June Jewell, a CPA and owner of Acuity Business Solutions consulting, says the architectural, engineering and environmental firms she works for easily lose $100,000 each year through inefficient and ineffective practices.

"Of course, sometimes the waste is much, much more - and this goes for larger and smaller businesses," says Jewell, author of "Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architecture, Engineering, and Environmental Firms," (www.FindTheLostDollars.com). "The problems are usually so fundamental to a business that they will never see why and how they're bleeding money; they're too close."

There are several nooks and crannies in which firms are apt to lack efficiency. Jewell reviews three general areas where most of these firms can turn unnecessary losses to gains:

• Company culture: While the culture may vary somewhat from one firm to another, architectural, engineering and environmental firms share some of the same characteristics. One is that their founders tend to go into business because they're creative people who love what they do -- not because they're business people. So they don't focus on profits, and they tend to be casual managers with regard to employees' time. Shifting the culture to a focus of being profitable is not only necessary for sustaining the business; it allows creative people to do more of what they love.

•  Ineffective practices: Of course, there are many moving parts in an A&E firm, which means there are many potential areas for improvement. That includes customer service, time management, marketing, strategic planning, accurate budgets and estimates, and the cost of lost opportunities. Failure to create an accurate, meticulous job estimate, for instance, can have multiple consequences, from having disappointed clients to jeopardize projects to losing money because time, materials and other costs were not accurately forecast.

• Systems & IT: This is the third way to improve business management and increase profits. Technology is able to help companies leverage their resources more effectively, yet many of them are still using outdated software and non-integrated systems. By looking at systems as a strategic investment that can help them to be more competitive, they can realize a great return on investment (ROI) from their projects. While the transition from old to new software has its cost in time and work, the efficiency gained in future work production is worth it.

"I've worked with hundreds of A&E firms in my 28 years of consulting, and I see these shared problems so often, I offer what I call 'the $100K Challenge,' '' Jewell says. "That's a guarantee that I can work with any business that's doing a few million dollars a year in business and find $100,000 they're losing in profits."

In this post-recession economy, she says, it's vital for firms to tune up their business management practices in order to thrive.

About June Jewell

June R. Jewell is a CPA and CEO of Acuity Business Solutions, which consults with project-based professional services firms to support profitability. She has more than 28 years of business management consulting experience and has worked with hundreds of business owners in architecture, engineering, environmental consulting, government contracting, and management-consulting industries. She has co-authored several books and is has been an assistant professorial lecturer at George Washington University. Jewell is a sought-after speaker for a wide range of industry organizations.

What becomes of the women who graduate with MBAs from Harvard Business School? Do most go on to fulfilling careers, or do they drop out of the work force when they become moms?

"The number that has been floated for years, and is quoted by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her book 'Lean In,' is that 15 years after graduation, only a third of them are working full-time -- and they're working for their male classmates,'' says executive and business coach Debora McLaughlin, author of "The Renegade Leader, 9 Success Strategies Driven Leaders Use to Ignite People, Performance and Profits," (www.TheRenegadeLeader.com) and the forthcoming "Running in High Heels".

"That statement suggests that, even when they hold advanced degrees from an Ivy League university, women are less ambitious, less willing and less committed than their male fellow graduates.  ... I just don't believe that."

In fact, McLaughlin is right. Harvard Business School recently surveyed more than 6,400 male and female alumni and found that well more than half the women aged 31 to 47 were working full-time. Sixteen percent were working part-time, and 10 percent were caring for children full-time.

Ninety-five percent of the men were working full-time.

"This tells me that women are making difficult choices. Certainly, to do what it takes to get into Harvard and complete an MBA, they're ambitious," McLaughlin says. "But women, especially those who want to become mothers, face extra challenges in trying to strike a work-life balance. And, let's face it; it's still a male-dominated business world that lacks understanding of the needs of working Moms."

No matter where a person - male or female - earns her master's in business administration, there's a lot they won't learn in business school, McLaughlin notes. She offers her own MBA for successfully having it all:

• M - Management skills: A lot of the female professionals and business owners McLaughlin works with don't enjoy managing people. "They may have gone into a particular industry because it's their passion - whether it's architecture, engineering or small business. They want to move up, but in business, that almost always involves assuming managerial responsibilities," McLaughlin says. You can't duck this and you won't be successful if you're half a manager. Find a mentor, an executive coach, a good course or just read up on current management tools - you'll be happier and so will your employees. And you'll be on the path to becoming an inspiring leader.

• B - Balance: Finding the right work-life balance for you is essential! If your dream is to own that corner office or grow your business into a Fortune 100, carefully "choose your regrets," McLaughlin advises. Will you regret giving up your career to manage a home and children? Will you regret the lost mommy time if you continue working full time? Be bold, ask for what you need. "Why do women give up their careers and men do not?" McLaughlin asks. Striking a balance means being unapologetic about what you need when you need it. When you say "yes" understand what you are saying "no" to.

• A - Advancement: In order to achieve your dreams of success, you have to put yourself out there. "You have to show up and speak up, be authentic and unapologetic," McLaughlin says. Although women now account for more than half the bachelor's and master's degrees in the United States, they fill only16.6 percent of the seats on Fortune 500 boards and women CEOs represent only 4 percent. Get the experience that puts you in the position to be a board candidate, McLaughlin advises. Actively network, find female role models who can help you to achieve the kind of success you're aiming for, and be seen and heard in the workplace.

"If you have a fingerprint to leave on the world and you want to live your life with the greatest impact, know that you can," McLaughlin says. "You can have all that you want, when you want it."

