Off Grid Solar, Inc. is in search of a number of key distribution partners. These partners would act as our exclusive supplier within your region. Domestically, areas of interest include the northeast and Ohio. We are also looking for partnerships in Africa, India and Eastern Europe.
It is our intention that our distributor base be well placed in the renewable energy industry or be a well respected supplier to the installer/developer community. Our offshore partners must have relationships in place within the large project developers and governmental agencies.
Off Grid Solar, Inc. is also making key staffing appointments. At the present time I am seeking a Key Account Manager. This person must be familiar with distributor support and indirect selling tactics. We are also seeking a person who is familiar who can serve as a Financial Analyst. This is key role that demands advanced skills in accounting, financial modeling and complex problem solving abilities.
I am looking for Solar Stars who are willing to relocate to South Florida and can excel in a hectic and fast paced environment.
Interested parties should contact me by email only. Please send all responses to tcernera@embarqmail.com Resumes will be accepted. Distributors, please download the application found on my profile.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
Freedom is simply stated.
What has happened in Washington over the past 11 months is disgraceful. I started to feel that we would be moving to a position in our country of a more liberal – albeit centrist position. I continued to have the feeling and the optimism that the greatest strength of the American system was that we understood the concepts of personal liberty and that we embraced the theory of self determination. I also was sure that the American system could endure hardships, misfortune and the temporary mistakes that we made along the road to continued freedom and prosperity. Recently my feelings have changed.
The recent high jacking of our legislative system is not unique, we have seen it before. The bickering and the posturing continue in spite of promises of conciliation and compromise. But I never imagined that the American system would be under the control of such a group of miss guided and inept leadership. To make matters worse, we are moving closer to the governance that we find so oppressive and yes, governance that we broke away from 233 years ago. This Congress is trying to force America into a system of their liking. A system that would reward themselves and their cronies. A system that would do incredible harm to the American economy, the people and ultimately the world. It is a corrupt system designed by power hungry individuals that perpetuates their appetite for even more power.
I am wary whenever I see a group of politician standing together on a podium telling me how wonderful my future will become. This week I watched in disgust as Mr. Reed, Dodd, Schumer told me that their version of the future is wonderful. I remember when this same bunch couldn’t take any of the heat that they created with the financial meltdown and the housing crisis. Did anyone notice that these guys were joined by the junior senator from MN Al Franken? What have these guys ever done in their lives’ that qualifies as meaningful? Franken couldn’t even make me laugh. A couple of weeks before Speaker Pelosi held a similar side show and her cohort included the likes of Charlie Rangel – a pillar of virtue in his own right. We should be thankful that we have this group that are experts on every subject, true visionaries, deep and thoughtful intellects that could be trusted with the future of our economy our country and our freedoms. If you ask me every one of them needs to be booted from their cushy offices – this includes their staffers. I sometime think that they are the force behind all of this mess. I most cases they are more diabolical and sinister because they are always in the shadows and never up front. They fester behind the scenes waiting for the opportunity to throw their weight around and be able to broker some deal for their masters. Every one of them must go home and stay home. Citizen Legislature – HA!
Statesmanship is dead in Washington. This bunch of hypocrites, phonies and thieves would think they should be elevated to the level of truly great Americans. Not in my book. Our founding fathers, the framers of our freedoms and citizens of our fledgling nation laid their lives on the line to defeat the ideals of tyranny, inequality and oppression from the government that they lived under. These people came together to forge a bond of concepts that have endured and have grown to be cherished by us. Today’s scene is very different. These guys are worried about getting home for the holidays, second guessing our military leaders in a time of war, saddling our country with massive dept and remember this- taking a portion of our freedom with them.
Statesmanship was exquisitely exhibited in 3 of our most important documents. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could tell us about freedom in 1 page. The Constitution is only 4 pages. Mr. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is 1 page. Why are the ideas of freedom so easily communicated, while deception, lies, corruption and the abrogation of our rights need thousands of pages that try to convince us that this group of pea-brains know what is best for us?
The recent high jacking of our legislative system is not unique, we have seen it before. The bickering and the posturing continue in spite of promises of conciliation and compromise. But I never imagined that the American system would be under the control of such a group of miss guided and inept leadership. To make matters worse, we are moving closer to the governance that we find so oppressive and yes, governance that we broke away from 233 years ago. This Congress is trying to force America into a system of their liking. A system that would reward themselves and their cronies. A system that would do incredible harm to the American economy, the people and ultimately the world. It is a corrupt system designed by power hungry individuals that perpetuates their appetite for even more power.
