To Work Better, Step Back from Work
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Kathleen McGinn Spring were prepared for the May
30, 2001 edition of U.S.
1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Government Bids? NJIT Can Help
The Department of Defense is looking for a whole lot
of good landscapers, psychologists, building contractors, and even
teddy bear manufacturers. As are other government agencies. Bobbie
Lerner, assistant director of the Procurement Assistance Center
at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, says that government at
all levels is looking to outsourcing as a cost-efficient way to obtain
the thousands of categories of goods and services it needs. “This
is a great time to be a small business,” Lerner says. The
procurement
center helps companies win government contracts.
Now in its 14th year, the Procurement Assistance Center helps
companies,
especially those owned by women or minorities, win government
contracts.
It operates under a cost-sharing cooperative agreement between the
Department of Defense and the New Jersey Institute of Technology,
under the auspices of NJIT’s Office of Economic Development. The
center’s
purpose is to provide marketing, contractual, and technical assistance
to small New Jersey companies that are interested in selling their
goods and services to the Department of Defense and other government
agencies.
NJIT holds a free seminar on “How to Do Business with the State
and Federal Government” on Thursday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the
Mary G. Roebling Building in Trenton. Call 973-596-3105.
The center has grown from a one-person program with a budget of less
than $200,000 to a state-wide organization operating with a staff
of four and a budget of $500,000. It maintains offices in Newark,
Trenton, Mt. Holly, and Atlantic City.
Assistance is provided to firms through the sponsorship of outreach
workshops and seminars, implementation of government market research
in the form of bid information opportunities, and one-on-one
counseling
on all aspects of government procurement. Clients are trained in
E-commerce
and educated on the bidding process that leads to government
contracts.
According to Lerner, the federal procurement process for small,
women-owned,
and minority-owned businesses was complicated by the enactment of
the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994. This act requires
the government to procure its goods and services electronically via
computer rather than through paper proposal submittals. This change
will be integrated within the next few years, and does away with over
200 federal acquisition laws as they apply to the purchase of goods.
The center is educating new bidders and veterans alike on the new
procedures.
Since 1986 the center has helped New Jersey businesses secure more
than $435 million in government contracts. In fiscal 1998 the amount
was $77.3 million. It dropped down to a still impressive $53.6 million
in 1999. Lerner is still working on computing the figure for 2000.
Lerner urges anyone with a small business to consider bidding on
government
contracts. The Department of Defense, and other government departments
too, buy for their bases, their projects, their employees, and for
the employees’ families. That’s where the teddy bears come in. Lerner
said one of the center’s clients sells the stuffed animals, and,
through
its help, won a contract to place them in PXs.
Lerner says her center’s clients include doctors, lawn maintenance
companies, attorneys, builders, testing laboratories, office supply
companies, computer instructors, psychologists, landscapers, and many,
many more types of professionals and businesses. The government buys
anything a business — or a family — would buy. Toilet paper
to liquor, some government agency needs it.
Sure, Lerner admits, some agencies buy in enormous quantities, and
place their orders with large corporations. The twist here, she says,
is that any company with government contracts is bound by regulations
requiring it to purchase a percentage of its goods and services from
small, minority-owned, or women-owned businesses. While many people
think of government contracts in terms of missiles, the truth, says
Lerner is that anyone who sells cookies or shampoo to any federal
agency is a government contractor.
