The pandemic has taught us many lessons, one being that employees have had enough of commuting to jobs each day that they didn’t enjoy, where they didn’t feel valued or appreciated. More people resigned from these jobs in the last two years than ever before in recorded history, and the trend seems to be continuing into 2022. The effect on the economy has been staggering. Here are some statistics on the “Great Resignation.”
4 million – According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. Resignations peaked in April and have remained abnormally high for the last several months, with record-breaking 10.9 million open jobs at the end of July.

30-45 – Employees between 30 and 45 years old have had the greatest increase in resignation rates, with an average increase of more than 20 percent between 2020 and 2021.

3.4 million – Of the more than 5 million Americans who have left the workforce since the pandemic kicked off, about 3.4 million were over the age of 55.

737,000 – There was a 44 percent drop in those receiving temporary or permanent work visas from the roughly 1.3 million issued in 2019, to about 727,000 in 2020.

987,000 – When it comes to leisure and hospitality specifically, the industry logged roughly 987,000 quits, with most coming from accommodation and food services workers.

SOURCES: HBR.ORG AND FORBES.COM

Source: censusreporter.org
Form of Government: Open Town Meeting
Incorporated: 1709
Demographics
Total population: 1,122
Female: 46%
Male: 54%
White: 95%
Black: 3%
Asian: 0%
Native American: 0%
Persons reporting two or more races: 0%
Hispanic or Latino: 2%
Total housing units: 3,255
Family households: 601
Average household size: 1.9
Median household income: $68,367
Per capita income: $44,416
Mean travel time to work: 19.3 minutes
Educational Attainment (age 25+):
High school graduate: 89.3%
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 48.5%

Small business owners continue to struggle to increase their workforce, with 25 percent of owners saying labor quality was their top business problem in December, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses’s monthly jobs report.

Thirteen percent of owners cited labor costs as their top business problem, up three points from November and a 48-year record high.

Seasonally adjusted, a net 48 percent reported raising compensation, up four points from November and a 48-year record high reading. A net 32 percent of owners plan to raise compensation in the next three months, unchanged from November’s record high reading.

Forty-nine percent (seasonally adjusted) of all small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period. In construction, 58 percent of firms have a job opening.

Small business owners’ plans to fill open positions remain at record high levels with a seasonally adjusted net 28 percent planning to create new jobs in the next three months, up three points from November and four points below the highest reading in the 48-year history of the survey set in August.

Overall, 60 percent of owners reported hiring or trying to hire in December, unchanged from November’s report. Ninety-five percent of those owners hiring or trying to hire reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Thirty-one percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions and 26 percent reported none.

Thirty-nine percent of owners have openings for skilled workers and 22 percent have openings for unskilled labor.

The Cape’s harbors and channels are like highways to the sea, said Seth Rolbein from the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. So the best analogy is that dredging is like plowing after a snowfall; roadways must be kept clear, otherwise they can’t serve the community.

“Dredging is creating access to a blue economy and a blue community,” Rolbein told the Barnstable County Commissioners earlier this month.
Commission Chair Ron Bergstrom from Chatham said he considers the county’s dredging program one of the most important programs the county offers. Commissioner Mark Forest of Yarmouth agreed, adding that it had become even more pivotal as state and federal funding dried up.

Rolbein offered help from the fisheries non-profit to address some of the hurdles Barnstable County Dredge Administrator Ken Cirillo is grappling with as he improves the program.

Those include capital funding (perhaps the purchase of another dredge), maintenance costs, permitting problems, and scheduling issues.

“The beauty of dredging is that it not only services the commercial fishing fleet, it serves the entire community,” Rolbein added.

Commissioners agreed that Cirillo and Fishermen’s Alliance should work together to formalize the relationship and set priorities. In addition, Rolbein will be meeting with the County’s Assembly of Delegates in January to offer a similar presentation and offer.

SOURCE: https://capecodfishermen.org/

Shepley Wood Products Inc, a three-unit pro dealer of lumber and building materials with locations in Hyannis, Nantucket and Wellfleet, announced last month the sale of the company to Kodiak Building Partners of Colorado.

Shepley’s name will stay the same, and company president Tony Shepley will remain in his position along with all other employees, including senior managers at Shepley. No jobs will be lost or outsourced as a result of the sale.

Kodiak is comprised of more than 30 other legacy companies in the building material supply business across the continental U.S. Kodiak maintains a fairly unique to the industry, decentralized business model in which management and decision-making stay local, and the unique character of each of its member companies is kept in place, as is the staff.

Kodiak brings a wealth of industry experience and the resources of a $2 billion operation which, combined with Shepley’s local market expertise and presence, will produce great synergy, said Shepley.

Cape Cod 5 approved more than $2.5 million in SBA loans during the year, with 50 percent of loans made to women-owned businesses – more than any other lender in the state.

This achievement has earned Cape Cod 5 the Massachusetts Lender of the Year to Women award by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for fiscal year 2021.

Jennifer Smith Turner was elected to the board of trustees of Martha’s Vineyard Bank at the Nov. 10 Annual Meeting of the Corporators for Vineyard Bancorp, a mutual holding company.

Turner, a corporate executive, is also the author of two poetry books and a novel. As an author and poet, she has been a featured speaker at Yale University and University of Pennsylvania Kelly Writers House. She has also been featured on NPR and Connecticut Public Television.

A full-time resident of Martha’s Vineyard, Turner’s corporate career includes serving as interim president and board member for the Newman’s Own Foundation. Prior to relocating to Martha’s Vineyard, Turner led the Girl Scouts of Connecticut as president and CEO and served as Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. In her early career, Turner served in several executive roles in the Insurance industry.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva in East Harwich, which provides integrated design build services including new construction, renovations and select institutional/resort buildings throughout Cape Cod, the Islands & New England was honored recently with several industry awards.

PSD was presented with two BRICC Awards at the October BRICC Awards held by the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod to recognize outstanding architects, builders, remodelers, designers, and other housing-related professionals. PSD’s “Riptide” won a GOLD BRICC Award as a Remodeling/Renovation/Addition project and PSD’s “Eagle’s Nest” won a GOLD BRICC Award as a New Construction, Single Family Home project.
PSD was honored with a 2021 Bulfinch Award by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art New England Chapter at a ceremony held in Boston. PSD’s “Talcott Lodge,” a restoration and conversion project of a single-family home into a commercial guest house for golf club members, won in the Commercial category.

The annual PRISM Awards, hosted by the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB), honor the finest projects and outstanding achievements of professionals in the home design and building industries. Two PSD projects were recognized this year at the October hybrid gala. PSD’s “Moon Shadow” project received a GOLD PRISM and PSD’s “Harbor View Guest House” project received a SILVER PRISM. Both are recent renovation projects on Cape Cod. This marks 14 total PRISM Awards for PSD.

In addition to the above awards, PSD was named one of Top 50 Coastal Architects for 2021 by Ocean Home, a luxury coastal lifestyle magazine.

Three Cape Cod-based banks achieved status as “Best Banks to Work For” by American Banker magazine.

