Recession Tests Small Business Owner

Business owners across the nation feel the tight grip of the recession these days. When the news is brimming with well-known companies like GM and CitiGroup faltering to the current economy one can only imagine the squeeze small businesses are feeling.

As co-founder and co-owner of Baths and Rooms by Denise, long-time Oklahoma City resident, Chuck Mankin, will be the first to tell you consumers are spending less.

"Yes, to a certain degree we are seeing a slight downturn in business from last year," Mankin says.

The company first started in 1997, focusing on transforming simple household bathrooms into personal retreats for its customers. Today, Baths and Rooms by Denise moves beyond the lavatory drawing board specializing also in design and recreation of kitchens, offices, and laundry rooms.

Mankin says during this downturn in the economy people haven't necessarily tightened their budgets, but are noticeably being more cautious with their spending.

People now will go for competitive pricing, seeking many bids from various companies ensuring the lowest price.

"A lot of times we would get jobs based on our reputation, not just price," Mankin says. "Now price is definitely a factor."

Baths and Rooms by Denise does their best to lower the total price tag for its consumers, cutting costs where available. It isn't just a game of saving money for the consumer, either. Mankin says they attempt to cut as much waste as possible for the business to yield higher profits as well.

Mankin has seen better customer relations from his suppliers due to the economy and the suppliers' increased drive to hold on to valued customers during the recession. It seems every business across the board realizes the importance of customer support during tougher times.

Uncertainty about the future from consumers will continue to affect business, Mankin says. In the short term he thinks people will hold on to their money out of fear to spend it.

"But as it drags on and possibly starts getting a bit better, I think people who own homes will stay in their homes and hopefully will remodel," Mankin says.

In this economic downturn and uncertain time hopefully Wall Street will decide to remodel, too.



Below, I sat down with Chuck and got his personal take on business in a troubled time.




Apologies for the low video quality. Video by Hunter Mankin, 4/14/09

For more information on Baths and Rooms by Denise please visit www.BathsandRoomsbyDenise.com

2Much2Lose Grant Funds Norman PD $80,000 to Stop Underage Drinking & DUI


The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office will up it's funding to the Norman Police Department to reduce the number of intoxicated drivers on Norman streets in 2009.

The increased enforcement is all part of the program and grant called 2Much 2Lose. The 2M2L program is a statewide initiative focused on reducing and preventing underage drinking through law enforcement efforts, community and social norms change, and youth leadership.

"This year the Norman PD will receive $80,000 to solely focus on the problem," Officer Dirck, Norman police officer says at a meeting with employees at Seven47 Restaurant and Bar.

Click Image to Visit 2Much2Lose.com

The program will instill many different tactics to fight underage drinking and intoxicated drivers.

DUI Checkpoints, which have become a standard on most busy weekend nights, will be funded by 2M2L. Other measures will include saturation patrols, educational tactics, and random ID checks at local Campus Corner bars, Officer Dirck said.

Many OU students are fully aware of DUI checkpoints and random ID checks, however saturation patrols are something the Department plans to make known with its recent budget increase. These patrols focus on certain neighborhood areas on any given nights. Police will be patrolling the random spots more heavily and will look for large numbers of parked cars on streets, indicating a possible house party.

The overall goal is to have a highly visible program that will discourage people who have been drinking from getting behind the wheel, and to target and address those who make the decision to drink underage.

"We certainly are not out to trick and get anyone with what we are doing," Officer Dirck said. "Underage drinking and driving under the influence are increasing problems and could result in dangerous consequences."

The program is designed to eliminate those who put themselves and potentially others at risk.

While many students feel the Norman PD are cracking down to hard they are simply protecting Norman residents with the best ways they know how.

Below is a Google Maps Image mapping the two main locations DUI checkpoints will be close to campus. Norman PD feels these two locations are heavy traffic spots for those leaving the bars and heading home. These won't be the only checkpoints, as other sites will be selected on any given night. The Checkpoint locations are conveyed by the maroon dots.Image from Google Maps, rendered by Hunter Mankin.

Saving Money at the Grocery Store

It's not just working adults that are feeling the squeeze of the economy. College students have always had to watch their budgets closely, and these days its only worse. So with the economy on the decline everyone is taking a step back and reexamining where their disposable incomes are going. One easy way to save some cash for college students is shopping for essentials with a more frugal attitude. Comparing gas prices, not eating fast food every day, and even checking online and different book stores for the cheapest prices on books are just some of the ways to expand the dollar. Grocery shopping is a huge budget maker but has never seemed to be college student's forte. LifeWhile.com wants to give tips to those fighting the supermarket battle. Below is part of their effort. It is the top 5 ways to save money while grocery shopping. The entire list is 15 different money saving advice points. Perfect for a college student, or anyone trying to limit their greenback use.

