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3 Ways to Become an Expert in your Field

by Ronia Pegeuro

There are many ways to expand your knowledge. Today, a college degree is equivalent to a high school diploma. It’s a minimum requirement for most jobs, but college isn’t the only way to learn new things. Let’s face it, many business professionals do not have many hours at their disposal to dedicate to sitting in a classroom. For this reason, many colleges and universities are creating hybrid learning environments where meetings are done once a week, or even once a month, sometimes for an hour and most of the content is online. This approach is also being used in high schools with the increase of virtual curriculum. Our world is moving and molding into this new direction we call the “Information Era”. Companies are simply facilitating the process for you. Right now information is free, it’s out there, and it’s accessible. We all have the power to learn. If you’re not learning something new every day, I’m not sure what you’re doing.

However, real life experience is priceless. Application of knowledge is everything. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals is powerful. Calling in experts for quick responses to complicated questions is valuable. There are numerous ways to stay informed and ahead of the competition.

There are many things I do to fill up my time with in between getting work done. Here are three things that will help you become an expert in your field. Keep in mind, it’s important to create a schedule for learning new things and have some sort of regiment. Find what times work best for you and go for it.

 

  1. Podcast: I love podcasts because they’re fun, educational and really convenient. I enjoy listening to podcasts in the shower, as I get ready for my day or in long car rides. If you’re short on time, a great podcast to listen to is the $100 MBA, it’s a 10-minute daily podcast that gets right to the point without a lot of extra noise. When I have more time I listen to the BiggerPockets podcast; I’ve been a member of the site for years, it’s all about real estate investing. Even if that’s not your cup of tea, they have expert guests and provide information which can be used across multiple industries.

 

  1. Books: There are some books that, in my opinion, should be read by everyone. Some of those include, the 4 Hour Workweek, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Lean Startup, Who Moved My Cheese, The One Thing, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The E-Myth, etc. I love to search for these books, get some interactive pdfs printed out to follow along to, find the audiobook via Audible or find a streaming audio on YouTube. If you prefer cassette tapes and CDs, you can go on eBay or Amazon to purchase them. When you come across some free time, get stuck or frustrated with what you’re working on, or going on a flight, pick up a book or play the audiobook.

 

  1. On the Job Training: Why not have the experts come to you? You can have workshops, seminars and trainings from the comfort of your office. Currently, 1.7 million dollars has been made available via The Governor’s Workforce Board to increase the skills, competitiveness and productivity of current RI employees. Companies can apply for up to 50% of training cost and no more than $45,000 per year in funding. Expert can be hired to increase your employee skill set with a 50% reimbursement as a bonus. There should be no excuses for not building up your company’s skill level. Now is the time to act. More information can be found at http://www.gwb.ri.gov/grants.html.

After exposure to the listed recommendations, the next step is to be a creator. To become an expert in any of these things, the key is expanding your knowledge & assessing your lifelong accomplishments in order to be the facilitator for an on-job-training workshop, write a book or record a podcast series. Your time is now. Get to it!

 

Ronia Peguero is a Providence, RI native who has also been a Web, Animation and Video Game Design Instructor at MIT & Merrimack College, an Information Technology & Video Game Design Instructor in Providence, Woonsocket and Newport high schools and an Information Technology Professor at New England Tech. She is now a Social Media Instructor for Roger Williams University, an Information Technology Consultant at Hasbro and Chief Executive Officer + Co-Founder of V+R Digital, a Branding, Advertising and Marketing agency, located at 179 Broadway, Providence, RI. She can be reached by e-mail at Ronia@vandrdigital.com.

Adding Philanthropy to the Menu

The Blount family has been in the food business for five generations, but it is always experimenting with new products and practices. From its beginning in the 1880s when Eddie B. Blount started an oyster-packing business in West Barrington, Blount Fine Foods has re-invented itself through the years – and through the generations – from a seafood processor to a premium, prepared-foods company.

Now it has also re-invented its approach to philanthropy – with a donor-advised fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.

“We’ve always been involved in the community,” states Blount President F. Nelson “Todd” Blount, explaining that the company long has made product donations to food banks, soup kitchens, and charity events, especially those with ties to the communities where its employees live.

Donor-advised funds at the Rhode Island Foundation enable individuals and companies like Blount’s to amplify the impact of their giving with the help of the guidance from sector experts at the Foundation on what areas of need are most critical and which organizations seem to be effective in using donated funds.

“Our giving has been at the corporate level. Through this fund, I want the employees to have a say in directing the money. The goal is that we, and that includes a team of employees, will work with the Rhode Island Foundation to determine where the money will go,” Todd Blount explains. The Blount fund is already having an impact. A donation to the Foundation’s Civic Leadership Fund helps promote initiatives like Make It Happen RI and Buy Local RI that focus on building a strong economy. Blount also joined with the Foundation to co-fund a culinary business incubator in Warren.

Hope & Main gives culinary start-ups the opportunity to grow in their first two to three years without the cost of equipping their own commercial facilities. It offers shared-use, fully-equipped code-compliant kitchens and storage at below-market rental rates.  Fees cover a number of overhead costs like utilities, cleaning, parking, trash collection and pest control. Start-ups avoid taking on the significant debt typically associated with the establishment of independent culinary startups and can focus on what really matters: building vibrant and sustainable food companies.