Cape Cod 5 was ranked 13th on the list of 2021 Best Banks to Work For. This is the bank’s fourth year receiving this award in recognition of its ongoing investment in employee wellbeing, career development and personal growth.

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod was also named to the list for the second consecutive year and Seamen’s Bank was placed in the top 25.

The “Best Banks to Work For” is an annual survey and awards program dedicated to identifying and recognizing the best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback. The 2021 program criteria focused on how banks are managing challenges associated with hiring and retaining talent.

The Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce and SCORE Cape Cod and the Islands have collaborated to create a Trusted Advisor Program exclusively for members of the Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce with the objective of providing members with a no-cost resource to address issues facing the sustainability and growth of their enterprises. 

This program includes matching a member with a skilled advisor to create a customized action plan to address difficult issues facing the business with viable solutions. Some typical key areas of focus have been in strategic business development, succession planning, employee acquisition and retention and finance. 

Entrepreneurs of both new and established businesses are welcome to partake in this program.  The chamber is seeking up to three Greater Hyannis Chamber members who would like to beta-test this initiative. Any Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce member wishing to participate may contact Amanda Hennessey, Events and Marketing Manager, Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce by email: amanda@hyannis.com for more information.

Design Mark Industries, a leader in providing engineering-based solutions for production of precise user-interface technologies such as membrane switches, graphic overlays, rubber keypads, functional die cuts, control panel assemblies, custom plastic labels, and more, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Nov. 19.

Design Mark started in 1971 as a small printing company in Wareham, employing about a dozen individuals and focusing specifically on screen printing. Today, Design Mark has 105 employees working out of a new 42,000-square-foot office in New Bedford, which it moved to earlier this fall. The company has expanded its flexographic and digital printing (roll and sheet-fed), and with its HP Indigo family of 6k and 7k, Design Mark now offers a complete suite of the latest printing technologies.

SV Design, of Chatham and Beverly, won several awards at the Home Builders Remodelers Association of Cape Cod’s 2021 BRICC Awards Gala held Oct. 7 at The Cape Codder Resort and Spa in Hyannis.

The BRICC awards recognize exceptional Cape Cod projects and outstanding achievements from architects, builders, interior designers and other design and building professionals.

SV’s renovation and addition project, Coastal Retreat, took silver in the category Excellence in Outdoor Living Space Design, Over $100,00 with M. Duffany Builders. Shades of White took gold in Excellence in Remodeling – Kitchen with Classic Kitchens & Interiors and Bannon Custom Builders. The Sea Shore placed silver in Excellence in Remodeling – Whole House or Large Addition with Philbrook Construction Services Group. Lastly, Senior Project Manager Katelyn Manfredo, AIA won the award for Outstanding Project Manager.

Inspired Technology, a full-service technology design, installation, and integration firm specializing in both commercial and residential projects, has selected John McCarthy of Mansfield to serve as the company’s new Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

In this role, McCarthy will oversee the growing firm’s sales and marketing team executives, while working with company CEO Stephen Rothwell to expand the company’s client base and market share.

McCarthy has a strong resume spanning the fields of security and mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering. Previously, he was Regional Vice President and General Manager at FinishMaster, a leading independent distributor of automotive and commercial coatings; and prior to that, Vice President, Northeast Region for SecureAmerica LLC, where he developed marketing strategies that merged three separate brands into one and oversaw business and HR operations.

South Coast Improvement Company, a design-build general contractor serving states in the eastern region of the United States, recently hired John Sinnott as director of production. Sinnott most recently held a similar role with Gilbane Building Company.

As direction of production, Sinnott will provide oversight and direction for South Coast Improvement Company field operations on renovation and new construction projects. He will also be part of South Coast’s executive team and will offer support on RFPs and new business proposals.

Sinnott holds a degree in civil engineering from Brown University. He’s also a member of Brown University’s Football Hall of Fame and played professionally for the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts. Sinnott is a current board member and former chair of board of directors of the aforementioned Skills for Rhode Island’s Future. He’s also active with Damian’s Place Food Pantry in Wareham.

Meyer & Sons has a new location at 852 Main St. in West Dennis.  

After extensive renovation of the 1,600-square-foot building that has stood at that location since the early 1950s, the building houses the new Meyer & Sons office and a 600-square-foot cooperative workspace for local building professionals on the main floor with a one-bedroom apartment on the top floor. The building will be fully solar powered with electric car charging stations expected to be added in 2022.

Established in 1972 as a design firm, Meyer & Sons has grown to provide an array of services focused on home construction, property management and home buying and sale.

“Being a small community bank, our employees wear many hats and by creating a new workflow and structure, the employees can thrive within their positions and not have to work overtime on weekends to complete tasks,” said Lori Meads, the president and CEO.

Attorney Kirsten Zwicker Young, a partner at Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP,  was named the new president of the Plymouth County Bar Association at its annual meeting held Dec. 9, 2021.

Young began her career in Plymouth County, then joined the Boston firm of Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP as a partner 10 years ago. Her ties to Plymouth County remain strong as she is very active both with clients in Plymouth County and with the bar association’s many legal professionals. 

In her remarks at the annual meeting, delivered virtually, Young referred to this period as “Coming out of COVID,” and pointed out that seeing people again was “an amazing reminder of how much the practice of law really needs that in person court appearance, that collegiality that only comes from being together.” Her plans for 2022 seek to leverage what has been learned during the pandemic by creating a  more interactive website with a robust lawyer referral service, and helping bar association members strike a work-life balance between meetings that must be conducted in-person with those that can be handled efficiently via Zoom.

Acella Construction Corporation of Pembroke has promoted Scott Brash of Norwell to Director of Field Operations.

Brash has been with Acella Construction for nearly 12 years, joining the firm as a Project Superintendent and subsequently elevated to General Superintendent.

In his new post as a member of the executive team, Brash provides oversight to support Acella Construction’s Field Operations, including production, quality assurance, job site safety protocols and customer service.

Brash has lent his expertise to several high-profile clients, including the $5 million, 10,000-square-foot Student Center project for the Jackson-Walnut Park Schools in Newton; the $10 million Riverview Wellness Center in Sandwich; the $7 million Pelham House Resort; and the 45,000-square-foot SRC Medical facility in Hanover, in addition to hundreds of projects at MIT and Northeastern University.

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has been selected to receive an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help the region’s arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic.

The AFCC is receiving $150,000 that will be used to distribute grants in Barnstable County to eligible recipients to save jobs as well as to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation.

The AFCC was one of 66 arts organizations nationwide which have been selected to receive a total of $20.2 million in grants from the NEA.

FORWARD (Friends Or Relatives With Autism & Related Disabilities) has announced the winners of its Rock Star Awards.

The FORWARD Rock Star Awards go to individual and organization volunteers and supporters who have made outstanding contributions to FORWARD by generously giving of their time, treasure, and talent.

This year’s award winners are:

• The Village Garden Club of Dennis for the creation of CPC Circle.
• Agway of Cape Cod for The Hokum Hens.
• The Dennis Police Association and the Cookie Caper for Autism Awareness.
• Liam Ohman for Volunteer Organizational Support.

