June 30, 2010
I usually have so much on my mind I just don’t know where to start. I know business has been very busy and balance between work and family has had its challenges. The nice thing about it is that AMRCON has been growing at a steady pace that allows for additional qualified employees to make AMRCON even better. So I’m going to try and leave the business end of the blog at that. We’re very blessed and doing very well. A Thanks to all of our loyal clients.
After all of the excitement of the past few months the family had the chance to get away for a spell to the family house upstate. Funny, while we were there we found some familiar characters in the photo 
to the right. Does anyone recognize these notorious gangsters? OK, so maybe not all of us are notorious gangsters but the 2 little ones are for sure! We try and do it all up there, and it was funny that the last time we had done one of these pictures we only had Santino, so we had to get an updated photo. The extended weekend was mostly spent in the Lake George area, Water Slide World, the family house on the Hudson River and some stops here and in-between. I can honestly say I only opened up my laptop twice, and I think once was just to look something up locally. Can someone tell me if learning how to relax just comes with age? I’ll tell ya it’s been getting easier, but it’s so stressful for the years you try and figure out how to unstress! Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Regardless, I’d like to hear from anyone that can tell me if and when they noticed things just got less stressful: was it at a certain age, monetary goal success, moving, children, marriage, promotion? What was it, or maybe it hasn’t happened?
More trips to come. If any of you want to share your thoughts in the blog, please feel free. I’ve also started a mission on Twitter “DeeRudko” and you probably all know how to find me on Facebook “Dee Rudko”. A new fun little application is Foursquare. It’s an application that allows you to check into locations as you move through your day, it also links back to Twitter and Facebook. Check it out. I’ve been playing a bit of a game with a few of my friends to see who can score the most check in points. So far Cliff has us all beat, but I’m trying to catch up. Check it out and search for me. If you haven’t started in social media, you should. The business opportunities are endless. The personal aspects are fun. I found people I haven’t talk to since grade school. Funny thing is I started networking with them in business as well. Funny, some of us were fighting on the playground, now we’re passing business referrals. Who would have thought?
May 30, 2010
May really came and went. It seemed as though our move and build-out made time speed up for the most part. Looking forward to the beach months, although I will be less available this year with everything we have going on. However, I make it a priority to put work down for the weekend and we generally spend time at the pool club in Holmdel, NJ with the kids. They just love it. Really the spotlight of the month was my oldest son’s birthday. Santino turned 4 on the 29th, and those that were following our newsletter from the beginning will appreciate some of these photos, since I started the written letter just about 4 years ago. 
Picture to the left is my youngest Deeko, my niece Nicolette, and Santino the birthday boy. It was a great day at the bounce house. I had a few cigars and the day was a hit. I just can’t believe I have this 4 year old that reminds me so much of myself. I know I’m in for it since my mother’s wish will eventually come true. You know which one I’m talking about. It was that time when you were young and you did something to upset your mother beyond belief. She turned to you and said “you wait until you have kids, I hope their just like you”! Now does that ring a bell? I haven’t met anyone yet that’s told me the curse wore off just in time, so I figure I’m in for it. Comment below for advice or if you know just what I’m talking about.
We’ve gained quite a few followers since then and have come a long way. We truly owe all of our success to our clients. We now have loyal ODS Managed Services clients in their 5th year of service. A client retention better than 98% and referrals that come in telling me how their colleague spoke to them about AMRCON for an hour about our quality of support. We really do want each and every client to be 110% satisfied with our service, our quality and professionalism. I know this is my personal page, but this means alot to me, making it personal! My humble thank you to all that have joined us along the way.
May brought closure to some pretty stressful matters, with that always come new ones. Yes, you heard it, I too can have stress. Although I’ll never show it, lol. At some point in my life I realized the need for balance. Without it we suffer and so will everyone around us. When someone asks me what I think the key to my success is, I’ll tell them spiritual, emotional, and physical balance. Some people call it various things, but for me that’s what it boils down to. I found it all made sense when some of the most successful, fulfilled, and happy individuals I knew followed some form of this unwritten law. Years ago I adopted it and can never go back. I thought I’d toss this in because it’s really how I hold together through anything put in my way. That’s what was on my mind for May.
June is just going to be terrific. AMRCON has so much going on from our Partner program continuing to excel, our ODS Managed Services trademarking, the new office, some great case study work coming soon and so much more. Keep tuned in – Dee Rudko, CEO
April 30, 2010
April came and went quickly. April is a month I enjoy as it is my birthday, guess my age. Trip to Disney in Florida and the Siesta Keys. May weekend getaways, one at Andover NJ Armed Forces Day. Vote for me in NJBIZ.
