Striving to form strong B2B partnerships
Rockford - Illinois
Following a 2-½ year hiatus, due to the elimination of my corporate position as a result of Covid, I've grasped the opportunity to get back in the game. I've accepted a position as Business Development Manager for CorPro Signs, a local full-service sign shop. It feels great to be back in the marketplace, making new contacts and entering into partnerships that will expand our business. Contrary to popular belief, cold-calling remains viable. I've been welcomed into numerous businesses, both large and small, and provided the opportunity to show the benefits of working closely with my company.
84 articles
Just like business has become more challenging, designing and building signs has become more demanding. That means you'll need to find the perfect partner to assist you in determining the right design...
I found myself waking up very early Saturday morning, so I brewed a pot of coffee and contemplated the day ahead. It was 5 a.m. The only item on my agenda was breakfast with a friend at 9:30 and a hai...
My reading habits spiked during the mid-to-late 1980s. I had the time. I'd embarked on a career in radio broadcasting and tied the knot for the first time. I was a budding studio engineer for a semi-a...
As a youngster, books satisfied my interest in history -- military and ancestoral. As a youth, they quenched my thirst for information related to a new and exciting interest -- contemporary music. The...
I don't read as much as I used to and, looking back, it's probably a good thing. Good or bad, my personal library is a snapshot of who I am and what I've become.. I read a lot during my formative year...
Raine Stern plays guitar in a local band named "New Image" and she keeps them coming back for more. She definitely knows what she's doing. "
What could be more perplexing today than trying to define rhythm and blues? Record company executive Jerry Wexler is credited with creating the term, using it to define the music popularized by Africa...
in Rockford, Illinois, which is hometown to Carlos and -- your's truly. It's very extensive, running for more than two hours. If you pay close attention, you can even learn how to play the cowbell. Yo...
This is the 10th in a series of buzzes entitled, "Rage Against the Machine." It recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working withing the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll...
I've always loved Rockford, Illinois. It's my hometown. It's certainly had its up and downs, but its always supported a vibrant music scene. Numerous bars catering to live music have come and gone, bu...
I experimented with a lot of things in college, but the only one I got addicted to was music. I couldn't wait to get my next fix. And, best of all, it didn't cost me a dime. All I had to do was walk d...
I enjoy a cup of hot coffee on my way to work on brisk winter mornings. That's why I make time to stop at Tad's diner. Paula, who runs the place, makes the best coffee in town and we've been friends f...
This is the ninth in a series of buzzes entitled, "Rage Against the Machine." It recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working withing the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'l...
Fidel Castro is dead. Keith Richards is alive. Donald Trump is the president-elect. Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize. George W. didn't vote for president. Kanye West was hospitalized for depression. Jim Mu...
My community is being ravaged by violent crime and deadly drugs. it's now ranked the most dangerous city in the country with a population between 100,000-200,000. Statistically, it's more dangerous th...
With Christmas just around the corner, Record Store Day organizers are jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon. Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, is traditionally k...
I'm not much of a meandering tourist. If I'm going somewhere, I like to get there without delay. Karen, not so much. We fully intended on spending the night in Nashville and resuming our trip to Tampa...
I'm not a fan of live albums. Most are a disappointment. Either the sound quality of the recording is horrendous or the sound system used couldn't adequately reproduce the artful effects created in th...
I received the inevitable call Friday morning. My mother's time in this world was quickly coming to an end. I was encouraged to get to the nursing home as soon as possible. She'd been under hospice ca...
Today is recognized in the United States as Veteran's Day, observed annually on Nov. 11. It honors military veterans and coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day in o...
There were distinct advantages to being a music critic at a daily newspaper prior to the advent of the internet. I was always getting stuff in the mail. Granted. A lot of it was junk, similar to what...
P.S. Keep your snowbirds in the nest and that funny money at home. ""
While pursuing a graduate degree in journalism/public relations, I served as a graduate teaching assistant. As a teaching assistant, the university provided me with a tuition-free education. All I had...
There are times in my life that I can look back upon and smile. They bring back nothing but fond memories. They're mostly from my college days, when I was footloose and fancy free. In the early days,...
This picture says it all for Cub fans. After 108 years, they can finally say their team has won the World Series, again, ending the longest championship drought in the history of Major League Baseball...
This is one of the dozens of vintage magazines I discovered in my parent's attic and it motivated me to conduct some further research. Since this once-shocking cover shot appeared in Life Magazine in...
