This may be a topic that only interests me, but here is the link to the annual Fortune 500 list (h/t JustSell.com).  You can sort the list on a myriad of criteria.  I sorted the data by state and found that Minnesota came in with a respectable 20 F500 companies with an impressive 5 companies in the F100 (based on revenue):

21. UnitedHealth Group

33. Target

72. Best Buy

89. Travelers Cos.

97. 3M

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I wanted to just post a quick shout-out to Paul DeBettignies at MN Headhunter who organized one of the most impressive, impromptu conferences I have ever attended.  Paul is a genuinely humble guy but he did yeoman’s duty as the driving force behind the conference.  He has a post summarizing the event that you can read here.  John Sumser has pictures here.

110+ people attended the event at Best Buy corporate headquarters yesterday and the feedback has been amazing.  The discussions I had afterwards were all highly complimentary and those attendees were hoping for a continuation of the conference.  That discussion has already started so I will pass on information on the next Twin Cities’ conference as it becomes available (here is the information pertaining to yesterday’s conference).

The next traveling roadshow will be in Atlanta in Sept. in case you are in the area and would like to attend.  I’ll post the details when they are available.

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As my wife will gladly attest, I am NO slave to fashion.  In fact, if they made Garanimals for adults, I would buy them.  So my interest was mildly piqued in CareerJournal.com’s What to Wear to the Office Where Suits Aren’t the Norm.  Some fashion advice for us guys:

Casual wardrobe essentials for men include casual and dress pants in khaki, navy, black, and perhaps a pair of relaxed-fit — but not too baggy — dark navy pressed jeans. Men should think creatively with shirts, with colors beyond white and blue, an assortment of styles in solids and stripes, and some turtlenecks. A couple of blazers in navy or tan allow guys to be spiffier for important meetings. Go with dark loafers, with or without socks.

The last line caught my eye and I have to share a story from yesterday.  I was out at a couple appointments yesterday and stopped by a coffee shop.  As I was getting my coffee, I noticed a well-dressed gentleman in a sharp suit - 2 piece with complementary shirt and a coordinated tie.

The strange part of his ensemble . . . he was wearing Teva sandals.  Honestly, there were his barefeet exposed in a pair of hiking sandals.

Trust me on this one, it was passing strange.

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From the JustSell.com guys:

In July 1776, 2.5 million people lived in the newly independent United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2007, the nation’s population has grown to 302 million, and to celebrate Independence Day this year, the National Retail Federation reports that consumers will:

• enjoy a BBQ, cookout or picnic (61.1%)
• watch fireworks or attend another community celebration (42.5%)
• purchase patriotic merchandise (17.3%)
• travel or go on vacation (11.3%)
• attend a parade (9.7%)

Have a Happy and Safe Fourth from all of us at Select Metrix!

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It has been a while since I last posted about important upcoming dates. I was looking through a promotional calendar and started chuckling at some of the titles I was reading. Instead of highlighting just one this month, I thought I would provide all of July’s honor:

• National Recreation and Parks Month
• Blueberries Month
• Cell Phone Courtesy Month
• Family Reunion Month
• Herbal & Prescription Awareness Month
• National Baked Beans Month
• National Culinary Arts Month
• National Grilling Month
• National Hot Dog Month
• National Make a Difference to Children Month
• National Purposeful Parenting Month
• Skyscraper Month
• Social Wellness Month
• Women’s Motorcycle Month
• Mental Illness Awareness Month

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We have a couple of approaches to purchasing gasoline within our company. If you are like me, you keep a close eye on the price of gas and attempt to purchase it before it spikes. If not, you are similar to the Hammer who fills up whenever and wherever he needs gas regardless of the price.

I read an article on ManageSmarter.com that provided a link to software for your phone. The “Cheap Gas” widget is a free application from GetMobio. They provide an entire suite of applications designed to help cell phone users with a variety of tasks.

The program has over 50 applications and the “Cheap Gas” widget allows users to instantly search and compare gas prices for any geographical location€”determined by a user-provided street address€”as well as search gas prices by brand. The application also presents map displays for all gas station locations within the direct area.

I doubt the Hammer will add this widget to his phone, but I highly recommend it.

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I am catching up on old email newsletters and came across a very interesting read from Penny Freymiller at MinnesotaJobs.com regarding cell phones. I thought these were great tips:

1. The Emergency Number worldwide is 112. Apparently even if you are out of your coverage area or your keypad is locked you can dial 112 and it will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you.
2. Imagine your cell battery is very low, by pressing *3370# your cell will restart with reserve power and will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get recharged when you go to charge your cell phone the next time.
3. If your cell phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them your serial number and they will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. To find out your serial number dial * # 0 6 # and your number will appear on the screen.
4. Save your money by dialing 1-800-373-3411 or 800 FREE 411 when you need a number instead of incurring the dollar or two that you may get charged for calling 411.

Kudos to Peggy for sending this information out.

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This seemed like a good Friday topic from Working Wounded:

List of the Week

Look who’s talking €¦ What TV shows are most talked about at work.

• “American Idol,” 44 percent
• “Grey’s Anatomy,” 28 percent
• None, 21 percent
• “CSI,” 11 percent
• “House,” 9 percent

From: Spherion

I particularly enjoyed “None.”

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I just caught up to this story from the Tennessean.com - Photo of boy’s grief, courage touches nation. This is a moving story with a tremendous picture of courage from a young boy at his father’s funeral.

Please don’t miss this article or fail to remember our troops this Memorial Day.

“All gave some and some gave all.”

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We’re set to enjoy the unofficial start of summer here at The Hire Sense by doing what most Americans do this day - fire up the barby. Being the slaves to pop culture that we are, I have to share this article from foxnews.com with you - Coming Soon to a Barbecue Near You: Infrared Burners. I wasn’t aware of this technology but now my interest (and hopefully yours, too) is piqued.

For a quarter century, chefs at pricey steakhouses have been searing meat on burners that cook with infrared energy. Now the high-temperature technology may be coming to a backyard barbecue near you.

With the expiration of a key patent, major gas grill manufacturers, including market leader Char-Broil, have scrambled to bring infrared cooking to the masses with models in the $500 to $1,000 range. Previously, such grills cost as much as $5,000.

…

“Infrared has done to the grill business what the microwave did to the indoor kitchen,” he said. “It’s presenting consumers with a whole new way of cooking.”

Enjoy this day and may your grill hot!

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