CIC Plus: New York Payroll Compliance - How Does NYWTPA Affe...

CIC Plus: New York Payroll Compliance - How Does NYWTPA Affe...: In April 2011, the New York Wage Theft Protection Act went into effect. This new law requires additional notice and record keeping requireme...

The "Great Friend" Review

Just for something a little different today, I thought I would create a 'great friend' review ; ) If you're as lucky as me, you have a couple of special friends in your life that have always been there for you. So if we were going to 'review' one of these special people, what would they look like? And more importantly, am I being that same great friend back?

The Great Friend Review

1) An excellent listener.
2) Always finds a way to encourage. Even in the toughest situations, are they the kind of person who still can find a way to help you move forward? Or are they just complaining with you. The 'great' friend will sympathize for awhile, but they always have a way of helping you re-focus on the positive outcome and nudge you with that little extra strength to keep going.
3) Tells the truth, even when it's tough. Having someone who just agrees with you all the time may feed your ego, but is that really a 'great' friend? The best friends I have found also have the courage to tell me when they disagree with me. They aren't afraid to gently point out to me things that I might be missing in a situation because my perspective may be biased.
4) If I won a million dollars my friend would be thrilled. A great friend wishes good for you and wont' be jealous if you excel. They will be probably just about as excited as you are. I always think about John the Baptist here. He had no problem giving the limelight to Jesus. His love and respect were so huge and he didn't feel the least bit threatened.
5) Quick to forgive. We all make mistakes and great friends are realistic about our humanity. They don't hold grudges and they have the humility to know they are just as likely to make a mistake as you are. So they always opt for grace.
6) Attitude of Gratitude. I have a lot of friends, but the ones that I like to spend the most time with are those that have a real gratitude for their lives that seems to 'leak' into everything they do. They are quick to appreciate a beautiful sunrise, generous with their smile, and are just generally grateful for the little things in life. Even the smallest kindness makes their day and they are a joy to be around.
7) Unconditional acceptance.  Do I feel like I have to quickly clean my house before letting my friend visit me at home? Great friends are always more concerned with the relationship, not with how perfect your house or your life is.
8) Willing to share their last piece of chocolate.  Now that is true generosity ; )
9) Lives their own life with integrity.  People who have integrity will have it in all situations.  Need I say more?
10) Great sense of humor.  This is just a personal preference but I love the kind of person that can find something funny in a situation.  How great to call with a concern and be laughing with each other by the time you hang up the phone.  It keeps life lighter.  What a gift.


There may be other measures for our 'Great Friend' review, but these are some of the biggies. So, how do your best friends rank? How do you rank?  May we all be blessed with friends like this and also be that friend to others.

Air Concepts AC Repair & HVAC - A Two Thumbs Up Company ++

Time for another installment of "Two Thumbs Up" companies.  Air Concepts LLC is a family owned company located in the Charleston, SC area and I have had the privilege of working not only with them but some of their customers and vendors.  Their customers LOVE THEM!  Every time I've had the opportunity to talk to one of their customers (or vendor), I am amazed at the excited feedback this ac repair and hvac company gets.

The more I have had business dealings with them, the more I am impressed by the owner's integrity and knowledge of everything HVAC.   Mike is NATE certified and has over 23 years experience in the industry.  He has a well trained staff and is very active in the continuing education of newcomers to the HVAC services area.  

It is easy to see why they are so popular and continue to grow while similar companies struggle.  Being a 'nice guy' still goes a long way in business and this company is definitely know for their kindness, not only to their customers but their community as well. They regularly support fundraising efforts in Summerville and Charleston and actively help service some of the organizations that provide positive growth for the community and those in need.

Most important, their service record is hard to compete with.  They regularly get feedback from their happy clients and the word of mouth growth they are seeing is evidence to the value people are receiving.  So kudos to Mike and his staff!  I add them to my  "Two Thumbs Up" company list and if you are lucky enough to live in the Charleston area (where it doesn't get cold and snow ; ) be sure to give them a call the next time you need ac repair or HVAC services.

Employee Self Service - Two Thumbs Up Companies - ++

One of my other goals in posting here is to occasionally talk about some of my favorite people and companies.  In my line of work (web, print and multimedia) I get the opportunity to work with and for a wide range of companies and people. Some of them are worth honorable mention because they are just so exceptional in their efforts to positively impact people and their overall service.

One such company is CIC Plus.  They provide Employee Self Service Systems for employers.  For any companies trying to save on payroll costs and 'go green' this is definitely a company worth checking out.  Their staff is exceedingly helpful and very knowledgeable.  Their clients love them and after having dealt with them for several months I can see why. They are a very dedicated bunch.  Companies can expect to save as much as 80% off their pay stub printing costs using CIC Plus' online pay stub services. Other services include paperless tax forms like online W-2s, online W-4s, and digital signature forms.  Besides these money saving opportunities, the time savings are huge.  I don't know about you, but any time I can save money and also reduce my paper handling overhead, I'm all for it.

