Have you given any thought yet this year as to who your top performing employees are? Are they people who go above and beyond what is asked of them? Do they work well in teams and help everyone strive to do their best? Then they are definitely deserving of any of these service awards, which can be engraved with your corporate logo.
Today is also a day celebrating members of the military who have gone above and beyond the call of duty: it is National Medal of Honor Day.
Did you know…
It is the oldest and highest military decoration
Awarded by the President, on behalf of Congress
There are Army, Navy & Air Force versions
Over 40% of the MOHs were given for service in the Civil War
Earlier names: Fidelity Medallion & Badge of Military Merit
Anthony Maglica, the heart and soul of Maglite flashlights
Anthony Maglica is probably the best example of an American success story. He was born in NYC during the great depression (1930). His mother was Croatian, and decided to take him to her home country of Croatia and raise him there. At the time, no one would have expected him to become the most successful businessman in the USA. In 1950, he got married, became a father, and moved his family to the United States, and out of the Communist control of Croatia. Neither Anthony or his wife could speak English, making it rough to survive here.
The rest of this “rags to riches” story continues with his opening in 1955 of a small machine shop in Los Angeles, named “Mag Instrument”. He made machine parts for the military and started to make a few dollars.
Fast forward to 1979, which is the first year that Anthony made the amazing flashlight, called the “Mag-lite”. It was a big hit with the policemen, because it was aluminum, rugged, and dependable. That basic design hasn’t changed much to this day. But he developed other Maglite Flashlights in the next several years, in the 1980’s.
Early 1980’s- The first Maglite® Rechargeable Flashlight System (TM)
1984- Mini Maglite® using AA batteries
1987- Mini Maglite® using AAA batteries
1988- Solitaire using only one AAA battery
The rocky part of the history involves lawsuits. A major one was filed by his former live-in girlfriend, Claire, of over 20 years, in 1994. The jury awarded her $84 million, which was a big chunk of the value of the company. That was a rough time for both of them.
Other lawsuits have been filed, and won, over the years, by Maglite Flashlights over copyright infringement. Maglite® does have a full-time legal department on site, to take care of these matters.
After this rocky history, Maglite® has become a standard for all flashlights. It has been called “the Cadillac of flashlights” by the Wall Street Journal in 1996. Indeed it is.
How much thought do you put into where your food comes from? Most people just stroll into the grocery store and happily buy a variety of fresh produce all year long without thinking, “How am able to buy raspberries in the middle of the winter?”
This week is National Ag Week, sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America. It became a recognized week in America in 1973.
How can you support America’s agriculture community this week?
In just one short month, on April 22nd, the world will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Back in 1970, the first #EarthDay pioneered the environmental movement, which led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Here are some great ways to celebrate #EarthDay:
Schedule your company to do a local cleanup
Think about your foodprint- investigate how your diet affects the climate
Plant trees- Conserve & restore our forests. The worldwide goal is to plant 7.8b trees this year! That’s one for every person in the world.
Use the natural energy around us- use Solar Lanterns. Print your company logo on them and hand them out to your customers and employees.
Replace incandescent bulbs with LED
Here are the top 3 best Solar Lanterns to use on #EarthDay and beyond:
MPowerd Luci Original Solar LanternMPowerd Luci Lux Solar LanternMPowerd Luci Emrg Solar Lantern
Maglite Flashlights Are Great For Emergencies- #BeReady
So here we are… working from home, doing schoolwork from home, and patiently waiting for this coronavirus pandemic to subside. By now most people have created their stockpile lists, and are trying their best to fulfill them. But have you added one important thing to your list? Maglite flashlights are always a necessary item to add to any emergency stockpile list. You never know when you’ll need extra light- whether the power goes out, or if you need to find something in the night.
Here are the best long-lasting LED Maglite flashlights to add to your stockpile list this week (don’t forget to add batteries to you list too!):
Maglite XL50- needs 3 AAA batteriesMaglite K3A LED- only 1 AAA battery needed2D LED Maglite- needs 2 D batteries
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today, in America at least, it tends to be a holiday revolved around drinking and celebrating the “luck of the Irish.” But do you really know the background behind this holiday?
