Here are a few of the funnier ones we've seen recently:

• A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
• Air Pollution is a mist-demeaner.
• Editing is a rewording activity.
• Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
• Everyone is entitled to my opinion.

Control Your Own Fate

"Accept that no matter where you go to work, you are not an employee-you are a business with one employee, you. Nobody owes you a career. You own it, as sole proprietor. You must compete with millions of individuals every day of your career. You must enhance your value every day, hone your competitive advantage, learn, adapt, move jobs and industries-retrench so you can advance. Learn new skills, so you do not become one of those (downsizing) statistics in 2015. And remember: This process starts on Monday."

-Andy Grove, Intel CEO in a 1994
commencement address at the
University of California at Berkeley

Take Note

Too often, sending thank-you notes is a nicety that we know we should do but seldom accomplish. Allot 15 minutes at the end of every workday to send personalized notes to customers and business associates. People who don't expect them will be pleasantly surprised and will remember you. It's a superb opportunity to network that can give a big lift to your career. If at all possible, handwrite them.

-from The Working Communicator

No Wallowing Allowed

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; but get rid of them and forget then as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, and you should never encumber its potentialities and invitation with the dread of the past. You should not waste a moment today on the rottenness of yesterday."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

But What We Really Wanted Was…

We were recently instrumental in obtaining approvals to construct the very first freestanding endoscopy treatment center in New York State. During numerous meetings with the NYS Health Department, it was determined that the building should be constructed and licensed as a diagnostic and treatment (D&T) center. Once completed however, the owners requested that we convert the building to an ambulatory surgery center to allow for Medicare reimbursement of some procedures. We quickly conducted a thorough walk through inspection with the health department, and are happy to announce that within two weeks, all requirements (including revisions to heating, ventilating and air conditioning, electrical system and fire walls) were completed at cost. The multi-prime contracting approach allowed us to use only those trades required for the additional work and administer the changes with no mark-up on labor or materials. As always with our firm, the owner only paid for the additional benefit he received.

The second floor maternity addition and stairtower addition to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y. Look for details of this challenging project in a future issue.

I'll Have What They're Having!

Construction is finally underway for the Maternity Department at the Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y. This project was tabled several times during the last decade due to excessive cost projections-most recently with a $6 million price tag! However, when former client Thomas Brunelle (Executive V.P. and C.O.O.) was consulted, he knew whom to call. As you can see from the above photo, they'll soon have a new state-of-the-art Perinatal Department. The cost? $2.8 million! Talk about savings! We'll feature some of the details and unique challenges in a future issue. Hmmm…maybe we should have offered to share the savings!

A Hair-Brained Idea?

The New York Times recently reported that NASA has successfully field-tested an oil spill catcher that could have cleaned up the disastrous 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in about a week. A Huntsville, Ala., hairdresser named Phillip McCrory came up with the idea to put discarded hair into mesh pillows, and a NASA researcher determined that 1.4 million pounds of hair would have soaked up the Valdez's 11 million gallons in about a week. By contrast, Exxon Corp. spent $2 billion over several years and caught only about 12 percent of the oil.

You Could Be A Winner!

U.S. federal and state governments are holding more than $35 billion in citizens' money as a result of unclaimed will bequests, lawsuit payouts, refundable utility deposits, and money in forgotten bank accounts. To find out if you're the one out of every eight Americans who is owed a portion of that money, check the National Unclaimed Property Database at www.unclaimed-property.com or call 1-800-266-0610