Volume V, Issue 3 November 2013 ValleyBusinessReport Connecting You to Local Pro-Business News Vwww.ValleyBusinessReport.comBR Suitably Dressed RGV Style Success in the Oil Field Veterans’ Skills Why Use Incentives? November 2013 Valley Business Report 3 Are You on Deadline? By Todd Breland does the list start and how many agenda items are some point in our careers, we have all arrived The race is on! We blink and 2013 will enough but not too many? We ask ourselves, what at Thanksgiving week and kicked ourselves be gone. The mad scramble to finish out the HAS to get done for not completing year, evaluate our organization’s successes and and by when, and what we needed to failures, and planning for 2014 is in full gear. we set a schedule accomplish. Most Some of us have October – September of time-sensitive administrative deci- years, some are on a calendar year. Nonetheless, points of impor- sion-making during all of us have a full agenda of pending projects tance. Assess- the last six weeks of to complete before the week of Nov. 25. Yep, ing current year’s the year is minimal, Thanksgiving week is quickly approaching, and production, rev- at best. So the time we all know what happens that week – most of enues and expenses is now – don’t hesi- the world shuts down for six weeks. Decem- should probably tate! Plan your work ber’s count of actual production days is so small top the list. De- and work your plan. that stress levels are certain to climb at a panic termining which Don’t let un- level if we’re not prepared. projects/products/ finished business in- The year has flashed by in a twinkle. A services should be tweaked, repeated or deleted for terfere with enjoying all that the holidays offer. blink is fast, but a twinkle is super quick. No next year is another high priority item. Budgeting Quality, relaxed time with the family around matter how hard we try to slow down time, our expenses and projecting 2014’s revenues may round the dining room table and after is more impor- attempts are futile. During our efforts to avoid out your top three on the must-finish-by-Nov. 27 list. tant than worrying about the office. Success the inevitable, we lose even more valuable time. Assessing departments, staffers and contract labor, by some is measured not by how we leave the That’s why I say there is no such thing as time along with company health and benefit packages, play office but by the way say goodnight to those in management. You can’t manage time; 24 hours a huge part of end-of-year agenda priorities. our home. will always be 24 hours. You can only manage If you are one of the companies and organiza- From the Valley Business Report fam- what you do within time. tions that have completed their 2014 plans, congratu- ily to yours, we wish you a blessed holiday sea- So for the next several weeks, our To- lations! For many others, it’s crunch time. It’s time to son of health and happiness. Like a mentor Do list has to be precise, no room for error and get down to the nitty gritty before the holiday season told me years ago, health is wealth. very targeted to maximum efficiency. Where takes over our minds, activities and checkbooks. At Visit us at www.lonestarnationalbank.com TM Carrier 3G 4:34 PM LSNB Mobile Back Mobile SnapshotSnapsho Log Off Transactions Putting the Bank at Your Fingertips. Current Balance: $421.88 Available Funds: $421.88 With LSNB Mobile™ you can access any of your Lone Star National Bank accounts from Withdrawals anywhere using only your web-capable mobile phone. With LSNB Mobile™ you can make a No Transactions Found transfer and much more. Deposits • Check your account balance and transaction history 07/13/2013 $0.74 Phone Banking XFR from CHK xxxxxxxxxx 672 CONF#20190 • Make a transfer to another account • Pay bills 07/14/2013 $0.53 • View alerts A/C $ Accounts Transfer Bill Pay More *You may be charged access rates by your carrier. Check with your carrier for details on specific fees and charges. Web access and Internet Banking is needed to use LSNB Mobile™. 4 Valley Business Report November 2013 Valley Business Report Staff Contents Editor Eileen Mattei Executive Summary 3 [email protected] Dressed for Success 5 General Manager Genco 8 Todd Breland [email protected] Brownsville Scrap Paper 10 Director of Operations Q&A David Allex 12 Crystal S. Breland Translating Veterans’ Skills 18 [email protected] Telecom Savings 19 Marketing Consultant Lighthouse Square 20 Cristin Howard Bertha Garza 22 [email protected] Incentives 23 Production Art Director Burger Fi 24 Beth Walters [email protected] Leadership Perspectives 25 Sister Translators 26 Editor, VBR e-Brief Angey Murray Spotlight 27 [email protected] Web Design MPC Studios Philosophy: We are a pro-business publication