Sage Montessori School at 26 Chestnut St., Hyannis is now accepting a small number of students ages 2 years, 9 months through 6 years old into its one-room facility.

Sage Montessori is open year round, with exception for some school vacations, five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Montessori Method combines strong social-emotional support and differentiated instruction. Sage Montessori is the only Montessori school in the Mid-Cape area.

NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions has received a 2021 Metro South Economic Impact Award for developing Sycamore on Main, a 48-residential apartment complex at 121 Main Street in Brockton.

According to the Metro South Chamber of Commerce, NHS was selected for the honor as the investment in Sycamore on Main “contributes greatly to the economic development of the Metro South region.”

United Way of Greater Plymouth County has named Trayce Hillman to its team in the role of Director of The Family Center and Community Connections of Brockton.

She will oversee our Community Connections program and help the Family Center team in meeting their mission of strengthening families, building communities and preventing child abuse and neglect.

Hillman has 32 years of experience in the Massachusetts’ Probation system, the last 11 years as a Senior Community Probation Officer. Trayce is also the founder of the nonprofit Choices4Teens, which provides community-based, after-school mentoring that empowers youth to expand and manage life choices toward achieving individual potential.

Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation and Martha’s Vineyard Bank distributed a combined $186,168 in the third quarter of 2021.

In addition, the second installment of $200,000 was distributed to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services as part of a $1 million pledge for the new Early Childhood Center that officially opened on Nov. 2. Year to date, all three bank entities have awarded a combined $729,560 to local nonprofits in 2021.

A total of 74 non-profit organizations were funded in the third quarter (and a total of 138 non-profit organizations were funded year-to date). Larger awards included funds used for Celebrate the Art of Teaching Grants, designed to fund programs that enhance and support students’ educational enrichment by adding that something extra outside the basic curriculum, and Friends of MV Concert for Beach Road Weekend sponsorship, helping to bring live music back to Martha’s Vineyard after the pandemic hold.

For a complete list of non-profit donation recipients, visit community.mvbank.com.

Thanks to a generous $16,000 donation from Meals on Wheels America, Old Colony Elder Services (OCES), the non-profit agency proudly serving older adults and individuals with disabilities throughout greater Plymouth County, was able to provide 2,000 meals to recipients.

Meals on Wheels America, the leadership organization supporting more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger, provided critical funding for OCES’ Grab & Go meals that were distributed to older adults and individuals with disabilities during June, July and August.

OCES strives to address food insecurity for older adults in greater Plymouth County. A component of OCES’ Nutrition Department is their Community Dining program which offers meals at various sites within the communities the agency serves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OCES Community Dining sites offered Grab & Go meals that provided healthy and delicious nutrition, along with the opportunity to check-in.

The Harwich Fund of The Cape Cod Foundation recently awarded a total of $6,500 in grants to two nonprofit organizations supporting local children in the community.

The fund awarded a $1,500 grant to Harwich Elementary School to cover musical instrument rental fees.

“Fourth grade is the first opportunity for students to learn to play a musical instrument. They can take a free lesson every week during the school day,” said Principal Mary Oldach. “However, in the past, some families have not been able to afford the instrument rental fee which can cost as much as $300 a year. Now, with help from The Harwich Fund, more students than ever before will be able to participate in the program.”

The Friends of Harwich Youth received $5,000 for the Harwich Children’s Fund to support its 2021 Outerwear Drive Program. The funds will be used to purchase warm, winter coats and boots for about 100 Harwich students ages 5 to 18 in need of winter clothing.

The Harwich Fund was established as a permanent endowment fund of The Cape Cod Foundation to provide resources for the Harwich community now and in perpetuity. To date, it has awarded more than $16,000 to nonprofits serving Harwich residents.

To donate to The Harwich Fund, visit harwichfund.org or send a check payable to The Harwich Fund to The Cape Cod Foundation, 261 Whites Path, Unit 2, South Yarmouth, MA, 02664.

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust has awarded $26,000 in grants to five nonprofit organizations that enhance quality of life by addressing fundamental needs and challenges of the local community.

During the quarterly meeting of the board of trustees, the following grants were awarded:

• $10,000 to the Falmouth Housing Trust New Projects Fund that enables the organization to quickly respond to opportunities to acquire property; develop affordable housing that meets the needs, character and best interest of the community; and help the Town of Falmouth work toward its 10 percent affordable housing goal. 
• $5,000 to Lower Cape Leadership Forum to continue a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training program that began earlier this year. 
• $4,000 to Camp Lightbulb, one of the first overnight camps for LGBTQ+ youth in the nation. The grant will provide a full scholarship for three local youth for the 2022 three-week summer camp in Provincetown. Camp Lightbulb will give recipients the opportunity to explore their identity, the arts and the outdoors.
• $4,000 to Duffy Health Center to help fund a part-time consultant for phase two of a medical respite program, established in collaboration with Cape Cod Healthcare and several other health and housing partners. 
• $3,000 to Mass Appeal, a volunteer-staffed organization with a mission to provide free clothing to residents of the four towns on the Outer Cape: Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. The grant will be used to purchase athletic shoes for children.

The Nicholas G. Xiarhos Memorial Foundation Fund
in care of The Cape Cod Foundation
261 White’s Path
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts 02664

About the Fund
The Cape Cod Foundation has announced a partnership with the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Memorial Fund. The fund supports local military families, wounded warriors, deployed military troops and several other worthwhile causes.

The fund was established in 2009 to honor Corporal Nicholas G. Xiarhos (1988-2009), a Yarmouth native and United States Marine who was killed in combat while on a rescue mission in Southern Afghanistan.

“Although Nick’s life was short, it was purposeful,” says his father, Steven G. Xiarhos. “He really wanted to serve his coun- try and make the world a better place. My family created this memorial fund to continue his dream. Over the years, the fund has grown to the point where we were looking for more for- malized management, and a partnership with The Cape Cod Foundation provided the perfect fit.”

Nicholas Xiarhos was an extraordinary high school kid. Just nine short days after graduation, he headed for boot camp to pursue a dream. On September 22, 2006, he earned the title United States Marine. Xiarhos served as an 0351 Infantry Assaultman with the 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment in Iraq and the 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. On July 23, 2009, while going to the rescue of his fellow Marines in combat, Xiarhos died on the battlefield in the Garmsir District of Helmand Province in Southern Afghanistan.

Mission
The memorial fund provides financial assistance to local mili- tary families and wounded warriors. In addition, it supports several scholarships, a blood drive, Sandy Neck for Vets, Wags for Tags, and Nicholas G. Xiarhos Young Marines.

Giving Opportunities
In addition to private donations, the fund is supported by several events, including Big Nick’s Ride for the Fallen. This local, annual motorcycle ride is held every July to honor Cape Cod’s fallen heroes and raise awareness of and funds for the Massachusetts Iraq and Afghanistan Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund.

