It’s supposed to reach the 50s today in Chicago, but Phil says that we’re in for six more weeks of winter. That kind of prognostication makes me hungry of groundhog stew (it’s a great cold weather meal). Despite my anger at Phil, I’m a huge fan of Groundhog Day–even if I always seem to forget about it. I think it’s great that we have a holiday devoted to the weather, even if it puts most of the focus on a rodent. That’s why I thought today would be a good day to take a look at Weather Underground (groundhogs live underground and predict the weather). They’re “committed to delivering the most reliable, accurate weather information possible,” and they do that by “providing free, real-time online weather information to millions of Web users around the world.” They’re headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, and they have an office in San Francisco, CA (and jobs in Chicago and NYC). Weather Underground got its start as a Telnet weather service provided by University of Michigan in 1991, and has evolved with the Internet since then.
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New Year’s Eve is a wonderful holiday for celebrating a great year past and the prospects of a great future. It’s a time that we spend with family and friends and think about how we can better ourselves. Yet for many alcohol plays a prominent role in the celebration, and the new year begins with a hangover. That’s not my style, but you’re free to have a great night however you want. Just make sure that your alcohol use doesn’t negatively affect anyone else. Most importantly, that means don’t drink and drive. That’s the message that Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been spreading since it was founded in 1980 by Candy Lightner “after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender.” Three decades later MADD, which has national offices in Irving, TX and Washington, DC and chapters all across the country, has made a lot of progress fighting drunk driving, but there’s a long way to go considering that there is an injury from an alcohol-related crash every minute.
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Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to play with your toys! I may be an adult, but toys still make up a significant part of the gifts I get. I’m hoping that never changes. While LEGOs weren’t on my Christmas list, I’m sure that plenty of kids and adults were thrilled to get them yesterday. That’s why we’re going to take a look at The LEGO Group, a Billund, Denmark based family-owned company (with a number of U.S. locations) that has built a billion dollar business on little colored plastic blocks. Much to the dismay of some LEGO enthusiasts, the growth has come through increasingly more complex sets and lots of cross-branding, but the magic of a bucket full of random LEGO pieces and endless opportunities still exists.
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I’ve already opened my presents, and once again Santa was good for me (though I still got some coal in my stocking). Merry Christmas! Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids who Santa passes over even though they’re on the “Nice List.” That’s where the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation comes in. They’re based in Triangle, VA, and they “collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.” I never realized that Toys for Tots program was run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, but they’ve been doing it since 1947 with the goal of assisting youngsters “in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.” They’re another organization without a jobs page, but I have seen that some of the local programs have had job and internship opportunities in the past. Enjoy your Christmas, and use it to think about opportunities like Toys for Tots that help brighten the holidays for other people.
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It’s Christmas Eve! This was the first year that I’ve had a Christmas tree in my apartment in Chicago. Unfortunately, it isn’t a real tree. It isn’t even a decent fake tree. It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. That’s a far cry from the Christmas trees that my family cuts down every year. There’s nothing better than a real tree–it looks great, smells great, and gets needles everywhere. I feel that everybody should have a real Christmas tree (even if they don’t celebrate Christmas), and so does the National Christmas Tree Association in Chesterfield, MO. They are a lobbying organization that “strives to be one voice representing Christmas Tree Professionals and promoting the use of Real Christmas Trees.” They have more than 5,000 members, and they’re constantly working to protect the interest of Christmas tree farmers by promoting the industry, lobbying the Federal government, and enabling knowledge sharing. It’s unclear whether they have any job opportunities, but you can Contact them if you’re truly interested. You may also want to look at our past Christmas Eve posts on The Elf on the Shelf, Caribou Coffee, and NORAD
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I’ve never even seen a fruit cake in person, let alone tasted one, but I know that they’re a part of Christmas tradition for lots of families. For some it’s more of a joke, but for others it’s a serious matter (there must be some fruit cake connoisseurs out there). I’m not sure that Claxton Fruit Cake in Claxton, GA is hiring these days (they may be slowing down in terms of production now), but they are one of the major fruit cake manufactures in the U.S. You could inquire about employment with them, but I think it’s more important that you look to other Christmas traditions that might lead to new ideas for your career search. Even though the holidays are usually a slow time for the job search, they can be a great time for idea generation. Make the most of it!
