Bob Kaynes, a CEBI member (Columbus Local Board) and his business, American Bronzing Co. were recently featured in the national Sunday newspaper supplement, "USA Weekend".

Bob is President & CEO of the company, which was started by his grandmother 70 years ago.   She had taken some baby shoes to be bronzed at a department store in Cleveland and was so impressed, she decided to go into the business herself.  

Bob is in the business of preserving a memory -- a memory of the time when the baby actually wore those shoes.  Yet another of the interesting and varied businesses owned and run by CEBI members.   

See the whole article:  http://www.americanprofile.com/article/27744.html 

Congratulations, Bob, on a great piece of PR work!  

You can't imagine how often I hear variations on this theme from business owners.  Many CEBI members are recovering from this syndrome, and sometimes find themselves a "support group" for other members still suffering from it.  

It's a peculiar "work ethic" that emotionally rewards activity, rather than effectiveness. And it gets in the way.  

When a business owner is immersed working in the business, it's easy to forget that the best and highest use of his time is probably working on the business. Working on where the business is going, what that's going to take, and how can we get there faster? In most cases, the answers to those questions aren't "you'll need to work harder". Working harder (or working more) is not a sustainable growth or success strategy. 

And it's hard to work on the business in the office.  Click Here for a list of four things you could do when you're not at the office that will actually make your business better.

Tip:   CEBI delivers three and a half out of four in Local Board Meetings, Summits and Retreats.    

A talent shortage across American companies looms as baby boomers, nearly 25% of the workforce, are nearing retirement age.  To ease that impending talent loss, many companies are considering phased retirement programs (remember the "career downshift" from The Number?).  

A new survey by Hewitt Associates, a global HR consulting firm, revealed that more than half of the mid-size and large companies surveyed will develop special programs to retain near-retirement employees.  Retention initiatives in general are getting more focus as employers anticipate a "brain drain" of key skills and knowledge.  

Have you assessed the demographics of your workforce lately, and planned for knowledge transfer or perhaps phased retirement as a means of retaining the knowledge of your senior employees?  

Click Here for a summary of the Hewitt Study

Our Fall Summit will be a return to a favorite venue of CEBI members -- Virginia Crossings Resort in Glen Allen (Richmond), VA.  The Summit lineup will include Executive Briefings by members, meetings of the National Boards and some topic-specific roundtables or workshops.  For a sample of presentations from prior Summits, see the Summit Library page (member user name and password required).  

If you miss this Summit, you'll be missing a great event.   Mark your calendar for the Fall Summit, November 13-14.