Spartan Spotlight: Kelly Sorenson, Command Transportation

Name: Kelly Lynn Sorenson

Home Town: Brighton, MI

Major: Advertising

Graduation Year: 2008

Favorite thing about Command Transportation in 5 words for less: The energetic environment

Spartan Spotlight: Mike Uribe: True Value, Sr. Inventory Planner

Name: Mike Uribe

Home Town: Downers Grove, IL

Major: Supply Chain Management

Graduation Year: 2006

Company: True Value Company

Position: Sr. Inventory Planner

Favorite thing about True Value in 5 words or less: Great Company, People, and Location

Spartan Spotlight: Laura Hammer, JCPenney Intern

Name:  Laura Hammer

Home Town:  Livonia, MI

Major:  Marketing & Retailing

Graduation Year:  May 2011

Company:  JCPenney

Position:  Sales Manager Intern

Favorite thing about your company in 5 words or less:  The people

A store management internship is a great opportunity to learn about different areas of business and helps you gain great leadership skills in a fast-paced, exciting environment!

Spartan Spotlight: Justin Welke from Nestle

Name: Justin Welke

Home Town: Merrill, MI

Major: Packaging

Graduation Year: May 2007

Company: Nestle USA

Position: Operations Management Trainee

Favorite thing about Nestle in 5 words or less: The People

MSU Rotaract Club – Holdem for Hunger

MSU Rotaract Hosts
Hold ‘em for Hunger Charity Poker Tournament
To benefit the Weekend Survival Food Kit for Children

MSU, East Lansing, Michigan – The Michigan State University Rotaract Club is hosting the Hold ‘em for Hunger Poker Tournament with a grand prize of $2,000 on January 30, 2010. There is no buy in for the tournament however donations in the form of cash or a non-perishable food item from a list below are encouraged. These donations will be used toward raising funds for the Weekend Survival Kit for surrounding elementary schools. Register and get additional information, including tips on how to play Texas Holdem Poker, at www.msuholdemforhunger.com.

This is not your average poker tournament. World Series of Poker finalist Dean Hamrick as well as other famous poker players will be playing in the tournament. For an extra element of competition, MSU is trying to break the record held by the University of North Carolina of 542 people for largest poker tournament held on a college campus!!

Hold ‘em for Hunger is not only open to Michigan State University Students. The entire community is welcome to come participate. Early registration to secure a seat can be done online at www.msuholdemforhunger.com. Check in / registration will be between 11:00-11:45 am. The tournament will begin at 12:00 pm with a dinner break at 5:00pm. The tournament will take place at the Michigan State Union on the second floor in the main auditorium room and the Parlor room.

The prizes include:
Cash Prizes ($2000 first place prize)
Poker lessons from Dean Hamrick
Four Day Cruise
Ray Ban Sunglasses
Tom Izzo and MSU Basketball team autographed paraphernalia
MSU football autographed paraphernalia
MSU Hockey tickets
Free weekend stay at the Marriot Hotel
A year worth of FREE tanning at Bronze Bay Tanning

Possible Food Donations Include:
• Small Juice Boxes
• Fruit Cups
• Apple Sauce
• Fruit Bars
• Dried Fruit
• Individual Cereal Boxes

The Michigan State University Rotaract Club (MSURC) is a student organization that manages and operates philanthropic events that are designed to better our community and better ourselves. MSURC is also responsible to help further the professional development and career networking goals of its members through the unique experience between ourselves and the accomplished leaders of Rotary International. We value those who demonstrate passion, dedication, and integrity toward their community and plan to continue this devotion on an international basis.

“So if you are a great bluffer or a champion at poker, come out and let’s work together to begin to help fight hunger!” said Maurice Howell, tournament organizer

Register Here!

Spartan Spotlight: John Bailey, Command Internship

Name: John Bailey

Home: Town Traverse City, MI

Major: Human Resource & Society, Cognate: Economics

Graduation: 2008 (May)

Favorite thing about Command Transportation in 5 words for less: Great people and great opportunity

The Business of Christmas Town

We have all written our letters to Santa. With red crayons and broken up words our letters pleaded for the newest Beanie Baby or the fastest Hot Wheels car. After the letter was stamped and addressed, we put our faith in the Postman to securely carry our letter to Santa’s doorstep.

But just where is Santa’s doorstep? Mr. Clause himself resides between the Ohio River and Interstate 64 in a little town called Santa Clause, Indiana. Established in 1856, Santa Clause, Indiana has used the business of Christmas to their advantage. The town has the world’s only post office to bear the name of Santa Claus. Because of this popular name, the post office receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world each year. These letters are not only the town’s claim to fame, but they bring in more revenues to Santa Claus’ Main Post Office during December than all previous months combined!

Santa Clause, Indiana survives on the business of Christmas. Check out the links below for more information on the history of Santa Clause town and how it utilizes the attraction of the Christmas season as a business.

Letters to Santa Claus – Where Do They Actually Go?