The Family Pantry of Cape Cod
133 Queen Anne Road Harwich, MA 02645
508-432-6519 thefamilypantry.com
cmenard@thefamilypantry.com

Cape Cod Community College Family Pantry
The Life Fitness Center Building
Lower Level Room PE-Gl3
774-330-4365 ext 4365

The Second Glance Thrift Shop
265 Main Street – West Harwich, MA 02671
508-432-0636 secondglance@thefamilypantry.com

Stats
Total number of employees: 7
Annual revenues: $1,100,000
Year established: 1989

Mission
The Family Pantry of Cape Cod’s mission is to provide food and clothing to those in need. We
welcome people of every age, race, color, national origin, religion, residence, sex, sexual
orientation, marital status, disabled, veteran, or any other status.

Geographic Area
The entire Cape Cod community, including the Islands.

Funding
65% Individuals
20% Foundations
15% Corporations

Leadership
Christine H. Menard
Matt Kelley

A rendering of the proposed tower planned at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis for cancer and cardiac care.

Cape Cod Healthcare has embarked on a $125 million fundraising initiative that seeks to “define the future of health services on Cape Cod for decades to come,” according to Michael K. Lauf, president and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare (CCHC).

The campaign, “Quality. Trust. Partnership. The Campaign for Cape Cod Healthcare,” which actually began in 2016, was disclosed publicly this month. To date, The Campaign for Cape Cod Healthcare has received more than 30,000 donations of all sizes, totaling more than $100 million.

The campaign seeks to raise funds for people and science, the enhancement of services and the funding of capital projects. The goal is to build a healthcare network that continues to meet the challenges of today, while making key investments in CCHC’s future model of care.

“Our campaign is about investing in the future, so people know their healthcare needs will continue to be met,” said Lauf in a video announcing the public phase of the campaign.
“Quality is the care we provide; it is our mission. Trust is about ensuring that we make the right decisions for our patients and community, and trusting that our care in the emergency room, in our medical and surgical settings, and other areas are second to none. And then, partnership is making sure we meet the needs of our community while also having the foresight to partner with other organizations to ensure our care is coordinated and integrated.”

The campaign will prioritize building new or renovating current facilities at both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital. In addition to strengthening cardiac and cancer services via a new tower to be constructed at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, the campaign will enhance the Intensive Care Unit at Falmouth Hospital, which will include a new and expanded ICU, as well as technological upgrades. A modern infectious disease suite at Cape Cod Hospital is planned for the near future.

The campaign is also investing in a total renovation of CCHC’s 132-bed JML Care Center, a skilled nursing facility for short-term rehabilitation, long-term and palliative care, with a gift from the Ruth Lilly Foundation and the Lilly family of Falmouth.

CCHC has also continued to open primary and urgent care facilities in the region. The McGraw Medical Complex in Osterville opened in 2021, and a similar facility in Orleans will open later this year.

Another top priority of the campaign is physician recruitment and retention. As studies project a significant shortfall of primary care and specialty doctors over the next decade, CCHC will establish an endowed fund to strengthen recruiting efforts to attract physicians and specialists to Cape Cod. In addition, CCHC is committed to enhancing its partnership with Cape Cod Community College and others to expand nursing and other clinical disciplines, in order to attract and retain essential staff.

The Drew Company, a Boston-based, privately held, real estate development and management company, is constructing a luxury, 78-unit mixed-use development, SkySail at Driftway, at 100-108 Old Driftway and 318 New Driftway in Scituate.

SkySail at Driftway consists of six buildings with 78 rental units including 12 income-restricted units, 8,914 square feet of retail and commercial space and 160 parking spaces. The development is located adjacent to the MBTA Greenbush Commuter Rail Line and just minutes from Scituate Harbor. The Drew Company recently closed with Rockland Trust Bank on a $27.6 million construction loan.

“The Drew Company is excited for this opportunity to partner with Rockland Trust Bank,” said John P. Drew, President, Drew Company. “Their loan enables us to expand our work on the South Shore of Massachusetts with this project, intended to enhance the vibrant community in Scituate and bring a best-in-class residential experience with complimentary amenities to the area. The project will also bring innovative features both indoor and outdoor to provide a productive work-live environment as well as ease of access to transportation options to and from Boston,”

“Rockland Trust is pleased to work with Drew Company to support this expansive, local project,” said John Davison, First Vice President and Commercial Lending Center Manager at Rockland Trust. “These Scituate residences and retail spaces make living and owning a business in an extremely desirable area more attainable which will strengthen both our community and local economy.”

By Jean Mojo

While mentoring a small business owner the other day, we recommended a price increase. His immediate reaction was “NO,” because he was worried that his customers would abandon him. He also felt guilty with the economy now facing inflation. We spent time challenging that thinking and suggested he look at inflation as an opportunity, not a negative. 

Growth is always a challenge, especially in a mature category or if inflation is low as it’s been in the recent past. The instinct is to hold prices and cut costs to maintain margin. If you’ve done that, you know that it ultimately bites you. Your sales don’t grow and you have less money for marketing or other initiatives. It’s not good. 

Here are four thoughts* that may help you feel more comfortable raising prices:

1. Embrace inflation and recognize it’s a unique period, providing you the needed flexibility to do things you can’t do in a low inflation market.  Today, raising prices is something customers expect. They don’t like it but also know that all businesses face cost increases.  Get excited about what you can do for your business if you raise prices — more marketing, invest in equipment critical to future growth.  No need to be a hero and keep your prices static, there’s little to no benefit to that.
2. Sooner is better.  If you wait too long you will likely be hit with additional cost increases, making your position even worse. While service businesses and restaurants can implement price increases right away, other businesses won’t see the impact of the increase for 3-6 months as their product goes through the distribution system and hits retail or a new subscription period starts.
3. Take a longer-term perspective. Knowing that it’s unlikely you’ll take another price increase in the short term, try to anticipate where your costs might go so you are not back in this same position six months from now.  For example, if you need to raise your price by 3% to protect your margin it makes sense to go for more reflecting anticipated cost increases over the next 6 to 12 months.  You need margin to maintain or grow your business. 
4. Watch the competition. Tracking your competition is something you should always do. Focus on how your competition is managing pricing. What are they communicating to their customers?  You don’t want to be way out of range on prices but there is also nothing wrong with being the first to move. As long as you have a great product and service, you won’t lose customers. 

*KelloggInsight, 10/22/21, “Is It Time To Raise Your Prices?”

Jean Mojo is a certified mentor at SCORE.  She has an extensive background in marketing, having owned a marketing services agency and worked in both product management and advertising. For more information about SCORE’s free, confidential small business mentoring go to: capecod.score.org or call 508-775-4884.

By Dale Shadbegian

Over the years, the web has undergone different transformations to improve user experience. The first iteration of the internet was Web 1.0, where predominantly few people could produce content as the majority consumed.

Several years later, the need for a more interactive platform, where users could create content brought about Web 2.0. Today, thanks to Web 2.0, anyone can publish content, post comments, and access apps, albeit under the close supervision of these certain companies.

Web 3.0 seeks to correct this centralization. Below is a rundown of what Web 3 is, its application today and concerns over its use.