providing in-depth perspectives on business trends and creating a forum in which business leaders can exchange ideas and information affecting the local community’s economy. Letters to the Editor: 300 words or less. E-mailed: [email protected] Please include your full name and city of residence. © 2013 Valley Business Report is published by VBR Media Stay updated all month long with news from around the Valley. Sign Office: (956) 310-8953 105A East Jackson, Harlingen, TX 78550 up for our weekly e-mail e-Brief at www.valleybusinessreport.com. November 2013 Valley Business Report 5 Suitably Dressed for Success By Eileen Mattei Adolf Westerman. Relocated opposite La Plaza Mall sional, I think bankers and attorneys are dress- The rigid businessman’s dress code of in 2007, the family business radiates style and service, ing up more than a few years ago when they 50 years ago -- dark suits, hats, cuff links, long from the suits by Michael Kors and Hart Shaffner and were going more casual.” socks -- has faded away. Today business cloth- Marx to the top brands of dress shirts and shoes. Not Suits are very important, and the sil- ing for men and women seeks to convey taste- to mention those luscious suede jackets. houette is getting slimmer, Westerman said. ful, effortless style. The goal still is to look pro- The move six years ago was a great success, But otherwise, appropriate suit styles include fessional, confident and worthy of clients’ trust. tapping into a customer preference, according to Neil double-breasted and two- and three-button Business attire is trending to natural shoulders, Westerman, grandson of the founder. “Male custom- jackets. flexible collars and comfort, with greater leeway ers like to park in front of the store for easy access in Men shop differently than women do, accepted in the creative fields and on Casual and out. But where we separate from other stores is Westerman observed, with fewer men than Fridays. The border climate adds its own dose service. We believe we have better tailors than anyone women viewing clothes shopping as entertain- of reality in wearable silks and natural fibers. else. We can make an off-the-rack suit look custom ment. Nevertheless, men do care about looking Beyond department stores and national cloth- tailored.” The South 10th Street shop provides free good. “When men find something they like, ing chains, dozens of Valley retail stores and alterations on suits, shirts, jackets and pants, thanks they buy multiples such as five shirts. We stock boutiques devote themselves to making busi- to four tailors on staff. “People want their alterations a lot because we are aware of that.” Some shop nessmen and businesswomen look good. very fast. It’s important to get them out in a hurry.” every month, buying up to six suits a year, while Contemporary but not trendy, the at- Professionals today are wearing clothes that others come only once or twice a year. “We’re mosphere of The Man Shop belies its heritage: are a little dressier, a little sharper, than previously, appreciative of both.” founded in 1926 in downtown McAllen by Westerman said. “To stand out to, be more profes- An important part of service is an experienced sales force, said The Man Shop manager, Pete Lozano, clad in a long-sleeved, black shirt and tan slacks. “You need to love what you do and want to grow with the company,” he said. “If you’re success- ful, you have customers who walk in and ask for you.” Westerman, who hadn’t planned on going into the family business after graduating from the University of Texas, was talked into it by his father David. “In a small business everything is important, so we have a big store,” he said. That includes guayaberas which constitute a summer uniform for some Valley businessmen. The Feminine Professional “Ninety-nine percent of my customers are businesswomen -- law- yers, doctors, managers, supervisors,” said Nancy Algrim, owner of Black Iris boutique. The predominant brand at her Mission shop is Eileen Fisher, known for elegant simplic- ity. Algrim mentioned a recent “New Yorker” article on Eileen Fisher that profiled brand fans as women “who find that hiding their vanity is a ne- cessity.” Algrim began carrying the la- bel famous for its easy-to-layer tops, pants and jackets in 1984. “Eileen Fisher is clean and simple and uses only solid colors and natural fibers. It is more important than ever to Nancy Algrim drapes a scarf on Eileen Fisher separates at Black Iris in Mission. (VBR) wear solid colors. They last forever, 6 Valley Business Report November 2013 Neil Westerman represents the third generation running The Man Shop, a top choice go everywhere, Formerly a personal banker, Torres for classic and contemporary clothing for the professional man.