Archive By Section - Business Columns
Signal Sales Beat - May 21, 2012
Every week the Signal sales staff updates readers on local business news and tips it picks up while out in the field.
Brad Watson: How to avoid conflicts of interest
Dr. HOA, I sit on the board for my association and have previously hired vendors that have worked for our association to do work at my home. I pay for the work and do not get special treatment. I hire them because I see their work first hand at our association and I trust them. Recently a new homeowner joined the board and is accusing me of doing something wrong by hiring association vendors. Is ...
Ken Keller: Is your team ‘rebuilding,’ or is it a contender?
The NFL training camps open soon, and I am looking forward to a visit to the Dallas Cowboys' practice field in Oxnard in August.
Carl Kanowsky: Like it or not, the justices were just doing their job
The pastor of a local church got a call last night from one of his parishioners who is a tow truck driver.
Improving your bottom line with water conservation
Controlling or reducing expenses can always help the bottom line. However, many companies often overlook one area to improve efficiencies - their water use.
Pete Bellas: Looking for opportunity? Join the crowd(funding)
By now, almost all of us have heard the story of Karen Klein, the 68-year-old bus monitor who was taunted and insulted by a group of middle school students on the bus she was assigned to.
Jerry Citarella: Life is like a parade
Last week, as I was preparing our float for the annual Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July parade, I recalled one of my favorite quotes. It's something I've reflected on many times, over many years. I actually have no idea who originally said it-or if, in fact, I made it up. Either way, I love what it says. I'll use it as the basis for this column.
Ken Keller: Questions for your company’s midyear review
June 30 signaled the end of the first half of 2012 and the passing of the Fourth of July holiday means we are now officially in the second half of the calendar year.
Carl Kanowsky: The Fourth, and beloved freedoms
How was your 4th of July? Barbecue and fireworks? Relaxing and watching some games on TV?
Erika Kauzlarich-Bird: Double-digit gains give plenty of encouragement
May marked the fourth consecutive month that pending home sales - a guide to future activity and where the market is headed - posted double-digit gains throughout California.
How to find the right managers for your HOA
Dr. HOA, After nearly seven years with our current management company, our HOA is in the process of looking for a new company. It seems like many of the companies offer the same services. Do you have any advice on what we should be looking for and how to differentiate one company from another? We want to make sure the selection process is thorough and comprehensive, so any advice you could give us would be ...
Ken Keller: Please, remind me again, why are you on my payroll?
Several years ago, I wrote a column that was a hit with many readers of The Signal. It was titled, "Why should I keep you on the payroll?"
Carl Kanowsky: It might be flawed, but it still works
The Supreme Court has given blog writers two gifts this week, with their decisions on health care and immigration law. We'll discuss immigration this week, health care next week.
Janice France-Pettit: Helping teens manage their money
Our nation's teens are on their way to becoming adults and, in a few short years, many will be off to college or on their own, so it is critical that they learn to manage money wisely and develop sound financial habits.
Kari Aaver: Make sure the WorkSource Center can work for you
The Santa Clarita WorkSource Center, nearly every day, talks to employers that are having a difficult time finding employees.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
Ken Keller: Permission to argue is granted
Peggy Noonan wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal on April 20 about her attendance at Margaret Thatcher's London funeral service. She commented that Mrs. Thatcher was often frustrated with her staff. Thatcher once said to her aides, "I don't need to be told what, I need to be told how."
Bob Khalsa: Statewide median home price at five-year high
Heated market conditions fueled by a tight inventory and strong sales in higher-cost coastal regions drove California's median home price in March to its highest level since May 2008. Local prices, right here in the Santa Clarita Valley are headed higher, too.
Ken Keller: How one company turned it around
This week I'd like to introduce a company in a far different place compared to just a year ago. The organization has gone from despair to celebrating success. At the end of the first quarter of 2013, the owner said his company had "…Increased sales, reduced costs and improved our overall financial position in terms of positive cash flow and profitability, as well as reduced debt."
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want, anyway?
This is part two of a two-part column.
Bob Khalsa: Feds ease loan modification rules
Some homeowners who are still struggling to avoid foreclosure may soon benefit from streamlined rules that offer an easy way to lower monthly payments and modify their mortgage without requiring financial or hardship documentation.
Ken Keller: Here are the vitamins a leader must distribute
Looking back on those individuals who were my bosses, a clear distinction comes to mind.
Holly Schroeder: New homes benefit more than just buyers and builder
The only people who benefit when a house is built are the family members who get to live there, and the builder who constructed and sold the home, right?
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want anyway? Part I
This column is part one of a two-part column.
Ken Keller: Lessons to be learned from lack of feedback
In 1970 I started my first official job. I worked nine hours a week at a small grocery store. For the next two years I grossed $11.25 a week.
Bob Khalsa: Prices, sales rise as SCV’s housing market continues its recovery
The residential housing resale market in the Santa Clarita Valley continued to recover during February, with sales and prices up to their highest levels in years.
Ken Keller: Getting crystal clear about your business
There is a terrific exchange in the courtroom drama "A Few Good Men." Colonel Jessup, played by Jack Nicolson, turns from being a witness in a court martial to being the prosecutor when he asks Lieutenant Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise: "Have you ever spent time in an infantry unit, son?"
Disaster recovery — is your business prepared?
Is your business prepared for a disaster? While it is not something any of us like to think about, businesses should have a disaster plan in place.
Joe Klocko: The conundrum: supply and demand, wages and the skills gap
Most people understand the basic economic principle of supply and demand and incorporate it into their daily decisions. They may not do it consciously, but economic decisions are made every day by each and every one of us.