Web 3.0 Defined
Web 3, or the Semantic Web, if you prefer, is an improved version of Web 1.0 and 2.0. The system believes in the concept of decentralization and openness so much that it aims to bring humans and machines together.

Tim Berners Lee, the brains behind the World Wide Web, predicted a more autonomous and opened Internet in the early 1990s and dubbed it the Semantic Web. However, since technological innovation was limited then, he could only create lesser versions with more limitations.

Web 3 has superseded all the Semantic Web expectations detailed by Tim Berners Lee in 2001. Its format can be understood by computers and humans alike.

Basically, humans and machines collaborate in decision making and content creation plus unite efforts in solving problems that require intensive creativity. Since data is structured in Web 3, and stored in bulk, research only takes a few minutes. This way, you’ll only need shallow research to get all the answers you need on Google or popular search engines

But the features that set Web 3 apart from its predecessors include decentralization, artificial intelligence and machine learning and connectivity and ubiquity.

One of the main features of Web 3.0 is a decentralized system. Instead of information being stored at a specific location on the web, which is common in 1.0 and 2.0 versions, the information goes to multiple sources on the network.

This is similar to how blockchain works with cryptocurrencies and other digital transactions such as tokenization. In the end, information will remain in a wide range of sources on the web instead of with giants like Google and Facebook in Web 2.0.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a core component of Web 3 since the machine influences how we interact with data on the web. One advantage of AI is that it can store data in bulk and make it easily accessible to humans upon request. Furthermore, it can filter this information so that each piece of content remains relevant to you based on previous searches.

Finally, through machine learning, AI can learn to do new things and perfect the current ones for better accuracy.

Ubiquity, the ability to be present everywhere, is a feature that makes this Web version special. Unlike 1.0 and 2.0, which are only accessible through smartphones and computers, Web 3 is compatible with almost all smart devices.

Examples of Web 3
Web 3 is no longer an idea and for the past few years has been revolutionizing how we interact with the internet. While these applications have flaws and could greatly improve in the future, they’re far better than previous versions. They include Siri and Wolfram Alpha.

Siri technology, by Apple, paints a real picture of Web 3.0 in action. Since the AI’s first debut through the iPhone 4S model, it has adapted to perform not only complex but personalized demands as well.

Siri uses speech recognition software to take in demands and execute functions with as little time as possible and with few complications. For example, Siri can execute voice functions such as “Find me the nearest pizza joint or the nearest gas station.”

Wolfram is a specialized search tool that gives you more accurate results than Google, and it truly reflects what Web 3 is all about. The engine computes specific answers for your questions instead of giving a string of search results to pick from, like Google.

For example, a random search of Spain vs. Portugal on Google gives results about football, whereas on Wolfram it’s the history of the two countries in detail.

Concerns
Web 3 will change almost every sector for the better. Its permission-less system allows users better control of their information, and the details are in multiple networks as opposed to one centralized system.

However, with this freedom come a few challenges that Web 3 is yet to address. One of the main concerns is cybercrime and misinformation. Since data is in a decentralized system, it can be hard to protect it and regulate it as we do now Web 2.0.

The next problem is that countries won’t be able to regulate the content their citizens view because websites are shared globally. Other than these, Web 3 has little to no other concerns.

Key Takeaways
At its core, Web 3 is about returning data ownership to consumers and content creators.
Web 3.0 delivers an opportunity to fundamentally change our view of the internet, strongly emphasizing consumer privacy – a hot topic of discussion. Like all new and emerging technologies, we are likely to see this evolve over time before mass adoption, and the court of public opinion has not decided if Web 3 will solve our privacy concerns.

Digital strategist and search engine expert Dale Shadbegian is CEO of Cape & Plymouth Business Media. He can be reached at dale@capeplymouthbusiness.com

Stewart Painting, which has been serving homeowners and businesses for 40 years on Cape Cod, Plymouth and the South Shore, is on a mission to find a deserving homeowner who could benefit from their painting services, supplied at no cost.

The company is accepting nominations for “Stewart Paints It Forward” through Feb. 25. The work will start in March or April. Sherwin Williams is graciously donating painting supplies for this project.

“We are ready and willing to get to work, but we need your help deciding who could most benefit from this giveaway by submitting your nominations,” said company president Sheldon Stewart.

Suggested nominees could include (but not limited to) military, elderly, first responder, handicapped/disabled, family in need, or teacher.

The nomination criteria is as follows:

• Nominee must own the home
• Nominee must reside in the home
• Project limit approximately $10,000
• Exterior paint and wash only
• Carpentry and interior paint not included
• Photos, recordings, emails, and other media created during this project can and will be used for future Stewart Painting marketing purposes
• Giveaway cannot be transferred
• No cash value
• Entrant may not nominate him/herself

All painting projects must be located on the South Shore, Plymouth or Cape Cod and will be assessed to ensure they can be completed within the $10,000 amount and meet all safety requirements

To nominate a deserving person, fill out the nomination form on the Stewart Painting website: https://www.stewartpaint.com/stewart-paints-it-forward/

A little more than three decades since the Cape Cod Foundation was established (1989) with a single $10,000 scholarship fund,  the nonprofit organization reports assets exceeding $100 million. To date, it has also distributed more than $90 million back into the community in scholarships to local students and grants to nonprofit organizations serving residents across Cape Cod.

President and CEO Kristin O’Malley said many factors have contributed to the foundation’s unprecedented growth in 2021: strategic fiscal management, an exceptionally strong market yielding higher returns on investments, increased fundraising efforts, and new philanthropic partnerships. Also in 2021, the foundation’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the annual amount the organization distributes from its endowment funds to help address increased community needs in response to the pandemic.

“More and more donors are partnering with the Foundation to support and expand their philanthropic efforts through our community knowledge, financial expertise, and other resources,” O’Malley said. “This year alone, donors established 23 new funds with us, bringing the total number of funds we administer to over 330.”

O’Malley said there’s also a direct and meaningful correlation between asset growth and distribution growth. 

“While we are building resources, we are also deploying them,” she stated.  “In 2021, distributions exceeded $6.2 million, an 11 percent increase over the year before.”

The distribution total includes almost $1.1 million in scholarship support from The Cape Cod Foundation and its partner, the Cape Cod Association. It also includes almost $665,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations through the foundation’s discretionary grantmaking programs.

“These grants will impact all aspects of community life, including 14 arts organizations who received a total of $201,366 for operational, programmatic and capacity-building support from our newly established Fund for Visual Arts,” O’Malley said.  “We were fortunate to receive a bequest gift in 2020 that was targeted for visual arts on Cape Cod. With so many resources recently going to address essential human service needs, we are pleased that we can also allocate resources specifically to support our cultural sector, which is vital to the vibrancy of our community and has been significantly impacted by the pandemic.” 

Looking forward to 2022, O’Malley said the Foundation will continue to support the nonprofit sector through Program and Capacity Building Grants, which are designed to help essential, local nonprofit organizations reach the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity.

She said the foundation will also continue to administer its Strategic Emergency Response Fund, which was established in 2020 to rapidly build and deploy resources for immediate pandemic relief and recovery. 