In its upcoming seminar, the center will go over the following
information:
How purchases over $2,500 are advertised.How to find purchases under $100,000.How to apply for Central Contractor Registration (CCR).Certification training for federal and state agencies andlarge companies.An overview of the bidding process.A review of applicable regulations.Introduction to electronic commerce.Seminar participants will also be informed of the free servicesthe center provides, including information pertaining tosubcontractingopportunities, one-to-one technical assistance in completing bidpackagesand other paperwork, and help in resolving federal government contractproblemsOne caveat from Lerner: Before you bid, you have to be a realbusiness.”One woman came up to me in a seminar,” she recounts. “Shewanted to run a temp agency. She asked me what she should charge fora stenographer.” Laughing, Lerner says, “I didn’t know anyoneeven used stenographers anymore.” But if they do, she says, anyonerunning a temp agency that supplies them had better know how muchto charge for them.Businesses don’t have to have been in business for any particularlength of time to bid for government work, she says, adding that newbusinesses do sometimes win bids. Any company, established or not,should be aware, however, that “no one wins every bid.” Withpractice, businesses do get better at bidding and at estimating howmuch it will cost them to complete a job.The most important step for small businesses looking for new clients,is to get in there and bid. Says Lerner, “If you’re not in it,you can’t win it.”Top Of PageTo Work Better, Step Back from WorkAllowing a job to become all-consuming may backfire,stripping out time for the relationships and habits — even sleep— that make for creative, productive time at work. BryanHarpine,a Church & Dwight executive, addresses the need for balance when hespeaks on “Four Paradigm Shifts for Life in the Fast Lane”on Friday, June 1, at 7 a.m. at a meeting of the Christian BusinessMen’s Committee at the Princeton Hyatt. Cost: $20. Call 609-683-9300.Harpine, a graduate of Gordon College, holds an MBA from theWhittimoreSchool of Business at the University of New Hampshire. He balancesa busy career at Arm and Hammer, where he has launched a number ofproducts, including the Baking Soda Cleaning Shaker and Pet FreshCarpet Deodorizer, with time spent at home with his wife, Beverly,and his children, Stephen and Julianna. He rounds out his life withgolf, water skiing, and golf.Here are excerpts from some of Harpine’s prescriptions for keepingwork in its place:We need to work for a living rather than living for work.If our values are right we typically set the right priorities. Thisleads us to having the emotional and psychological energy to giveto our families after the working day is over. Also, to make roomin our schedules for enjoying the fruits of our labors is just asimportant as laboring itself. We need to pencil in special dates thatgive us joy in life. Planning ahead is key here rather than pushingit off until the big project is done. Well guess what? There is alwaysanother project right behind it.It’s amazing how quickly the treadmill of life kicks in if we don’twatch out. Those who study sleep deprivation say that in just thesecond consecutive day after lack of sleep we begin to loose ourcreativity.Make time for daily reflection. Wisdom is mistakes madebut not forgotten. Unfortunately, we are not perfect, although manyof us are what psychologists call perfectionists. No matter how goodwe are at our jobs, hobbies, music, and sports, we make mistakes.A daily time for reflection is key to growing in life. I know manyadvertising writers who typically get the big creative idea during”down time.”Have a vision for personal growth. John Maxwell, in hisbook, “Developing the Leaders Around You,” relayed that notone of the thousands of people attending his seminars ever respondedto his invitation to tell him about an individual growth plan. Manybelieve that doing a job well is the final goal in their development,but developing others to their potential is a higher level skill.Higher still is growing people to become leaders who can in turndevelopothers.Top Of PageCorporate AngelsB>Comcast employees have given disadvantaged jobseekers a boost by donating their lightly used career attire to theAmerican Red Cross, Tri-County Chapter’s Career Closet program. Thesedonations, 550 articles of clothing in all, allow Red Cross clientsto compete for jobs for which they would not considered withoutproper,and often expensive, business attire. The donated clothes weredry-cleanedat no charge by Introcaso Cleaners of Avenel and Jerry’sDry Cleaners of Brick. Another participating business was TheBee of Bay Head, which donated clothing.Merrill Lynch provided funding for a 10-day residentialMentoring Program for Women in Mathematics. The program was held atthe Institute for Advanced Studies for undergraduate students inmathematics,graduate students in mathematics — especially those who wish toexplore the area where mathematics and physics meet — andpostdoctoralresearchers in the field. The emphasis is on mathematics learningand research, mentoring, peer relations, and an introduction to careeropportunities.The topic of this year’s sessions was quantum field theory,supersymmetry,and enumerative geometry. Among the participants were Jaimika Patel,a student at St. Peter’s College; Lillian Pierce and Julia Salzman,juniors at Princeton University; and Cynthia Rudin, a graduate studentin applied and computational mathematics at Princeton University.Princeton University mathematicians Ingrid Daubechies and Sun-YungAlice Chang, Nancy Hingston of the College of New Jersey, and RobertMacPherson, professor in the Institute’s School of Mathematics, wereamong the academics serving on the organizing committee. The programis under the direction of Karen Uhlenbeck of the University of Texasat Austin, a former visiting scholar at the Institute.The Mercer County Bar Foundation, through its KITESprogram,has awarded a mini-grant to the Pace Charter School in Hamilton. Thegrant is to assist with funding of a