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Is it just me or are Black Friday and Cyber Monday pretty much the same these days? Online retailers have big Black Friday sales and brick and mortar brands are offering tons of Cyber Monday deals online. Still, I figured it was worth browsing Cyber Monday deals to see if I could find some cool job opportunities. I lucked out as a deal for 60% off e-books from O’Reilly Media popped up in my Twitter feed almost immediately. This deal is doubly relevant for job seekers because in addition to having some cool jobs, O’Reilly Media is a Sebastopol, CA based company that “spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, research, and conferences.” In other words, they provide educational tools that can make you far more employable.
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A successful job search is all about improving yourself. One of my favorite places for finding tools and courses to make me a better entrepreneur is AppSumo, and they’re offering amazing 50% off Black Friday deals on gift certificates to use for future AppSumo purchases.
As good as Thanksgiving is for coming up with interesting job search ideas, I prefer Black Friday because it’s centered around commerce and leads to more realistic ideas. Seriously, just open up the newspaper and look at all the ads–you’ll find seemingly endless possibilities. Some of the companies that we’ve featured in the past that are extra relevant today include Amazon, Ernst & Young (you know why they call it Black Friday, right?), Visa, Fatwallet, Slickdeals, Savings.com, LivingSocial, and Groupon. Today we’re going to stick with the discount theme and take a look at CouponCabin. They’re a Whiting, IN based company that searches “tens of thousands of consumer emails, online forums, blogs, and merchant sites each week and even the Sunday newspaper to create a true one-stop-shop for savings.” They were formerly based in Chicago, IL, but they had to move across state lines (they’re still close to Chicago) because of an idiotic tax law that the state of Illinois passed.
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In case you haven’t noticed, I love using holidays themes to pick companies. Sometimes I get a little silly with companies or organizations that would never actually have jobs, but it’s really all about getting you to have a little fun and start thinking more creatively. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays to use for idea generation because you can take it in so many directions. In past years I’ve looked at Jennie-O, Plimoth Plantation and Colonial Williamsburg, Pilgrim’s Pride, Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Food Bank for New York City. I’ve exhausted a lot of options, so I started racking my brain–I even looked up Thanksgiving bingo cards for ideas. Then I realized that Thanksgiving is nothing without a good carving knife. No matter how well you cook that turkey, if you can’t piece it out properly, you’ve failed. And who makes a top rated (by America’s Test Kitchen) kitchen knives? Victorinox Swiss Army does–and super affordable ones at that. You probably think of the Monroe, CT based company for the little red pocket knives that have a whole bunch of tools, but they make all kinds of cutlery in addition to watches, travel gear, and clothing.
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Even though I’m not a huge fan of turkey, I love Thanksgiving. It’s an all around great holiday for spending time with family and friends, and it gives me the opportunity to do some serious cooking. Some of my favorites are yams with marshmallows on top, brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, and apple pie. I’ve also been known to make a maple syrup slathered, bacon covered turkey, but I usually get overruled by people who inexplicably love bland, overcooked, dry white breast meat. I’m actually dying to try America Test Kitchen’s recipe, which includes brining and putting ice packs on the breasts so they cook slower than the rest of the bird. Anyway, I’ll likely be doing some shopping at Whole Foods Market this afternoon. I used to shop at normally priced supermarkets, but there’s one thing that keeps me coming back to bougie grocery stores like Whole Foods: bacon. You can’t get good quality bacon at a regular supermarket. And once you’re buying fancy bacon, you might as well get organic brussel sprouts and grass-fed beef and those awesome salted, chocolate-covered caramels that they sell.
