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Meeting
Minutes:
Friday, April 29, 2005
Volume 12; Issue 14 |
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Table of Contents
Committee Reports
Membership
Report
(Click here
to go to the Membership page)
Today we
were joined by two prospective new members, Mark Grant of GTI
Contractors and Roy Anderson of Granite Transformations.
We will have them complete part 2 of the membership application.
Once they are submitted and reviewed, if there are no further
objections, the applicants will be invited to join our group.
Mark Grant
GTI Contractors Inc.
Sponsoring
Member:
Gus Dekavallas
Part 1 of Application:
Completed
Visited Group: 04/29/05
Part 2 of Application:
Status: IN
PROGRESS
Roy Anderson
Granite Transformations
Sponsoring
Member:
Roger Carpenter
Part 1 of Application:
Completed
Visited Group: 04/29/05
Part 2 of Application:
Status: IN PROGRESS
Please
see the News & Highlights section on the home page for a recap
of proper membership procedures.
Social Report
(Click here to go to the Social Event page)
The second rafting trip was just as
adventurous as the first one. This time it was Jana's
husband that went airborne....twice. Just a warning to
future participants, go easy on the suntan lotion. It
makes you extra slippery!
Speaker Coordinator Report
(Click here to go to the Speaker Schedule)
Main Speaker
Spotlight Speaker
Treasurer Report
A few members still owe dues for the current
quarter. Please try to get them in as soon as possible.
Leads Report
46-29, 44-34, 32-45, 12-15, 05-44, 10-04, 15-02, 11-40, 38-41,
03-13, 27-42, 27-17, 27-10, 31-32, 43-02 (x2), 43-40, 40-23,
25-45, 25-29, 09-11.
This week's
leads focus...
Business Spotlight
Ralph Cunningham was today's Business Spotlight.
One of the most important things you should know is how to
keep safe on the internet. Three things are absolutely
necessary...
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An updated
anti-virus program.
Ralph recommends Norton Anti-Virus. There is a $30
annual fee. He also recommends AVG by Grisoft.
You will have to baby sit the free version or you can opt to
pay for the pro version and let it do things automatically.
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An updated
spy-ware program.
Spy Sweeper is his program of choice. Microsoft has a
beta version of there spy-ware program available for free
download.
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A Firewall.
This is no longer optional. You must have one.
You can get Zone Alarm in a free or pro version (which has
more options). Windows XP has a free firewall which is
actually pretty good.
If you take a brand new computer with none of
the above items installed and connect it to the internet, within
4-10 minutes it will be infected! You need to have the
above items installed. Also check your browser's settings.
By default, Internet Explorer checks "Install on Demand".
Turn this setting off! If you are using a wireless
network, make sure it is encrypted and password protected.
Notable Mentions
Sandro Menasci updated the group on his
ongoing court case against the City of Mesa. They met at
the court of appeals last week. Things sounded positive.
Sandro's lawyer tells him they will know of the final decision
in a month...or year.
Somebody give Jim Bache that "Do Not Call"
number for cell phones.
Main Speaker
John
Gruber
On-Site Video
John Gruber has owned On-Site Video since
1979. Every year when he gets the yellow pages he goes to
the section he is listed in to check out the new competition.
It didn't used to be so bad. But now every "Joe Blow" owns
a shop...literally!
John is one of the many former Michigan
natives that found their way out here to Arizona. He
graduated from ASU and began teaching at Tempe High School.
It was there that he got his background using video equipment.
It was also there that he met his wife Betsy who is now his
business partner. She got her masters degree in the field.
John and Betsy will be married 34 years in
June. They have 2 kids which are a big part of their life.
Chrissy works for a venture capitalists firm in Boston and Jim
graduated from Georgetown and is now working for a Scottsdale
law firm. John could not be more proud of them.
Johns other claim to fame is his mustang.
He has always loved convertibles. The car he owns is
practically a family heir loom. He has had it since the
kids were little. And has babied it just as much :)
John and Betsy run two businesses.
Their "other" business is a family newspaper based out of a
small suburb of Buffalo, New York. They inherited the
business several years ago and often considered selling it.
But Betsy could not sell to just anybody so they decided to keep
it. Unlike the video business, the newspaper is very
predictable. The staff faxes over the copy on Wednesday.
John and Betsy proof it along with a legal advisor. On
Friday's, Betsy gets the financials. During the rest of
the week she makes periodic calls to ensure things are running
smoothly. About every 6-8 weeks they fly back to
Buffalo for face-to-face meetings with everyone involved.
In contract to the smooth flowing,
predictable newspaper business...the video business is anything
but! It can be both fun and frustrating at the same time.
You never know what to expect from day-to-day and no two days
are ever alike. And the equipment is so-o-o-o-o expensive.
Sometimes you get your monies worth and sometimes you don't.
Every job they do seems to require some piece of equipment that
they don't already have so they end up renting quite a few
things. John especially loves the learning involved.
He learns so much about other industries and businesses that
hire him to do video work. It is never dull.
Both businesses keep John and Betsy on the
move. They are very hands-on with both. Having the
newspaper has actually taught them to be better managers of
their video business. Having good employees in both
businesses that know how to do their jobs well is a great asset.
The newspaper is steady and makes money. The video
business is fun but is constantly evolving and they have to
evolve with it...even if it is kicking and screaming. But
the two extremes of each business make for a nice balance.
Now...How about a game of "Guess that Grade"?
[membersonly/archives/former_members/gruber.htm]
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