conflict resolution/violenceprevention/anger management program for faculty, parents, andstudents.Kiddie Academy child care center franchises, includingthose in Princeton, Cranbury, Lawrenceville, Hillsborough, andNorth Brunswick, have selected the Valerie Fund as their charity ofchoice. The franchises, owned by Harsh and Sonia Chadha, will supportthe Valerie Fund on various levels, including gifts-in-kind.A non-profit organization organized in 1976, the Valerie Fund’smissionis to help provide financial support for the comprehensive medicalcare of children with cancer and blood disorders. It’s children’scenters, located at New Jersey and New York hospitals, comprise oneof the country’s largest networks of health care facilities forchildrenwith these disorders.Kiddie Academy will kick off its support of the Valerie Fund bysponsoringa gift-in-kind drive for its Camp Happy Times, a free one-week campingexperience for children ages 5 to 20 who have, or have had, cancer.Approximately 200 children attend the camp each summer at Tyler Hill,Pennsylvania.Wawa food market at University Place in Princeton hashonored Ariel Shiner, an Eden W.E.R.C.s participant, for 20 yearsof outstanding service.Eden W.E.R.C.s is a division of Princeton-based Eden Family ofServices,a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing lifespan servicesfor children and adults with autism. Scott Rieger, assistant directorof employment services, says area employers with Eden W.E.R.C.s’clientson their personnel rosters include Lewis Parker Accountantsof Lawrence, the Montgomery Middle School, a number of Wawastores, U.S. 1 Newspaper, Banana Republic, law officesof Herb Hinkle, Media Resources Group, Bohren’s UnitedVan Lines, Capital Lighting, Jewish Family Services,Riviera Finance, Garden Theater, Sovereign Bankin Skillman, The Windrows, Leigh Photo and Imaging, andAdvanced Vending Systems.Rieger says Eden W.E.R.C.s’ clients do best in a work atmosphere wheretheir tasks have significant structure. A job coach is assigned toevery two or three individuals, and will provide training to employersif they request it.Shiner, who began working for Wawa in March, 1981, is considered bymany a pioneer in opening the door for people with autism to gainemployment and make a living as contributing members of society.Rieger says people with autism “want to do what normal peopledo.” That includes, he says, “getting up in the morning,havingbreakfast, and going to work.”Merrill Lynch has contributed $15,000 to the MarieKatzenbachSchool for the Deaf, defraying the cost of its Summer EducationProgramby more than half. In addition, over 40 Merrill Lynch employees havevolunteered to learn American Sign Language and assist Katzenbachteachers during this program.The Summer Education Program is held during July and supports anaverageof 50 deaf students between the ages of 3 and 21 years of age. Theschool offers special outreach educational programs, as well as aDeafblind-Multihandicapped Unit for students 5 to 21 years old.Employees of Presbyterian Home & Services Inc. , anon-sectarianretirement housing provider in Princeton, helped patients of MercerCounty hospitals by donating 16 pints of blood to the American RedCross.The Merck Company Foundation has established a newprofessorshipof chemistry at Princeton University to honor Arthur A. Patchett ofPrinceton’s Class of 1951. Patchett is a research chemist and formervice president of medicinal chemistry at Merck.The Arthur Allan Patchett Professorship in Organic Chemistry willbe created with a $3 million gift in recognition of Patchett’sdistinguishedcareer at Merck, which spans more than four decades.During his career, Patchett conducted groundbreaking research thatled to the development of several major cardiovascular drugs,includingthe ACE inhibitors enalapril and lisinopril and the HMG-CoA reductaseinhibitors lovastatin and simvastatin. Although Patchett retired lastyear, he still plays an active role at Merck as a consultant.Top Of PageLeadership TrentonLeadership Trenton, a new program to develop a networkof emerging civic leaders, is being developed by graduates ofLeadershipNew Jersey. Leadership New Jersey is a statewide leadership programsponsored by The Partnership for New Jersey and by the John S. WatsonInstitute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State College.Leadership Trenton will benefit the city by enlarging andstrengtheningits network of well-informed, motivated civic leaders, who will, inturn, put their skills to work on behalf of Trenton and of itsresidents.With support from The Fund for New Jersey and the PrincetonArea Community Foundation, the Leadership Trenton Committee hasbegun the process of researching and designing a program that willfit Trenton’s needs. Enrolling 25 to 40 Fellows each year, the programcurriculum will offer opportunities to explore and analyze majorissuesconfronting the city. A year-long series of seminars, simulationsand case studies will allow each Fellow to analyze, adopt a positionon and persuade others to take action on these issues.The Leadership Program will be overseen by Nelida Valentin,director of the Center for Leadership Development in the WatsonInstitute,who brings 14 years of project management, training, staffdevelopment,and corporate communication experience to this position.The Partnership for New Jersey is an association of the chiefexecutivesof many of New Jersey’s leading corporations and selected non-profitinstitutions. It created Leadership New Jersey in 1986 to prepareemerging civic leaders to act effectively on issues of statewidesignificanceto join a growing network of leadership that would span the state.Graduates of the statewide program and The Partnership formed CollegeLeadership New Jersey, now in its 10th year, and began LeadershipNewark in 1977. Leadership Trenton will be the Partnership’s secondissues-based urban leadership development program.For more information, or to nominate a candidate for the firstLeadershipTrenton class, or to get involved in the initiative contact Valentinat 609-777-4351 or E-mail nvalentin@tesc.edu.Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
