A number of years ago I was in Cincinnati preparing to call on a client, representing the manufacturing company that was my employer at the time.  I had been phoning all morning, trying unsuccessfully to check some last-minute details with the person at the home office with the answers.  As he was either in a meeting or out of the office when I would call, I finally just asked that he return my call when he became available.

No sense wasting valuable time while I’m waiting for the call, I thought, so I shaved and prepared to jump in the shower.  Well, jump I did—but because the phone at my elbow, right there in the bathroom, suddenly rang with my call.  I answered it, received the information I’d been seeking, and as I hung up thought about the fact a phone in the bathroom had violated that last bastion of privacy!

I thought I’d experienced the ultimate that day, and little did I realize then what communication options were just around the corner in the near future.  How many times in a day do you say to yourself, “What did I do before cell phones?”  I say it often, such as when I’m at the grocery store to pick up five items, have four, and for the life of me can’t remember what that fifth one might be.  This isn’t unusual, because a grocery store is still a pretty confusing place for me.  However, now I can easily call my wife, learn what the missing item is, and collect that along with two others she’s thought of in the meantime.  Cell phones can make such tasks much less frustrating, and much more conveniently and efficiently accomplished.

Cell phones are definitely not the only communication means to have changed so drastically in that short time.  The Internet is a wonderful tool for communication purposes and as a source of information.  As Thomas Friedman has told us, the world is flat; nearly every corner is accessible to us without leaving home.  We’ve gone from learning about events through messages delivered in days by Pony Express to learning about what is happening everywhere on the globe in real time.  You’ll find when reading this edition of The Greater Lansing Business Monthly what you always hope to find:  it’s informative and educational, and helps to increase your awareness of the advancements here in mid-Michigan in the month’s featured business sector.  [An awkward sentence—you’ll want to think about it.]

In closing, I’ll briefly mention a bit about another important sector of my life as Small Business Advocate for the State of Michigan.  I’m working with the MEDC, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, helping to promote many of the outstanding programs they offer as help for small business. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Jim Epolito of MEDC [title for him?] realized that Michigan’s economic success is contingent on small business and its prosperity.  So, they created opportunities for people with small businesses to find help with the challenges of today’s economy.  Simply call 1-800-946-6829 and we’ll work together.

Have a prosperous month!

		Chris Holman Publisher