Rosboro BigBeom. Another High Strength 0ption.

@ Rosboro []igBcarrr is thc iclcal bcant filr

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'l'he (llulam Experts

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Ahval's In Stock

B-r' cxplniling oLrr. l'lcilitics rtttcl trsirrg the latcst manufacturing tccl'rnologl'. \\'c urc nrorc c11uil'rltccl thatr ever to meet oul'cLlstomcrs' slLrlanr nccds. Oncc lL proclttct is ordered. we offer' sarnc clay or ncxt clitr clclivclr'. dcpending on v,,hen the ordcr is rccc ii'ccl

A Commitment to Technology'

Our conrrnitnrcnt to kccping on top of ernerging technolttgics antl innovatiuns ltl]orvs us to continuallf improve tlPolt ollr I'anrily o1'glulan'r products. Et'cry procluct that lcar'cs <tttr vltt.cl is blckcd by our technical support staff.

Glulanr Sales: l-888-393-2304

'Lechnical Support Hotline: I 1377--+57-+ 139

Email : infb @ rosboro.corl

Web: w vn'rv.rosboro.cotrt

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Grou ing'fodul'. BLtilding l otrorrol.

Being a real manager

February was an interesting month. I found myself flying backwards and forwards across country several times, which may have cured me from flying for good.

On my first of two trips to Las Vegas in the month, I picked up a nice cold and virus, which I might have successfully given to the hundreds I seemed to have shaken hands with this month-sorry!

On a trip to Boston, I found myself arriving for my flight only to be told I should have left rhe day before. I had to swallow a change fee and the hotel deposit for arriving a day late. As in Murphy's Law, the flight got cancelled anyway. By the end of Boston, I had no voice, but have become excellent at sign language.

Then, on the way back from a trip to Montreal, my wife and I had the great pleasure of joining over 5,000 other refugees in sleeping overnight in O'Hare Airport. I must admit I thought the luggage carousel was indeed for baggage, but it did provide sleeping accommodations for us despite the gale force cold coming through the luggage chute. The fake potted plant was a nice touch, and my thanks to Starbucks for being the only food facilities to stay open in the airport overnight-just what you need to get you to sleep. The joys of travel, and don't get me started on how well our airlines treat us these days!

Now to business! I hear mixed stories as I talk to industry contacts as to the state of business. It would appear most are on the fence so to speak as to what will happen for the rest of the year. As I write this, the uncertainty of the stock market over the last week certainly makes you concerned if you are managing a business, as to whether we will go into a recession or not. The one thing I know is that managing a business at anytime is challenging, but today and in this environment you need to be a real manager and have the fortitude and courage to do the right things.

The readers of The Merchant Magazine are wildly varied in terms of the sizes of company they work for, but in too many companies, large and small, there is an overabundance of managing for the short-term results as opposed to the long-term. But I think a real manager has to manage for both. That is why they have been hired.

Frankly, anyone can manage for the short-term. All you do is squeeze costs out of the business until there is nothing left. And then for the long-term, you can stand up and say you are managing for the long-term and that results will come, but unless the right things are put in place and the right decisions are made at some point you are found out, and new managers are put in place.

The hardest thing to do for the long-term is to invest and have courage in sticking with those line item costs that do not pay off immediately, such as R&D, marketing programs, and training (see my column last month). With one stroke of the pen you can make substantial savings that go straight to the bottom line. For a couple of quarters you may see no impact on results, but what is the hit longterm? I have never come across one business that has not paid a price with market share and their brand image when bad short-sighted decisions are made. I see in this industry some of the largest companies making those types of decisions.

The mark of a leader is one who can balance the needs for quarterly results with the needs to have a profitable future. Not all actions can be immediately profitable, but as managers we have a responsibility to our owners, shareholders, employees and our customers to take care of our future. While easier said then done, history unfortunately shows the industry littered with those who did not.