With all the kudos I can give them on their money and time saving services, I think the strongest thing they have going for them is their staff.  Somehow they have managed to hire a group of the most 'go the extra mile' people I have ever met.  That is not easy to do these days. So another big thumbs up for them in the customer service area. You will find them to be a very pleasant group to work with and they are extremely dedicated to making sure all the compliance details are handled so clients can run their businesses with less paperwork headaches.

If you are thinking about finding employee self service solutions for your company, I can heartily recommend them.

Stay tuned for more Two Thumbs Up companies : )

Band Discovery - Civil Twilight

Once in awhile we'll come across a band that we have not heard before that really enchants us.  We were watching the movie "I Am Number Four" Friday night as a family.  We had missed it in the theaters so we made it a home video event at the house since the kids had been patiently waiting to see it.  The movie was a lot of fun, much better than I was expecting. The closing credits were accompanied by a beautiful, slightly haunting melody.  We waited for the end of the credits and saw the band's name, "Civil Twilight".

We immediately opened iTunes to find out more.  After listening to several of their songs over and over thise weekend, we have a new band to add to our list of favorites.  Civil Twilight has a sound that is reminiscent of U-2 and Coldplay combined.  Yet they are very unique.  As a vocalist myself, I was very appreciative of the lead vocalist's range and heart.  He has the ability to convey such intimacy in his voice on some of the softer tracks and can belt it out with the best of them when the song calls for it.  Really a great band to listen to.  Our favorite songs are "Letters from the Sky", "Human" (beautiful) and "Teardrop".  If you get a minute, check out "Civil Twilight". Enjoy ; )

Northern Wisconsin Vacation Time

I live in the midwest so when we are trying to get away for a little break we don't always have time to go very far.  Wisconsin is just a few hours from us so that is one of the places we're willing to track to on a three day weekend like we have coming up this weekend.  

We live in a pretty busy area so for me personally, I like to get away to where there are less people.  Northern Wisconsin is absolutely beautiful. The pace is a little slower and the people are so nice.  We've driven to the Crivitz and Antigo area a few times.  It is like being in another world.  The lush greens in the summer or the amazing colors in the fall (my favorite).  If you are looking for a quieter getaway I highly recommend Northern Wisconsin. 

We do a lot of hiking through the woods, fishing, white water rafting and visiting the towns up there. In the winter there is cross country skiing and snowmobiling. It's all wholesome fun and it gets the family outdoors (YEAH!).  Great for creating quality family memories. Some of our friends have their business up there and have created their own list of North Woods Wisconsin Things to Do.

I would be remiss in not mentioning one of the best camps for kids up near that neck of the woods. For years my kids have attended camp at Silver Birch Ranch.  It is a wonderful Christian camp and we can't say enough nice things about it.  You may hear the word "Christian" and think "nice" and it is, but it is also rowdy and fun, perfect for kids of all ages. There are tons of activities for all ages and the staff is really fun and go the extra mile to make it special for all the kids. Our kids have a blast every year that they go. 

As you can tell we really enjoy Northern Wisconsin.  The scenery is beautiful and it's a nice change of pace.  One of our goals is to some day own our own piece of Crivitz real estate so that we can build a cabin and own our own vacation getaway instead of renting a cabin each year.  Some families who are big into camping even buy a piece of property and use it as their own private camping site until they're ready to build.  

So next time you're thinking about getting away for a few days, do a little research into the North Woods Wisconsin.  It's a great area and has a lot to offer, especially for nature lovers. 

My Favorite Movies of 2011 (so far)

Being a parent of two teens, we have hit our fair share of movies and I thought it would be fun to pick out my favorites so far this year.  Honestly, most of the movies so far this year have not gotten me that excited but I would like to mention two that we ALL enjoyed (that is not always easy to do in our family with such differing ages and personalities).

The Adjustment Bureau - starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.  BIG Thumbs up from all of us.  We left the movies and couldn't quite peel ourselves away from the whole premise of the movie. It was just too fun to not play with the ideas presented in the movie. We entertained each other as we walked down the street, pretending to put on our hats and open doors (you'll have to see the movie).  For the rest of the night, every delay, every wrong turn we would just laugh and say "It's all according to the plan".  The concept and script behind this movie are very original and extremely engaging.  Being one of those people who is often able to guess the end of a movie 10 minutes into the start, I really enjoyed this one.  Definitely worth seeing.

Thor - starring Chris Hemworth and Natalie Portman. Okay, yes I know it's just another hero movie, but perhaps because I was expecting less, I was surprised at how entertained I was.  Chris Hemsworth does a great job of playing Thor. He's got the voice, the aura and the ego (Thor's) to make it work and the humor sprinkled throughout because of his character gets a few decent chuckles.  The accent didn't hurt either.  My daughter and I found ourselves giggling like teenagers when he spoke in different scenes (well she is a teenager so she's entitled, but I have no excuse).  Overall, a fun movie, with good action, decent characters AND I didn't leave the theater feeling like I should have waited for it to come out on video.  A good one to go ahead and see at the theater.

Intro

Hello, I'm just trying my hand at my first blog.  My hope is to create some helpful tips, reviews, meet new people and have some fun : )