Sturgis, SD

Sturgis, SD
Annually, I ride to Sturgis the first week of August for one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world. It is always an incredible experience traveling by motorcycle and seeing old friends. I ride a 1999 Harley Davidson Softail (Night Train).

This year was the first year I didn’t catch any rain for the 426 mile trip. I meet up with people just like you and I, like John and Deb from MN who are farmers and Larrs who is a gravedigger (yep!) a real live gravedigger.

Sturgis, South Dakota is an amazing place for a small town of 50,000 in the Black Hills to host over 500,000 bikers in one week. There are several places of business that only open for one week during the rally. To name a few of my favorites: (and the name really says it all)

The Road Kill Café: This is a place you just have to stop by. The food is usually cold and is served on paper plates along with plastic silverware, but the name brings me back every time.

The Full Throttle Saloon: is one of the largest biker bars in the world where they let you ride your motorcycle inside the bar. This bar offers several live bands, naked bull riding and the best full on burnout competitions inside where I have watched people burn the back tires right off their bikes.

The Dungeon: is an underground bar where the patrons have /will remove their underwear right in front of you and hang it from the ceiling. There are also other things that occur down there, but I am trying to keep this clean.

Last, is the Broken Spoke: A really interesting biker bar as it has antique motorcycles throughout the bar, some dating back to the early 1900. I always like to stop by here to see the map they set up for everyone that visits from around the world. They encourage you to place a stickpin from where you have traveled. People come from all around the world (ie. Europe, Australia, Russia, China, etc.) Of course Colorado is the largest supporter of the Rally. So, the next time you are driving down the road and see a bike give them a little room, it could be me.

Chris Ex, Aug. 2009

I live in the Lodo area of Denver in a one-bedroom apartment by myself. However, most nights I’m anything but alone. Two of my closest college friends, Jimi and Cheese, (Craig’s name has been pretty much formally changed thanks to a few years in a fraternity) live below me one floor and 6 doors to the right. Upon moving into my new apartment I knew I should give a spare key to someone in case of lock out, emergency etc... Well, there were two likely candidates. Ever since that moment our other friends haven’t let any of us live down our Seinfeld living situation.
In Seinfeld, Jerry’s apartment and refrigerator have revolving doors. Jimi & Cheese have been grocery shopping a total two times since I moved in upstairs. Some days, I will come home thinking about a cold beer in the fridge only to be greeted by a beerless fridge and a text from Cheese “had a tough day, grabbed the beer”.
When I told them I was going to blog about us it was unanimous that Jimi is without a doubt our Kramar.(Hes on the left in the picture) Jimi has gone through a lot in the past year but his sense of humor and out look on life have kept all of us entertained. He is one of the most astute people I know from 9-5 (although he’ll tell you he works 7am-7pm) then all of a sudden work is over. “Jim” is put away and “Jimi” comes to life. He tells us though that “Jim” is always around cause you never know when you’re going to have “talk shop.”
Our Seinfeld story is coming to a close because, I am moving out next month to an apartment closer to downtown and only 5 blocks from the InLine offices. Although I would never tell them, I am going to miss their constant company, laughter and family feeling they’ve given me. Moving merely 3 blocks away I know not much will change. I have little doubt there won’t still those nightly 6pm phone calls “Hey Bails, what’s up, what’s for dinner?”

Off to start the weekend with a cold beer, hope there is one in there!

Kick Ball

I consider myself lucky because unlike Robbie, I don't have to wait once a year to enjoy my favorite activity. I spend every Wednesday night with a great group of friends, cold beers, feisty banter, and a big rubber ball.
This summer I have joined WAKA, the premier (and only) World Adult Kickball Association. This is my team’s first year playing kickball together. We are all seasoned athletes, who developed our skills in a long and arduous training process called “Elementary School”. However, it seems the 20-30 years since that training have left us a little rusty. Despite our full roster of 25 aggressive players, team “So is Your Face”
has yet to win a game, but we are all learning key tips for next year. For example: if you fill the outfield with girls- you cannot later be surprised when we all throw "like girls".

Now, don’t let our record fool you. We are serious competitors. Let me take you back to a time and place not too long ago (specifically two weeks ago at the City of Cuernavaca Park. It was raining and it was raining hard. Team "So is Your Face" refuses to forfeit. Clothed in our battle armor of sweatbands and random warm clothing from everyone’s trunks we take the field, beers in hand. Teammates are slipping, falling, and struggling to overcome the mud. After an epic battle, the last inning is upon us, score 1-0, we are up to kick and down by one. The first two balls are caught in the air. High fives are passed around the field. This is crunch time, we send in our big kickers...we load the bases.... this is it, everything is set, perfect for a big win. Our best kicker is up. The first ball goes out of bounds. The next ball bounces across the plate, the ref calls a strike. The pitcher is getting cocky; you can tell the next one will be a strike. Our best kicker kicks the final ball, it’s going, going...but is it gone? There is a scramble in the outfield by the other team. “RUN!” is all you hear from the sidelines. The person on 3rd runs for home, everything seems like it is going in slow motion. Team “So is Your Face” is perched on their first possible tie, or even victory, and the runner from 3rd… slips in the mud, is tagged out, and the game is over.


Yet another loss for “So is your Face”. Luckily we get to play again, next week.

That Time of Year...

My story consists of a tradition. A tradition that many people might consider laughable or pathetic, is an annual ritual that I crave. Magazines hit shelves in mid July as my emotions begin to tingle with excitement. Once August 1st passes, the countdown begins as if there were going to be a lunar eclipse in the near future. However, this is something different. Something magical. Yes, that's right, it's the world of Fantasy Football.

