In this issue
	Kutztown SBDC News Unique Dining Experience in Berks County - Chrystal Coffelt The View from Main Street - By Michael Givler The New Economics by Dr. W. Edwards Deming Insights to Success

Unique Dining Experience in Berks County - Chrystal Coffelt

Peter Toll began his venture in the restaurant business in Dewy Beach Delaware where he ran a famous seafood restaurant, The Rusty Rudder. He catered to Pennsylvania tourists for years before deciding to bring the experience of an authentic seafood restaurant to Pennsylvania. Before opening a seafood restaurant in Berks County, Toll experimented by opening a seafood stand on Route 222 in Kutztown. He sold over 100 bushels of crabs in one weekend and had to drive to Maryland daily to pick up fresh crabs in order to keep up with the high demand of his customers. It was then that Toll knew he would be successful in opening a restaurant that served seafood from a traditional eastern shore menu. In 1992 Toll opened his first seafood restaurant, The Crab Barn located in Berks County Pennsylvania. He purchased and restored a 300-year-old barn that had once been part of the Underground Railroad. Peter put a lot of time and effort into converting the old barn into a restaurant. "It was hard work; I didn't expect to be standing on scaffolding cleaning bird droppings off the roof of the barn." The Crab Barn became a "well oiled machine" and grew to generate their largest revenues in 2005. In the summer of 2003, Ted Hartz, former Dean of Kutztown University's College of Business, approached Toll at the Crab Barn suggesting that he franchise the Crab Barn and informed Toll about all the services that the Kutztown University SBDC had to offer. Although Toll didn't franchise the Crab Barn, he decided to open an additional restaurant, Ocean Blue. Click here for the complete article. »

The View from Main Street - By Michael Givler

Can downtown retail compete with the mall? The answer is- yes and no! So much for a simple answer. Over the past four decades the retail history of downtowns across America has been one of declining business. In the small downtown Coatesville, where I work, we had a J. C. Penny, Sears, Woolworth's, J.J Newberry, and a dozen or more locally owned jewelry and clothing stores. J.C. Penny and Sears changed to the big department store model, Woolworth's and Newberry's are in "Five & Dime Heaven", and the locally owned stores either went to the mall or most just went out of business. So how do traditional downtowns compete? Click here for the complete story. Save 5% on Your Workers Compensation Premium; Increase Workplace Safety and Reduce Accidents - by Arnelia Hollinger Did you know that your organization can receive a discount for being granted workplace safety committee certification? After initial committee certification, an employer may be entitled to additional annual premium discounts by providing annual verification by affidavit that the committee continues to be operative and continues to meet certification requirements (Pa Act 44, Pa Act 57 of 1996). Recent articles proclaim: "Workers' compensation continues to stand out as a line in need of attention," (Mealey). Click here for the complete story. »

The New Economics by Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Interested in new ideas for dealing with low employee morale, resistance to change, customer dissatisfaction, and declining profitability? Do you wonder why such problems persist in businesses even after their owners implement the guidance of some "hot" business book or blindly follow the advice of a business consultant? They persist because many touted management practices are based on faulty and unquestioned assumptions. While there is no instant fix for correcting deep- seated business problems, The New Economics, by Dr. W. Edwards Deming provides a useful framework for improving the performance of any enterprise. Readers will learn why many current "best practices" are actually harmful. For example, managing by results and rewarding people for reaching arbitrary goals and targets set by management encourages destructive competition that can prevent employees from working collaboratively to meet customer needs. Individuals may do well in the short-term, while the organization heads for failure. The ENRON story illustrated this point. Click here for the complete story. 10 Copywriting Tips by Gerard Bullard Nathaniel Hawthorne would have made a great copywriter. His simple observation states what copywriters the world over face every day. Listed below are 10 time-tested tips that can help turn your next project into a successful, result oriented advertisement. Click here for the complete story. »

Insights to Success

Insights to Success is a monthly article sharing challenges/learning opportunities encountered by our clients every month relative to their day-to-day business activities. All Insights to Success articles come from our clients' submittals. The format for the piece consists of a brief introduction, the respective challenge, and the solution. Letting Go: Expanding a business also requires delegating and building a strong team - By Dan Goldberg All too often, managers reaching a certain level within an organization begin to feel the need to protect their position. Though it may seem perfectly natural, managers that carry it too far can actually impede a company's growth. I call this condition "Power Cocooning", and all CEOs and other corporate executives should be aware of it. Usually, Power Cocooning occurs when a manager, CEO, president, or other senior-level executive, begins to feel almost omnipotent. An unconscious situation starts to overtake the "Power Cocooner". He or she starts to think they're always right. They shut down the ability to listen, receive feedback and open themselves up to the creative process. Click here for the complete insight. Please Email your Insight to Success articles to the Success Connection Editor Dawn Wivell at dwive093@kutztown.edu. »