Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement as furlough days begin this week for most civilian employees, including Rock Island Arsenal employees, within the Department of Defense.  These employees will be furloughed for 11 days through September due to budget cuts that were created by sequestration and other budgetary factors. Loebsack has been opposed to these drastic cuts since they were created by the Budget Control Act, which he voted against.  He has repeatedly called on Congressional leaders to work to find a balanced, commonsense way to replace sequestration and responsibly deal with the fiscal situation facing the nation.

"The furlough days that begin this week are the result of Washington dysfunction hitting the men and women working at the Rock Island Arsenal. It is unconscionable that the workers who stand up for our country and support our troops day after day are being forced to take a pay cut because Congress and the Administration can't work together to replace the arbitrary cuts. Forcing middle class families and the Quad Cities economy to pay for Washington's dysfunction is reprehensible.

"Sequestration is an irresponsible and illogical way to deal with our nation's fiscal challenges.  It is inexcusable that Congress has so far refused to come back to the table and replace sequestration in a commonsense, balanced fashion.  We have to address our economic needs while more substantially reducing the deficit over the long-term.  I remain committed to working with anyone to address this issue and will continue to fight for the hardworking men and women at Rock Island Arsenal and the people who sequestration has affected most."

When a successful formula is discovered in the business world, it's copied and becomes part of standard operating procedure throughout entire industries.

The newest SOP trend among leading businesses? - Focusing on employee and family well-being, says Gary Kunath, who was honored nationally as Businessman of the Year and recognized with a dinner hosted by the President of the United States.

"Many think that professional well-being drives personal well-being, but it's the exact opposite," says Kunath, a speaker at top business schools and businesses including Lockheed and Marriott, and author of "Life...Don't Miss It. I Almost Did: How I Learned To Live Life to Its Fullest," (www.lifedontmissitbook.com).

"The top companies know focusing on employee well-being is critical and serves as the conduit to increasing innovation, emotional loyalty, natural productivity and overall profitability, but they have exhausted the traditional vehicles inside their companies to do this, so they are focusing on impacting their employees lives 'outside' of the company."

Employee well-being is very smart business and everyone wins, he says; it's the key to elevating associate engagement. According to the Aspen Institute, more than 70 percent of employees today would sacrifice promotions and pay increases for family well-being. Yet only 40 percent of employees feel their employers demonstrate that they care about them, says the American Psychology Association.

Several major corporations have approached Kunath and asked him to build a program that shows their people how to master life balance and maximize the joy and contentment in their lives, he says.

"The results have been tremendous," he says. "People love that they are cared for just as much when leaving the building as they are when arriving."

Kunath's newest three hour seminar for businesses centers on employee life balance and well-being; here he offers five things business owners and employees should consider in achieving life balance:

• Bring humanity back to the workplace: There are simple truths about what motivates employees today and what they want and need from their employers. Employee well-being drives profits and is good for business, he points out. Employers need to allow employees to completely disconnect from work in their off hours - for instance, not expecting them to respond to emails or conference calls after hours. He also points out the "Life Balance Dilemmas" people face, including his own; a former workaholic lifestyle nearly ruined his family relationships before he learned how to develop balance.

• The "Life ... Don't Miss It" approach: According to a Harvard study, we all have the capability to maximize our happiness regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. A large part of how happy you are is determined through intentional activity. There are things you can do to maximize happiness in your life even in the worst of adversities. Giving people a way to elevate their family well-being is critical to top performance on the job.

• Applying Life-Balance secrets: Kunath targets 10 points for Mastering Life Balance. Some of those points are: Money doesn't make you rich; Express gratitude to others; the power of perspective; relationship refinement (thinning the herd); and Good goes around. "All of these points go to the overall perspective of total life balance and focusing on the areas, and the people, that really matter," he says.

• Power of Perspective: Why is it that people who have faced death often live the most?  Why must we wait for adversity to teach us to get the most out of life?  The answer is that you don't. Kunath emphasizes various perspectives on how you can live life to the fullest every day and what the keys are to maximizing employee and family well-being.

• The three greatest gifts you can give your family: For all the importance and effort involved in mastering a worklife to fund a family's well-being, the three greatest gifts you have to offer are actually free! They are time, memories and traditions. Time is our greatest resource, and it's also our most scarce, which makes memories all the more important. They give you a place to go for all of your life. Traditions live on after you're gone; they're a legacy you leave for your loved ones.

About Gary Kunath

Nearly 10 years after real-time package- and people-tracking went viral with the advent of GPS-enabled cell phones, small businesses face two big concerns.

"One is expense. Small businesses, especially those still recovering from the worst recession in modern history, can't always afford to provide their employees with GPS-equipped smart phones," notes location-based services specialist George Karonis, founder and CEO of LiveViewGPS, Inc., provider of Mobile Phone Locate tracking service,  (www.mobilephonelocate.com).