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I was a master Trick-or-Treater as a kid. I had a plan for Halloween, and it was all about maximizing my candy haul. I laughed at the kids who carried around those stupid pumpkin pails for candy. I had a backpack and an extra bag just in case. If I didn’t get double digit pounds of candy, I was disappointed. The best part was seeing all kinds of weird candy that you don’t see at other times of the year. One of my favorites was the tootsie rolls that came in flavors other than the traditional chocolate (which I hate). If you pay attention to the wrappers you realize not only that there are a ton of different candy companies out there, but also that a lot of the big ones are behind more brands than you’d ever think. One of the big names in the confections industry is Tootsie Roll Industries, which is based in Chicago, IL. They market and manufacture Andes, Charleston Chew, Charms Blow Pops, Dubble Bubble, Junior Mints, Razzles, Sugar Daddy, along with the obvious ones like Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops.
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Columbus Day isn’t much of a holiday anymore–it’s become yet another regular work and school day for many. It makes sense considering Christopher Columbus wasn’t really the guy that my 1st grade teacher taught me that he was. Still, I’m amazed by the feats of guys like Columbus (which is why I’ve written about Garmin and Facet Technology on past Columbus Days). Getting in a boat with an uncertain route to a far away destination still seems crazy to me, and these guys did it in a time when navigation equipment was quite basic. Their minds would be blown if they knew what kind of information the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency) has. The agency is headquartered in Springfield, VA and has major facilities in St. Louis, MO (I learned about them from one of my awesome interns whose boyfriend works for the NGA). They are part of the Department of Defense, and they are tasked with providing “timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security.”
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We all have our own September 11th stories. I shared mine last year when I wrote about the National September 11 Memorial Museum. These stories, whether they are from the front lines or from people thousands of miles away, are what will ensure that we continue to use the memory of those whose lives were lost 10 years ago today as a positive force. VOICES of September 11th is a non-profit organization that was founded by two women who lost loved ones in the attacks to serve as “an information clearinghouse for those affected by the attacks through the use of a Web site, electronic newsletter, direct mailings and media outreach.” They are based in New Canaan, CT with a satellite office in New Brunswick, NJ, and they have expanded their mission over the years to include “providing continuity of care to promote resiliency and address the long-term issues” of those who were directly affected by the attacks.
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I suffer from Labor Day cognitive dissonance. I love the idea of a long weekend dedicated to celebrating our productivity (even if it does mean the end of summer), but I feel that in a lot of ways that we’ve missed the mark. After spending four years studying Labor Relations in college and another four years devoted to helping college students make the most of their productive capacity, I’ve come to realize that we are going to have to radically change the way we look at work if we’re going to continue to succeed individually and as a nation. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t appreciate Labor Day for what it has become, an awesome day off. In past years we’ve looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Labor, and Stetson (read the post if you want to know what they have to do with Labor Day). Today we’re going to look at the National Hot Rod Association, which is “the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body with 80,000 members, 140 member tracks, more than 35,000 licensed competitors, and more than 5,000 member-track events.” The Glendora, CA based NHRA has been around for 60 years now, and their races seem to keep getting faster.
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Today is all about celebrating America! In past years we’ve looked at Phantom Fireworks, the National Safety Council, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Fireworks, fireworks safety, and the American Revolution are all great patriotic things, but nothing makes me love my country like watching grown human beings gorge themselves for the sake of gorging (I kind of feel awful for talking about this after featuring an anti-hunger non-profit yesterday). The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is especially patriotic this year, as it represents a huge step forward for women’s equality–yes, there was a women’s division of the contest this year. For a while the Japanese had more Fourth of July pride than we did, as Takeru Kobayashi won six consecutive contests from 2001 to 2006, but in 2007 an American named Joey Chestnut took the championship, and he’s held on to it ever since. He even holds the world record for eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. While the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is held on Coney Island, the Nathan’s Famous corporate office is actually located in Jericho, NY. According to Wikipedia, Nathan’s worldwide presence “consists of 24 company-owned units, 380 franchised or licensed units and more than 1,400 stores in 41 states, the District of Columbia and 17 foreign countries.”
