This story is almost unbelievable. The scam was set up at AIG and involved a VP of HR. From Workforce Management (my editing): Federal authorities have charged a former human resources vice president of American International Group Inc. and three accomplices with defrauding the insurer of $1.1 million with phony bills for employee search services. According to a federal criminal complaint, Falcetta moved from Philadelphia to New York to take his job with AIG in September 2005. His duties included managing contracts with employee search firms, and he had the authority to add firms to AIG’s approved list of vendors and to pay vendor bills up to $50,000. Over the… Read More
Continue ReadingThe NHL On New Year’s Day
Ok, there are plenty of college football games to digest this holiday week so why not try something different on New Year’s Day? We here at The Hire Sense are huge hockey fans and all of our sons play in our local association and high school program. The NHL is a second-tier (at best) league in the US, but they are fairly progressive in their approach to marketing their league. Online Media Daily has an article titled NHL’s ‘Winter Classic’ Coverage to Include Historic Broadband Firsts. In case you haven’t heard, the NHL will have an outdoor game on Jan. 1 from Buffalo, NY. I love this idea (they held… Read More
Continue ReadingMerry Christmas!
We are calling it a wrap today and are on our way to be with family and friends. All of us at Select Metrix would like to wish you and yours a joyous and blessed Christmas!
Continue ReadingThe Hottest Gift This Christmas…
is a GPS receiver. I get lost in my driveway and yet I still do not own one of these things. In case you were wondering (you probably weren’t wondering, but I was), here is how the thing works: When people talk about “a GPS,” they usually mean a GPS receiver. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is actually a constellation of 27 Earth-orbiting satellites (24 in operation and three extras in case one fails). The U.S. military developed and implemented this satellite network as a military navigation system, but soon opened it up to everybody else. Each of these 3,000- to 4,000-pound solar-powered satellites circles the globe at about 12,000… Read More
Continue ReadingMy Gift For Lee
He’s old. And he rarely reads my posts so this gift will still be a surprise to him.
Continue ReadingBlack Friday Stats
Today is the biggest shopping day of the year and Maritz Research has some of the stats to define the day: A recent Maritz® Poll found that one-third of respondents (37 percent) plan to shop on the day after Thanksgiving. In last year’s poll, a similar number (34 percent) said they would shop on Black Friday. In addition, those who plan to shop on Black Friday say they will spend more overall on their holiday purchases – $790 compared to $637 for all shoppers combined. Black Friday also has generational implications with the majority of Gen Y respondents (59 percent), as well as a significant portion of Gen X (46… Read More
Continue ReadingStarbucks Statistics
As a complete coffee addict, I found these statistics about Starbucks remarkable: Starbucks’s closest competitor in the coffeehouse market, Caribou Coffee, is just one-twenty-fifth its size. Every 10 weeks, Starbucks opens as many stores as the total number of Caribou outlets. Starbucks has had 14 straight years with at least 5% same-store sales growth. Contrary to popular opinion, Starbucks increases sales at rival nearby coffeehouses. For example, when it blitzed Omaha with six stores, coffee sales at local joints went up as much as 25%, and more new ones opened shop. According to Starbucks, the company pays more for insurance for its employees ($200 million) than it does for coffee… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Craig’s List Tragedy
The recent murder of a young woman responding to a Craig’s List ad here in Minnesota has saddened all of us. Although the details are still sketchy, it appears to be a heinous, planned murder. Unfortunately, it has hit close to home with all of us at The Hire Sense. The murder occurred just 20 miles away from us in the same metropolitan county. Furthermore, we know the victim’s uncle. He is the top candidate for one of the position’s we are selecting for one of our customers. I called the candidate yesterday to follow up on the next step in our process and was utterly stunned when he told… Read More
Continue ReadingI’m It
Ok, I have been delinquent in responding to Clayton from Salesopedia and his tag of me. Apparently I have to share 8 little known things about me. I’ll give it a try: I am a twin. I have a “younger” sister – I was born 3 min. before her. Still counts. Although I live in Minnesota, I was born in Ann Arbor, MI and bleed Maize and Blue. I only lived there the first 5 years of my life, but it had a huge impact on me no matter what the Rock Star says. I met my wife at work. I was in sales and she was in marketing. We… Read More
Continue ReadingSome States Cost More
A press release from the Milken Institute’s annual Cost-of-Doing-Business Index lists the most expensive states for doing business and the least expensive. First, the top of the list: Ten Most Expensive 1 Hawaii 2 New York 3 Alaska 4 Massachusetts 5 Connecticut 6 California 7 New Jersey 8 Vermont 9 Delaware 10 Rhode Island And then the inexpensive list: Ten Least Expensive Rank 50 South Dakota 49 Iowa 48 North Dakota 47 Nebraska 46 Idaho 45 South Carolina 44 Montana 43 Missouri 42 Tennessee 41 Arkansas I see lists like this and think one thing – taxes.
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