Dear business and industry friends, welcome to our November issue of BIC Magazine — your business and industry connection. It’s hard to believe we launched the Business & Industry Communications (BIC) Alliance 35 years ago. Since we are walking down memory lane, most of you probably know that my passion and our mission here at BIC Alliance has been one and the same since 1983. We are dedicated to connecting individuals for mutual benefit through “Media That Matters” and by hosting networking events where personal introductions take place.
This past month has been chock-full of energy-related networking events, including the Louisiana Governor’s Safety & Health Conference; SMRP Annual Conference; National Safety Council Congress & Expo; and the API Tanks, Valves and Piping Conference & Expo, just to name a few. In addition to these important energy-related networking events in October, BIC Alliance held three of its own. Some of our marketing partners helped sponsor and/or co-host the inaugural Oktoberfest Fish Fry at Sylvan Beach Pavilion in La Porte, Texas, which hundreds of guests attended, and the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region’s Industrial Procurement Forum. BIC Alliance also partnered with the Houston Area Safety Council to hold Live2Lead, a John Maxwell leadership training experience, in Pasadena, Texas.
With Thanksgiving and Veterans Day this month, I want to especially thank our heroes and the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces. And as always, in our November issue, I would like to share a few “Earl’s Pearls” about the importance of being thankful and saluting our heroes. I want to begin by saying I believe we should live with an “attitude of gratitude” and celebrate Thanksgiving while saluting our heroes every day — not just one day or one month during the year.
Back in my November 2013 “From the Publisher” article, I suggested each of us jot down at least 10 reasons why we should show our thankfulness every day. I have updated that list and want to share it with you:
No. 1: Be thankful for being alive. Every day is an opportunity to thank God for being alive and for our blessings and to share those and a kind word with others — starting with our family and those we love and care about, including those we work with.
No. 2: Be thankful you live in a great country, and show it! It breaks my heart to see some individuals show disrespect toward our flag, veterans, public servants and first responders. Let us always remember “freedom isn’t free,” and many of our family members, loved ones and friends have sacrificed their lives and served our country to keep us free.
No. 3: Be thankful you have a job. Our unemployment is at an all-time low, yet some folks are still too lazy to work. To me, our greatest joys should come from earning a living, sharing the fruits of our labor with our God and lending a hand to others.
No. 4: Be grateful for the opportunity to show thankfulness and gratitude toward others. Let’s make every day Thanksgiving or Christmas for someone. For those of us who are blessed with the resources to help others, let’s do it with the same passion that helped us achieve success and happiness. Those who are challenged financially can show their generosity through an act of helpfulness and a kind word.
No. 5: Be thankful for the opportunity to share great stories with others. From our earliest memories, we cherish the stories we hear in places like Sunday school, the workplace and at the dinner table listening to our parents, grandparents, relatives or friends. I recently began putting together a list of the top 76 stories I want to share with my family and loved ones, and the top 35 stories I want to share for BIC Magazine’s 35th anniversary in April of next year.
No. 6: Be thankful for the opportunity to continuously learn and train others. Two of the greatest experiences in our lives are when we learn something and, even more exciting, when we use what we’ve learned to train someone else. BIC Media Solutions’ “Media That Matters” library provides excellent training insight. An item from this library also makes a perfect gift for the holidays.
No. 7: Be thankful for new technology. Now you can read BIC Magazine online at BICMagazine.com and follow us on social media!
No. 8: Be thankful for holidays, vacations and old traditions. Let’s try to make every day a day with special meaning by sharing our faith and blessings with others. A kind gesture or word can be as valuable as a gift.
No. 9: Be thankful for mentors and protégés — parents, pastors, trainers, coaches, coworkers and others who share knowledge and life lessons. Let’s honor them by, in turn, sharing that knowledge and those lessons with our youth and others.
No. 10: Lastly, let us be thankful for “The Power of Networking” and make it a way of life! I am thankful for many of you who have the passion, resources, connections and expertise to help fund and produce “Media That Matters” and help host networking and hero recognition events. Please read the BIC Media Solutions article on pg. 116 to learn more about our next TV series and “The Power of Networking.” Be sure to send us your nominations for the “super connectors” you know.
I hope this list encourages you to make one of your own and to count your blessings each day — not only in November, but every day of the year.
We share many great stories and life lessons on the pages of this issue, including insight and interviews with Christopher Bland, vice president of strategic projects for Braskem; Jerry MacCleary, chairman and CEO of Covestro; Kenneth Thompson, owner and CEO of Mustang Sampling; Kent Bartley, president of Maviro; and Gordon East, vice president of technology advancement for Terydon Inc.
We also feature articles on Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program, what the industry is learning after Hurricane Harvey, how safety impacts productivity, the complexities of managing large terminals and a wealth of other topics.
Please share this issue with your friends and colleagues by passing it along or refer someone to BICMagazine.com to read online. We welcome your comments and suggestions, and we would love to hear from you!
earlheard@bicalliance.com
Happy Thanksgiving from BIC Magazine, BIC Recruiting, IVS Banking and BIC Media Solutions.
Our Houston and Baton Rouge office's want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a little bit of what each of us are thankful for.