April came and went pretty quickly. Spring came for a second then a chill and some rain. I get the sense that we should be seeing the last of that. Well I can’t lie April is a month that I enjoy since the 17th was my birthday. Can you guess which one? Comment to this post and take a guess. Take a peek at a quick shot over my in-laws. My favorite father-in-law Sonny has a birthday just a few days before mine, so we usually kill two birds with one stone. Although I don’t get the chance to blow out my own candles anymore, lol. Santino is already a pro but forgets to wait for the end of the singing Happy Birthday. Smart if you ask me, to make sure he gets it first.
Here is another favorite of mine from the month. Not sure where the time goes but my 2 boys are like little men already. Although I had so much going on from the finishing up the move, the build-out and many other client projects, I was still lucky enough to find some family time on a couple of the weekends. The end of the month came to a close with a few days in Florida with Micky and I had a brief date with the beach in Siesta Key. It all came and went too fast. I’m definitely looking forward to a few traveling weekends we have in May when I’ll be spending some time with Sunny and the boys in CT with the rest of my family and grandmother. It usually makes for a nice relaxing trip.
I’m also looking forward to the Andover NJ Armed Forces Day at 131 Airport Road on May 15th at 9:00 AM, where they have an awesome model airplane show that runs most of the day. There is said to be everything from smaller remote planes to actual model jet engines that will be flying. Check out their website for more details. AMRCON did a small sponsorship to help support the event. If you can make it let me know so we can say hello. I’ll be taking the family as well as any nieces and nephews that want to join us. It will be a great event for the kids. These planes are really amazing and will be controlled by the pros.
So I’ll be hidden away for a while after by the end of May and the next few months working on multiple projects. Stay tuned to our website to take a peek at what we have going on. We’re going to be blogging on a few of the projects, but we’re going to be releasing them slowly so our followers have a chance to read and follow them. Be sure to remember to post your guess at what birthday I celebrated, that should be fun. I’ll give you a hint, I was just nominated for NJBIZ Top 40 Business People Under the Age of 40! That should be exciting.
I had to quickly toss in this shot of Deeko opening his Easter basket. When did Easter become the new Christmas?
March 31, 2010
What a month! I’m feeling a bit wiped out from the move and I think my son Deeko has the right idea. It’s sounds good but not an option at this point. I have been working extended days in the hopes of taking advantage of some long weekends with the family this summer. Before I start fantasizing about the summer I’ll try and keep it in the now. March was a terrific month for AMRCON and the Rudko’s. As you know the move is well under way and going very well, you can read about that in the other posts. So I’ll keep it on the personal note side.
As we all gain momentum in our business year I sometimes find it difficult to break away and find some balance. My wife usually plans some weekend events with the kids but it’s sometimes still difficult to slow the mind down. So over the year I sought out some tools to help me find balance. I feel that I have the spiritual and emotional aspects under control, but after losing 30 pounds over the past year I felt I needed to get back into running. Some type of physical activity whether it be working out, running, or even walking was once a big part of my daily routine. In fact in high school I ran an average of 8-10 miles daily. I still hold a few records as well as under a 5 minute mile personal best. Thus I’ve been having issues with my knees. I guess you can’t have it all. I’m still pushing and running a few miles twice a week.
I started the process by going to the RoadRunner in Shrewsbury, NJ to get fitted for some sneakers and custom insoles, they were great. Being an engineer I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I was with the technology they had to properly fit my feet with the right running sneaker. I highly recommend them, check it out.
My balance seems to help me stop in the evening regardless of the amount of hours I put in, which right now is about 10-12 a day. I’m energized in the morning and rarely have slow 
afternoons. So I think there is something to be said about maintaining balance. The weekends are great when I’m with the kids and Sunny, it seems I can be there with more concentration. Not just physically being there and mentally elsewhere. These are my guys to the right as of March. Santino will be 4 in May and Deeko just turned 1 in December. Not sure where all the time goes. I wish everyone well in April, enjoy the nice weather finally. Again, everyone is welcome to come visit our new site anytime. Be sure to follow our grand opening event that we will be posting soon.
