Recently in Malta Category

I ran the Malta 5K today on the Global Foundries campus, and came up with a list of reasons afterwards why a 5K is a great opportunity to build and motivate your team.

1. For $20 you get a Tshirt, bag, water, donuts, bagels, juice and bananas
2. You get to mingle with hundreds of people
3. Many teams from different workplaces join the race and participate in a team effort.
4. In many cases, the money you pay goes to a good cause
5. You end up meeting people you never knew or never knew ran before
6. There's a permanent record and proof online you actually got off your couch and ran.
7. If you are single, there are tons of attractive people you get to sweat and breathe heavy with for 30 minutes. A great opportunity to meet Mr. or Ms. Right!

Next time you are thinking of a team building event, consider a 5K. They are offered nearly weekly within 30 miles of everywhere here in the Capital District.

One of the jokes I tell my friends is that there shouldn't be population signs on the road, there should be a toe count and a teeth count; if their are more toes than teeth in a town, you probably want to avoid it or go around it.

All kidding aside, statistics often lie or mask the real truth. For instance, a town that says it has a population of 27,000 in one area of the country may have completely different demographics than one with 27,000 in another area.

From a business standpoint, it can also be telling to look at more relevant statistics than just sales per square foot or hours per workweek. Sometimes, having more staff on board during off-peak hours can lead to greater results and greater customer service, whereas having too many staff on during peak hours can lead to people stepping on one another's toes when the peak time drops down to subpeak.

Don't rely on just one set of numbers to analyze your business. You may be selling $1000 a day in merchandise, but what's to say your other location that is selling $500 isn't as profitable? Look beyond just one set of variables.

And brush your teeth - you don't want your town turning into one of those towns with more toes than teeth.

A family owned business has a policy of not speaking about the competition. Many companies I have worked with have a policy of respecting partners and competition. When it comes to doing business, I prefer doing business with those who speak fondly of their competition or say nothing at all.

A big turnoff in business is when you hear someone or some company badmouthing their competition. To me, whether it is a potential business partner, client, or vendor, the minute I hear something said about how poorly someone else does something, I turn off my listening head and decide that its time to consider someone else for the work.

Do you have a policy in place about your competition and how you speak about them? If not, it is probably time to put one in place.

by Sarah Palmo, Braathe Enterprises Virtual Internship Program participant

In an article published on August 12, 2011, in the Business Review, the focus was on the opportunity for college students to take part in an internship with a growing company, Global Foundries. Global Foundries is located at Luther Forest in Malta.

Over the next couple years, Global Foundries wants to grow their internships. They recently had 1,000 students throughout the United States competing for 20 summer internship positions. These positions are in fields such as finance and engineering, and are located at the new operation in Malta, as well as California.

Global Foundries is offering an incredible opportunity to students who are close to graduating and want to gain experience in a specific field. Many of these interns may be offered positions within this growing company.

To read the full article, please click Here.