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Bob Vanden Burgt
Yahara Software
Board President
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Welcome to November
! Instead of pontificating about wrapping up the year, or about how we are all doing on our planning and goals for 2016, I'd like to diverge down a slightly different path.
Let's talk about expecting the unexpected. Although a topic we should be considering frequently in our businesses, one that has recently exhibited itself on a more personal level during a recent business trip.
A few weeks ago, I was in Amsterdam for a five-day conference. Due to the attendance, I was forced to change hotels two days into the event. One of the things I have learned over the years is to divide any cash, credit cards, and credentials between the hotel safe and my wallet or backpack. On the Monday morning when it was time to move to the next hotel, I put my travel portfolio with a few credit cards, passport card, and some cash in my suitcase. My wallet, passport, and other cards went in the backpack while a few Euros and a debit card went in my pocket. This seemed to be a reasonable way to distribute valuables and identification since my backpack would be with me at the conference, while the luggage elsewhere.
After the day's conference, my colleagues and I took our rental van to the restaurant where we planned to meet clients for dinner. That is where I made a mistake and chose to leave my backpack and luggage in the van during dinner. If you didn't already suspect where this story might be heading, you probably know by now. Later that evening, when we arrived at the hotel and opened the back of the van, it was completely empty. All of my belongings were missing and my business partner lost his briefcase as well. Not only had the perpetrators absconded with both of our computers and iPads, they managed to get away with all of my luggage, identification, and a number of credit cards.
Immediately, my mind started to race through the list of missing items, the impact, and how this would change my travel plans. Even though I only had the clothes on my back, the first thoughts were of computers, credit cards, and ID. Little did I know that I was about to become the poster child for cloud back up. Fortunately, all of my critical business data was automatically backed up by Carbonite before I left the office. I also automatically sync my iPhone to my computer so any important photos were archived and safe as well. I can't stress the importance of an automatic, every day, back up for all devices carrying important business and personal information. Just think about how much you might rely on digital storage for documents, telephone numbers, photos, messages, music, and reminders. It is just as important to make sure that you can remotely destroy that sensitive data if your device falls into the wrong hands.
To make a long story short, the next morning I went to the local police station and received a 13-page memento from the Dutch police authority all scribed in the tongue of my ancestors. The people at the consulate the following morning were extremely supportive and within 48 hours I was able to recovery my identity, receive an emergency passport, and be admitted back into America by customs and passport control in Detroit!
Below, is a list of a few things I learned in the process that could potentially save you some time or anguish during future travels.
- Subscribe to some type of cloud backup service and make sure that all-important devices are synchronizing automatically.
- Establish a system to encrypt data on your electronic devices and consider how you might remotely wipe them clean in case of loss or theft.
- Keep credentials, credit cards, and cash separated at all times. Always keep some form of identification on your person.
- Make copies of credit cards, passports, drivers license, etc. front and back and establish a process to securely access then remotely. I store some in the cloud and some in a safe at home. My son Casey was able to text photos of my passport, which helped expedite the process when I was at the police station and meeting with the consular. You will also need to quickly cancel any stolen credit cards and notify banks.
- Keep a set of passport photos in your purse or wallet. This could save time and a taxi ride and you will need them to issue an emergency passport.
- If traveling abroad, understand the location & contact info for the nearest US embassy and consulate.
- Understand your insurance coverage, and the process for filing a claim, before you travel.
- Keep a list of emergency contacts on a piece of paper so when your phone is lost you can still call your spouse, kids, or friends.
- Maintain a list of items that you regularly carry when traveling. Having serial numbers for any electronic items will help significantly when filing police reports and insurance claims, expedite the process, and not require you to completely rely on your memory.
- Carry an additional toothbrush outside of your luggage. Believe it or not, some hotels still don't have them and the person sitting next to you in seat 8A will appreciate it!
By no means is the above list comprehensive, and in the scope of global problems, this was only an inconvenience. The above are just a few suggestions that in retrospect could have made my experience a little less painful and will hopefully help you in future planning for business and personal travel.
Have a great month!
