Your Road Map to a Multi-Generational Clientele  

You know who your best customer is. And by now, you probably know where to find them. But in order to truly grow your business, it's important to know who your next customer will be. The first step to reaching people outside your target market group is by understanding their behavior and connecting with them.

The Generation Age Group Analysis of Home Improvement Activity, a study conducted by the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), focuses on four age groups: Matures (65 years and older), Baby Boomers (46 to 64 years), Gen X'ers (32 to 45 years) and Gen Y (19 to 31 years). Though there are many similarities among these four generations, there are also many differences that are important to understand in order to make a sale.

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Hosting Ohio Valley NARI Membership Meetings 
 
Would your place of business like to host one of our membership meetings in 2012? It's a great way to put your name, products and expertise directly in front of your customers and potential customers. Our calendar is being finalized now so make your reservation today. Please click here for more information.

Ohio Valley NARI Membership Initiative

Don't forget the incentive to our members for recruiting a member to the Ohio Valley Chapter. Each new member sponsor will receive a $100.00 bill for their efforts. The incentive will be distributed immediately upon Board approval of the applicant and the bounty will be paid at the next membership meeting. This is a perfect way for us to offer a bonus to our "counter help" and sales reps for passing out information about our fine organization.

Please contact info@naricincinnati.org or call (800) 498-6274 for details.

IRS Encourages Small Employers to Check Out Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
 

NARI Meets with EPA Enforcement

Recently NARI's Government Affairs Chair David Merrick, MCR, UDCP, and Bruce Case, CLC, in addition to NARI's lobbyist Tom Sullivan, met with representatives from the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OCEA) to discuss enforcement of the EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair & Painting (RRP) rule.

This meeting was an extension of NARI's outreach to the EPA about the RRP rule. NARI again expressed continued frustration that there has not been more enforcement against non-certified firms performing work practice violations. At this meeting, NARI shared that a lack of enforcement has created an underground economy within the remodeling industry, thus defeating the purpose of the rule and creating greater hazards to homeowners.

Don Lott, associate director of the Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division of OECA, shared that last year, there were 645 work practice inspections/investigations. Many of those will result in enforcement actions, he advised.

The EPA is considering a "Case Study," in which they would send an enforcement team to visit a jobsite. Such a case study would allow NARI to could document the experience and promote awareness.

OSHA Extends Temporary Enforcement Measures in Residential Construction

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will extend its temporary enforcement measures for six months in residential construction. The temporary enforcement measures, extended through September 15, 2012, include priority free on-site compliance assistance, penalty reductions, extended abatement dates, measures to ensure consistency, and increased outreach. Fatalities from falls are the number one cause of workplace death in construction.

Over the past year, OSHA has worked closely with the industry, conducting over 1,000 outreach sessions nationwide to assist employers in complying with the new directive. OSHA will continue to work with employers to ensure a clear understanding of, and to facilitate compliance with, the new policy.

OSHA's Web page also has a wide variety of educational and training materials to assist employers with compliance. Multiple easy-to-read fact sheets, PowerPoint and slide presentations, as well as other educational materials are available on the Fall Protection in Residential Construction page.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Ones
By Dr. Alan Zimmerman

5000 years ago, a set of books known as "The Pentateuch" called it "zeal." 2000 years ago, another set of books known as "The Bible" called it "faith." 70 years ago, clergyman Norman Vincent Peale called it "positive thinking." 20 years ago, psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman called it "learned optimism." 2 years ago, Professor Shawn Achor called it the "happiness advantage." But when you do a Google search on these terms, most people seem to lump them together and simply refer to them as "attitude," "positive attitude," or "positive thinking." There seems to be a general feeling ... that whatever you call it ... these terms have a lot to do with success in life and success at work.

And they're absolutely right. As Achor writes, "Recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that ... when we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work." Even the "Harvard Business Review," on the cover of their January-February 2012 issue, featured a yellow smiley face with dollar signs as crinkles at each end of the smile. Superimposed on the face is the title, "The Value of Happiness: How Employee Well-Being Drives Profits." Inside, the article proclaims: "Emerging research from neuroscience, psychology, and economics makes the link between a thriving workforce and better business performance absolutely clear."

The fact is...

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BWC Announces New  Destination: Excellence Program
 
Destination: Excellence is a new Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) program package designed to help protect your workers and your organization's bottom line by focusing on safety, accident prevention and return-to-work opportunities to bring injured workers back to work sooner.

Destination: Excellence allows you to select from seven new and existing program options to customize a plan that addresses your specific needs. The "cafeteria style" plan aligns with the BWC's top priority of preventing injuries and getting injured workers healthy and back to work sooner. A quick return to work saves money for employers, but more importantly it increases the chances of a positive outcome for injured workers. For more information contact Paul Feck, ARM with Frank Gates at (800) 777-4283 or visit www.frankgates.com.