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to Ireland
The holiday began in early 17th century
Legend says St. Patrick used the 3-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans
How can you celebrate today?
Since many cities are canceling parades and festivals due to coronavirus concerns, wearing green is the next best thing you can do to celebrate.
Adding green promotional Maglites to you and your customers’ wardrobes today will surely help you stand out.
Dark Green K3A Maglite SolitaireDark Green M2A Mini Maglite
Let’s jump right into a subject that is close to everyone: Designing a kitchen. The architect scale ruler is a very useful device to plan your new kitchen. It helps you to draw your room and appliances to scale, and to read the measurements later. It will tell you if there is enough room to place a refrigerator in a certain part of your space.
Designing Your Kitchen with an Architect Scale Ruler
Now let’s get to the nitty gritty. Which scale should you use on the ruler? Your ruler may have some or all of these scales:
(1/8, ¼), (½, 1), (3/8, 3/4), (3, 1½)
If you use the “1” scale, that would mean that 1 inch on the scale equals one foot in real life. Let’s not use that one, because your 15 foot long kitchen would need a piece of paper at least 15 inches long. Let’s use the 1/4 scale, which means 1/4 inch on the scale (on the paper) represents one foot in real life. This means that your 8 inch wide paper will represent 32 feet. Your kitchen will fit on that paper now.
From here on, you just measure your room and appliances, and draw them on your paper, to scale.
A quick designer tip: Draw your appliances to scale on colored paper, cut them out, and move them around on your drawing for the best arrangement. Also, do the same with any other cabinets or tables that you already have, and want to use them in your design.
Just two short months ago we were ringing in the new year, celebrating a fresh start in 2020. Little did we know that soon a novel virus would consume the world. In recent weeks we’ve all been advised to practice “social distancing” by keeping contact with others to a minimum. Odds are that you and your employees are working from home for the unforeseeable future.
You can make it easy for them to organize their work and be productive at home with these technology gifts:
USB Flash Drive StickRoxBox Cyclone Bluetooth Speaker
Even if you’re not a mathematician, I think it’s safe to say that most people know the symbol .
But do you remember what it actually represents? Here’s a quick math lesson: It’s the ratio of a circle’s circumference (the distance around the circle) to its diameter (edge to edge, measuring through the center). Today is March 14th (3.14), but most math nerds like to celebrate it as #PiDay!
Did you also know..
is constant for any circle, any size
Continues to infinity
In 1706 William Shaw, a Welsh mathematician, introduced the symbol.
In 2010 a Japanese engineer and an American computer scientist broke the record for most digits calculated past the decimal: 5 trillion!
If you need to calculate the diameter of a tree trunk, pipe, or anything cylindrical, you will need a diameter tape measure. Just use it to measure the circumference, and it will calculate the diameter for you!
Lufkin Diameter Tape MeasureLufkin OD Tape Measure
Thermos items and travel tumblers for #PackYourLunchDay
Let’s take a survey…
How many days a week do you get takeout for lunch?
vs.
How often do you pack your lunch?
Getting takeout is definitely the easier option- no meal prep or planning required, no dishes to do later, and more choices. But it is more expensive, and can definitely tempt you to eat foods that you should probably avoid.
Today is #PackYourLunchDay, a day where you can take the first step towards packing your lunch on a more regular basis, and becoming more mindful about what you eat. Once you start prepping your own meals, it is so easy to eat healthier.
Some easy things to pack beyond the boring ol’ sandwich:
Hardboiled eggs
Endless types of salads- pack them full of protein!
Rice/grain bowls- add protein and veggies
Soups & stews
Here are the necessary Thermos items to help pack your yummy lunch:
For Your Food- keeps it hot for up to 9 hrs or cold up to 14 hrs & comes with a built-in spoon!
Thermos 16oz Stainless King Food Jar
For Your Water-
Thunder Sports Water Bottle
For your post-lunch caffeine break- stays hot for 9 hours-
.
