We may forget birthdays and anniversaries; but I doubt anyone forgets that April 15th is the day of reckoning for personal income taxes in the United States. Given that today is April 15th, we should take a closer look at the origin. The implementation of the personal income tax was the direct result of Congress passing the sixteenth Amendment on February 3rd, 1913 with the deadline for filing being chosen as March 1st of the following year. The deadline was changed to March 15th in 1918, for unknown reasons. The last time the deadline was moved, it became April 15th in 1955. For the last 55-years April 15th has been the deadline for personal income taxes.
Posts Tagged ‘bremen indiana’
How did April 15th become tax day?
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Happy 71 Years BCI!
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010At 71 years of age, BCI still resides in Bremen, IN. Over the years BCI has gone through many changes as we all do. From no shirts and pitch-forking coke to the cupola to CNC grinders and painted assembled parts to our customers. All of these changes have come and gone with great team members through-out the years. BCI has always taken care of itself to prepare for the future to ensure a long life and just not a place of employment but a family style organization to help cast everyone and everything we touch into a valuable and responsible individual. It is crucial for everyone to be a team member and a active citizen within our communities. We do this under our core values followed up with the statement that we push down to everyone that “Status Quo Sucks”! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BCI!!!!!
Teamwork, why not?
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
The synergy that comes out of teamwork means the output from the team is greater than the individual parts. If we all agree with this concept, then why not always put the good of the team before our individual needs? Team players often put the team first; occasionally they can temporarily lose focus of the mission; however they come back for greater good of the team.
Non-team players can only focus on their little piece of the pie and, because they do not value being part of the team; often head in a direction either different or detrimental to the team. Remember, the team is guiding and directing the bus to their final destination. Their seats on the bus are strategic and give greater output to the goals and objectives of the organization.
Non-team players, you don’t have a seat on the bus; you are under the bus, hanging onto the carriage, and likely will fall off at the next speed bump. If you don’t like being under the bus, get with the program! Focus on the team mission and take your rightful seat on the bus to help the team achieve even greater output.
Carol Senour
Shelf Life
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Everything has a shelf life including people; an expiration beyond which their usefulness to the organization is null and void. A hiring decision was once made, because of their qualifications and cultural fit with the organization’s core values. Here is where we often miss the boat, the organization is evolving and we too must evolve or face extinction. Those stuck in status quo are often the first to expire, because they cannot accept change. We need to be refreshing, renewing and redefining ourselves; in step with the changes within the organization.
The easiest and most practical way to make sure your shelf life expires on your terms; read a variety of material daily, embrace change, challenge the way you do everything, learn something new from others in the organization every day, and keep up on technological changes in your field of expertise.
Empty Cubicles
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010We have all seen them, empty cubicles, the result of this severe recession. What does it say to those that remain and are forced to walk past them every day? Are they grateful to still be employed? Could they be fearful that they will be next on the chopping block? Is it a constant reminder of what was once? What I think it should tell employees, is that there company has made difficult decisions for the long-term health of the organization. Times change and great organizations are adaptive to change for survival and long-term growth. Change is good; embrace it before it leaves you behind.
Workplace Drama
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010Does your organization experience workplace drama? If simple tasks become a big ordeal, you have drama. If you have employees that feel like the world only centers around them, you have drama. If you have employees that feel the need to correct others in a very public way, you have drama.
Drama is a stressor and it reduces valuable resources that could be focused on other projects/issues to improve the organization.
Backroom Deals at an all time high
Friday, January 15th, 2010Just when I think this healthcare reform cannot get any crazier; there is yet another backroom deal that proves me wrong. Last night, Union and Federal Employees receive a deal to delay them having to pay any “Cadillac Tax” on their healthcare benefits until 2018; five years after the rest of us non-union employees start paying. Today this last major hurdle in Healthcare Reform just left a $60 million dollar hole in how we are going to pay for this plan and our elected officials are determining how to make up the difference. As this inches closer to becoming a reality, one can only hope this madness will stop.
Carol Senour
New Year’s Resolution vs. New Year’s Goal
Thursday, December 31st, 2009Today is New Year’s Eve and all the media seem to be talking about is New Year’s Resolutions. More specifically, they want to know how many of us are making them and what types of resolutions are being selected. One commentator thinks we should call them New Year’s Goals; so we will not feel like such a failure when we do not succeed. New Year’s Goal must not sound as important and final as New Year’s Resolution. Really, who cares what you call them; a commitment is a commitment. Those of us that decide to make them tonight chose attainable stretch goals that make us better in 2010. Don’t buy into this failure theory; your success is tied to you and your commitment to what you have selected.
Committed to Safety
Friday, December 18th, 2009Bremen Castings reaches new milestone today with 100% of all management personnel trained in CPR, First Aid and AED. That is 43 employees trained and prepared to respond in emergency situations. Those situations exist whether we are at work, home or out in the community. We are proud of our employees; the time it took to get trained (8-hours) and pass the exam. Bremen Castings is committed to safety, so this was a great milestone to reach.