Bob V
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November 4, 4-8pm
Open House & Ribbon Cutting (5:30)
KMA Bodilly CPAs & Consultants
1200 John Q Hammons Drive
FRIDAY, November 6, 7:30am
Get Moving Middleton (Register)
Hilton Garden Inn
November 9
BIG Annual Celebration Announcement!
November 9, 11:30am
Ambassador Committee
Globe University
November 10, 8am (7:45 Registration)
Ask the Expert: Forget Time Management - It's Self Management that Matters (Register)
Edgewood College - Deming Way
November 10, 12pm
Annual Celebration Committee
Chamber Office
November 12, 5:30pm
Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting
Community Pharmacy - 6333 University Avenue
November 17, 11:45am-1:00pm
Lunch & Learn: Asking Powerful Questions (Register)
Kromrey Middleton School Conference Room
November 18, 12pm
Economic Development Briefing (Register)
Wisconsin Bank & Trust
November 18, 5-7pm
Business Social Hour (Register)
Park Bank - 2275 Deming Way
November 26 & 27
Chamber Office Closed - Happy Thanksgiving
View the Full Calendar
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Cuppa SEO, LLC
30 W Mifflin Street
(608) 216-6760
www.cuppaseo.com
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Fuddruckers
1601 Aspen Commons
www.fuddruckers.com
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Granite City Food & Brewery
72 W Towne Mall
(608) 829-0700
www.gcfb.com
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Hustad Companies, Inc.
5531 Pahl Road
(608) 224-0990
www.hustadcompany.com
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KJWW Engineering
1800 Deming Way, Suite 200
(608) 223-9600
www.kjww.com
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Milestone Senior Living
1870 Market Street,
Cross Plains
(608) 413-0451
www.milestonesl.com/
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Providence Home Lending
2800 Royal Ave, Suite 213
(608) 227-2003
www.lenditwithbeckum.com
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Reilly, Penner & Benton, LLP
(608) 442-3838
6411 Mineral Point Road
www.rpb.biz
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Members on the Move
Announcements|Awards|Hires & Promotions
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
River Valley Bank Becomes Dementia Friendly, River Valley Bank Middleton recently received a certificate of recognition as a Dementia Friendly Business from the Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance.
Fairfield Inn & Suites Unveils Extreme Makeover, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott is unveiling its smart, inventive public space and guest room design and its bright and inviting decor in Middleton.
Cut-A-Thon Success, Be Inspired Salon wants to thank the community for your support of Kyle's Cut-A-Thon.
Goodwill CEO Retiring, Barbara Leslie, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of South Central Wisconsin is retiring at the end of this year, after nearly 45 years of service.
Creating Outdoor Learning Opportunities with SAGES, ZDA is excited to work with students and staff at the School for Agriculture and Environmental Studies in Fox Lake to design outdoor learning grounds.
Dealing with Grief During the Holidays, Home Health United offers grief support group sessions which focus on dealing with grief during the holiday season.
Coldwell Announces Statistics, Coldwell Banker Success has released the September Real Estate Statistics.
Wisconsinmade.com Donates to Breast Cancer Coalition & Recovery, Wisconsinmade.com donated 10 percent of their website sales in October to support the fight against breast cancer.
Madison No Fear Dentistry Builds Little Free Library, The Little Free Library has a rich history in the Madison community inspired by a tribute to honor a loved one while encouraging neighborhood engagement.
ALTUS Announces October Leases, ALTUS Commercial Real Estate is pleased to announce their October Leases.
The Alliance Adds Qualitypath Hospital and Doctors, Eleven doctors and five hospitals will be designated QualityPath providers as of January 1, 2016.
AWARDS
Settlers' Peterson Wins Award, Settlers Bank Board of Directors and Executive Management are pleased to announce that Carissa Peterson has been named Best Loan Originator in the Madison Chapter by the Wisconsin Mortgage Bankers Association.
HIRES & PROMOTIONS
River Valley Announces New Employees, River Valley Bank is pleased to welcome John Griffin and Jerry Warmus.
