The EPG Connection

Greetings faithful readers. I thought I would use this platform for April’s newsletter to talk a bit about a commitment I have recently taken on. I am proud and honored to be serving as co-chair for this year’s Southern New Jersey Fall Heart Walk. My co-chair is Mark Bateman, Chief Administrative Officer for the Lourdes Health System. Our Executive Committee is an assemblage of several local business leaders who are as committed as Mark and I are to do whatever we can to eliminate heart disease and stroke in our lifetimes.

It is highly unlikely that anyone reading this piece has not been touched by heart disease. Whether it is you, a family member, a friend or a coworker, heart disease in its many forms can seriously affect one’s quality of life and, too many times, can result in an untimely death. Although there are many extremely worthy causes for which fund raising efforts exist, heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of Caucasians, African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. One in three females has some form of cardiovascular disease. One in three infants who die from a birth defect has a heart defect. And, one in three males has some form of cardiovascular disease. Needless to say, heart disease hits home in one form or another for most folks.

Now, what about the business world? As CEO of Emerson Personnel Group I am well aware of the following facts. Over 60% of CEO’s site healthcare as their top cost pressure point. Sedentary jobs have increased 83% since 1950. The average annual healthcare cost per person exceeds $3000, and preventable illnesses make up 70% of illness costs in the U.S. The good news is that adults gain two hours of life expectancy for each hour of regular exercise. Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day provides many heart-health benefits. Physically active people can save $500 a year in healthcare costs, and walking has the lowest drop out rate of any physical activity.

So, have I made my case? We are looking for businesses and individuals to join us Saturday, October 18, 2008 @ 8:00AM at Campbell’s Field on the Camden Waterfront for the 2008 Southern New Jersey Fall Heart Walk. Our goal is to raise $450,000 while raising awareness of the importance of physical activity. Join us for a day of fun and fellowship! You can register online or read about the walk at www.SNJFallHW.org or contact Heart Walk Regional Director Kimberly Minton at the American Heart Association at (609) 208-0020 or at Kimberly.Minton@Heart.org. Thanks in advance for your support!

Congratulations to our February 2008 Employee of the Month, Lisa Watkins.

Lisa has always done a wonderful job for Emerson Personnel Group. Over the years, Lisa has very successfully working on long term accounting positions. One of our clients was so please, they decided to hire Lisa permanently. Lisa is always professional and pleasant. She demonstrates a strong work ethic and she is a pleasure to work with.

Do you use Facebook or Myspace for having fun communicating with your friends? As many of you know, these sites have become very popular for connecting with friends including posting pictures (not all discreet) and sharing personal life events (some very personal!). What you may not know, is that employers are utilizing these sites as well to check you out! AND they are making hiring decisions based on this information. In addition to the usual reference checks, employers can visit these sites and learn all sorts of interesting things about you from a highly reliable source – YOU. Of course, you may protest that this is an invasion of privacy or that info posted there is personal and not work related. However, the cruel reality is this: whatever you post on the Internet is obviously no longer “private”. Information that you post will be accepted as reliable, even if you made it up to impress your friends. Employers will form judgments about your personality, your ethics, your trustworthiness, etc. to determine whether you are the kind of person they want working for them. By the way, employers are also Googling your name to see what type of cool info – or what kind of “digital dirt”- pops up about you.*

So, what can you do about this? Well, for starters, if you are in job search mode, be cautious as to what you post on these sites. You may want to consider removing some of those pictures from last week’s keg party. Next, there are privacy controls on these sites – so learn what they are and how to use them. Another idea is to check out industry blogs (use technorati.com to search for blogs by topic) and comment intelligently on them – this raises your Google presence and can help promote a more professional image. You can also participate in LinkedIn to enhance your image, a business networking site considered reputable and professional. Guess it’s like anything these days – you may be frustrated by the information I’m sharing with you, but being informed allows you to make choices and enables you to have some control in the process. Happy postings!

*(A great resource for professionals and executives on building your online identity - Career Distinction by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson.)

Diane Irwin is President of Dynamic Résumés and helps individuals impact the job market through effective résumés, job search skills, and interview skills. She has almost 15 years experience in Human Resources, specializing in Résumé-writing, recruitment, and outplacement. She is an active memeber of the National Résumé Writers Association, The Career Management Alliance, and Tri-State Human Resources Association.

Personal Information

Name: Stacy Lynn Hory

Title: Production Manager

What you do for EPG: I assist with all aspects of the company from completing reference checks and reformatting resumes to creating marketing material and payroll.

Education: Burlington County Institute of Technology ~ Medford Campus

First job: Waitress at Big J’s

Little-known fact about you: I’m a horrible waitress.

Home: Medford, NJ

Business Philosophy

Essential business philosophy: A life of value is not a series of great things well done; it is a series of small things consciously done ~ Joan Chittister

Yardstick of success: To purchase my first home.

Mentor: My sister. For a very long time she was a single mother and still managed to grow her career beyond expectations and raise a wonderfully smart and talented son

True Confessions

Word that describes you: Compassionate

Like best about your job: Everything. The people I work with are wonderful. From my first day I felt that I belonged here.

The most important lesson you’ve learned: Not everyone is out there to hurt you, but not everyone is out there to help you either. Trust your instincts.

Life motto: Success is never final and Failure is never fatal. ~Anonymous

Pet Peeve: Talking while using “slang”. It is not professional.

Person most interested in meeting and why: My father’s parents. They were both immigrants to America. I would love hear the stories from their Country and learn more about they overcame the struggles of coming to America.

First choice in a new career: Stay at home mom. I grew up with my mother home with me and I honestly believe that she did the right thing. I do not have anything against mothers that work, but I loved the alone time I had with my mother.

