On Aug 27 the Dads of Milton (DoMs) hosted the “Step Up to the Plate 5” event in support of Nelson the Giant and their #Thumpoutbullying campaign. Michael was busy shagging fly balls in the outfield like a kid again at the annual Home Run Derby event.
Over $14,000 was raised for this amazing cause.
To Whom It May Concern:
My wife recently asked me to have some of her jewelry cleaned and repaired, so I stopped in to Breakiron Jewelers to see if they could help and I left very impressed with the level of service they provide.
Breakiron Jewelers is a family owned, second-generation jewelry store in Erie, PA run by the incredibly friendly Linda Breakiron. Showcasing jewelry for every occasion, they have beautiful displays of traditional jewelry and also offer the ability to custom make jewelry for their customers. With nearly 60 years in business, they have undeniable expertise and are recognized as one of Erie’s top jewelers.
When I visited the store, the staff couldn’t have been friendlier. Not only did they offer complimentary cleaning, but when they looked at all of my jewelry, they explained what they could do to repair it, and even made recommendations on what I could do to prevent issues in the future. When my wife saw her jewelry restored to beautiful condition, she nearly cried.
I was extremely satisfied with the service I received, but imagine my surprise a few weeks later when I received a hand-written thank you card from Linda. We didn’t buy thousands of dollars in jewelry, and the repair wasn’t expensive at all, but that card told me that Breakiron Jewelers cares about all of their customers – no matter how much they spend.
As a small business owner, I know how busy it can be to run a business, but that Linda still found the time to show her gratitude speaks volumes about the business she runs and that her priority is making her customers feel special.
If you want to go to an experienced jeweler, where you aren’t just taken care of, but also appreciated, make sure to visit Linda and her team at Breakiron Jewelers. The only thing that outshines their diamonds is their service!
Yours truly,
Adam Baker
Schooley Mitchell
Numana is a non-profit organization located in El Dorado, KS. On August 27, 8 volunteer teams, Schooley Mitchell’s Rod Holter among them, worked to package and box meals for Ukrainians in need. In just 2 hours, over 100 cases were assembled which will feed 21,600 people. Numana will organize a packaging event for any business or charity across the United States. If you have a business, church or organization looking for a team building event, please call Rachael Topper at 316-452-5445
Schooley Mitchell consultant Axel Nafthal was recently featured in his local paper, the Annapolis Valley Wire. For the full publication, read here.
by Joey Fitzpatrick
When asked what he does for a living, Axel Nafthal has a very clear and positive elevator pitch.
“I deliver good news to my clients,” he says.
Just as consumers often pay more than is necessary for telecom and other services, so too do businesses. Natfhal works with companies to identify potential areas of savings in the various costs of doing business.
His lengthy career in the food industry prepared Nafthal with the skills of negotiating beneficial terms on behalf of clients. Nafthal worked with food manufacturers, and then later as a broker, negotiating promotional deals between manufacturers and grocery retailers.
“It’s a very competitive and challenging business,” he says of the food sector. “It was fun, but I was not sorry to see that part of my career come to a close.”
In 2016, he became a Kentville-based franchisee with Schooley Mitchell. Similar to a contingency model in the legal world – in which a lawyer represents a client and is only compensated if and when there is a successful settlement – so too is the Schooley Mitchell Model risk-free for the client.
“We help implement cost-effective solutions and cost recovery measures at no cost to the client,” Nafthal points out. “I don’t sell a product or service. I identify areas of potential savings and if the client accepts my recommendations then I share in those savings for an agreed-upon period of time.”
He works with clients of all sizes, most being in small to medium range, with somewhere between 20 and 150 employees.
“There are a lot of companies out there that can use help in cutting down their costs,” he says. “With a smaller company I might be able to save them a few thousand dollars a year, but with a larger client that might in the hundreds of thousands.”
As the largest independent cost reduction consulting company in North America, Schooley Mitchell has extensive research and analysis capabilities. The company has produced more than $450 million in savings for clients across North America.
Schooley Mitchell’s initial focus was in the telecom area, but has since expanded to include merchant services, shipping and courier, waste, electronic logging devices, eSignature, utilities, and fuel.
“We will look at a client’s monthly statements from their current provider,” Nafthal explains.
He will then begin negotiations, first with the incumbent provider.
“We will also go into the marketplace and speak with competing providers to find the best rates for the same or improved service,” Nafthal says. “In most cases, we can find savings by keeping the client with their current provider.”
After a four-to-six week analysis, Nafthal will present his client with a range of options. In about 20 percent of cases, he says, the client is already optimized, with no further savings to be had.
“Even if the client is already optimized they still receive a detailed report at no charge,” he explains. “But 80 percent of the time there are savings to be had.”
View article as PDF.
Anyone whose livelihood depends on them being on the road for extended periods knows the costs associated with being away from home can add up quickly. Food, lodging, and especially fuel are significant expenses. Indeed, fuel is the top variable expense for any fleet — often equating to more than 75 percent of a fleet’s variable expenses.
A fleet of 500 vehicles, each driving 24,000 miles per year, accumulates 12 million total miles annually. With numbers this large, even a small change can mean big savings. In fact, if they could reduce their bills by a mere quarter of a cent per mile, this fleet would save $30,000 next year.