“The coronavirus and recent emergence of the omicron variant will continue to exacerbate existing needs, making it more critical than ever to invest in nonprofit organizations providing critical programs and services to those in need,” she said.

To date, the Foundation has raised more than $3.58 million and distributed more than $2.5 million to 60 nonprofits across the region through this fund.

Among other civic leadership initiatives planned for 2022, the foundation will host a second series of Community Forums with local experts to share information about community needs, challenges, progress, programs, resources, and opportunities. 

Anyone interested in creating a charitable fund, donating to an existing fund, or supporting the Foundation’s Strategic Leadership Initiatives can call Kristin O’Malley at 508-790-3040 or visit www.capecodfoundation.org for more information.

By Bill O’Neill

Healy Sammis and Kyle Wrentz were in elementary school when they met at Crystal Theatre, a performing arts school in Norwalk, Conn. They remained active with the program and stayed friends through their high-school years. Somewhere along the way a dream was born: running a theater program of their own. 

Dreams come true as a matter of routine in show biz, but they also can come true in real life. Sammis and Wrentz launched Break a Leg Theater Works in Plymouth in 2015. Since then, nearly 400 children have taken part. 

“We just did our holiday show, a holiday cabaret, and many of our alumni came back to perform,” said Wrentz. “They’re at very, very esteemed universities. Some of them are doing things in the performing arts, others are in biology and education, and it’s just amazing that the music is the thing that bonds them. This is a place where they felt seen and validated and treated as young individuals who had a viewpoint that was worthy of exploring.” 

Break a Leg offers musical theater workshops for teens and younger children, as well as one-day master classes taught by New York and Boston professionals. In January they began to offer classes for first- to third-graders and pre-K to kindergarten children. They rent rehearsal and performing space from schools, the Spire Center for Performing Arts in Plymouth and other organizations. 

“Some of the musicals were divided up into specific age groups, but a lot of the cabarets that we do combine the ages,” said Sammis. “That’s been a model that’s been very successful for us because we’ve had younger kids come in and they’re just in awe of the high schoolers. The high schoolers just adore the younger kids and so, right away, they elevate the younger kids’ performances because they want to mimic the professionalism of the high schoolers. It’s been a really supportive system.” 

No previous experience is required or expected. 

“We say, ‘Come as you are and we’ll meet you where you’re at,’” said Wrentz. “Some kids aspire for a career in the performing arts, whether it be on stage, TV or film. Then there are other kids for whom this is a great place to grow and gain confidence just when they’re navigating through the world. And for another kid, it’s a social place where they come and they’re able to hang out with their friends. They drop their electronics and, for a minute, they’re creating art. 

“I love that it’s a mix of kids who have a different viewpoint on how they want theater and the performing arts in their lives, but, yet, all those ages and all the perspectives come together.”

Sammis and Wrentz both studied theater in college. He graduated from the Hartt School of Music and went on to perform at Hong Kong Disneyland and in “The Lion King” on Broadway. She graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts and worked as a special-ed teacher, helping students with reading difficulties, doing some theater on the side. 

But whenever they reconnected, they always talked about opening a theater, she said. 

In 2015, Sammis, who was living in Marshfield, asked Wrentz to travel from New York City to help introduce some children to musical theater. 

“We had a couple of Kyle’s friends who were Broadway artists come to perform with students who were interested,” she said. “We had a cast of about 26 total, of kids of various ages who sang solos and duets and small group numbers and then sang with the Broadway artists. That was the first show we had. And since then, it just grew into an entity of its own.”

Eventually, Wrentz moved to Massachusetts and Break a Leg became their full-time work. 

Wrentz and Sammis see plenty of room for growth in the years ahead. 

“We want to be a community-based organization that entertains everyone and offers classes for any student who’s interested, whether it be on stage or the technical aspects off stage or off,” he said. “We want to be a place that enlightens and informs by bringing people of all different perspectives together. We want to show, through our work, how you can have cohesion and harmony, even though we have a lot of differences.” 

Sammis looks forward to the day when the organization has its own permanent space. 

“We have a big vision of having our own headquarters,” she said. “While we want to extend elsewhere and start having alumni-run camps in other towns, we also need our own theater, our own rehearsal space and our own class space.”

“When we started this, it was about the love of theater and sharing our love of theater,” said Wrentz. “The thing that I quickly realized and what’s really stayed with me was the impact it was having on the students’ overall lives. We have students who come in and they may be shy or they may have some doubts. Then you fast forward a couple of years, and there’s so many breakthroughs that happen in the theater work that then they don’t even realize they’re applying to their lives. 

“It’s been a gift to see that happen. I hope the community will continue to support us so that we get more kids in the door. It’s not about them all being Broadway stars. It’s just about them growing a little bit and walking out the door a little bit taller than when they walked in.”

By Carol K. Dumas

Ninety-eight companies in Massachusetts are currently working on therapies, delivering therapies or developing vaccines for COVID-19.

Three offshore wind farms are in various states of development 20 miles south of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

What do the life sciences and wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean have in common?

Both are drawing on the expertise of graduates of Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), an state university in Bourne better known for training men and women for careers within the maritime industry.

The training offered by MMA in building infrastructure and systems and maintaining them for use aboard ships and its engineering focus is also applicable to the specialized infrastructure and systems that both life sciences and wind energy industries need to grow.

Life Sciences
While working in the offshore wind industry is an expanded focus for MMA, the biotech industry is a “hidden gem” for the Academy in terms of workforce development and training. While it is the scientists who perform the research, it is the engineers, health and safety specialists, and emergency preparedness workers who support the industry. The life science industry is the fastest growing industry in Massachusetts.

Three MMA alumni who have noteworthy careers in the life sciences industry are working to get the word out about the “perfect’ skill set that Mass Maritime Academy graduates can bring to that workforce. They strongly believe the education and training they received at MMA prepared them for careers in industries that were just starting to grow after they had graduated.

In 2008, alumni Rob DeCoste and Daniel Ramsey, undergraduate classmates at MMA were reconnected while obtaining their master’s degrees in Facilities Management. The bond forged during the program led to the founding of 42 North Solutions (based in Scituate), a company that provides specialized technical services within the life-science and pharmaceutical industries. The 42 North team focuses on project execution, facilities management and technical operations support. Among their clients are companies working on vaccines and delivery of medical therapies, particularly for COVID-19.

“There’s a growing need for a whole new generation of labor, resources, sub-contractors, delivery and research to deliver therapies for diseases and currently, to combat COVID-19,” said Ramsey. “We saw a need that MMA could fill because of our background at Mass Maritime.”

“In short, we will partner with a company to manage the process of having their facility built, systems started up and commissioned (ensuring the systems operate as designed),” explained DeCoste.

Once the buildings are complete, 42 North Solutions becomes an internal team member for the organization and performs a variety of roles including managing the facility with facilities management leadership and technicians, performing process engineering duties and helping to set up their internal programs and qualification of their systems.