About Debora McLaughlin

Debora McLaughlin is the best-selling author of "The Renegade Leader, 9 Success Strategies Driven Leaders Use to Ignite People, Performance and Profits" and the forthcoming book, "Running in High Heels." She is the CEO of The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group, combining her experience as certified executive coach, cognitive behavioral psychotherapist and as a top sales performer in New York City and Boston to help CEOs, business leaders and organizations achieve accelerated results.

Art Van Furniture to Bring 600 Jobs to New Retail and Distribution Locations in the Chicago Area

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Art Van Furniture, the Midwest's largest furniture retailer, will expand into the Chicago area with new retail and distribution locations, bringing approximately 600 new jobs to the area. The announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to drive Illinois economy forward and create jobs. He was joined by Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture, to make the announcement at the future store location in Lincoln Park.

"Art Van Furniture joins the growing number of companies that are choosing Illinois to invest and grow their business," Governor Quinn said. "With our diverse economy and our pool of highly-skilled workers, Illinois is a great place to do business. We are committed to working with companies like Art Van Furniture to create jobs and drive our economy forward."

The six new Art Van Furniture stores will be located in the Ford City and Logan Square neighborhoods of Chicago as well as Batavia, Bolingbrook, Orland Park, and Merrillville-Hobart, Indiana. A regional distribution center will also be based in Bolingbrook. Art Van Furniture plans to open more than a dozen retail locations and an equal number of its Art Van PureSleep bedding stores over the next three years. In Michigan, Art Van Furniture operates 36 stores and employs more than 2,700 associates.

"Chicago is definitely our kind of town," Van Elslander said. "This is a world-class city in a world-class state whose residents possess a great zest for life, passion for work, play and leisure, and pride in community. We look forward to introducing families to Art Van Furniture's one-of-a-kind lifestyle shopping experience and helping them to make their homes more stylish and comfortable without breaking the bank."

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provided a targeted investment package that includes the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credits. Art Van Furniture is eligible for the credit worth $404,000 over ten years, and will invest nearly $5 million to open a regional warehouse in Bolingbrook that creates dozens of jobs. The EDGE tax credits are performance-based, meaning a company is not eligible for tax credits unless it meets its commitment to create jobs and make the agreed upon private investment.

Art Van Furniture, based in Warren, Michigan, was founded in 1959 and is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer. Visit http://artvan.com for more information.

Under Governor Quinn's leadership, the state of Illinois has worked diligently to identify companies with the potential to bring jobs and economic growth to Illinois. The state has added 218,500 private sector jobs since January 2010, when job growth returned to Illinois following a two-year period of declines during the recession. For more information on why Illinois is the right place for business, visit http://illinoisbiz.biz.

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Springtime is greener as remodeling gains speed

Remodeler optimism stronger than ever during first quarter

Des Plaines, Illinois, April 23, 2013?The National Association of the Remodeling Industry's (NARI) first-quarter Remodeling Business Pulse (RBP) data of current and future remodeling business conditions is reaching new heights, as quarter-over-quarter increases are seen across all sub-components measuring remodeling activity.

As remodelers approach the busy season, overall current business conditions have seen steady increases since March of 2012, now at a statistically significant 5.97 rating compared with the 5.59 rating from one year before.

"Remodelers nationwide are not only experiencing increased activity right now, but many have a backlog of projects well into the fall," says Tom O'Grady, CR, CKBR, chairman of NARI's Strategic Planning & Research Committee and president of O'Grady Builders, based in Drexel Hill, Pa. "This current condition is world's away from March of last year and suggests that the recovery is beginning to gain speed."

Growth indicators in the first quarter of 2013 are as follows:

• Current business conditions up 1.0 percent since last quarter
• Number of inquiries up 4.9 percent since last quarter
• Requests for bids up 5.2 percent since last quarter
• Conversion of bids to jobs up 1.1 percent since last quarter
• Value of jobs sold is up 0.2 percent since last quarter

Sharp increases in the number of inquiries and requests for bids point speak directly to an increase in consumer confidence, especially in housing.

"Homeowners are tired of waiting to make improvements?many have chosen to stay put?and better financial positioning has them actively approaching professionals to get work done and enhance long-term livability of the home," O'Grady says.

More specifically, drivers of remodeling activity include needing improvements due to postponement of projects (83 percent reported this as a driver) and improving home prices with 59 percent reporting (an 8 percent jump from fourth quarter data).

Other significant contributors to overall activity:

• Certainty about the future was reported by 44 percent of respondents
• Economic growth was reported by 43 percent of respondents
• Low interest rates was reported by 42 percent of respondents
• Growth in stock market was reported by 39 percent of respondents

"We knew that several things had to turn around in order for business to get better, and NARI members are finally feeling a holistic economic recovery outside and inside the housing market," O'Grady says.

Whereas two-thirds of remodelers forecasted the next three months positively in December of 2012, now 76 percent of remodelers believe there will be growth in the next three months. Only 7 percent of respondents reported declines in the near future.

To review the research in its entirety, please send your request to marketing@nari.org.

NARI is the source for homeowners seeking to hire a professional remodeling contractor. Members are full-time, dedicated remodelers who follow a strict code of ethics with high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

Visit the NARI.org site to get tips on how to hire a remodeling professional and to search for NARI members in your area.

Click here to see an online version of this press release.

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About NARI: The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry.  The Association, which represents 7,000 member companies nationwide?comprised of 63,000 remodeling contractors? is "The Voice of the Remodeling Industry."® To learn more about membership, visit www.NARI.org or contact national headquarters, based in Des Plaines, Ill., at (847) 298-9200.