I am wary whenever I see a group of politician standing together on a podium telling me how wonderful my future will become. This week I watched in disgust as Mr. Reed, Dodd, Schumer told me that their version of the future is wonderful. I remember when this same bunch couldn’t take any of the heat that they created with the financial meltdown and the housing crisis. Did anyone notice that these guys were joined by the junior senator from MN Al Franken? What have these guys ever done in their lives’ that qualifies as meaningful? Franken couldn’t even make me laugh. A couple of weeks before Speaker Pelosi held a similar side show and her cohort included the likes of Charlie Rangel – a pillar of virtue in his own right. We should be thankful that we have this group that are experts on every subject, true visionaries, deep and thoughtful intellects that could be trusted with the future of our economy our country and our freedoms. If you ask me every one of them needs to be booted from their cushy offices – this includes their staffers. I sometime think that they are the force behind all of this mess. I most cases they are more diabolical and sinister because they are always in the shadows and never up front. They fester behind the scenes waiting for the opportunity to throw their weight around and be able to broker some deal for their masters. Every one of them must go home and stay home. Citizen Legislature – HA!
Statesmanship is dead in Washington. This bunch of hypocrites, phonies and thieves would think they should be elevated to the level of truly great Americans. Not in my book. Our founding fathers, the framers of our freedoms and citizens of our fledgling nation laid their lives on the line to defeat the ideals of tyranny, inequality and oppression from the government that they lived under. These people came together to forge a bond of concepts that have endured and have grown to be cherished by us. Today’s scene is very different. These guys are worried about getting home for the holidays, second guessing our military leaders in a time of war, saddling our country with massive dept and remember this- taking a portion of our freedom with them.
Statesmanship was exquisitely exhibited in 3 of our most important documents. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could tell us about freedom in 1 page. The Constitution is only 4 pages. Mr. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is 1 page. Why are the ideas of freedom so easily communicated, while deception, lies, corruption and the abrogation of our rights need thousands of pages that try to convince us that this group of pea-brains know what is best for us?
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Value Of Experience
I read an interesting internet exchange this morning that lamented the challenges that many senior level job seekers are facing today. For many of us who have spent decades in the business world, one of the resounding objections that we hear is: “you are overqualified for this position”. Sound familiar?
The common thread among the comments was why is experience being minimized or denigrated? In life and death situations wouldn’t we want a surgeon that has performed hundreds of the same procedure we are now being prepped for? Did you ever look into the cockpit of the aircraft you are boarding and wondered if the pilot had too many hours flying this plane? I’m sure the passengers that only got their feet wet in the Hudson River were glad that their flight crew knew their stuff.
The problem might lay with our modern society that has embraced instant gratification, 24 hour live news and the philosophy of faster is better. We forget that the definition of experience is the involvement in something or knowledge/skills acquired over time. Why do we allow ourselves to be seduced by radical “get rich quick schemes” whether it is in business, politics or our personal lives? Experience takes dedication, hard work, open mindedness and a willingness to concede that “I may not know everything, but I’m willing to learn”.
Many people believe, except for science, there are very few new ideas. We just repackage old ideas - and yes - experiences, and apply them to new problems. That is because most of us are not capable of re-inventing the wheel. The experienced person possesses a wealth of data, a portfolio of solutions and a dumpster full of failure to help guide and formulate the next winning action. If the experienced person learns from their mistakes, an inexperienced person has been deprived of this valuable learning tool.
An objection that I have also heard is that at a certain level “we like to promote from within”. Outside experience means little unless you understand our culture, procedures etc. So why bother having me come to the interview? Do these folks think that they have found the secret to success and never think that there is any valuable information that is not contained within their 4 walls or do they think they are the best they can be without any outside help? BIG EGOS either way.
Where is this all going? America decided that experience didn’t matter in our last election. What where some of the results? 9.4% unemployment, trillions of dollars in unnecessary debt that will take generation to erase, the nationalization of our banking and automobile manufacturing systems, hidden tax increases that will only need to be expanded, the loss of our leadership position on the international stage and a general move toward socialism. By the way, notice the price of gas lately? Experience tells most (experienced) people that these ideas did not work before and never will work. Remember what I said about most of us not being capable of re-inventing the wheel!
If corporate America follows the lead of the general electorate, we are in deep trouble. If a newly hired executive was approaching their first 6 month review with the aforementioned non-accomplishments would they be around much longer?
Hire the experienced person; I don’t care if it is for the home office, corner office or oval office. We (the experienced)have learned from our mistakes and we do not fail to remember history.
Bye for now.
The common thread among the comments was why is experience being minimized or denigrated? In life and death situations wouldn’t we want a surgeon that has performed hundreds of the same procedure we are now being prepped for? Did you ever look into the cockpit of the aircraft you are boarding and wondered if the pilot had too many hours flying this plane? I’m sure the passengers that only got their feet wet in the Hudson River were glad that their flight crew knew their stuff.
The problem might lay with our modern society that has embraced instant gratification, 24 hour live news and the philosophy of faster is better. We forget that the definition of experience is the involvement in something or knowledge/skills acquired over time. Why do we allow ourselves to be seduced by radical “get rich quick schemes” whether it is in business, politics or our personal lives? Experience takes dedication, hard work, open mindedness and a willingness to concede that “I may not know everything, but I’m willing to learn”.
