As commerce rolls into the fourth quarter, many companies have begun their ramp-up to year-end evaluations and strategy planning sessions for 2012. What about your company? The reality of our “new economy” has settled in allowing businesses the time to take a second look at team-building and employee motivation. Cutting edge employee research continues to strongly indicate that rewards and acknowledgment are still some of the best ways to develop a top notch work force. Guess what?

It was late at night when our car zipped out of the Target parking lot. With a quick turn to the right we headed toward the I-94 entrance ramp in Alexandria, MN. He asked, “Why are all those trucks parked at those motels?” “Because they are smart,” I replied, “and trucks on the road are a good sign of business.” “What do you mean?” was his immediate response.

It is coming. That autumn bonus for getting your family into their school days routine, that grateful for a long weekend off interruption while the weather is still nice annual rite of education in MN: MEA. Those dates should already be on your calendar in ink but if they are not, put down the weekend of October 20 -22, 2011.

From where we were coming we thought we had been gushing all summer about our new discovery, Alexandria, MN. This gushing was over the top certainly in light of our Scandinavian heritage and years of citizenship in the upper Midwest. That aside, on the scale of coupledom we felt we were clear communicators. We never saw it coming. We were just discussing a fall bike riding weekend with new friends. Then, it hit us like a crowd getting into line for an I-Pad BOGO. “Where is Alexandria?” the couple asked us, “is it by Duluth?” Thud.