"The second issue is privacy. People generally don't want their employer to be a 'big brother' boss who can track their every move. It's not because they're doing something they shouldn't, but because it invades their space, and the information could be misinterpreted or misused."

But employee tracking has plenty of obvious benefits to small business owners:

• Provide baseline information. It gives businesses solid data to analyze for initiatives such as improving efficiency. Businesses with lots of workers in the field making deliveries or service calls can optimize routes and schedules.

• Improve customer service and satisfaction. Tracking helps a business tell people waiting somewhere for a delivery or service exactly where their package or service-person is and how long the wait will be.

• Improve response times. On-site coordinators can re-route workers in the field to respond to unscheduled calls in the most efficient way possible.

• Reduce costs. The greater efficiency provided by tracking helps lower costs by reducing both downtime and overtime.

So how can businesses circumvent affordability and employee privacy concerns?

One way is to accomplish both is to use a service that doesn't involve extra equipment, including software, or a contract, Karonis says.

"If you're not loading apps or software onto someone's personal phone, it's less intrusive for the employee and he or she will be more willing to allow use of their own phone. There's also no added drain on the battery, because there's no app constantly running in the background, and no hitch-hiking on their data plan or incurring a data charge," he says.

"If you make it non-intrusive employees won't tend to feel that you're invading their privacy."

Using a service that charges per location, with no requirement for a time-specific contract, is also more cost-efficient for the business, Karonis says.

"For the small business that's merely seeking to improve efficiency and customer service, constant tracking isn't necessary. That's more appropriate in a situation where employers have large number of people constantly in the field, for instance, UPS. Or, employers who feel the need to monitor unproductive employees," he says.

There's a growing backlash as the public is subjected to more and more stalking - from cameras mounted at traffic lights to social networking sites recording shopping habits and topics of conversation, Karonis notes.

"We've reached a crossroads where we need to find a balance between surveillance that provides legitimate business advantages and surveillance that invades people's privacy," he says.

"It really is possible to strike that balance and, in a small business that thrives on trust, mutual respect and fully invested employees, it's essential."

About George Karonis

George Karonis has a background in security and surveillance, and has specialized in location services since 2005. A self-professed computer geek, one of his chief concerns is balancing the usefulness of tracking with the protection of individuals' privacy. He is founder and CEO of LiveViewGPS, Inc.

Pilot Program will Drive Innovation and Growth by Connecting Four Leading Illinois Corporations with Emerging Illinois Start-Ups

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today launched the Illinois Corporate/Start-Up Challenge, a program designed to connect the state's emerging, innovative start-up businesses and major corporations, strengthening the connections between these critical components of the business community. The initiative is part of the governor's agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"Illinois is experiencing an entrepreneurial renaissance with tremendous growth in the start-up community," Governor Quinn said. "We have one of the largest concentrations of Fortune 500 companies in the nation, and better connecting our corporate leaders to our cutting-edge entrepreneurs will foster even more innovation and drive economic growth."

Four major corporations have agreed to participate in the pilot program: Allstate, Molex, Motorola Mobility and Walgreens. Each company is designating a point of contact to serve as a liaison to the Illinois start-up and technology community, functioning as a "Chief Start-up Officer" for the purposes of this program. The pilot, to be run by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) with support from Governor Quinn's Illinois Innovation Council, will assist these corporations by matching them with some of Illinois' most innovative start-ups and emerging companies.

"Illinois corporations are now relying more than ever on technology and innovation to stay globally competitive and, as a result, are looking outside their walls for new ideas and disruptive solutions," Brad Keywell, Illinois Innovation Council chairman said. "This program will better link corporate leaders with entrepreneurs and helps pave a path for these emerging companies to gain feedback and expand their businesses."

As part of the program, the corporations will work with a select group of Illinois-based start-up companies over the course of four to six months, providing them with mentoring, partnership and business opportunities. Each corporation will have a customized plan based on their needs and innovation priorities, and will report back on the outcomes of their engagement. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage all Illinois companies to support the growth of emerging Illinois businesses.

"We are thrilled to be working with this group of corporate leaders to help them more systemically engage with local entrepreneurs and emerging enterprises," ISTC President and CEO Mark Harris said. "Illinois is rich with innovation talent, and this program will better link our entrepreneurial and corporate communities for mutual benefit."

About the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition

The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) is a member-driven, nonprofit organization that works to cultivate and attract research and technology-based investment, talent and job growth in the state. Through strategic public-private partnerships, advocacy efforts and project management, ISTC connects government, academia and industry to leverage the state's world-class resources to enhance Illinois' position as a global hub for research, innovation and entrepreneurship. For more information, visit www.istcoalition.org

About the Illinois Innovation Council

The Illinois Innovation Council (IIC) is a diverse group of leaders convened by Governor Pat Quinn to promote engagement, innovation and economic development. Its mission is to identify and advance strategies that foster and accelerate the innovation and economic growth that will create the jobs of today and tomorrow. For more information, visit www.istcoalition.org/innovation 

###