That’s a natural for Blount. The company produces refrigerated and frozen gourmet soups, sauces, side dishes, and entrees for food service and retail, including products under the Legal Sea Foods and Panera brands. Although it has expanded beyond seafood, Blount remains the largest producer of clam chowder in New England and the largest manufacturer of lobster bisque in the country.

“We needed to be value-added to survive,” Todd Blount says, adding that they put the Blount Seafood brand equity into the Blount Market in Warren and Blount Clam Shacks in Fall River, Warren, and Riverside, the latter two of which are seasonal. “The clam shacks and market are a neat way for us to hold onto our heritage, our legacy, and our name. That’s really important to us.”

The company has facilities both in Fall River and its original site in Warren. Todd Blount emphasizes the firm’s local roots. “We’re still Rhode Island focused. We want to touch all parts of the state with our food and philanthropy. It’s part of our tradition, and now we’re bringing that to the employee level. But we’re not experts in that area. That’s why we need the Foundation to help us to find the best organizations to support,” he says.

Fiduciary Duties of a Board Member for a Nonprofit Organization

by Gary R. Pannone

In most jurisdictions, including Rhode Island, the role of a board member for nonprofit organizations seriously impact policies for governance, financial matters and the strategic planning of their organization. The authority granted to the board member carries a corresponding duty of duty of care, loyalty and obedience when acting on the behalf of the organization.

What is the “Duty of Care?”

The duty of care means that the board member must act: (a) in good faith; (b) with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise; and (c) with a reasonable belief that the action to be taken is in the best interests of the organization.

Good Faith – Good faith requires honesty and fair dealing and is measured by reviewing objective facts and circumstances related to the decision.

Ordinary Prudence and Due Diligence – Ordinary prudence means that directors need to act with “common sense and informed judgment.” Ordinary prudence does not require a director to have special skills to perform board duties; however, “diligence” requires that a director take an active interest in the organization’s activities which necessarily involves a proactive approach in making decisions on behalf of the organization and exercising oversight. Voting in favor of all requests by officers or simply “rubber stamping” recommendations made by lower levels of management does not satisfy this requirement and may subject the board member to scrutiny.

Best Interests of the Organization – A board member must ask, “Is the decision to be made in the best interests of the organization?” It is permissible for a director of a nonprofit organization to rely upon the expertise of management and/or outside consultants; however, prudent care requires reasonable inquiry and it is the director’s fiduciary duty to be well informed when considering and accepting the opinions of others. As a general rule those who may be relied upon in providing expertise and recommendations include officers, employees whom the director reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in such matters, advice from legal counsel, accountants or outside consultants.

It should be noted that board members are afforded the benefit of volunteer protection statutes and the common law “business judgment rule” when making decisions. The business judgment rule provides a rebuttable presumption that the decision made by a board or its member constituents was in the best interest of that board member’s organization. The policy and rationale behind this rule is that boards function best when informed decisions are not continually disrupted by judicial scrutiny, except of course, in cases of egregious board misconduct.

 

Duty of Loyalty

The duty of loyalty requires that actions taken by a board member further the organization’s goals over personal interests. This duty prohibits a board member from using his or her position, or information gained from occupying such a position, to secure a personal pecuniary benefit. Statutory guidance is provided in all states dealing addressing the importance of fiduciary loyalty and identifying what constitutes a conflict of interest. Contracts made on behalf of a nonprofit corporation in which a voting board member has a financial interest may be considered void or voidable as it relates to the organization and it is also possible that the Internal Revenue Service may issue sanctions in certain transactions between nonprofit organizations and a “disqualified person.”

The Internal Revenue Code defines a disqualified person as one who is or was in a position to exercise substantial influence over the affairs of the organization at any time during the five years preceding the transaction. This of course, may include, among others, past or current officers, directors, trustees, highly compensated and/or high level employees, department or project managers, major donors and vendors.

Nonprofit organizations should always publish a conflict of interest policy outlining the following at a minimum:

(i)    Determinations regarding conflicts;

(ii)   Scope of the activities to be covered;

(iii)  How the policy will be enforced;

(iv)  Training programs for board members, management and staff; and

(v)   Policy review periods.

An effective conflict of interest policy will be tailored to the specific nature of the nonprofit organization and serves as a guide to be reviewed annually and enforced uniformly.

Duty of Obedience

The duty of obedience requires the board member to comply with both state and federal laws when acting as a board member. As a practical matter this calls for board member compliance with, among other things, tax, civil rights, and non-discrimination and employment laws. While this certainly does not mean that board members must have a law degree and be an active member of their state’s bar, it does suggest that board members should exercise good judgment (duty of care) and seek professional advice when reasonable necessary.

It may require that a board adopt policies and protocol to ensure legal compliance. The duty of obedience also requires that the board member actions always be in conformance with the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Conflict of Interest Policies. The board member’s actions and decisions must always be consistent with the mission statement of the organization and within its organizational authority.

