Writing is something I’ve grown passionate about post-formal education. I enjoy reading blogs, and now enjoy writing about topics where I hope my experiences, professional knowledge, and day-to-day life educate or entertain or, hopefully, both.
Slips, Trips, and Falls Season is Upon Us – Is Your Business Ready?
I Have to Admit Something I'm Not Proud of... If you're like me, you've found yourself scrolling through the news feed of your preferred social media outlet(s) when suddenly you stop to watch a "fail compilation" of people falling. If you ask my wife, she will tell...
Student Supervision: Best Practices in a Student Sign-Out Procedure
Setting The Scene Some of my most terrifying moments as a former school administrator were when we could not locate a student. Whether a student decided to sneak out of the school or not, until we had some sort of proof that them leaving without permission was...
Student Supervision: A School Safety Plan’s Most “Basic Need” – Part 1: Updating Emergency Contact Information
Student Supervision and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs You may be asking yourself, "How do these two things connect?" The answer is they don't really, but the parallel I want to draw is student supervision is the most basic, and therefore important, need for a well...
A Meridian Kessler Homeowner’s Worst Nightmare: What are Those Mounds of Dirt in the Neighborhood?
Sewer Line Failure A Homeowner’s Worst Nightmare If you live in an older neighborhood, the pictures above are likely one of your worst nightmares. I live near the intersection of 54th and College Avenue in Indianapolis, and rarely does a week go by where I...
The $20 Item Standing Between Your Restaurant and a Possible Total Loss
The Loss Believe it or not, freshly laundered garments or towels have been the source of multiple restaurant fires resulting in total losses. One example of this is Lunardi's Italian Restaurant in Davenport, Illinois. "The fire that destroyed Lundardi's Italian...
Are you unSURE about InSUREance?
Are you unSURE about InSUREance? - Event and Presentation Context Last week I was asked to present on the topic of "insurance for young adults" by the Butler University Student Government Association. I was given forty minutes for the presentation. As I began to...
The Four Words a Restaurateur Never Wants to Hear
Introduction In every type of business there are critical operational components. If one were to walk out on the street and ask a passer-by to name the most important items for a business to operate, my guess is things like: employees, money, and a product would be...
Top 3 Craft Brewery Safety Hazards and What Your Team Can Do To Mitigate Risk
Background This summer I had the opportunity to present at one of the Brewer's of Indiana Guild's regional meetings. I used my time to highlight the top 3 hazards for craft breweries, and ways breweries can mitigate or even alleviate these risks for their teams. Top 3...
Everyone Loves a Deal…Until It’s Not
A few weeks ago I probably felt the most fulfillment to date as an insurance adviser. This fulfillment came from helping a current insured navigate through a difficult and “grey” claim situation. That’s right, even though those insurance policies you never read are...
From a Small Town to the Big City
I believe that no matter where one is located, it becomes “home” only when one finds and integrates oneself into, and feels a part of, the community. Small Town Bremen, Indiana I’m very thankful to have grown up in a small town where there was, and still is, an...
“We Are Family”
Hopefully, the quotes around the title queued up the 1979 hit "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge in your mind. What a great song. If you watch the Youtube video, the dancing in it is pretty fantastic as well. Growing Up I won the lottery. This is how I feel now that...
Sports: Competition Feeds My Soul
Overview I love sports. I love playing, watching, and analyzing. My wife would tell you that, if she let me, I would watch every single football game played on a weekend. Before her, I did! It was probably obsessive. Favorites Sports My favorite sport is football....
Faith: A Sinner Saved by Grace
Being a Christian is a huge part of who I am, what I believe, and is the biggest influence of how I try to treat people every day. In a recent sermon, one of the pastor's of our church said something that does an great job of summarizing the type of faith I try to...
What’s the “Secret Sauce” to Successful Charter Schools in Indianapolis?
As a former charter school leader, I often contemplated this question on my commute home from work. In that role, my answers to the question would have, in retrospect, been too near-sighted, school-level answers like: excellent teaching, family involvement, and a...
Bored? Join a Board!
Yesterday was the culmination of close to six months of work for the founding board of Circle City Prep, an elementary school that will now open on the Far Eastside of Indianapolis in the fall of 2017. The Indiana Charter School Board (ICSB) voted unanimously in favor...
The Great Leadership Debate (…my wife and I have)
When my wife, Kathleen, and I were both principals, we often debated about leadership styles, and what the most effective leadership styles were for school leaders. By the end of the debate, we usually ended it with the same conclusion…and ultimately the agreement to...
Craft Brewers: Beware of a Hidden Tax and Fee(s) Possibly Lurking in Your Insurance Policy
All Risks Are Not the Same In the world of insuring against risk and business exposures, all risks and exposures are not made the same! A drastic example of this is the risk and exposure of a retail clothing store compared to a microbrewery with a connected taproom....
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