Ed Icionsub

When my company first considered expanding our business model into Canada, they asked me to prepare a detailed report on Canada, including demographics and current comparison rates on commercial properties across the country. I have to admit, I jumped at the chance to do that kind of analysis on our neighbor to the North. Even cooler was when they agreed to send me to Canada for 2 weeks, for a “feet on t he ground” inspection. After just two weeks in Canada, I knew that I wanted to find houses for rent in Edmonton and take a holiday there. I would love to spend an entire month in Canada and fully explore their country, from coast to coast.

If you are not familiar with the Edmonton and Calgary corridor, I can tell you that the region is considered Canada’s version of Silicon Valley. All the Canadian tech companies have either their headquarters in Edmonton or a presence there. The population is highly educated and the standard of living is very high.

There are many fun things to do in Alberta, Canada, from snow skiing to snowmobiling to summer camping, fishing and horseback riding and the world famous, 10 day long Calgary Stampede held every July.

The company wants to do something for the holidays beyond rewarding our own employees and customers. Although I really don’t want to start thinking about Christmas this early, if we order something like Promotional Products for Christmas gifts or goodie bags, this is the right time to start thinking about what we want to order and how many we will need.

My company is really big on putting their name on everything. They order custom printed pens and pencils for the stock room, and because we do a lot of trade shows, they order a lot of other items for giveaways. We search out the unusual things and like to give away items that generate a certain amount of buzz. Once other vendors or exhibitors see what we are giving away they realize that people are coming to our booth just to get our special giveaways. And it is always good to get in front of potential customers first.

We are thinking about sending some care packages oversees to our troops and including custom stuffed animals. Except this time, instead of printing our company name on the items, we want to print something patriotic. That way, when the soldiers get the stuffed animals and give them away to the little kids in Afghanistan and the other countries where they are stationed, the kids will have not only a toy but something with a message about how great America is, to help reinforce our message about why our troops are over there.

Looks like I have a reason to go to my favorite big city – Chicago. I was just flying through there two weeks ago and didn’t have enough time between flights to leave the airport. If I had my druthers, I’d find a good job in the Windy City and hire some Illinois Movers to haul all my stuff to a sweet little condo near Grant Park. And today I actually got a call from a recruiter who says my dream job is up there waiting for me! I leave on Thursday for an afternoon interview and I think I’ll stay over for the night and drive around looking at neighborhoods.

Anyone moving to the Chicago area can get online and find Illinois Moving Companies. I bet no one uses the Yellow Pages anymore. I know that I sure don’t. I just toss that big heavy book right into the dumpster when someone drops it off every year. I use the internet and personal referrals when looking for a company.

If you know anyone who is Moving To Illinois, I’d appreciate the nod to compare notes. I have a good friend who is a realtor and another friend who is in mortgage banking. So once I’ve gotten over those hurdles, I’ll be ready to pack and head north.

If you have ever spent much time in South Florida, you know how popular the marble, granite, and terrazzo floors are in the upscale homes and businesses throughout that region. When I talk about South Florida, I mean Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami, and the entire Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Even if all you know about South Florida is what you see on CSI-Miami, if you pay attention you will notice the floors are beautifully polished marble, granite and tile. Part of the reason for these types of floors is that it helps keep buildings cool in the high heat.

These types of floors need a craftsman to lay them down and then they a special type of maintenance that includes cleaning, sealing and polishing. It is best to leave that to professionals. You can find granite floor polishing plantation with a quick web search.

There is a father-son business in the South Florida area that I found searching for granite polishing plantation that I suggested to my former classmate’s parents, now living in Boca Raton.

If his parents lived in Miami instead of Boca, the same company serves all of Miami-Dade County and can be found searching for granite cleaning Miami and getting everything you need to know from their web site.

One of the really nice things about Facebook is that I have friended several people who are serving our country in the military and are deployed overseas.

The son of a real friend (as opposed to a Facebook friend) is in the Navy Seal training program. He is on a carrier in the Pacific and is able to post on Facebook almost every day. It is interesting to read his accounts of serving in the Navy and the discoveries of visiting other countries.

Another friend’s son is serving in Afghanistan. He has asked for several specific items to be put into care packages and sent to where he is stationed. Interestingly, something he requested was small, stuffed animals. The soldiers like to stuff their pockets full of Beanie Babies and other small toys and they when they go into villages they give them away to the kids in the village. I love that idea!