died after the first shot, taken in a hallway in the new e5w. e5w, located at 309 E. 5th St., is newly opened, and features both retail, commercial, and residential space. Fans of minimalist living will love the clean, industrial feel of the place. There are nice views of the Des Moines skyline and amenities include a fitness center that is literally on the roof. (I’m still flabbergasted that they weren’t using this as a selling point during the tour; I had to inquire about it but was then told I was more than welcome to have a look.)