Many people believe, except for science, there are very few new ideas. We just repackage old ideas - and yes - experiences, and apply them to new problems. That is because most of us are not capable of re-inventing the wheel. The experienced person possesses a wealth of data, a portfolio of solutions and a dumpster full of failure to help guide and formulate the next winning action. If the experienced person learns from their mistakes, an inexperienced person has been deprived of this valuable learning tool.
An objection that I have also heard is that at a certain level “we like to promote from within”. Outside experience means little unless you understand our culture, procedures etc. So why bother having me come to the interview? Do these folks think that they have found the secret to success and never think that there is any valuable information that is not contained within their 4 walls or do they think they are the best they can be without any outside help? BIG EGOS either way.
Where is this all going? America decided that experience didn’t matter in our last election. What where some of the results? 9.4% unemployment, trillions of dollars in unnecessary debt that will take generation to erase, the nationalization of our banking and automobile manufacturing systems, hidden tax increases that will only need to be expanded, the loss of our leadership position on the international stage and a general move toward socialism. By the way, notice the price of gas lately? Experience tells most (experienced) people that these ideas did not work before and never will work. Remember what I said about most of us not being capable of re-inventing the wheel!
If corporate America follows the lead of the general electorate, we are in deep trouble. If a newly hired executive was approaching their first 6 month review with the aforementioned non-accomplishments would they be around much longer?
Hire the experienced person; I don’t care if it is for the home office, corner office or oval office. We (the experienced)have learned from our mistakes and we do not fail to remember history.
Bye for now.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Are the days of Trade Shows Dead?
I recently returned home from a few days at a trade show for my industry, that being industrial die cutting and specialty print finishing. Oh yeah, really sexy! The point is that it was one of the most disappointing showings I have been to over my long career in the Printing Industry.
I have had the ability to attend many such events over the years and I’m sure all of you have had the same experience. We love to visit cities that we would not ordinarily visit. Stay in nice hotels and enjoy the perks of our expense account. Those of you who have never been exhibitors or been responsible for the organization and implementation of these events would never know what a pain in the neck they truly are. I’ve actually spent 30 straight days away from home exhibiting and attending 4 trade shows with one sales meeting thrown in. When you get right down to it, what’s the point?
It would have been my pleasure to talk to a prospect or an existing customer this last time out. In the days when these shows were actually attended by people, you never could have meaningful and detailed conversations because the clients where constantly distracted or being stalked by the competition. As an attendee, you want to get the most bang for your (airfare) buck that you have scheduled your time so tightly that AMTRACK would be jealous. Just one big rush. What a waste of everyone’s time and most importantly money.
So why do we do it? Corporate Identity, let’s keep our name out there. If folks don’t know you be now, you have a bigger problem. Making new connections, if you build it and they still don’t come what do you do next? Scope out the competition: sure thing. Look for new employees, is anyone hiring? Get new ideas, make deals or maybe buy equipment right off of the floor? No, I think we do it because we don’t know how to get out of doing it.
As a Sales & Marketing Manager, I’ve taken most of these expenses out of my budget. We have one other show remaining (our premier event) in September. My expectations are rather low.
What do you think?
Bye for now.
I have had the ability to attend many such events over the years and I’m sure all of you have had the same experience. We love to visit cities that we would not ordinarily visit. Stay in nice hotels and enjoy the perks of our expense account. Those of you who have never been exhibitors or been responsible for the organization and implementation of these events would never know what a pain in the neck they truly are. I’ve actually spent 30 straight days away from home exhibiting and attending 4 trade shows with one sales meeting thrown in. When you get right down to it, what’s the point?
It would have been my pleasure to talk to a prospect or an existing customer this last time out. In the days when these shows were actually attended by people, you never could have meaningful and detailed conversations because the clients where constantly distracted or being stalked by the competition. As an attendee, you want to get the most bang for your (airfare) buck that you have scheduled your time so tightly that AMTRACK would be jealous. Just one big rush. What a waste of everyone’s time and most importantly money.
So why do we do it? Corporate Identity, let’s keep our name out there. If folks don’t know you be now, you have a bigger problem. Making new connections, if you build it and they still don’t come what do you do next? Scope out the competition: sure thing. Look for new employees, is anyone hiring? Get new ideas, make deals or maybe buy equipment right off of the floor? No, I think we do it because we don’t know how to get out of doing it.
As a Sales & Marketing Manager, I’ve taken most of these expenses out of my budget. We have one other show remaining (our premier event) in September. My expectations are rather low.
What do you think?
Bye for now.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Let's get started.
This is my first shot at airing my opinions on the web. Bear with me until I get the hang of this.
There will be much more to come, some of it you will agree with and some of it you will not. My goal is to make you think a bit and maybe spark a little controversy.
Let's see where this goes.
Bye for now.
Tom
There will be much more to come, some of it you will agree with and some of it you will not. My goal is to make you think a bit and maybe spark a little controversy.
Let's see where this goes.
Bye for now.
Tom
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