Gary R. Pannone is the Managing Partner of Pannone Lopes Devereaux & West LLC and has been representing closely held business owners for thirty years.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man & Woman of the Year

 

The Rhode Island Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Socitey (LLS) wrapped up its 2015 Man and Woman of the Year competition on April 25, with a Grand Finale in Newport with Lindsay Bailer of West Warwick and Anthony DeLuise of North Scituate, coming out victorious in the 10-week fundraising competition. Both the Man and Woman of the Year, Anthony, Orthopedic Surgeon for Foundry Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, and Lindsay, Online Product Coordinator of Alex and Ani, together raised over $169,262.00 in its 10-week campaign.

Community leaders competed for the national title of Man & Woman of the Year, an honor surrounded with a great deal of fanfare, including a full page ad in USA Today, but the most important reason candidates participated was for families like this year’s Boy and Girl of the Year, KJ who is 12-years old and from North Providence, and Emma, who is 15 years old and from Barrington. KJ and Emma are local children who are survivors of blood cancers and who are sources of inspiration. Together, KJ and Emma raised close to $25,000 during the ten weeks. Every dollar raised counts as one “vote.” The male and female candidates with the most “votes” were awarded the title of 2015 Man & Woman of the Year.

The money raised by candidates over the ten week period is used by LLS to fund research seeking cures and better therapies, and to provide information and support so that patients have the best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience.

 

Boy & Girl of the Year

LLS

KJ Ricci, Age 12

North Providence, RI, ALL/Diagnosed December 13, 2011

KJ was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of blood cancer called Philadelphia Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Just ten years ago, the chance of a child surviving this type of leukemia was very slim.

Thankfully, an investigative treatment was available that would give him a good chance at beating his cancer. The protocol for this treatment was extraordinarily intense, resulting in over 220 nights spent in the hospital receiving or recovering from chemotherapy. KJ endured months of being away from his home, his friends and his school, with virtually no respite from feeling sick and exhausted. Thankfully, KJ’s medical team did everything in their power to keep him feeling as well as can be during treatment all the while working towards making him whole and healthy once again. His battle has been long but after almost three years, we are nearing the finish line and couldn’t be prouder of the young man he’s becoming.

KJ enjoys being around his friends and family, swimming, playing video games, building Legos, and reading comic books about super heroes. In fact, KJ has become a superhero in his own right, inspiring everyone he meets with his immense courage and strength, and always helping out the other children in clinic by using his friendly smile and compassion to help take their minds off of their battle. These acts of heroism are just the beginning, as his ultimate goal in life is to grow up and become a scientist so that he can one day help find a cure for cancer.

 

Emma Katzen, Age 15

Barrington, RI, ALL/Diagnosed February 2, 2012

In the beginning of February 2012, Emma was sent home from school with a high fever. The next day, she could barely walk or talk, and was extremely pale. Emma’s dad took her to the doctor and they immediately sent her to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. When Emma arrived, they rushed her to the trauma center in a wheelchair. She was going in and out of consciousness. As Emma and her family found out later, Emma was in septic shock. All of her organs were shutting down, especially her liver. The doctors were thinking that she might need a transplant. Her white blood cell count was at 100, when normal counts are between 5,000-15,000.

Emma was seen by many spets, including an oncologist. That is when she was diagnosed with “ALL” (Acute Lymphoblatic Leukemia). Emma spent 8-9 days in the intensive care unit in a medically induced coma. After that, Emma started treatment and stayed in the hospital for about six weeks.

Unfortunately, Emma has had many side effects from all of the treatments, including anaphylactic shock, seizures, ostio necrosis, and a rare genetic disease called CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth-Disease).CMT was a very bad side effect, as it caused her to not be able to walk, or even hold an object in her hand.

Things have improved so much for Emma and she has overcome so many obstacles! Emma wants to be a pediatric oncology nurse so that she can help patients understand the disease that she had to battle. Emma still has many operations ahead of her to repair her hips and knees, but in the end, Emma says, “I Have Beat Cancer!”

 

Man & Woman of the Year

LLS

 

Lindsey Bailer

Online Product Coordinator at Alex and Ani

Woman of the Year, Lindsey Bailer, had an amazing ten week campaign.  Lindsey, who is a Hodgkins Disease Survivor just celebrated five years of being cancer free!  She and her campaign team utilized their fundraising pages to inform her friends and family of her story and campaign.  Lindsey worked very closely with her team and put together an “AMAZING” event called “Champagne and Shells” which brought in more than $10,000 towards her campaign total.

lls2

Anthony DeLuise

Orthopedic Surgeon at Foundry Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Man of the Year, Anthony DeLuise, also had an amazing ten week campaign. Anthony and his teammates each juggled working their full-time jobs and busy lives with working tirelessly on the fundraising campaign.  Their range of events included: a Cut-a-thon, a St Patrick’s Day party, a 5 mile road race at beautiful Lincoln Woods, a Comedy Night, a letter writing campaign, and a Dancing with the Doctors show which raised a little over $50,000!  The variety of events was helpful in getting a different range of people involved.

The Rhode Island Chapter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is very honored to call Lindsey Bailer and Anthony DeLuise our Man and Woman of the Year.

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