Santa Claus, Indiana

Santa Claus’ Main Post Office

100 best places to live and launch

As college students, the time approaches faster and faster that we must decide where to live if a job is not already directing us there. In state, out of state, big city, small town, the sunshine state or the windy city, wherever we decide, it must fit our individual criteria to hopefully base a career and personal life upon. Thankfully, FSB has narrowed down our choices a little. FSB scoured the country for towns that combine a great business environment with alluring leisure offerings. Economic conditions such as local tax rates alongside natural beauty – and easy access to museums, hungry gamefish, and more were taken into consideration. The following link provides a list of the top 100!

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0803/gallery.best_places_to_launch.fsb/index.html

40 Under 40: they’re innovators, value creators & agents of change

Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.   Just ask some of today’s 40 wealthiest business people in the country.  While these men and women are major leaders and innovators in their fields, not one of them has made it “Over The Hill”.  Check out the article “40 Under 40” put out this week by the Fortune 500 website & get to work! You only have about 20 more years to become a millionaire.

When Caught in a Scuffle With Management

Does your boss act like she’s the queen and you and your colleagues are all the “sorry people”?  Would you love nothing more than to tell her whose boss but…oh yea…she is?  Well, you could go about that conversation like the distraught boy in this video…

View Video: Fat Kid Loves Bacon

Or of course you could keep your job and take these tips on how to formally and professionally disagree with your boss.  Forbes Magazine suggests that you do the following when caught in a scuffle with management:

• Learn your boss’s concerns and goals. Know when to step in and disagree and when to just keep to yourself.
• Understand how your boss likes to receive information–face-to-face, memo, e-mail or weekly staff meeting–and manage the flow of details accordingly. If you are an employee at a major company,it is best not to bother your boss with small issues face-to-face.  Requesting a meeting with the CEO may not be appropriate when you just can’t find any more paperclips.
• Make your career goals known, but never lose sight of the task at hand. Your plans to move up in the company should be expressed through your hard work and dedication.  At the same time, let your boss know what your career goals are.
• Learn to work around your boss’s weak points or blind spots. You’ll disagree, but how you disagree will determine how your boss sees you–and how far and quickly you’ll advance.  This could help to avoid arguments before they even begin.

For more tips and the full article, check out:

The Boss And You

Running Late to Work?!

There is no worse feeling than waking up in the morning, rested from good night’s sleep, and glancing at the clock, only to do a double-take: You’re late! Jumping up from the bed you throw on the closest (hopefully cleanest) clothes in your path and proceed to drive to work drag race-style checking the clock every thirty seconds. The moment you reach the office it’s time for the infamous excuse: “My dog died”, “I took a wrong turn”, “Oh my goodness I forgot I was suppose to work today!” you are reduced to feeling two feet tall, stumbling over your words and vowing to wake up three hours early the next morning.

If you tend to suffer from a lack of punctuality, you’re not alone. According to a recent article by Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com, one-in-ten workers — 13 percent — say they arrive late to work at least once a week and 24 percent say they arrive late at least once a month.

MSN conducted a poll of average employees to investigate the biggest causes of workplace tardiness. Here’s what workers said:

· Twenty-seven percent of workers blamed traffic.

· Ten percent pointed to getting their kids ready for school or day care.

· Eleven percent said falling back asleep was the main culprit.

· Other popular reasons: forgetting something at home, feeling sick and misplacing house or car keys.

Not all excuses were so practical however, twenty percent of workers admitted to making up fake excuses to explain their tardiness. Hiring managers provided the following 10 examples of the most unusual excuses employees offered for arriving late to work:

1. I dreamed that I was fired, so I didn’t bother to get out of bed.
2. I had to take my cat to the dentist.
3. I went all the way to the office and realized I was still in my pajamas and had to go home to change.
4. I saw that you weren’t in the office, so I went out looking for you.
5. I couldn’t find the right tie, so I had to wait for the stores to open so I could buy one.
6. My son tried to flush our ferret down the toilet and I needed to tend to the ferret.
7. I ran over a goat.
8. I stopped for a bagel sandwich, the store was robbed and the police required everyone to stay for questioning.
9. A bee flew in my car and attacked me and I had to pull over.
10. I wet my pants and went home to change.

While the majority of bosses tend to be lenient if employees occasionally run late, others are much stricter in their policies. Thirty percent of hiring managers say they don’t care if their employees come in late as long as their work is completed on time with good quality. Be warned: One-in-ten hiring managers say they would consider terminating an employee if he/she arrives late once or twice in a given year; and one-in-five say a pink slip may be in order if an employee is late three times in a year. (msn.careerbuilder.com)

So think twice the next time you decide to sleep just ten more minutes. Arriving late to work is ultimately unprofessional and disrespectful. And while the majority of bosses don’t typically question the validity of the reasons provided, 35 percent say most of the time they don’t believe the excuses.

There Once Was A President Who Swatted A Fly

There once was a President who swatted a fly. Recently, overwhelming press coverage has turned to President Obama’s fly swatting skills. During the CNBC interview on Tuesday, June 16, Mr. President displayed his quick reflexes on camera and caught the attention of thousands (because everything is more interesting when the President does it). This article reveals the science behind swatting a fly and why it can be so tricky.

Full Article