February 18, 2010
Although the year is off to a busy start at work, I wanted to take a second and give you some updates on a few family milestones. For one as you can see here to the left, our little Andrij or Deeko, has been walking since mid January. He seems to be a bit more reserved than Santino, but none-the-less a real character. It’s funny, they are already wrestling with each other and they only weigh about 4 pounds apart. I can’t believe how time flies. Teeth are coming next, then high school, then college, and finally a position at AMRCON. Wait, I’m probably a bit ahead of myself. It’s unfair that we just can’t slow down time, but then again I guess that’s the life’s lesson.
We have some very exciting news that will be announced on March 1st. It pertains to AMRCON and we don’t want to disclose too much, just enough to make sure you watch out for the announcement. In advance I think that some pretty good things can come to those who can find patience, balance and a little wisdom in life. It’s certainly the case with my family and business life. It’s sometimes easier said than done and don’t get me wrong I need to refocus daily and work at it all the time. You can ask my wife Sunny. Not quite sure how she puts up with my stressful times. I think that’s when she watches shows like “The Housewives of Orange County”, just to make sure other people are more crazy than our family, lol!
As many of you know the purpose of this section of the blog is to let you know a bit about Dee Rudko and who he is. I think it’s an important part of doing business, knowing who it is we’re really working with. We’re all people behind the calls and emails. I want to avoid AMRCON being a transactional or impersonal relationship. I do this by staying in touch with our clients, providing annual ODS reviews on-site, and providing updates to this blog. I hope you agree and would love to hear from you all in the comment area this month about what you think is the most important part of relationship building with your clients or customers.
So I have to end on another family note to include Santino. I wonder what I’ll do when we have more children? I guess this page of the blog will just get longer… This picture 
makes me think a bit about my youth and when the change took place where we were having fun then all of a sudden we became responsible for ourselves? No one ever said that was going to happen, not that I would listen… Santino and his mother spent some time putting this great snowman together. This last snow was a bit better to build a snowman. Seems like the plowing companies have been very busy this year. It was nice to have snow but I must say I hope spring comes soon!
January 26, 2010
First I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Now that the holidays are done, most of us are settling into our brand new year. Many of us are already starting tax preparation, start of year business plans, and at the same time trying to stay above water from the 1st quarter sluggishness.
I try and take in the start of the year with some small breaks with the family. We had a terrific 2010 launch at the office and we’ve got some work to do. However I refuse to get too
stressed out, so to avoid getting caught in the hasty mistakes from business micro management, the family and I take a few trips in January. I find it a good time to let everyone settle in at the office and breath without me overhead. Don’t think we just take a back seat though, read From the CEO to find out what’s going on at the office.
So I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful wife “Sunny” who plans our excursions with the kids. I basically show up to a packed truck on a Thursday or Friday afternoon, get in the drivers seat and get my GPS instructions telling me where we’re going. It’s the best thing ever. As we drive Sunny fills me in on our plans and a basic itinerary. I can’t tell you how relaxing the process is as long as the kids stay peaceful.
So January is a big month not only in business for AMRCON but for the Rudko’s personally. The year always starts off with the obvious celebration, but Sunny and I also celebrate our anniversary first week of the month. This year was our 4th anniversary. Another great year growing our wonderful family. We took a short few days in Atlantic City and left the kids home. This was a pretty big step since the baby just turned 1. We had a terrific and relaxing time at Ceasar’s. We won on some of my wife’s favorite slots and enjoyed probably the most incredible aged steak at Morton’s, that I’ve had in years. You have to go if you’re a steak kinda guy.
Our youngest addition known as “Baby Deeko” started to walk this month. I was a bit concerned at first because he seems to walk sideways almost like a crab on the sand. He straightened up after a week and has now mastered walking while drinking from his bottle. I think this is the point in time where everything is going to change. Both Santino and Deeko seem to be playing together more and more. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes not so good. I think the mom’s with multiple boys know what I’m talking about. Otherwise just imagine.
The month is coming to an end but not before a trip to Crystal Springs to help my sister-in-law Ann celebrate her 50th birthday. Happy Birthday Ann! It was nice that we got most of the family crunched into a house on the side of a mountain. The company and amenities made it all worth the while. So much that after the weekend was over we came back home for a day then back for the rest of the week. I’m writing this
blog from up here now, so don’t anyone feel sorry for me working. I feel truly blessed. Anyone looking for a get away with or without the kids, you really have to check out the short trip to Crystal Springs, or Mineral Springs in Vernon NJ. Full service Spa, skiing, outdoor/indoor pools, sauna, steam rooms, gym, restaurants and so much more. You can cruise through town or never leave the grounds. Any questions feel free to ask me. Hope everyone had a great January so far. I want to wish everyone a prosperous and Happy New Year! Talk to you next month.