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Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays. Some think that it’s unfortunate that the day has taken on a dual meaning, but I really enjoy both parts of the holiday. That’s why we took a look at Hope for the Warriors and their potential job opportunities yesterday, and today we’re going to look at the lighter side of Memorial Day. In past years we’ve featured jobs at Weber-Stephen, The National Park Service, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because all three have solid connections to the holiday. Today it’s all about Johnsonville Sausage, which is based in Sheboygan Falls, WI. I’m back to talking about grilling because it’s the first Memorial Day in three years that I’ll actually have a grill at my disposable. I’ll admit that Johnsonville products aren’t my first choice for grilling (I like steaks), but I do love brats.
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I’m all about celebrating Memorial Day Weekend as the official kickoff of summer. It’s a great time to grill, go to the beach, spend time outdoors, and catch up with friends, but we should never forget what the holiday is really about–remembering and honoring those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I spent a good amount of time this morning looking at non-profits that server our servicemen and their families. There are a ton of them, but most are small and don’t really seem to have employment opportunities. One that I came across that is a little bigger is Hope for the Warriors. They’re based in Jacksonville, NC, and they aim to “enhance quality of life for U.S. service members and their families nationwide who have been adversely affected by injuries or death in the line of duty.” That’s a mission that all Americans should want to get behind, and maybe some of you can help by working for them.
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Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you to all of the Moms out there, especially mine. Since Mother’s Day always falls on a Sunday, I always try to find a non-profit to feature that is at least tangentially connected to motherhood. In past year’s we’ve taken a look at Baby’s First Home, Family Health and Birth Center, and Crittenton Women’s Union (they often seem to have a lot of positions open). Today we’re going to look at the Center for Environmental Health based in Oakland, CA. Their name doesn’t quite fit in with the other three that I mentioned, but you’ll see how they fit in to the theme in a second. The Center for Environmental Health is a non-profit that “is working to eliminate the threat that chemicals pose to children, families, and communities.” They’re also the home of the MOMS (Making Our Milk Safe) Project, which is a group that has the mission of “protecting the health of our babies by eliminating the growing threat of toxic chemicals and industrial pollutants in human breast milk.”
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Happy Cinco de Mayo! I haven’t done a celebratory post for today’s holiday since I featured Party City in 2008, so I think it’s about time. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is mostly a general celebration of Mexican culture (much like St. Patrick’s Day celebrates Irish culture). In my opinion there’s no better way to observe this kind of holiday than by enjoying the culture’s food (some may prefer imbibing the culture’s alcoholic beverage of choice). When I think of Mexican food, Secaucus, NJ based Goya Foods is one of the brands that comes to mind. They are the “the largest, Hispanic-owned food company in the United States,” and they consider themselves “the premier source for authentic Latino cuisine” (that also includes Spanish, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Central & South American foods). The company offers more than 1,500 products, and many of them are ingredients for home cooking, which is exactly what holidays like Cinco de Mayo should really be about.
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After driving for nearly 14 hours to get from Connecticut back to Chicago yesterday, I fell asleep well before my usual bedtime. As a result, I woke up extra early today–but not quite early enough to watch the Royal Wedding. Lucky for me, my girlfriend decided to DVR it. Despite my pretending to be disgruntled at having to watch a wedding on television, I actually found the whole thing to be somewhat interesting. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the whole thing kind of became a British car show. There were a bunch of Bentleys, a few Rolls Royces, and a Jaguar that carried Carole and James Middleton. Oddly enough, none of these car companies are still British owned. Bentley is owned by Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce Motors is owned by BMW (and the original Rolls-Royce company isn’t in the automobile business anymore), and Jaguar was owned by Ford and is now owned by an Indian company called Tata. Still, the Brits seem to be especially proud of their car brands, and that includes Jaguar Land Rover, which is based in Gaydon, UK but they also have a reasonable presence in the United States out of Mahwah, NJ.