For those of you who aren't familiar with Major League Baseball in the United States, please take heed of this warning. The Chicago Cubs are one win away from winning the World Series. The final game...
These are covers of Life Magazine, featuring Hollywood stars during the mid-1940s. Beginning is Jimmy Stewart in uniform; Ingrid Bergman; Spencer Tracy; and, of course, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. I dis...
This is the cover of Mad Magazine from April 1971. You could purchase this irreverent, parody-featuring publication for a mere 35 cents. I discovered it in a box full of Life, Look, and McCall's magaz...
This is the eighth in a series of buzzes entitled, "Rage Against the Machine." It recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working withing the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'...
You'll notice that there's a lot foreigners on this network. Who knew the Spanish were so inviting? I certainly didn't, but I don't speak the language.That fact must have gotten lost in the translatio...
I finally took the time to rummage through a wall of boxes that I've had stored in my parent's basement for more than 20 years. It was a trip, literally. The boxes contain an assortment of books and y...
This is the seventh is a series of buzzes entitled,"Rage Against the Machine." It recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'l...
The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a prime example of how today's overzealous attempts to achieve an all-inclusive society can turn unity into chaos and political correctness into fear and loathing. As...
The blues originated in the Mississippi Delta and spread to Chicago, but it eventually popped up in South Carolina, evidenced by The Marshal Tucker Band. Most people associate them with southern rock,...
Have you ever heard of Samuel R. Caldwell or Moses Baca? Well, don't worry about it. You're probably not alone. According to federal files, Caldwell, 58, was the first person to have been convicted of...
Surprise shows at small clubs have been a hallmark of the Rolling Stones for years. However, billed under pseudonyms, such as the Cockroaches, the show's usually didn't remain secrets for long. Such w...
Please allow me to introduce an exciting new collaboration between Aurorasa Sima and myself, Randy Keho, entitled "You Don't Say?" It's a blatant rip-off of the popular series, "He said, He said," dev...
I've always prided myself on being a "Baby Boomer." But, when I actually thought about it. I asked myself why? As "Baby Boomers," being born between 1946 and 1964, we came of age during a time of grea...
I met her on the job and she changed my life forever. We'd run into each other numerous times a day, which led to a relationship that has endured the test of time, in addition to an assortment of tria...
I didn't become a disciple of Bob Dylan until 1983, when he released "Infidels." Until then, I was simply a devoted fan. I heard "Jokerman" on the local FM radio station and I was hooked. Three of his...
Fans and players alike say fist-to-cuffs are essential to the game of hockey, although there is a considerable effort to eliminate fighting from the game. On Oct. 28, there may be more fist-to-cuffs i...
Music has long been a tapestry that chronicles my life -- a timeline, if your will. It's like an unending spool of thread that sews the bits and pieces of my life together. Some good, some bad. For me...
This is the sixth installment of a series that recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. As a fleet manager, making safety an issue led to a fi...
This is the fifth in a four-part series of buzzes that recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll wonder wh...
If I took John White's advice to seek respite from the tumultuous world of beBee by heading for the Great Outdoors I'd probably come back a werewolf, which would defeat the purpose. That's where the w...
In today's world of ever-advancing technologies, there are more and more channels becoming available to reach, communicate, and interact with current and potential customers. We can communicate from v...
My sassy kitten would like a moment of your time. Please indulge him. He's normally cute and cuddly, but, as you can see, something's affecting his usual sunny disposition. I'll let him explain. W ith...
Drinking establishments have always held a certain seduction for me. I chalk it up to my Irish heritage. Nonetheless, I find one much-more seductive than all the others: The Latham Tap. It's nothing f...
During World War II, the German's developed and employed a variety of camouflage schemes and patterns designed to conceal their troops and vehicles from the view of allied forces, especially from the...
While most of you are glued to the television screen, anxiously awaiting the thrilling conclusion to the epic battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, November 8, I'll be focused on...
I need a break from all the politics and violence. How about you? I've loved music for as long as I can remember, but I can't play an instrument or carry a tune in a bucket. Air guitar doesn't count....
This is the final in a four-part series of buzzes that recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll cry and, perhaps, get an...
Year 4 It didn't take long to settle into our first house. There was so much to explore. We now had a basement and it was partially finished. It even had a pool table that was left by Mrs. Marker's so...
This is the third in a four-part series of buzzes that recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll cry and, perhaps, get an...