Celerity Announces Promotion, Celerity Staffing Solutions is excited to announce the promotion of Terry Healy-Lemke.
Wegner Welcomes Four Employees, Wegner CPAs is pleased to introduce the new, talented employees that have joined our firm this month.
Settlers Announces New Team Members, Setters Bank is excited to announce the addition of Jason Reese, Kathryn Isaacson and Joseph Hankes.
Career Momentum Announces New Chief Talent Manager, Cory Erickson, CEO and President, is pleased to announce the hire of Allison Cooley.
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11/2
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Share Your Holidays Kick-Off, Second Harvest Foodbank
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11/2 - 11/6
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Candy Buy-Back for US Troops, Madison No Fear Dentistry
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11/3
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MHS Ecology Club Organic Dinner, MHS
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More Info
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11/4
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Grand Opening, Ecco Salon Waunakee
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11/5
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Enterprise Mobility Webinar, Netech
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11/5
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Ladies Night Out, Bruce Company
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11/5
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Insurance for Your Business, Middleton Public Library
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11/5
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Sales Executive Networking & Coaching, Morgan Stanley
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11/7
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Candy Trade-In, Meriter West Washington Clinic
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More Info
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11/7
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No Stomach for Cancer Walk 2015
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More Info
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11/7
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Butterfly Gala, Agrace
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More Info
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11/8
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Melharmony Foundation Festival, WI Chamber Orchestra
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11/8
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Holiday Fair & Angel Tea, Holy Wisdom Monastery
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11/9
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Volunteer Orientation, Agrace
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11/11
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Green Building Tour, Holy Wisdom Monastery
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11/12
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Gearing Up for Year End, Wegner CPAs
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11/12
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Why Good Documents will Save the Day, Smith & Gesteland
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11/13
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Small Biz Symposium, UW Small Business Development Center
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More Info
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11/14
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Annual Holiday Open House, Simply Savvy
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More Info
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11/17
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Funding Your Future: Nonprofit Reserves, Kollath & Associates
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More Info
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11/18
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Harvest Dinner, Second Harvest Foodbank
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11/19
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Campaign Celebration, United Way of Dane County
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11/21
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Fairytale Pancake Barre Fundraiser, Central Midwest Ballet
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Agrace
AJ Sue Consulting LLC
Allstate Insurance Company - Kristi Thering
Asbury United
Methodist Church
assemblage architects
B. Goll & Dunn
Insurance Agency
Bergamot Massage Therapy and Bodywork
BEST WESTERN -
West Towne Suites
Cirrus Partners, LLC
Closets by Techline
CMS of Madison, Inc.
Compel Consulting Inc.
Encore Construction Inc.
Enterprise Systems Group
Goodwill Industries of South Central Wisconsin
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Gruno's Diamonds
Harbor Athletic Club
Huntington Learning Center
Kollath & Associates, CPA, LLC
Little Red Preschool
Loren Imhoff Homebuilder, Inc.
Madison Maximized Living
Madison Mobile DJ Service
MHS Cardinal Booster Club
Middleton Baby and Child Care
Middleton Baseball &
Softball Commission
Middleton Cross Plains Area School District
Middleton Cycle
Middleton Lacrosse Club
Neckerman Insurance Services
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Network Cabling Solutions, LLC
Never Forget
Legacies & Tributes
Restaino & Associates Relocation Division
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Sherwin Williams
Sofra Family Bistro
Spectrum Business
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
The UPS Store of Middleton
Top Promotions
UW Credit Union
UW Health Transformations
Valpak of Madison
West Corporation
Willy Street Co-op
Zounds Hearing of Madison
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Middleton Chamber Anniversaries
Celebrating 5 Years
Awen Therapy
Bergamot Massage Therapy and Bodywork
Lu Anders Boutique
Regus Management Group
Willy Street Co-op
Celebrating 10 Years
Loren Imhoff Homebuilder
MHS Cardinal Booster Club
Wayside Place
Celebrating 15 Years
First Weber - Jacci See Team
Celebrating 30 Years
Sue's Hallmark Shop
Thank You for Your Continued Membership!
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