December 22, 2009
To go along with the Schneider Electric Intelligent Security Symposium featured on the main page this month, I had the distinct honor of meeting former Governor of PA and director of Home Land Security, Tom Ridge. Tom was a guest speaker where he shared about the importance of working smarter through technology to protect and secure our country. The playing field has changed and we all need to take part in adapting. AMRCON is honored to be a part of the Schneider Electric group of partners to play a role in this modernization of municipalities, buildings and the rest of our surroundings through the deployment of smart technology. Look for future posts discussing the ongoing project AMRCON is taking on to further educate local municipalities.
Ok so back to the personal note. What on earth happened to the year 2009? I thought it was going to be around a little longer. As I get older it seems the years go by faster, it doesn’t seem fair. Did you know an average ant only lives 90 days? They must really feel cheated! Thank God the average life expectancy in the US is 78-80. According to my plans I still don’t know if it will be enough time. There are places in the world to stay away from that have life expectancies as low as 40, we need to pray for them! Canada, parts of Europe and Australia are all over 80 in case you’re planning to move. So why these thoughts?
In recent weeks I’ve been affected with various emotions that left me reminded how precious life is. As we get closer to the holidays, life continues to move faster and faster. It’s a fitting time of year to take a second and look around, enjoy the people we have around us. Try to slow life down for just a second and enjoy it. I have much to be thankful for. My wife and my little guys over to the right to name a few. They always seem to have the power to slow me down and get me to remember what it’s all really about. Too bad Deeko really wasn’t about sitting with Santa!
From myself and everyone at AMRCON, we want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! –Dee Rudko
November 4, 2009
In the fall of 1621, about a year after the Mayflower Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, they put together a feast and broke bread with their Native American neighbors. The menu featured fowl, venison and fish, along with wheat and corn products.
Sporadic national, regional and individual Thanksgivings followed, but the day did not become an annual, national holiday until 1863.
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day in which to express thanks for the many blessings enjoyed by Americans.
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members, and features a menu of turkey and a variety of vegetables and side dishes.
Well I figured I’d add those interesting facts I learned from my MSPU newsgroup. I’m sure none of us forget the long weekend or day off we get for the holiday, but even I need to remind 
myself of the purpose. Now needless to say I think the spirit of the holiday has grown, so I believe it means something different for everyone. For instance I am very thankful for the life and family I have today. I’ve also been provided many successes, for which I can only take a small acknowledgment for. Here are just a few things I’m very grateful for to the right. Here is Santino and Andrij actually sitting still, together in a model train in Lancaster PA last month. We visited the world’s largest indoor train set, which Santino has seen 2 years in a row now. If you have kids into Thomas The Tank Engine, I highly recommend it.
I’m actually one of those people who happens to enjoy spending some time with the rest of my family. Yes, I will also be one of those crazy people traveling on the wonderful US highways, however don’t feel sorry for me, we leave early and stay late. We purposely try and miss the traffic. Thanksgiving being the highest traveled holiday of the year. I hope everyone who plans to travel has a safe trip.
I know it’s November but I figured I would also share a little about October. We traveled to Hershey PA for the Halloween festivities. We’ve been doing that for a few years now and it seems like people are starting to catch on. It was busy but still very enjoyable. The picture here show the boys as Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story. I have to say they looked the part. Trick-or-treating in Hersey is a blast. They setup an area of the park designated just for it. The weather was perfect and the family had a nice long weekend.
I really can’t believe that we’re close to Thanksgiving and you know what’s right around the corner. That’s right 4th quarter financial closing. Just kidding, yes more holidays. It’s been an exciting year for the Rudko’s as well as AMRCON. I just want to close with another Thank you for Thanksgiving and that goes to you my clients, colleagues, friends and family.
October 5, 2009
So this shot to the left sets the stage for our KeyportFest venue. AMRCON was there in support even in the rain. It was nice that the day turned dry a few hours in. Santino was asked to take a picture with his new AMRCON shirt and this is what I got. None the less everyone had a great time. The food vendors were great and the music played strong. Keep us in mind next year. It’s a great little trip to be enjoyed by the entire family. Next year the waterfront will be completed as well. But, don’t wait for KeyportFest to come an see us. A beautiful walk along the waterfront, fishing, and our town cuisine is already waiting.
