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Daily Dash Headlines

New FMLA Regulations Require Quick Action By HR Professionals
When Tammy Griffin found out about the new military leave provisions in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in February, she and a handful of other HR professionals at Central Michigan University didn't waste any time. Shortly after the announcement, CMU's manager of employee health and wellness and a few of her colleagues divvied up the policies and forms that needed to be revised.

Time to get your Annual Financial Check-up
With the ever-challenging Michigan economy and the roller-coaster ride of recent months in the stock market, now, more than ever, everyone needs to have a Financial Check-up. How can you be sure you have the best advisors surrounding you? Get a second opinion of course.

Ringing In the New Year With New FMLA Regulations
Adding to the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays, many HR professionals also are scrambling to get the right policies and procedures in place before mid-January when some sweeping changes in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will go into effect.

Companies Providing Quality Service to the Community
At a time of tremendous economic turmoil in our country, it’s good to know there are still some bright spots on Michigan’s horizon and there are still companies that are committed to providing quality service to the community. One such company is ITC Holdings Corp., headquartered in Novi, which is the owner and operator of the high voltage electric transmission system in most of Michigan’s lower Peninsula.

Mixed Bag for Business: Litigation Is Recession-Proof, Court Action Is Avoidable
With all of the layoffs, reorganizations, and buyouts going on these days, legal experts say companies need to take the right steps to avoid ending up in the courtroom. The combination of poor economic conditions and disgruntled, laid-off workers makes the current business environment especially ripe for lawsuits, legal experts say. And with budget crunches on a grand scale across corporate America, few companies can afford to get hung up in expensive court actions.

The Best Electricians in the World
Michigan has long been recognized for its highly skilled workforce. In fact, Michigan has led the way in quality and talent in the manufacturing sectors for decades. Now, as we face some of the biggest economic challenges since the Great Depression, the question many are asking is “Where do we go from here?”

What is a Life Settlement?
A Life Settlement, also known as a Senior Settlement, is the sale to a third-party purchaser of an in-force life insurance policy for its “fair market value” – an amount of money greater than the contract’s cash surrender value but less than its death benefit. The Policy Owner/Seller is not restricted in the use of the cash proceeds received from the sale. In return for the cash payment made to the former Policy Owner/Seller, the Settlement Company acquires ownership of the policy, names itself the beneficiary, is then responsible for paying the ongoing future premium payments, and ultimately will receive the death benefit at the insured’s death.

Help Ease Employees' Financial Fears With Communication, Education
It's hard enough to crank out the same amount of work with a skeleton staff, but many employees who have managed to survive rounds of layoffs and buyouts have much weightier matters than work projects on their minds.

Protecting Your Business And Family Wealth: Lifetime Strategies
Procrastination. That's what many successful business owners do, instead of effectively planning for the future. Now that they have accumulated sizable wealth, they become immobilized by seemingly conflicting concerns: how to retain control of their assets as they approach retirement age, retain enough income to live on after retirement, minimize their children's estate taxes, and help provide for their families' security after they die. Mixed into the equation may be a desire to eventually pass on the business to the next generation.

Perks On a Budget: How To Reward Employees Without Breaking the Bank
For many cash-strapped companies, perks like gym memberships, tuition reimbursement, and year-end bonuses may be among the casualties of this economic downturn. And while some budget cuts may be unavoidable, experts say that there are plenty of ways to reward, recognize, and help employees without gouging the bottom line.

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Cooperative Education - An effective way to build a productive professional work
Last Saturday, December 13th, I presided over the Kettering University Commencement Exercises as I always do. But this time was different. For the first time in the three and one-half years I have been at Kettering, I was going to deliver the commencement address, and for the first time I saw science, engineering and business graduates who were truly facing uncertainties in their future – new and troubling economic realities ranging from a financial crisis and a deepening world recession to the threatened viability of the U.S. auto industry – a threat that had reached a critical stage just the day before.

What can we learn from this?
S3 just marked 18 consecutive years of growth with a focus that for a variety of reasons has never included the auto industry. As a result, some people were surprised recently when we enthusiastically signed on as part of an effort to highlight the importance of the auto industry to both this region and to the nation as a whole.

Barriers on the Road to the New Economy
My last six CEO Corner columns have focused on some of the things that need to be done as we build a new economy for this region – one built on the foundation of rediscovered science and technology-based entrepreneurism. However, there are barriers to achieving this objective that we must overcome. Conceptually I group these into three categories: governmental barriers, insufficient venture capital, and small thinking.

And Still Growing... Inspite of the Economy
Regular readers may remember that I closed last month’s CEO Corner with a note to expect further announcements before the end of the year related to Strategic Staffing Solutions’ continued commitment to growth and expansion. At the time, some may have questioned whether, in light of current economic conditions both in Michigan and nationally, I was being overly optimistic.

18 And Still Growing
In the midst of profound uncertainty regarding the state, national and world economies, Strategic Staffing Solutions celebrated a major milestone October 1st. We turned 18! It hardly seems possible that it was 18 years ago when we opened for business with three employees at our initial headquarters on Woodbridge just east of the Renaissance Center.

Sustaining Successful Corporate Culture in a Global Sea of Change
This month I am going to shift the focus of my comments away from entrepreneurship and building a new regional economy to an intriguing and significant challenge facing highly successful U.S. companies with global markets and operations. Consider the following. Company X has achieved great success over several decades in developing global markets and establishing global markets and establishing global operations.

Cynthis J. Pasky: Community Involvement and Charitable Giving
It takes much more than a strong bottom line to make running a business a truly rewarding experience. Financial success, if it is not coupled with a strong commitment to community involvement, can be a very hollow success.