This is the second in a four-part series of buzzes that recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll cry and, perhaps, get an...
This is the first in a four-part series of buzzes that recounts my experiences as a maverick manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll cry and, perhaps, get an...
This is the first in a four-part series of buzzes that recounts my experiences as a mid-level manager working within the constraints of corporate America. You'll laugh, you'll cry and, perhaps, get an...
Age 3 It was the "Summer of Love" and my parents purchased the Bungalow directly across the street from our second-story apartment. It was our first house. It was bittersweet, of course. I'd never kno...
Age 2 It's in our nature to become attached to things. I believe my attachments began just moments after grumpy-old Doc Walsh spanked my newborn butt and handed me over to my darling mother, Nell. How...
I can't remember my earliest memory, which is probably the result of enjoying college just a bit too much. Well, I'm going to go with this one. I could make it up. Who the hell would know? I don't rec...
I mentioned in the buzz that I produced to honor my father's service in the U.S. tank corp. during World War II, that I once competed in scale-modeling contests in my pre-bifocal days. I really enjoye...
I don't know if the deranged Spaniards depicted in this statue have names, but it would only be fitting if they were Javier and Juan, the founders of BeBee Affinity Network. MADRID -- There's a couple...
My favorite exhibit at the Museum at Cantigny is Tank Park, which surrounds the museum and features tanks from WWI to the present. I'm drawn to it because my father served in the tank corp. during WWI...
The Museum at Cantigny is a permanent display focused on the U.S First Division, known as "The Big Red One." Located in Wheaton, Illinois, the 500-acre section of land, located 30 miles west of Chicag...
The apparently uncontrollable rise in the seemingly senseless violence in the United States is directly related to economics. It's not guns. It's not race.They're a hideous manifestation of the proble...
It was Father's Day morning. I was sitting on the couch and surfing beBee on my laptop. My daughter, Meghan, wished me a happy Father's Day as she left for work. She works at the local cellphone store...
I'm just an ordinary guy. There's nothing special about me. I like to raise a little hell on beBee, but it's all in good fun. Sometimes, there's some truth to what I say, if you read between the lines...
Today's the Fourth of July, 2016. It's a beautiful day in northern Illinois. It's quiet, except for the birds who sing their morning song. I feel an air of peace embrace me. I pray for this feeling to...
LZ Orange is a memorial to the dozen Vietnam veterans from my hometown, and the surrounding communities, who suffered and died from the effects of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a powerful defoliant s...
A funny thing happened on my way to the store to buy some oatmeal. I came across a pair of Vietnam veterans. God, I love my hometown. The flags immediately drew my attention as I drove by, so I had to...
I built this 1/35-scale diorama about 15 years ago in honor of my father for his service during World War II. His tank destroyer battalion was attached to U. S. Gen. George S. Patton as he raced from...
Lean in. I have to tell you something. The devil barged into my life and lit it on fire. It took a long time for the flames to subside, but the embers continue to smolder, threatening to flare up at a...
In 1969, a pair of soldiers from my hometown of Rockford, Illinois, met on a hilltop in Plekiu, South Vietnam. They vowed to meet for dinner if and when they ever made it back home. They held true to...
I guess it's only fitting that I should produce the first buzz to be displayed in the Procrastination Gallery. I commented on a buzz entitled, "Procrastination - Facts and Solutions," produced by @Aur...
After having battled it on two fronts for nearly a decade, I have determined that dementia is the cruelest predator of the mind. It sits dormant for nearly a lifetime. Then, without a moment's notice,...
I miss my aunt Dorrie. She was one-in-a-million. She was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and came to the United States as a war bride at the conclusion of World War II. My uncle was a su...
"If you want to know who I am, ask a friend. We can lie to ourselves and we can lie to each other, but we cannot lie to a friend or they will not be friend. And a man without a friend is not a man. He...
It's not too often that you see anything written about the plight of the American male -- of the Caucasian persuasion. And, why would you? We have been anointed as the poster child for the privileged...
Like most people, I've had to adapt to new technologies numerous times over my lifetime. Fortunately, I've always been up to the challenge -- except for that one time. When I was in high school, it wa...
I've always loved the Monkees and I'm not afraid to declare it on social media. I was wearing Red Ball Jets and collecting Topps' baseball cards when the Monkees hit the airwaves, but they certainly l...
Are there any bees buzzing around out there who can tell me how and what journalism students are being taught in our institutions of higher learning these days? The media is being seen more and more a...