Due to the volatile nature of fuel prices, getting your costs as low as they can and keeping them there is very important to any trucking company. Here are some ways you can do just that:
Fuel Management Tools and Cards
Understanding your fueling patterns is important and can allow you to properly address your fuel efficiency. Often paired with traditional electronic logging devices, fuel management software can help you track how fuel is purchased, how to schedule your maintenance, and how to plan the most efficient routes. Plus, you can use them to highlight areas of high fuel consumption or difficult track, as well as fight potential theft.
Fuel cards are also excellent tools to stop abuse in its tracks, allowing managers to track fuel purchases and eliminate non-fuel purchases if they need to. They can even be used to specify the types of fuel drivers can put in their vehicles, cutting fuel costs and saving on maintenance down the line.
Driver Behavior and Practices
There are plenty of ways that a driver can save money on fuel, simply by how they choose to operate the vehicle. Taking advantage of fuel-saving options like cruise control, cutting out unnecessary time spent idling, and reducing top-end speed can all impact your bottom line.
Driver coaching programs can teach your drivers how to avoid jackrabbit starts and anticipate stops in advance. Many companies even provide driver incentive programs to reward those who focus on implementing best practices to cut costs down the line.
Equipment and Proper Maintenance
There are tons of options you can invest in if your goal is to save your fleet cash in the long run. Aerodynamic-focused equipment such as wheel covers, gap reducers, and trailer wings can increase your fuel efficiency at relatively low cost, while a focus on fuel-efficient truck designs, high-efficiency alternators and the latest safety technologies can be more expensive, but even more impactful.
When it comes to regular maintenance, even the simplest checks can help reduce your overall fuel costs. Ensuring you keep accurate tire pressure as well as proper rotation frequency and position on your vehicles reduces the chance of bad tires hurting your fuel economy. Additionally, keeping your air filters clean will both limit exhaust emissions and overall increase your fuel efficiency.
If you’re really looking to save cash on your fuel expenses and you have the time and expertise required, fuel rebates and proper fleet card and service negotiations can grow your bottom line before any of your drivers even turn over the engine.
Furbaby Pet Care is Saskatoon’s only 24/7 pet care facility. They have 9,000 sq ft of indoor space and 6,500 sq ft of outdoor play space. Lots of room for Rover to roam! They also have unique services such as canine massage and pet taxi. Their team is dedicated to giving the highest level of care and ensuring every detail is covered. Check them out!
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Companies are taking steps to cut costs and improve efficiency after many of them relied more on boosting prices in recent quarters to offset inflation and bolster their bottom lines.”
You can read more of of what they have to say, here.
Schooley Mitchell helps businesses reduce operational expenses and grow their bottom lines, keeping them strong even in the midst of economic hardships.
According to Forbes, “Typically as we enter recessions, companies look to quickly cut costs; that translates into laying people off and cutting back on hiring. Whereas your company may do that as a whole, CIOs and CTOs should be very thoughtful before they do that in their engineering and IT organizations because there likely will be continued demand for these services. We are still in a constrained labor market, so once a company lets these people go, it will be very hard to hire them again.”
You can read more of of what they have to say, here.
Schooley Mitchell helps businesses reduce operational expenses and grow their bottom lines, keeping them strong even in the midst of economic hardships.
According the Wall Street Journal, “Businesses are reducing office space, scaling back on consulting and opting for cheaper packaging of goods as they look to stay ahead of the downturn.
Although companies already were leaning more on cost savings to combat higher inflation, the threat of a recession has prompted a harder look at the finances for some firms.”
You can read more of of what they have to say, here.
Schooley Mitchell helps businesses reduce operational expenses and grow their bottom lines, keeping them strong even in the midst of economic hardships.
For school districts, increasing costs are stretching budgets significantly. And while federal funding has been helpful as we emerge from the pandemic, those special funds might not be eligible to pay for day-to-day operating costs such as telecom—which is more important, and more complex, than ever.
Rapidly improving technology for telecom (phones, videoconferencing, internet connectivity, and related services) is allowing school districts to streamline systems and potentially realize cost efficiencies. But effective management requires monitoring numerous phone lines and devices, various rate plans which are often changing, and a host of other variables.
Many school districts don’t have the time or the tools necessary to keep track of those variables especially on a line-by-line and a device-by-device basis. So, they end up overpaying for telecom—sometimes by 40% or more—without even realizing it.
How can you make sure your school district isn’t one of them?
Getting a handle on your telecom environment can be eye-opening. At a minimum, here are the things you need to know to determine whether your district is paying too much:
Ultimately, that information will allow you to answer three vital questions:
This isn’t a one-time task: Even if you’re paying the right amount today, that’s no guarantee you will be tomorrow. Your district must go through this process regularly, because technology, pricing, and your needs all change. The upside, though, is immense—the more your district saves, the more it has to put toward other expenses or enhancements for students.
And the good news is you don’t have to do it alone.
Michael Salazar is a Strategic Partner at Schooley Mitchell, which has been helping school districts and other organizations reduce costs for more than 20 years. Most clients don’t need to change vendors, and only pay fees if savings are found. To learn more about Michael and Schooley Mitchell, please visit his website.