“I always compare it to brewing beer,” said DeCoste. “If you have created a high quality product and it’s time to go to market, we’ll assist with managing the design, construction and operational readiness of your new facility. We make sure the support systems (HVAC, plumbing, etc.) are operating as designed and once the systems are built and verified we’ll work alongside your brew master on their complicated equipment in a variety of roles to ensure you’re getting a consistent product out to your distribution network.”

MMA graduates are uniquely suited for this kind of project management because of the team mentality instilled in them and the experience they have working through tough situations, such as aboard a ship, he added.

Alumni Robert Coughlin (class of 1991) is another mover and shaker within the life sciences industry and, like his fellow MMA graduates at 42 North, an enthusiastic advocate for Mass Maritime. He is the managing director of the national life science practice at JLL, a commercial real estate company with more than 100,000 employees worldwide. Coughlin specializes in the representation of lab, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and creating solutions to align real estate strategies with scientific business objectives. He is the former CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, where his mission was to advance the state’s leadership in the life sciences to grow the industry.

Coughlin was the fifth child in his family to attend Mass Maritime and one of his sons is a current cadet. He was driven to pursue a career in the life sciences when another son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. “I wanted to work in a field where these brilliant minds did medical research to solve unmet medical needs.”

The trio is behind the second annual Life Sciences Networking Event to be held March 24 at the Westin Hotel in Waltham (for alumni only).

“We want to share that not only can Mass Maritime find you a job, but a career you can build upon,” Coughlin said. “The life sciences can continue to grow with a workforce supplied by Mass Maritime.”

Wind Energy

The United States Department of Energy estimates 43,000 new jobs will be created in the offshore wind market by 2030. A Massachusetts Clean Energy study estimates that offshore wind farms will create 2,000 to 3,000 jobs and generate economic impacts between $1 and 2 billion in the region.

“Massachusetts Maritime Academy saw a unique opportunity to be involved in this growing industry and thought one of the most important ways we could contribute would be by training the men and women who will be on the front lines of this new industry,” said Capt. Mike Burns, Executive Director of the Academy’s Maritime Center for Responsible Energy. “We’re helping prepare the workforce for clean energy opportunities that are coming to our region by delivering key training for personnel who will build the wind farms that will power the Northeast region with clean energy.”

MMA began looking into offshore wind training during the development of the Cape Wind project more than a decade ago.

“As we investigated the training requirements, we were informed by many industry stakeholders that the Global Wind Organization (GWO) standards were the most widely accepted by the industry,” explains Admiral Francis McDonald, MMA president. “Upon researching the GWO standards, we realized that much of the content paralleled training programs that we currently offered under our U.S. Coast Guard-approved courses. Our research indicated that the broadest need would be for GWO Basic Safety Training (BST). This is where we decided to begin.”

Burns and McDonald agree there are countless potential career paths within the industry relevant to MMA’s undergraduate and undergraduate programs. They have partnered with a well-known training provider in the offshore wind industry, Relyon Nutec, which helped MMA develop its facilities, train instructors and get the academy’s training site approved by GWO.

“We were able to begin offering training sessions in November 2019 and, since then, have trained about 150 participants in Global Wind Organization Best Safety Training,” Burns says.

Mass Maritime is also partnering with industry stakeholders including Vineyard Wind, Mayflower Wind and Crowley to provide scholarships, internships and advice from industry experts.

“We currently have cadets from several majors completing internships with the major developers and suppliers,” McDonald says. “As part of our commitment to diversify the workforce in these high demand and well paying fields, we are also expanding our programming to include outreach to K-12 schools and, in particular, to our gateway cities.”

While supplying a workforce for the offshore wind industry may seem like a shift in focus for Mass Maritime, it’s really more of an expansion of focus, the admiral emphasized.

“We have been teaching people to work offshore and to work in the energy field for over a century, and we are excited to apply that experience to the offshore wind industry as it grows in the U.S.,” he said.

By Julie Beckham

Every January, many of us jot down things we hope to accomplish in the New Year. How many of those resolutions center around money?

On my recent podcast, “Financially Fit in 2021,” Shannon McLay, founder and CEO of the Financial Gym, explained how maintaining your financial health is similar to maintaining your physical health. Here are three tips on how to get started.

• Anyone Can Get Financially Healthy

Even if there are financial skeletons in the closet, anyone can get their finances in order. What financial health looks like for you will depend a lot on your unique circumstances. For some, financial health might look like rethinking spending habits or improving a credit score. For others, it could be planning how to enjoy retirement. 

• You’re Creating More Anxiety By Not Dealing With Your Finances

Due to a variety of reasons, talking about money is a real stressor for many people. But not dealing with your finances head on can create more stress and anxiety. You are not alone — reach out to a financial expert for advice about your goals and how you can reach them. 

• Take An Inventory to See Your Big Financial Picture

Measuring progress toward your goals will be tricky if you don’t have an idea of where you start out! Take stock of what your financial health looks like to understand what you are dealing with. This can help you pinpoint the biggest financial frustrations in your life, and then you can work toward solving them.

Listen to the full interview with Shannon on the “No Shame in This Money Game” podcast.

Julie Beckham is a financial education officer at Rockland Trust. In addition to her podcast, available at rocklandtrust.com, she is the creator of Ms. Money & the Coins® Financial Education.

By Brian Regan

We are having a dot-com-like sell-off while the major indices are pushing forward. The pandemic fashion show stocks went to the moon but are on their way back to earth.

Chegg, Vimeo, Peloton, Sam Adams, Zillow, Redfin, Stitch Fix, Lordstown Motors, Zoom, Penn National Gaming, DraftKings, Roku, Pinterest, Teladoc, Beyond Meat and PayPal are a sampling of stocks that have had significant drawdowns in the last six months.

Here are some strategies that can lead to long-term performance.

Extend your investment horizon

Over one year, only 22 percent of stocks in the Russell 3000 with performance data on YCharts have negative returns compared to 43 percent of stocks over six months. Extending your investment horizon decreases your odds of having a negative returning stock by almost half.

Size appropriately

Despite certain stocks having large sell-offs in the last six months, the index continued to gain 12.8 percent during the period. That’s because the index is market-weighted where the larger stocks get a bigger weight, and the worst stocks fall out of the index. In your portfolio, you could similarly weigh the stocks by confidence, size, or perceived risk.

Fish where the fish are

When I look at the biggest winners in our discretionary portfolio for the last year, they typically have one of two traits in common. They are in sectors that were disliked a year ago or they have wide moats. When sectors are disliked, the underlying stocks can sometimes be significantly discounted in the relatively short term. In the last 12 months that was the case with energy, financials, retail and semiconductors because there was a pandemic concern, and these are perceived as cyclical sectors. Additionally, buying a superior company at or below a benchmark price should lead to continued and superior performance. 

Win bigger than you lose

A stock can lose 100 percent, but it can gain an unlimited amount. That is a nice tradeoff. You can also take steps to control your losses:

• Identify a reasonable liquidation value by analyzing the balance sheet because it can help estimate a floor.
• If you are buying a stock for the expected growth, ask yourself what would happen if growth slowed, stopped, or declined and the associated multiples changed with it.
• Learn the fundamental advantage the company has that will make the cash flows, earnings, and intrinsic value more predictable. 