Greatest extravagance: Evening out. At least once a month my fiancé treats to dinner and a movie.

Et Cetera

Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing….”Nobody puts baby in the corner”

Favorite restaurant: Charlie Browns, Burlington, NJ

Favorite vacation spot: Virginia Beach

Favorite room in the house and why: My bedroom on a lazy Sunday morning. We just relax in bed ignoring the world for an hour or so with our boys (our two dogs).

Favorite way to spend free time: Going on nature walks with my fiancé and two dogs.

These 10 eco-friendly solutions can help get your business in order.
By Charlene Davis

There are endless ways to create a greener workplace from using recycled products to installing doubled-paned windows for better insulation. The best way to start is by taking small steps. Here are a few ideas you can work with.

1. Green up your commute. Since your workday begins when you arrive, let’s start with how you get there. The best-case scenario is to telecommute by working from home. Today’s technology–e.g., video conferencing, instant messaging and online seminars–has made this a reality. However, if your office can’t be home based and walking or biking is not an option; consider carpooling with two to three other like-minded people or using public transportation. Other alternatives are purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle or switching from an eight-hour workday, five days a week to a 10-hour workday, four days a week. This will cut your daily commute time by at least 20 percent and give you longer weekends.
2. Go digital. The greenest paper is no paper, and one of the most effective ways to be more eco-friendly in your office is to reduce paper waste. Switch from a fax machine to a fax modem to send and receive paperless documents. Use electronic forms whenever possible, and e-mail letters and documents to be read online rather than printed out. Have staff members take their laptops to team meetings so they aren’t printing reams of reports. An added bonus: Storing files on your computer saves time, money and space. Just don’t forget to backup, preferably to an off-site data system. You can also use compact flash drives to easily and efficiently transport and share documents. Not only are they more convenient than CDs, but most have security features to protect sensitive data.
3. Read the green print. When printing is unavoidable, use the draft mode on your printer and make double-sided printing your default. The same rules apply to your copier as well. You should also use 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. Glenn Croston, author of 75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference, also recommends using software from Greenprint.com to avoid printing excess blank pages and converting documents to PDF files for paperless document sharing.
4. Green your PC. Since we’re talking about using computers to their maximum potential, we also need to discuss how to make them more efficient and environmentally friendly. Start by putting computers on “standby” or in “hibernation” mode when they haven’t been accessed for more than 10 minutes; turn them completely off when you’re finished working for the day. When it’s time to replace older desktop computers, switch to a laptop for more efficiency. Not only are they more portable, but they use 80 percent less energy. And when upgrading, take advantage of take-back programs for people who want to recycle their old computers. Some manufacturers, such as Sony and Dell, offer free shipping or trade-in credit toward new purchases.
5. Can you see the light? Daylight is the best natural resource. However, natural lighting is not always adequate, and energy-efficient light bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs should replace incandescent lighting for cost and energy savings. Just be sure to turn off the lights when leaving the room. Croston recommends installing occupancy sensors or timers on lights so they automatically turn off when no one is around.
6. Get real. Plants that is. A silk tree may be easier to take care of, but a real one adds natural beauty to your surroundings while improving the quality of indoor air. This can be especially important if you work in a newer building that is tightly sealed to conserve energy. Older buildings and homes may also feature materials that produce harmful pollutants from synthetic carpeting and fabrics, plastic coated wallpaper or laminated countertops. One of the best natural defenses against these contaminants is to make liberal use of live houseplants.
7. Take a break. And when you do, toss the plastic wear and foam cups. Encourage your employees to bring lunch from home in reusable containers or frequent restaurants that have green carryout initiatives like Chipotle. Provide washable china and utensils in your lunchroom, or encourage staffers to bring their own. This would also be an excellent time to get some coffee mugs with your company logo on them for visitors and employees to use.
8. Perk up. Speaking of coffee, use fair-trade certified, shade-grown coffee in reusable coffee filters. Not only is organic coffee better for you, but the shade-grown beans helps to protect biodiversity of the fragile ecosystems in the countries that grow it, while the reusable filters cut down on waste. Croston also cautions against using nondairy creamers in coffee because they are loaded with hydrogenated oils and other unhealthy products.
9. Use green marketing tools. Promote your eco-friendly habits in your marketing materials, both internally and externally. “Let your customers, suppliers, and employees know that you are taking active steps to protect and preserve the environment,” says business writer Jacquelyn Lynn. “It will build loyalty and enhance your company’s image.” This can be done in a number of ways, but one of the simplest is to add a green tag line to e-mails that [says] something like: “Please think green before printing this e-mail” or “Bio-based for a healthier environment.”
10. Don’t just think green; wear it. Another change you can personally make is to have a green wardrobe. Purchase clothing with organic fibers such as cotton, silk, wool or hemp, or fabric made from recycled materials. Who knew plastic soda bottles could look so good? Try to avoid clothing that requires dry cleaning, but if it does, look for a green dry cleaner that uses a carcinogen-free process. Another recyclable fashion alternative is to “go vintage” by visiting secondhand and thrift shops.

Off to a Green Start Going green in the workplace is easier if you do it from the beginning, and Glenn Croston, author of 75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference, suggests looking for green business opportunities. There are green businesses in a wide range of industries, he says. “If you keep your eyes open, there might be a new business you [start] by thinking, acting and working green,” says Croston. However, in many fields, launching a green initiative from the outset is not feasible, especially if you’ve been in business for a while. So create a plan of action, and jump in anywhere using some of the suggestions outlined in this article. Lynn urges everyone to remember that little things add up to a lot. “When you’re a small operation, it’s easy to think that what you do doesn’t really matter,” she says. “But when you multiply the things you do by thousands of other small operations, it’s a big impact.”