1. Don't shop for groceries when you are hungry. It's just common sense, right? And yet, it's the most important thing when it comes to saving money and staying under budget at the grocery store. Going to the grocery store hungry will make everything look good, and therefore a necessity, causing you to spend more money than you should. Have a snack before you go, and your budget will be happier.

2. Always make a list.Creating lists will not only help ensure that you don't find yourself back at the grocery store three days later because you forgot to get some eggs, but they will also lead you to exact points of the grocery store for the items that you need and help you to bypass the impulse items that you really don't need. Focus on the list and try not to diverge from it.Along the same lines, try to cut the number of visits you make to the grocery store. Instead of shopping twice a week, shop for two weeks' worth of groceries at a time.Why? One study says the average U.S. consumer spends more than $10 on impulse buys every trip to the supermarket. By cutting trips from twice a week to once every two weeks, you can save more than $500 a year on your bill and still get every item on your list.

3. Make a menu for the week.A menu for the week serves a similar purpose to a list. Pick meals for the week that all incorporate similar ingredients so that you don't have to buy a lot of different items.

4. Grocery shop backward.The cheapest items in the grocery store (produce) are the first items that you see. Start from the other end and work your way back. You'll be purchasing the most expensive items first and will know how much you have remaining for the fruits and vegetables.Also, make sure your veggies and fruit are dry before you put them on the scale. If they have just been sprayed with water, they will weigh more and cost more.

5. Look down.Here's tip you may not have heard of before: Look down while shopping at the grocery store. In many grocery stores, the best bargains are closer to the floor. The pricier items are often at eye level. Check out LifeWhile.com for the complete list. LifeWhile.com specializes in articles and advice for making the most of life.

The Hunt for Another Earth

NASA's new planet-hunting Kepler telescope launched into space late Friday, lighting up the night sky above Florida as it began an ambitious mission to seek out Earth-like planets around.

Kepler took off atop Delta 2 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:49 (CST). The $600 million spacecraft will gaze at a single region of our Milky Way galaxy for at least three years in a planetary census that, scientists say, could fundamentally alter humanity's view of its role in the universe.

"At the end of those three years, we'll be able to answer, 'Are there other worlds out there or are we alone?'" said William Borucki, Kepler's principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., before launch.

Named after the 17th century German scientist Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws of planetary motion, NASA's Kepler spacecraft will use those laws to seek out Earth-like worlds around distant stars.

The spacecraft will point its unblinking eye at a patch of sky near the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, where it will scan some 100,000 stars for the telltale dip in brightness that signals a planet crossing in front of its parent star as seen from Earth. The tiny "wink" in light that Kepler is designed to measure with 95 million-pixel camera is comparable to a person trying to watch a flea cross a car's headlight from miles away, NASA officials have said.

Since 1995, astronomers have discovered nearly 340 planets beyond our own Solar System, but the search has turned up mainly inhospitable worlds the size of Jupiter or larger that circle parent stars in orbits too extreme to sustain life as we know it.

Flight controllers plan to spend the next two months performing a series of tests to make sure Kepler is healthy and ready to work. If all goes well, the protective dust cover shielding Kepler's telescope eye will open about three weeks after liftoff.

Mission scientists hope to begin spotting larger Jupiter-like planets first, and then narrow the hunt down to Earth-like worlds as the mission wears on. While Kepler is designed to last about 3 1/2 years, it carries enough fuel to run for six years, they said.

But first, NASA has to get the spacecraft into its planet-hunting position.

"We have a lot of calibrations to do," Fanson said.

Below is a video animation of Kepler being launched and the sequences thereafter once out of Earth's atmosphere.

Paid to Go Away

As the economy continues its downward spiral, credit card companies are feeling the pinch and taking unheard of steps to combat the battle.

Some companies have been offering customers monetary gifts to alleviate their outstanding balances and close their accounts. With defaults on the rise, the credit card companies are taking a hit with delinquent accounts and those customers choosing only to pay the minimum balance.

American Express is offering a select number of account holders a $300 gift card if they pay off their remaining balance and cancel the card. Citibank is actually offering to match a portion of clients' payments over the minimum amount due per month.

Other companies are simply raising those minimum payments. Most credit card issuers are taking a step back during this time of economic turmoil. Scaling back on issuing cards, making more selective choices to those considered and lowering credit limits are just some of the strategies being used.

