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A successful business is always a people-focused business

Last week Lynnda and I attended the West Virginia Chamber’s annual Business Summit at The Greenbrier. The Business Summit is an annual three-day event put on by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Attendees are a Who’s Who of the West Virginia Business Community. Business leaders from all industries attended from healthcare, energy, manufacturing, chemicals, finance, banking and education. The President of Marshall University, Brad Smith and the new President of WVU, Dr. Michael Benson attended. Political figures throughout West Virginia were there including U.S Senators Shelly ...

Don’t let fear stand in the way of your success

In high school, I rarely got turned down for a date. I wasn’t good looking, didn’t have a flashy fast car, (Had to borrow my Dad’s station wagon) and didn’t have a lot of money. My secret was simple. I didn’t ask. I was afraid of rejection. Worse, I was afraid of being laughed at and becoming part of a big joke among the girls at school like …”Do you know who asked me out?” It was really all about my own self image, which was poor at that time when it came to dating. I didn’t have a sister to guide me. I am the oldest of 5 brothers. There was no good reason to ...

Laboring to remember why we celebrate

Labor Day has become more of a way of marking the end of summer than a holiday celebrating the hard-working men and women who are responsible for so much of what our country has become. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the holiday was conceived in the late 19th century — a time when “labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.” Labor Day is always observed on the first Monday in September to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers. ...

Early signs matter: What looks like aging in loved ones could be Alzheimer’s

When Zelda Hill was in college, he began noticing subtle changes in his father. The man who had always been precise began forgetting current events, mixing up dates and times, and getting lost in familiar places. Zelda had seen memory loss in his grandparents before, and like many people, assumed it was a normal part of aging. With his father, though, he was more attuned to the changes in behavior, and the family sought medical advice. First came a diagnosis of dementia, then Alzheimer’s disease. Zelda’s father was only in his 50s. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of ...

Celebrating 20 years of life with one tough cat

We reached a milestone in our household this month — our cat Fu turned 20 years old on Aug. 15. That’s pretty impressive. Although there doesn’t seem to be specific information available about how many cats reach such an old age, the general consensus is that the averagae lifespan of a domestic cat is 13-17 years. An estimated 1-3% make it to 20 years old, and they are considered centenarians, equivalent to a human living into their late 90s or reaching age 100. Providing a loving home for a pet is one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my life. I am not a parent, ...

The necessity of having a good backup plan

In college at WVU when I asked a young lady for a date, “No” or “I have other plans” were not what I wanted to hear, but they were truthful answers. If I wanted a date for Saturday night I knew I needed to ask someone else. “Yes” was a better answer if it was truthful. Several times when I went to meet my date on Saturday, I learned from her roommate, “She left here 30 minutes ago with her ex.” or “She just left with _____. (One of the football players.) It was then I realized “Yes” really meant, “I will go with you if I don’t get a better offer.” I was ...