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Tuesday, February 6, 2007 After a weekend of Super Bowl fever there is not much left to do but dream about your chosen team winning it next year, unless you’re a Colt’s fan then you can spend the year with bragging rights. There is a lot to be learned from sports in running a business. The ethics are the same: work hard, assemble the right team and focus on your goals. That strategy might not win you the Super Bowl but it will help you achieve a lot of your goals. Culture Clashes At Wal_Mart In Perishables, the big news at Wal-Mart has been the departure of first Bob DiPiazza at Sam’s Club and, more recently, the departure of Bruce Peterson. Every departure of an individual has its own story behind it, as Dick Spezzano pointed out in the letter he sent us regarding DiPiazza’s departure. Yet no man is an island, and so each individual’s story also plays out within a broader context. And in the consumer media, the departure of Julie Roehm made big news: It isn’t often that the dismissal of a mid-level executive makes national news. But Julie Roehm is no ordinary executive. Before joining Wal-Mart, Roehm, 36, earned an edgy reputation as director of marketing communications at Chrysler Group (DCX ). There she famously agreed to sponsor an alternative half-time Super Bowl show. It was jokingly called the Lingerie Bowl and featured scantily clad models. After protests, Chrysler backed away. Given her colorful career, Roehm’s hiring by one of America’s most colorless companies always struck friends and industry insiders as odd. And few were surprised when Roehm and Wal-Mart parted ways. Click link to read complete story Tunnel Farming spreads across U.S. DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - They look like greenhouses - hut-like structures swathed in plastic that serve as cocoons for growing tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, carrots, strawberries and bushels of other fruits and vegetables. Called high tunnels, the buildings are popping up in Ohio fields and around the country as farmers try their hand at tunnel farming. The idea is to shield the crops from the elements and trap the heat of the sun, extending the growing season and increasing production. "The tunnels provide a microclimate around the crops that essentially fools them into thinking it is a different season than it really is," said Matt Kleinhenz, extension vegetable specialist for Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Click link to read complete story
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