Bagging the opportunity
Howard business ships luggage to hotels for airline travelers
By Mark Leland
Getting away from high prices and the headaches of travel are not so easy, but Dan Murphy, owner of PostNet in Howard, is hoping his business can make business trips or going on vacation a little more hassle free by helping with your luggage.  "It's kind of a new target for us as the airlines keep squeezing people about how much they can bring onboard," said Murphy from his store at 430 Cardinal Lane in the Duck Creek Center. Since airlines began charging for not only overweight and oversized luggage, but also, in many cases, just for an extra bag, Murphy has seen more people wanting to ship their luggage ahead of their flight. "We've been noticing a lot of people who are heading out for vacation sending their bags through us directly to a hotel for a couple reasons," he said. "Cost of the airlines charging for extra bags now is one, and maybe even more so, they're doing it for the convenience of not lugging it around and having it sitting in their hotel room when they get there." Murphy seized the business opportunity by checking airline costs and came up with competitive rates for the shipping service he provides to his customers. He printed up fliers and distributed them to Green Bay area hotels and travel agencies to introduce travelers to the idea. The size and weight of the bags and where they are going dictates the shipping cost. He even insures the bags for $100 at no extra cost. More

'Everything is going up'
Region's restaurants reconsider orders, mark up menus to battle rising costs
By Lisa Strandberg
Getting groceries has gotten decidedly more expensive in the last year or so. Figures released in July by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the consumer price index for food, which increased an average of 2.5 percent annually between 2001 and 2006, jumped 4.9 percent in 2007 - and a whopping 6.8 percent in the first six months of 2008.
Imagine the impact of such price hikes on food tabs in the thousands of dollars each week, and you'll have some idea of the struggles restaurateurs face in the current market. "I've been in business 20 years, and things go up over time, but usually when one thing goes up, another thing goes down a little bit," said Chuck Finnessy, owner of Mickey-Lu Bar-B-Q, a burger place in Marinette. But that's not so now. "Everything is going up," he said. Some products have experienced more dramatic increases than others. Take flour, for instance. Kyle Rasmus, co-owner with wife Debbie of Cannova's, a Neenah pizzeria and Italian restaurant, said that when the place opened in December 2006, a 50-pound bag of flour cost just under $12. "A few months ago, it was $33," Rasmus said. Though the price has since settled closer to $19 a bag, the increase still has a major effect on the bottom line given that Cannova's purchases 400 to 500 pounds of flour a week.  More

Growth Strategies
Former therapist now employs 25, has 2 clinics
By Lee Marie Reinsch
Ten years ago, Karen Besiada-Hansen was a divorced mom with a young daughter and a hefty mortgage. Her work as an occupational therapist for an area hospital kept them fed and clothed. But on the job, something gnawed at her. She kept seeing the same patients over and over again, with the same complaints. "I felt that if we could just get to them at (their job sites) we could help them sooner and prevent a lot of bigger problems," said Besiada-Hansen, founder of Besiada Health Innovators, 835 Potts Ave., Ashwaubenon. She believed the best solution was to take preventive steps to thwart illness and injury before they happen - even though those around her in the traditional healthcare-system hierarchy couldn't. "No one would listen to me," she said. Most traditional models of healthcare involve treating people who are already sick or injured. Hers, she said, starts at prevention. Patients weren't seeking treatment sooner because of costs. They continued their bad habits - lifting without bending knees, slouching or wearing inadequate shoes - despite persistent pain. By the time Besiada-Hansen saw them, they needed surgery or extensive (and expensive) treatment. But surgery down the road ends up costing more than preventive care earlier, and nobody saves. Besiada-Hansen knew that prevention could save companies money on health-insurance premiums. But as a mere hospital employee, she didn't wield enough power to overturn the establishment. Around her, she watched as dozens of shiny new clinics - all owned by a few mega-healthcare systems - popped up, all competing to be the newest and best. "They were duplicating each other's services,"she said. To her, they all seemed to be approaching healthcare from the wrong end of the spectrum: treating sickness. That's when she decided to break out on her. More

Hal Becker column
Flooded basement resulted in an enjoyable experience
By Hal Becker
It is not often in these times where you have a great customer service experience that you want to tell everyone about. In my case, I couldn't wait to write about it. I cannot remember the last time I was so blown away by the service provided by a company. While many companies advertise how great they are, this company really is. It happened after one of the worst floods that our community has seen in decades. More than 2,000 homes homes had water in their basements from backed up storm sewers. Some even had waste from the sewer backup. To make a long story short, I was out of town when it happened, and I was taking a red eyehome. In the meantime, the storm hit around 7 p.m. the night I was flying. My wife was up all night with our wet vac, sucking water out of the carpet after the water receded. As soon as I got home, we spent 11 hours ripping the carpet out to get the moisture out of the basement as soon as possible. I could not wait to call a restoration or disaster company to assist me since I have a considerable amount of books in my basement (yes, they are off the floor on pallets) because moisture and books do not work well together. Since most of you are saying by now, "Hey Hal, we don't read these columns to hear about your weekends," I have to say that the message here is simple and shows what great customer service is all about. More

The List
Highest paid school district administrators  More