Some companies may be helping customers by helping themselves but others like Chase are issuing tougher penalties to make an impact on their customers. Chase, owned by JPMorgan is tacking on a ten dollar a month fee for two year outstanding balances.

American Express plans also to cut back expenses along with their offers to customers and plans to save $1.8 billion in 2009.

Eligible consumers for the American Express offer received a special code that, when redeemed online by Feb. 28, immediately cancels their account and sets the offer clock in motion. Fail to pay off the balance in full by April 30 and you'll be out on both the account and the gift card. (The remaining balance must be paid off under your regular card rate and minimum monthly payment.)

There was a time when credit card companies catered to a wide range of customers. This in hopes to reel in more clients to spend more money. Recently, this plan has backfired with unpaid debt balances and slashed consumer spending. The economy seems to be taking its toll on everything, even the all mighty plastic.

Below is a video of Credit Card minimums on the rise and how it can actually help you.

Class from Iraq

For the first time Thursday, Mike Boettcher saw the University of Oklahoma students he'd taught for a whole semester.

Boettcher co-taught his class, War and Media, from the war zone in Iraq and Afghanistan via online satellite uplink this past fall. His students could see him, but he only heard their voices or corresponded with them on e-mail.

The class was the first of its kind at OU and probably in the world. Boettcher taught the class every Thursday from the war zone, while the stateside teaching on Tuesdays was co-led by Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication Dean Joe Foote and Zach Messitte, vice provost for international programs at OU.

Boettcher, an OU alumnus, pitched the class to Foote before he left for the war zone. The class coincides with a project Boettcher recently launched to produce better coverage of the war.

Boettcher reported on wars for 28 years as a broadcast journalist for CNN and NBC. But he became frustrated with the way the U.S. media covered war, wanting to provide more faithful coverage.

Starting in July 2008, he and his 21-year-old son, Carlos, imbedded with the U.S. troops for 15 months -- the same amount of time as a soldier's deployment.

Their reports are available free of charge on their Web site, NoIgnoring.com.

Boettcher ran into some hitches, especially since it was a small nonprofit without a lot of resources.

"We hit some terrible technical problems," he said.

But when Boettcher returns to the war zone, he said the project will relaunch better than ever. One of the major news networks will be picking up No Ignoring's coverage, he said.

Boettcher returned to the states this week and will go back to Iraq in two weeks to pick up his son. Then they'll travel to Afghanistan to report there.

Boettcher said it's been hard returning to the U.S.

"It's been a huge adjustment, because I've been so focused on the war ... and I come home and everybody's talking about the economy," he said. That's understandable, he said, but there are still 140,000 troops in the war zone.

Boettcher said he is glad he taught the class, adding that he would like to teach journalism at OU in the future. The class last semester helped keep Boettcher centered, he said.

Every Thursday was a challenge to find a spot with a satellite uplink. He said he would sometimes be in a remote location and have to make several helicopter jumps to get to a good place for the class.

Boettcher adds that this was a great experience.  I personally believe this is truly what education is supposed to be like.  A geniune experience and real world experiences.  The whole University should be in gratitude for such a courageous teacher and his efforts toward enhancing education and the way lessons are taught.

Norman's Vista: Really?

Structural concerns have forced the tenants of the Vista building to relocate. The landmark building, located in downtown Norman was closed to the public Friday, Feb. 6.

The owners of the building released a report citing concerns of structural integrity. Those owners chose voluntarily to close the building to the public. Tenants of the building can be inside for the time being but have been asked to start the moving process.

It took months for an engineering company to deem the structure unsafe but the building’s noticeable cracks have been evident for some time now. The city inspector stopped short of saying the building was in danger of collapse, however, occupants’ and the public’s safety is an issue.

Impacting many students of OU is the shutting down of the Vista bar. The sixth floor business is a popular hot spot for those wanting to enjoy drinks and food. Primarily a sports bar, the Vista and other occupants will be forced out until necessary repairs are complete.

The Vista building which was built in 1972 is owned by Adair and Associates. Those owners would not immediately comment and an unidentified woman close to Jim Adair said he would not talk about the situation.

I have been in the Vista several times and never have a been overly impressed with this so called "landmark". This really raises a question for me, however. Some Oklahoma University buildings have been erect and safe since the early 1900s. How is a building in 1972 already falling apart. I am sure having a pretty crazy bar on the top floor hasn't help, but seriously the building is only 36 years old. Seems to me some shortcuts were probably made in the construction. Maybe someone should look into that construction company and see what other potential faults they have.