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Sponsored Jobs: Love restaurants and looking for an entry level job? SinglePlatform has a ton of positions that are perfect for you. They’re our sponsor this week, and you can check out all of their positions here.
As I mentioned on Friday in our post on Russell Stover, I get pretty excited about Easter candy. There’s nothing better than a basket full of jelly beans, peanut butter eggs, marshmallow eggs, and chocolate bunnies. Some people prefer a little more reality in their Easter baskets though. In the past it wasn’t uncommon for people to give real bunnies, chicks, ducklings, and even lambs to their kids as Easter gifts, and I’m sure there are still some people doing it. It’s really cute, but it’s not a good idea unless the family is actually prepared to care for the properly as they grow up. That means most people should leave their bunnies chocolate, their chicks marshmallow, and their lambs… well we’re having lamb for dinner tonight. The The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals typically agrees (maybe not with the lamb part)–they even have a page on Rabbits as Easter Gifts that links to a site called MakeMineChocolate.org. The ASPCA is a New York, NY based non-profit that has aimed “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States” since it was founded in 1866.
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Sponsored Jobs: Love restaurants and looking for an entry level job? SinglePlatform has a ton of positions that are perfect for you. They’re our sponsor this week, and you can check out all of their positions here.
Yesterday I was too busy talking about candy to mention that it was Earth Day. Luckily, a good friend reminded me that I should probably cover an environmentally minded non-profit today. I did a quick search, and came across the Washington Wilderness Coalition. They’re based in Seattle, WA, and they aim to “to preserve and restore wild areas in Washington State through citizen empowerment, support for grassroots community groups, advocacy and public education.” That’s something that I can get behind since I’ve enjoyed Washington State’s wilderness. In 2007 I spent a day fly fishing the Klickitat River. I didn’t catch anything but one tiny rainbow trout/steelhead, but I got to enjoy the scenery and spot some cool wildlife. It’s just the kind of place that Washington Wilderness Coalition aims to protect, and it’s definitely worth protecting.
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I always like to tie in holidays to the companies that I feature, so when Easter comes around I usually go looking for candy companies. Last year I actually found a candy related non-profit in PMCA, but in previous years I’ve featured Jelly Belly and Just Born Quality Confections (Peeps!) on Good Friday. I’ve also used other holidays like Halloween and Valentine’s Day to look at even more candy companies including Mars, The Hershey Company, NECCO, Charles Chocolates, and Vosges. I guess you can tell that I have a sweet tooth. This year we’re going to take a look at Russell Stover, a Kansas City, MO based confectioner that also owns Whitman’s and Pangburn’s. They’re the nation’s third largest chocolate manufacturer behind Hershey’s and Mars, and they’re the leader when it comes to boxed chocolates.
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It’s Opening Day! (Check out all of our baseball related jobs.) For me it’s like Christmas in April…or late March (it just doesn’t feel right when the season starts in March).I try to watch as many Yankees games as I possibly can, so my daily routine will have to change for the next 7 months. When I first moved to Chicago, I religiously used the MLB At Bat app on my iPhone to listen to games. Then I got DirecTV with MLB Extra Innings so that I could watch all of the games in HD. Now I’m using MLB.tv for viewing games on my phone, laptop, and television through an AppleTV (I’ve already watched quite a few spring training games). However, none of these compare to actually catching a game in person. Unfortunately, when the Yankees come to Chicago to play the Cubs at Wrigley this year, I’m going to be out of town. But last year when they came to play the White Sox, I was able to easily get tickets through StubHub. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that is owned by eBay and enables people to buy and sell tickets to all sorts of events.
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Today’s a big day–not only is it St. Patrick’s Day (in past years we’ve taken a look at General Mills, Luck Stone, and Shamrock Boats) but it’s also the start of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. And what ties those two things together (besides being excuses for drinking during the day)? Shoes! It’s a little-known fact that all leprechauns are shoemakers, and we know that all basketball players are obsessed with shoes. That’s why we’re going to take a look at Wolverine World Wide, a multi-brand shoe company based in Rockford, MI. Their brands include Bates, Cat Footwear, Chaco, Cushe, Harley-Davidson Footwear, Hush Puppies, HyTest, Merrell, Patagonia Footwear, Sebago, Track ‘n Trail, and Wolverine, almost all of which are targeted towards rugged, outdoorsy customer bases. Most of the brands don’t offer great footwear for playing basketball, but they have plenty of shoes for leprechauns that wants to cause mischief and trek to and from the end of the rainbow.
