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Taking care of your building’s big 3: Metal, stone and wood
Jeff Wilhoit Facilities & GroundsFirst impressions. We all know how important they are in business or when meeting someone new, but many times their importance is discounted when it comes to how tenants or customers view your building. One of the ways people build first impression is by the condition of your metal, stone and wood surfaces on the outside and inside of your building. Nowhere are these surfaces put in the spotlight more than your building entrance and lobby areas.
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EE Global Forum: Help consumers, businesses slay energy vampires
Ryan Clark Science & TechnologyWorking toward better energy efficiency isn't simply a daytime job. Sometimes energy can be expended even with the lights off. The evolving electronic grid, along with our changing electronic culture requires that advocates, consumers and business owners alike be aware of the surprising ways we are now able to waste. These energy vampire products leech your power supply, even at night when they're turned off.
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EE Global Forum: Hard traveling on the long road to energy efficiency
Ryan Clark Waste Management & EnvironmentalOur country's movement toward greater energy efficiency should be viewed as an energy resource by those in legislative power, noted Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the keynote speaker for the 2015 Energy Efficiency Global Forum's opening plenary session on May 12.
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EU sets the bar higher on HFC phasedown
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingThe European Union likes to think of itself as something of a pacesetter when it comes to protecting the environment, and it clearly sees its F-Gas Regulation as demonstrating leadership to the rest of the world in the area of refrigerant controls.
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Adding a touch of ‘class’ to garden center marketing
Fred Berns Facilities & GroundsSchool is in session at garden centers across the nation. More independent centers are offering more classes on more topics than ever before. It's a way to educate their customers, to be sure, but it's also a way to stand out and get noticed in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
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The enemy within: How indirect spend management impacts profit margins
Frank Wilhelm Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAs the global economy continues to sputter, careers stall and many companies continue to tread water, we obviously cannot just watch helplessly as economic conditions continue to compress and batter our profit margins with continually depressed revenue streams. But what can management do? As opportunities to bolster our top lines diminish, we need to focus intently and intelligently on the issues that impact the bottom line that can help us to mitigate the cash flow challenges, help expand profit margins and take advantage of emerging opportunities as others fail.
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5 image flaws that can hurt your business
John Rudy Facilities & GroundsAlthough parents often teach their children not to judge a book by its cover, the reality is that most consumers do. In fact, a November 2014 Harris Poll revealed that 81 percent of adults would be more likely to trust a home service professional wearing a uniform.
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It’s time to bring ‘sexy’ back — to parking garages
Pamela Tresp Facilities & GroundsBeing a self proclaimed lighting nerd, energy savings consultant and former police officer, I admit I am easily drawn to parking garages as a means of helping building owners. Stories like the recent shooting in a parking garage at the University of Missouri really get my goat.
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Total cost of ownership: The challenge of effective supply chain management
Frank Wilhelm Facilities & GroundsCompanies are always looking for creative ways to reduce costs and expand profit margins. In some cases, new and innovative approaches are employed. In others, proven but overlooked techniques are being resurrected and applied.
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In green industry social networking, blogging is best
Fred Berns Facilities & GroundsFutz with Facebook and toy with Twitter all you want, but you're better off blogging. As a green industry professional, you don't have unlimited time to spend on social media marketing. The best use of that time, by far, is on blogging.
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