June 30, 2010

Personal Note for June 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?

February 18, 2010

Personal note for February 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

Personal note for January 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.

November 4, 2009

Personal note for November 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.