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I love Pi Day. It’s a geeky holiday that comes with an awesome way to celebrate (eating pie). I’ve never been able to find a pie company with solid entry level opportunities, but in past years we’ve looked at Pi Media and The Mathematical Association of America for pi-related jobs. I had forgotten that today was Pi Day, and I was already going to write about Orbotix, and then I realized that they couldn’t be more perfect for the holiday. They’re a Boulder, CO based company that I came across when I was reading Feld Thoughts, and they’ve revolutionized the simplest and best toy ever created–the ball. Their product is called Sphero, and it’s a robotic ball that you can control with your smartphone. I think it could be the next big Christmas blockbuster toy, but even if it’s just relegated to geeks and cat owners, it should sell a ton.
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Want to be our Valentine? All you have to do is go to your career services office and declare your love for us. And if you’re really hot for us, why don’t you convince them to add a link to us from their website?
Happy Valentine’s Day! May you get many Justin Bieber valentines with “Love” crossed out and “From” written in. And if you’re really lucky, maybe there will be a few Sweethearts Conversation Hearts tucked into the envelope. I’ve never particularly enjoyed the taste of those little candies, but they’re still a lot of fun. You may or may not realize that these little hearts come from Necco, the company that also manufactures Necco Wafers, Mary Jane, Haviland, Clark, Skybar, Mighty Malts, Candy Buttons, Canada Mints, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Slap Stix. The company is based in Revere, MA, and I didn’t realize that their name was an acronym for New England Confectionery Company until I drove by their factory in a cab from Boston Logan Airport.
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I love going out in blizzards, and Groundhog Day is my favorite made up holiday. (On past Groundhog Days we’ve look at opportunities with The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, MyPunchBowl, and NOAA.) Unfortunately, I was up sick all night, so I’m not going to be able to enjoy either today. And even if I was feeling well, I probably wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without a serious snow blower. Since I’m taking a snow/sick day, it’s up to you to take a look at one of the leading manufacturers of snowblowers, Toro. They’re a Bloomington, MN based company that also makes lawnmowers, golf and grounds equipment, commercial landscaping equipment, and irrigation equipment.
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holiday,
Minnesota
On past New Year’s Days we’ve taken a look at companies that help you achieve your resolutions like Moleskine and Mint, but since it’s a weekend we are going to look at a non-profit organization. Since I haven’t come across any charitable organizations that help people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions, we’re going to look at an organization that helps people come to resolutions when they have conflict. Public Conversations Project is based in Watertown, MA, and they believe “that better communication and relationships are critical to long-lasting amelioration of conflicts that involve identities, core values, and worldviews.” If you can take on a similar set of beliefs, you’ll be primed for a successful New Year.
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Tagged as:
all employers,
holiday,
non-profit,
program development
I know that a lot of you are buried under feet of snow and not excited to hear about my vacation in the sunshine, but you’re going to have to deal with it today. This is the 6th consecutive New Year’s Eve that I’ve spent in Aruba, and every year it’s celebrated with lots and lots of fireworks. Unless you’ve been here for New Year’s Eve, there is no way that you can understand the amount of fireworks that people shoot off. I heard somewhere that the average Arubian spends 10-15% of their annual income on fireworks. It’s ridiculous. There are big shows put on by hotels and resorts, and there are backyard shows. From sundown until the early morning, the sky will be filled with pyrotechnics, which is why we’re going to look at the Bethesda, MD based American Pyrotechnics Association. They were founded in 1948 as “premier trade association of the fireworks industry.”
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Tagged as:
all employers,
holiday,
Maryland