It’s difficult to beat an index. It’s worth trying if you’re young with little to lose, but also if you have means because the additional value add can have a significant change in absolute dollars. I hope these strategies help reevaluate especially if you are feeling the heat as your stocks re-enter the earth’s atmosphere.

Brian J. Regan, CFA®, MBA, is the Chief Investment Officer for Asset Management Resources, LLC in Hyannis. Visit https://amrfinancial.com/ for more information.

By Karyn Rhodes

An employee handbook is one of the most important communication tools for your workforce. Not only does it set out your policies so employees’ expectations about their rights and your obligations are clear, it also helps protect your business against employee complaints or even lawsuits. Since the document is so important, many companies look to outside help to ensure their contents are both comprehensive and compliant.

Complete Payroll Solutions’ certified human resources professionals assist companies with both live and on-demand support for common workforce challenges, including creating handbooks. While we know our outsourced HR services may not be right for everyone, here we’ll discuss the details of our employee handbook offerings so you can decide if we’re a good fit for your organization.

Do I need an employee handbook?

There are many laws that require you to notify employees of certain workplace rights; however, there is no federal or state law that requires you to have an employee handbook. Yet even if you’re a small to mid-sized company, or have just one employee, you should have an employee handbook to help you stay compliant with state and federal regulations to reduce your liability.

Can I create an employee handbook myself?

A good employee handbook provides your workforce with all your guidelines, policies, and procedures so it should be customized to your unique company. While you can search online for free examples or pay for a basic template, that will require you to know the local laws and industry regulations that may apply to your business.

If you don’t have the expertise in house to tailor the content, then it can be a good idea to outsource to an HR provider that offers employee handbook services. At Complete Payroll Solutions, all the handbooks we create are developed by senior HR business partners who are certified professionals.

What employee handbook services does Complete Payroll Solutions offer?

At Complete Payroll Solutions, we offer two different options for creating a handbook for your workplace: custom handbook development or a handbook wizard.

Custom Handbook: We develop handbooks for companies of all sizes and in all industries. To create a document that suits your needs, we take several steps:

Review your current practices: We start by reviewing any of your company’s policies and procedures that are currently in effect – written or unwritten – for best practices and legal compliance. Based on our findings, we’ll identify areas where we recommend improvement.

Discuss our suggested outline: Once we have assessed your current approach, we’ll explain what we envision for the contents of your handbook, and share an outline of the contents if desired. During this phase of development, we’ll answer any questions you have about why we have recommended any sections to include or exclude.

Create your handbook: After we have a working session on the content, our HR professionals will create a draft of your custom handbook that addresses your specific workforce, industry, and geographic location. We will review this with your team and legal counsel, if desired, before finalizing.

Handbook Wizard: For companies who want to develop their own handbook but with our guidance as an outline, we offer a handbook wizard. This tool allows you to utilize all of the documents available in our online compliance library and include those policies that apply to your organization.

The time it takes to get an employee handbook developed with Complete Payroll Solutions’ services depends on which approach you take. Typically, a custom handbook takes about four weeks. 

How to choose the right employee handbook service provider 

With so many options on the market today, it can be overwhelming to decide the best approach to creating your employee handbook. No matter which option you choose, employee handbook services can be an ideal choice for a business who wants to:

• Have content developed by certified HR professionals
• Deploy a handbook quickly, in as little as four weeks
• Have a low up-front investment and annual maintenance costs
• Be able to access additional compliance or HR support from a team who already understands your business

Karyn H. Rhodes is vice president HR Solutions at Complete Payroll Solutions. She specializes in all areas of human resources, including strategic planning, employee and labor relations, recruiting, compliance, training and development, compensation and benefits, policies and procedures, organizational development, executive coaching, workforce planning, and affirmative action plans. More info at completepayrollsolutions.com

By Martha R.A. Fields

In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that 4.5 million American workers voluntarily bid adieu to their jobs. This “Great Resignation” is the largest number ever of staff who told their employers to “take their jobs and shove them.” 

To tackle this labor staffing shortage and its “long-haul” impact, organizations must employ novel approaches to compete in this competitive “employee’s job market.” During my career as a former vice president at a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and the CEO of my international management and human resources consulting firm, OKI ME, LLC, I have never seen so many clients desperately asking me to help them solve their labor shortages. They want it to end. Unfortunately, the Great Resignation will not likely cease soon. 

Here are several new directions that organizations should consider to solve their labor shortages. 

Networking

The number one way people find jobs is through networking. 

When jobs become open, employers often initially try filling them by actively recruiting outside candidates. Since unemployment rates are low and most people are already employed, that method can lead to a dead end. Boost those efforts by making your staff “goodwill ambassadors.”

I was startled by a comment in an article by Indeed, one of the most popular U.S. online job websites. It stated that the number one way to find a job was not through them, but to: “Ask your network for referrals.” If Indeed is telling candidates that the best way to find a job is by people inside companies, why not listen to their advice? Increase employee referral bonuses so staff are incentivized to become your “goodwill ambassadors” and get the word out to their networks about your open positions.

Look Inward

Take time to better forecast your labor needs. Create initiatives that prepare staff to assume  vacancies before they occur by upgrading their skill sets. Provide mentoring, succession planning, and coaching so they are qualified for positions when they become available. Acknowledge applications of all internal candidates.

If an employee possesses all the essential functions of the job but lacks a few items in the “prefer category,” consider hiring that person immediately. NEVER lower your standards but a slightly imperfect person may be perfect to fill your vacancy. 

Retain Great Staff 

Organizations would be wise to spend more on retention efforts and figuring out how to make their environment so attractive that productive staff  do not want to leave. Turnover costs are staggering. According to Gallup, the cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employees’ annual salary.

Research from the Boston Consulting Group found that there is “a widening mismatch between the job environment employees want—and now expect—and the one their organizations have.”

Whether your leaders are new to their roles or seasoned, managing people in the new hybrid workplace requires new skills. As a colleague said, “To manage people,  I am now a COVID police, daycare and elder care advisor, Zoom expert, and you name it!”

Managers with a “my way or the highway” style will do nothing but send your business traveling down a destructive road. Employees do not want bosses who only view them as worker bees producing honey for the bottom line. Educate leaders that they must demonstrate to staff  WIIFYAM – What Is In It For You AND Me. 

Help Staff Find Purpose, Success

 Studies show that more people desire purpose in their work. In my book, “The Okinawa in Me:  Finally Finding My IKIGAI (Reason for Being!),” I discuss that not only does purpose help staff find life, work and healthy aging success, it can also add seven good years to their lives. 

You will retain top talent and solve your labor shortage if staff feel they can find purpose, life, work, and healthy aging success by working for you!

Cape Cod resident Martha R. A. Fields is a consultant, educator, inspirational speaker and the author of eight books. She is president and CEO of an international management consulting firm, OKI ME, LLC which provides consulting, leadership development, executive coaching and educational programs to help organizations understand how to solve their labor shortages. Fields can be reached at 919-576-3649 or at martha@martharafields.com