Every year my close college buddies from all over the country travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan for our annual fantasy football draft (5 years in the making). With notebooks, magazines, and excel spreadsheets in hand, we select what seems to be the "greatest fantasy football team" ever assembled. Hours and hours pass by as if you never want the draft to end. As some hold their heads high, others crumble into their magazines with disappointment.

As sad as this may sound on paper, this event is held with the highest regard by my friends and me. It's a time where laughs are contagious and where men can be boys. But more importantly, it's an excuse to get together once a year to remember the great times we spent in college. So for all of those fantasy football fans out there: have fun, laugh a ton, and choose your team wisely!

Using Print effectively for the Pizza Biz

Email and digital marketing are certainly valuable tools and much in the news these days, but I recently read an article on some pizza operators who are using print and direct mail very effectively.

According to the 2009 Pizza Industry Survey, 72% of pizza operators ranked direct mail coupons, box toppers and door hangers as important to very important in their marketing efforts.

One operator shared the success they had using a local, very local - 1.5 to 2 mile radius around each of their stores - strategy of distributing door hangers. Drivers delivering pizza take the oppportunity to door hang homes or apartments on either side of the address delivered to. Coded for each driver, they receive an incentive if their coupons are returned!

What's the value of a new customer? Another pizza purveyor mailed out 1,000 direct mail cards to a demographically targeted list all within a 3-mile radius of their stores. The offer was a good one - one free pizza. The marketing effort, including the cost of the mailing and the free product they provide amounts to approximately $1,000. They consistently see a return of 13 to 18% which means between 130 and 180 people visiting their stores to redeem their coupon. With this return rate, this marketing effort pays for itself every time, but what's the future benefit?

According to this pizza entrepreneur, if they retain just 45 of those folks as regular customers and they come in just one time per month, it would result in a $10,000 sales gain. Pretty good ROI.

Happy 50th Ilene!

In honor of Ilene's (impending) 50th birthday on Friday, I asked the InLine crew to help me come up with 50 reasons that Ilene is fabulous and what makes her a STAR! Not only does this list give our readers' insight to Ilene's personality, but probably also what a day in the life of a member of the ILM crew entails. Hope you enjoy!

1) She is the best office mom!
2) Ilene has been a true inspiration and mentor- she is how we all aspire to be with clients, co-workers, and everyone in her life!
3) Ilene is InLine’s very own ‘Queen’, reigns with a quiet brilliance.
4) No matter how busy she is, she always makes time to listen.
5) She says it like it is.
6) You always know where you stand with her.
7) She stays calm in a crisis.
8) She always figures out a way to make a bad situation better!
9) She helps out around the office in any way that she can.
10) She successfully juggles career and family.
11) She travels well- even calls in from the shower!
12) Ilene always makes you feel like you are the most important person she’s talked to all day!
13) She is humble and has a great sense of humor about herself!
14) I love the jokes and pranks she plays on all of us.
15) No matter how bad her day is going, she always finds something to laugh at, or make a joke about.
16) Her laughter can be heard from California Street!
17) I love her smile and her good mornings to everyone.
18) Ilene’s smile often lights up the room, in both Spanish & English.
19) She is fair in business and tries to see things from both sides of the desk.
20) She has three teenagers and all are still alive!
21) She has the sweet spirit of encouragement!
22) Because of how clean her car is.
23) Her frustrations with riding public transportation! (Ask her about her run-in with the RTD person checking passes on the light rail!)
24) She always has pretzels at her desk.
25) Her diet coke addiction.
26) Her hair after a stressful day.
27) How she ALWAYS loses her glasses (sometimes on top of her head!)
28) How she thinks it’s totally acceptable for her youngest daughter to spend afternoons alone at Starbucks.
29) She’s the only person who drives to work and manages to lose her keys between parking and the office.
30) How her desk is normally about as organized as a child’s finger painting.
31) She refers to her parents as Judy & Harvey, even to her children.
32) I love how she treats us all like family.
33) I love how Ilene talks to each client- She sounds like she is talking to her best friend and makes them feel like they are the only client!
34) I love her intercom system… she talks to Ann & Scott in the back offices like they are sitting next to her.
35) She prefers to holler down the hallway rather than use her intercom.
36) She is old enough to remember some cheesy TV commercials: ‘Love that Bobcat’ for instance for the Mercury Cougar.
37) The way she interjects Yiddish terms into every form of conversation!
38) She has saved the day more times than Nancy cares to admit!
39) She willingly shared an office with Steve Sander and outlasted him.
40) Nancy will forever be grateful that she went from InLine’s first Go To Freelancer to Lieutenant General and often takes on 5-Star General!
41) Her college stories and how they sound more like dreams than actual events.
42) Her candy jar that is always full!
43) Her obvious love for firemen and young men at Sports Column.
44) The misspelled flier for the firemen auction on her office door.
45) The fact that she puts up with us teasing about her being a cougar! (Her kids would probably be SO embarrassed if they knew.)
46) She is a very accommodating hotel room roommate and a great travel companion.
47) Her rule that she is only allowed to drive and NEVER allowed to provide directions/navigation.
48) How silly she gets after ONE gin and tonic!
49) Her undying love for her dog, Jake (she always says he’s the only one who listens to her!)
50) Last but certainly not least, she honestly makes 50 look like the new 40!

Inbound Marketing University

Next week Scott and I are participating in IMU (Inbound Marketing University)- we are hoping to learn even more about online marketing and advertising options. From June 15-19, we attend two hour long webinars a day, followed by a certification exam on June 22nd. Classes include:
* How to Blog Effectively for Business
* Social Media & Building Community
* Successful Business Uses for Facebook & LinkedIn
* Advanced SEO Tactics: Beyond Keyword Research

Hopefully we will be learning tons upon what we already know! Can't wait!
- AB