Carol Senour
Play Nice in the Sand Box
Monday, December 14th, 2009Among difficult employees, those who will not let others play in their sand box are the worst. They have a perception that they know it all, they are ultimately accountable and no one has a right to question what they are doing or suggest another way of doing it. This mentality is detrimental to the team dynamics and overall health of the organization.
The more questions that are raised, the better your chances for significant improvements. In this new era of extreme competition, significant improves keep you in the game and advancing above the competition. Those from other disciplines do not have tunnel vision about how it has to be, so they offer better insight and creativity into the equation.
Play nice in the sand box; allow others into the sand box and your organization’s sand box will expand.
Carol Senour
Change – What an opportunity?
Monday, December 7th, 2009I do not understand why change is viewed as such a negative thing in most organizations. We all know that the frequency of change correlates with the frequency of improvements, so why would you not welcome change? How can you experience improvements, if you are unwilling to give change a try. Embrace change, it could be the best improvement your organization has experienced that will keep you ahead of the competition. Daily challenge the status quo, challenge the way you do things and look for opportunities to improve. Change is good; it is only our perception that change is bad that holds us back from greatness.
Carol Senour
Notre Dame Fires Charlie Weis
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Today was the end of Charlie Weis’s five year tenure at ND. With a 35-27 win loss record, and ending this year at 6-6, the stock holders at ND are less than pleased. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick announced the decision, saying in a news release: “We have great expectations for our football program, and we have not been able to meet those expectations.” Charlies is gone.
Those close to me all know that I am not a fan of Notre Dame (personal reasons) but I am a huge fan of sports and more importantly a huge fan of success and the fact that “Status Quo Sucks”. I have been listening to the fans, friends, co-workers, family and all others say: “Charlie needs to go!” Now that being said I respect ND as a business machine and a lot can be learned from ND as a business model. ND will need to belly up 15 – 20 mil to buy out CW’s contract than somewhere around another 5 mil for a new coach. Do you think the amount of money even comes into play? No amount of money will keep ND from making the correct decision. Summarizing the AD, they have expectations and it ain’t losing!
This brings me to another point. All sports teams are ran like a business: high school, NCAA and the pro’s. You can try to argue that they are not, but they are out there to win and be successful just like business. When there is a losing season or seasons the fans want the coach and/or coaches replaced. You never hear”Awwww, how can they fire him”, or “he has been with the team for years, how can they do that?” It’s always good riddance, bring on the next coach. Such the opposite in most work places. It’s kinda funny how one’s desire for a sports team to be successful vs the desire of the companies success. Just sayin.
Happy Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 26th, 2009Bremen Castings pours out well wishes and blessings to our BCI family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. As a tough economic year 2009 comes towards an end; we will be thankful today for all of you that helped us grow and remain strong during times like these. Families grow stronger weathering storms together and working together as a team. Today focus on all the things that you have to be thankful for; write them down and as the length of the list grows may you realize just how fortunate you are today and every day.
Carol Senour
Customer Service Rebound
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009The demise of customer service in America seemed to come about through a gradual decline over the last decade. Today, with the current economic climate, we are seeing significant improvements in our treatment as consumers. In the past, we were consuming in large amounts regardless of how we were treated as the customer. Contrast that with the current climate, where we have all reeled our consuming in favor of more saving and you see the decline in demand has dictated better customer service.
Consumers today are diverting their reduced dollars to those providing the best customer service. We have grown intolerant of poor customer service or have we always been intolerant? I would argue that we have always been intolerant and that we did not demand good customer service. We received exactly what we demanded, nothing more and nothing less. Today, we are demanding more and we are getting it or moving to where we receive better customer service. If consumers are smart enough to learn from the past, then we need to continue to demand good customer service even when we return to a new level of normalcy in the economy.
Communication – Why is it so hard?
Monday, November 16th, 2009Why do people make communication so hard, when it really is so easy? I am finding that most of the things that go wrong are a direct result of lack of communication. Even more frustrating is the amount of time to clean up what went wrong; when a little communication would have prevented the problem altogether. And sometimes when we do communicate, it is how we chose to communicate that adds to the problem. Technological advances over the years to help communication have been a blessing and a curse, in that we will send a quick email rather than pick up the telephone or pay a visit to someone. Here are the problems with emails; bombarded with an inordinate amount of emails daily we may not see the email in time to prevent the problem, often the email is directed at so many people that everyone assumes someone else is taking care of the issue and lastly emails cannot display the true intent or urgency of the issue. Don’t be afraid to pick up the telephone or pay a visit to communicate what needs to be done. Personally, I would be much happier to spend a couple of minutes upfront communicating; than the exhaustive cleanup efforts needed to fix the problem.
Carol Senour