Well summer’s over and fall is here already. Where did the time go? My wife is already purchasing holiday gifts? What’s wrong with this picture. The retailers don’t give us much time before the next holiday push. I just don’t remember it being like that when I was growing up. Everything seemed to be timed just right. Right about now I would still be getting used to my school schedule, not worrying about what I wanted to be for Halloween! They have stores now that go up seasonally like an H&R Block, that sell wall-to-wall costumes. What happened to mom making something? Was I spoiled? I remember Mom really taking quite a bit of time to make sure everything was just right. Sometimes I would end up being what she had on her mind and not mine, but I look back and realize it wasn’t so bad being a 15th century Chinese merchant, those were the days. Thanksgiving wasn’t even a thought on my mind at this time in the 80′s. Now I have an itinerary that was written last month for November. I guess Microsoft Outlook just manages our time these days. Well, when this computer fad passes I’m going back to farming. Not that I’ve ever farmed, but I’m told my family did way back when!
For those of my Personal Note followers that just want to see pictures of the kids, I invite you to make sure you actually look at the rest of the blog. Just in case here you go. Santino’s 1st day of school was celebrated with his brother Andrij now 9 months old. Santino pretty much had a handle on his new classroom and teachers in the first 30 minutes. I believe he provided his first report on how to enhance the classroom’s technology before he left his first day. Andrij is also showing signs of a technical calling, he seems to find my laptop like a homing pigeon no matter where it is. He opens it, but that’s as far as he gets, thankfully. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.
I guess if there is one thing I’m reminded of this time of year is that the holidays come fast. I look forward to spendi
ng time with some family and running from others, just kidding. The cold will come quick but I don’t mind paying the price for the slower pace of the holidays. Not that my schedule really gets slower, but these events provide the much needed family down time I look forward to all year, as I am very grateful for my family and all of my good fortunes. This picture pretty much sums it up. I wish everyone a successful 4th quarter, and a strong close of 2009.
September 3, 2009
Doesn’t it seem like clock work that the days have turned nice and the evenings nice and cool. The next thing you know the buses are picking up kids for the first day of school. Then the next thing it’s Labor Day. I’m still waiting for my summer schedule! Before you know it the leaves are going to change and we’ll be planning for the holiday’s, unless you’re like my wife who has already started. It just seems so unfair, we should probably open an office in Florida. So speaking of speeding through time, how about this picture of my son Santino already driving at 3? He did pretty well. He was so excited that he couldn’t concentrate on keeping his foot on the gas. Luckily the nice guy who ran the carts helped him out, thanks!
Okay so in all fairness I know I owe a picture of little Andrij, who we all call Deeko. I figured I would provide some history now that we have so many new newsletter followers. And by the way thank you for all of your support. The little guy will be 9 months soon. I can’t believe it myself. I’ll bet most of you can remember when he was born as though it were yesterday. Well here he is already playing and very comfortable standing. My wife Sunny tells me he crawled up 8 steps the other day. The picture to the left is Deeko playing at the indoor playground just outside of Lake George, NY. My wife and family finally got the chance to get back up there to the family getaway spot.
So Santino pretty much runs the show when we’re away, so we had to hit some amusement parks and rides. The shot to the right is out on a train ride. 
Can you believe that, Santino wanted to go on a train ride. Surprising huh? Santino of course is the biggest Thomas the Tank Engine fan, in case you were unsure. Well that’s it for now. I want to personally thank everyone for checking out our new blog site platform. Be sure to subscribe above to get our monthly newsletter if you haven’t already. Also for those of you on FaceBook search for Dee Rudko and the AMRCON group.
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More trips to come. If any of you want to share your thoughts in the blog, please feel free. I’ve also started a mission on Twitter “DeeRudko” and you probably all know how to find me on Facebook “Dee Rudko”. A new fun little application is Foursquare. It’s an application that allows you to check into locations as you move through your day, it also links back to Twitter and Facebook. Check it out. I’ve been playing a bit of a game with a few of my friends to see who can score the most check in points. So far Cliff has us all beat, but I’m trying to catch up. Check it out and search for me. If you haven’t started in social media, you should. The business opportunities are endless. The personal aspects are fun. I found people I haven’t talk to since grade school. Funny thing is I started networking with them in business as well. Funny, some of us were fighting on the playground, now we’re passing business referrals. Who would have thought?
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